Yahoo Store basics

Yahoo! Store

As important as having a professional-looking Yahoo Store is, it is only a part of your business.  What happens **after **your customer clicks on the "confirm order" button is just as important as getting the customer to place an order in the first place.  The key is to meet or exceed your customers’ expectations, in line with what you have promised on your website.
I felt compelled to write this note because I just had a bad e-commerce experience.  I used Google to look for a pedestal sink and found a decent-looking site with a seemingly established business behind it. I liked the fair price, free shipping and good return policies. Furthermore, the product was listed as in stock and "ships within two days".  That could just be boilerplate company text I thought, so I called the company to confirm availability. I was told that the product was indeed in stock, so I placed the order a few minutes later. My confirmation email arrived shortly thereafter, so life was good. Or so it seemed, because after ten days I am still waiting for a shipping notice.  I called today to enquire about my order and was given a lame excuse along the line of the wrong container being in the wrong place at the wrong time – I thought the product was supposed to be in stock! I was offered the option of canceling my order if I was unhappy – how about trying to keep me as a customer?
Anyway, here’s an actual example of a company not delivering on its promises. No point to get upset, there are enough things to worry about.  But I bet you could pick any line of business and have a chance of success, if you do the basics well. Having a great Yahoo Store does not mean you have a great business.
Surely, you can do better than that…