Ecommerce and retail business owners are in the business of selling items to the public. Attracting new customers and getting old ones to come back is the ultimate method of making money. In order to impress potential customers, it is important to offer a guarantee on all purchases of products or services.
What Type of Guarantee to Offer
The type of guarantee that you offer your potential customers depends largely on the type of business that you do. Retail and ecommerce businesses often offer satisfaction guarantees, or guarantees against damage or breakage. That means that you will give your customer their money back, in whole or part, if the item is damaged in shipping or becomes damaged with regular, specified, usage.
Satisfaction guarantees are often offered as 100% satisfaction guarantees. These mean that you will refund the customer’s money if they are not satisfied with the product or service for any reason. These are often given only for a limited time. For example, an ecommerce customer must claim dissatisfaction with the shirt they bought within five days of delivery.
Making it Official or Getting it in Writing
It is easier to offer a written guarantee if you run a brick and mortar business, rather than an ecommerce or internet business. If you do meet potential customers face to face, be sure to tell them about your guarantee verbally, but also hand them a paper or small brochure that outlines it as well. And do not confuse issues with a lot of small print at the bottom of the sheet. Small print is often viewed as a way to trick people.
If you do all of your work on the internet, you can offer a written guarantee that can be mailed to your customer if they wish. You can also include one with any order that you ship out. However, a virtually written guarantee is just as binding. If you write your guarantee clearly and completely on your website, you are bound by it.
The Number One Rule of Guarantees
If you intend to do business and offer guaranteed, there is one important rule that is tantamount over all others: honor your guarantees. You should only make guarantees that you will always keep. If you offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back, you must refund your customer’s money if they are not completely satisfied. If you guarantee an item to work for a certain length of time after purchase, it had better work for that length of time, or you will have to replace it.
Offering a guarantee to both potential and established customers is a great way to increase ecommerce or retail sales. No matter what type of guarantee you offer: money back, price matching, or satisfaction guarantee, it will go a long way in impressing your customers with your service and professionalism.
