Updating your Online Catalog

Nothing annoys a customer more than searching through your online catalog to find the perfect gift, then discover it is out of stock when trying to order it. Chances are, that customer won't go back to make a purchase and will continue their shopping elsewhere.

In the virtual world, it is very easy to update your online catalog, and you should keep it updated. And even if you are running low on a popular item, make a note of "only three left in stock!". Not only will this let a customer know that you are low on stock on that particular item, it might also entice them to purchase sooner rather than later.

If something is out of stock, be sure it is noted right on the description page. You do not want to have your customer try to checkout, and then learn the item is out of stock.

Of course, you do not need to remove out of stock items from your catalog completely (unless you will not be able to get them in the future).

If you know that you will be unable to reorder a particular item that has been sold out, remove it from your catalog immediately. This will save you the time of replying to emails of "when will you have this back in stock" and will encourage them to purchase other items from your online store, as opposed to waiting for new stock that might never be coming, and waiting for your email reply.

Do you have an availability time frame for a particular item? Note that in your catalog. And remember, it is always better to over-estimate the arrival time than it is to keep changing a date in your catalog (which makes you also look unprofessional for someone who is watching for that items to return to stock.)