Out of Stock! Undoubtedly, it is one of the most dreaded phrases in ecommerce. Imagine this happening to you. You’re investing in your marketing efforts, expanding your teams, luring customers as well as innovating in your products. But, one day a customer lands on your website and broses their favorite product. The moment they land on their page, they find the beautiful images and descriptions that you’re written for the product. But, along with that, they see the out of stock message. And so an Inventory stock out has cost you a sale opportunity.
Inventory stock outs can have a deep impact on your business. If you think that it’s a one time thing, well it’s not. Because in that time a lot of things have happened that probably even you’re clueless about. If this is a regular message on your website, it means that you’re clearly neglecting your inventory.
However, the message that the customer will come across in this situation is different! They will see you as a careless business. Someone who doesn’t care about the customers. This can be even worse, customers might think that your pricing and everything is a gimmick, because you’re clearly not someone you claim to be.
You certainly, don’t want that for your business, do you?
Today’s Market Scenario
Most online sellers want to grow their business and compete in the Amazonian world. We’re saying this because the market is clearly dominated by Amazon. No matter what it is that you want to buy, there will be an alternative for it on Amazon. Moreover, the customer friendly policies and other factors have a huge role to play. And that’s why customers love purchasing from Amazon.
When you already have such a tough competition from a brand like Amazon, it is difficult to sustain oneself in the market. And so, committing inventory stock out mistakes can be disastrous. Unless you’re using it as a marketing strategy.
Any brands these days use inventory stock out as a short term marketing strategy, to create urgency. For example, if you have a big sale coming up, you might list some of your products as out of stock. And at the same time, tell your customers the time when it will be available on sale. This generates anticipation among your customers. It makes them feel like you’re selling something valuable. And they must have it.
But, if you’re trying such a marketing strategy, make sure that you advertise well. And secondly, ensure that your website is capable enough to handle such a huge inflow of traffic. Some of the brands that try this sort of inventory stock out tactic to lure customers are Xiomi, One Plus and others. In other words, if you are selling some premium appliances or gadgets, inventory stock out for a limited period of time might be a good option to consider.
In other cases, it is a lack of inventory management. Your business suffers and here’s how-
You Lose a Sale Opportunity
When your products are displayed as out of stock, you lose a sale opportunity. When your customer lands on your product page, in most of the cases they are there to make a purchase. In other words, it means that they are really interested in your product to be viewing this level of details.
However, when you have an inventory stock out, they cannot complete their intent. In other words, the customers have to turn away from your website. We cannot hundred percent say that they will make a purchase from your competitor, but it can’t be ruled out. Most of the customers will migrate to other platforms to find the product. Because many of the needs are time based, it implies that your customer will look for other options if they can’t find something on your platform. So, bad news for your business!
You Lose a Customer
When you have inventory stock out on your online store, you face another big challenge. And that is customer retention. If a customer comes to purchase from your website, it shows that they trust your brand. However, when the product is not available on your website, the customer goes looking for it somewhere else.
Therefore, they find that experience at someplace else. Now, when a customer finds a good experience at another web store, they might want to stick with it. Maybe they discover more lucrative options, or they might find some products they were looking for, that weren’t available at many places. Alternatively, they might also find better shipping options or more offers with their desired mode of payment. Either way, you end up loading a customer!
What is Inventory Stock Out Exactly?
Inventory stock out is a condition where you run out of inventory on your store. Be it online or offline, inventory stock out condition is real and challenging for all kinds of business. It is used to describe the condition that the customer can no longer purchase a product from the website or store. However, this doesn’t imply that the brand is no longer selling the product.
Instead, it means that the out of stock condition is temporary. So, even though the product is sold by the brand, there are currently no stocks of it available. In most of the cases, the inventory stock out condition is temporary. And most popular, this happens due to the negligence of the business.
Conclusion
Inventory stock out can be a pretty disappointing situation, for both you and your customer. This is why you must invest well in demand forecasting. Another thing you need to pay attention to while managing your inventory is shipping. The choice of a logistics partner can turn your business upside down. Dash101 is your one-stop shipping partner that powers your ecommerce business by helping you step foot in the world of online selling. Maximize your reach to 26000+ customers as you ship at rates starting Rs 23/500 gms.
