Everything about Web and Network Monitoring
Everything about Web and Network Monitoring
There are many reasons why companies choose to monitor their sites, especially for eCommerce retailers. Online customers expect everything to be seamless, from searching for a product to checkout. If there is a snag in the process, the consequences can be difficult to rebound from, both for your brand and your bottom line.
Here are the top 5 reasons why eCommerce sites should employ monitoring tools:
Site Functionality
The main tenet of eCommerce sites is that a customer has the ability to purchase online. Even if one page has an error, it could affect sales tremendously. The best online monitoring software will not only notify you of a problem, but offer a solution to fix it. Online retailers are constantly adding new products and pages to their store, and want those items to sell. Constant monitoring of an online store is the only way to safeguard and correct problems as they come.
Speed/Performance
Similar to functionality, the performance of an eCommerce site is monumental in keeping customers buying. No online shopper wants to wait 2-3 minutes for their desired item to load so they can add it to their shopping cart. If the online store does not perform, the customer won’t buy. Online stores need monitoring tools that take into account page analytics, so they may be able to add the necessary speed requirements based on past and current traffic to the site.
Reputation
The holiday season may come around once a year, but online buying power is forever. If a customer visits an online store and the site is down, not loading quickly enough, or can’t checkout, they may never be back. eCommerce sites need to take into account the repercussions of site failures, and monitor their site properly to avoid and quickly address any problems.
Checkout
Even if the eCommerce site is working and the speed is adequate, a broken or non-functioning checkout will ruin a sale. In this case, a $500 sale is the same as a $25. A broken checkout will affect both sales the same. Online monitoring is clearly important in this regard, as the online store owner will be notified of a problem as it is happening, and not through a week old feedback form.
Out of Stock
As another lose-lose situation, an item that is out of stock is a deal breaker. The responsibility primarily falls on the eCommerce site for not properly monitoring the ebbs and flows of their inventory, along with trends in consumer behavior and demand. An online store must consistently monitor the buying behavior of their customers, based on a variety factors. For example, if an eCommerce site sells iPhone accessories, and Apple debuts a new iPhone, they are sure to double, if not triple their inventory for the release. Additionally, if there is consistent traffic to a certain product page, monitoring tools will enable the buyer to estimate demand.
If not for the sanity of the owner, eCommerce sites should actively monitor their sites for the sanity of your customers. Regardless of the occasion, you want them coming back.
Contributor Melissa Eisenberg is the Director of Marketing at WisePricer, a eCommerce repricing tool.
