Keeping online customers happy

Dylan Kohlstädt

We have all been there. You find a website that is stylish and professionally designed, and, once you have spent a few minutes familiarising yourself with the layout, you decide to search for the item you want, so you can buy it. Only to find that the website does not have what you are looking for, or it is sold out... effectively stealing those ten minutes of your time.

While it is frustrating for users, it is even more embarrassing for the online retailer. South Africans are notoriously slow to buy online, so why jeopardise any potential sales by not allowing users to at least set up an alert to notify them when the latest George RR Martin book is released? And I am not just talking about 'add to wish list', I'm talking about 'notify me when you wake up and figure out that...'

There has to be another way - something a little more proactive and responsive than the generic "Please try again later." Then I stumbled upon this response that I hope will catch on quickly with other online retailers, for the sake of my sanity, my precious time and my wallet.

I was browsing online for a second-hand car for my mom, and stumbled upon Reeds (www.reeds.co.za). When it didn't have the car I was enquiring about, instead of a nasty white page with 'search not found' written on it, I was asked to enter a few details, like my name and number, with the simple promise that it would let me know when the car I was looking for (or something similar) was on the floor. Car Finder Alerts, it called it.

Now, I like that; they parlay my language. It is not up to me anymore to chase them up; rather, the ball is in their court. I can carry on with my life while the little cogs are turning in the background, looking for my mom's next car.

Digging a little deeper I found out where the magic lies: TriggerText. It works so simply and so efficiently, with a few lines of code in the backend of the website turning a customer's frown into a smile.

Once the code is installed, it fires off texts or emails at the pull of a trigger. What is the trigger? Quite simply, the product I am looking for. Once that car comes onto the floor, I get an SMS telling me so. Frustrated no longer, I'm happily spending my money.

Retailers, travel, automotive, property, auction, career and other e-commerce websites will all benefit from having this code within their website.