Small Business Tips: How To Solve Common Challenges During Easter
Running a small business has its own challenges, and the Easter season can amplify these issues, especially in areas like shipment, delivery, and the prevention of scam orders.
However, with thoughtful planning and the right tools, many of these challenges can be managed effectively.
In today’s blog, we will outline common issues small businesses face during Easter and introduce practical solutions, including using Identity Verification Tools (like People Search), Phone Verification, and Address Verification Tools (such as USPS Address Lookup & Verification) to successfully navigate this busy period.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
10 Common Challenges of Small Businesses During Easter
Small businesses often face a unique set of challenges during the Easter season, which can include:
1. Inventory Management: Deciding how much Easter-related stock to order can be tricky. Overestimating demand can lead to unsold inventory, while underestimating can result in missed sales opportunities. Balancing this effectively requires careful planning and understanding of market trends.
2. Increased Competition: Easter often sees a surge in promotional activities from businesses of all sizes. Standing out amidst this heightened competition requires creative marketing strategies and potentially more significant investment in advertising.
3. Cash Flow Management: The need to invest in Easter stock and marketing campaigns ahead of sales can strain cash flows. Managing this without impacting the operational aspects of the business is a challenge.
4. Staffing Issues: Depending on the nature of the business, there may be a need for additional staff during the Easter period to manage increased customer demand. Hiring, training, and managing temporary staff can be time-consuming and costly.
5. Supply Chain Disruptions: Seasonal demand spikes can lead to delays or increased costs in the supply chain. Securing reliable suppliers and planning for contingencies is crucial to avoid stockouts.
6. Meeting Consumer Expectations: Easter promotions often raise consumer expectations about discounts, product offerings, and service levels. Strategic planning is required to meet these expectations without compromising profitability.
7. Operational Efficiency: For businesses in hospitality and retail, managing the operational challenges of increased foot traffic while maintaining high service standards can be demanding.
8. Digital Presence: Since the pandemic, online shopping has become more normal and prevalent; small businesses must ensure their digital presence is optimized for Easter searches and promotions, which might require additional resources.
9. Shipment and Delivery Challenges: With the spike in demand around Easter, shipping services can become overwhelmed, leading to delays. Keeping customers informed about these potential delays is crucial for maintaining satisfaction and trust.
10. Fraudulent Scams: The busy nature of the Easter season may also attract more fraudulent activities, such as scam orders placed using stolen credit card details. These activities can lead to chargebacks, which can affect your business financially.
Aside from that, scammers might also target businesses with phishing attempts, aiming to extract sensitive information under the guise of placing an order.
Educating yourself and your employees about the signs of phishing scams and implementing strict protocols for handling sensitive information can help protect your business.
How to Fight Common Challenges in Small Businesses During Easter
To effectively combat the challenges, particularly shipment and scams, businesses can leverage various verification tools designed to authenticate identities, verify phone numbers, and ensure the accuracy of shipping addresses.
Here are the steps you need to take to solve problems during Easter:
1. Identity Verification using People Search
Implementing identity verification is crucial for preventing fraudulent transactions. To help you with that, you need a People Search tool.
This tool, available as both a lookup service and an API, allows businesses to verify their customers’ identities by cross-referencing the information provided with public records. This step is essential for confirming that the customer is who they claim to be, significantly reducing the risk of fraud.
How does it work? Simple. When a customer places an order, their details can be quickly run through the People Search database. If you are a small business that does not need to verify identities in bulk, you can use a lookup tool to cross-verify whether the details provided match public records.
If discrepancies arise, the order can be flagged for further review, ensuring only legitimate transactions are processed.
2. Phone Verification using Phone Validator
Phone verification serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it ensures that the customer’s contact information is valid, essential for sending order updates and tracking information. Secondly, it adds an extra layer of security, as e-commerce platforms require customers to verify ownership of their phone numbers upon signing up.
Implementing a Phone Validator in your order process means you can confidently send out order updates, knowing they’ll reach the customer, and you can contact the customer via phone for further order verification or questions.
This tool can also deter fraudsters, who are less likely to provide a valid phone number that can be traced back to them.
3. Address Verification using USPS Address & Verification
Obviously, it is important to ensure that a shipping address is legitimate and deliverable. The USPS Address Lookup & Verification tool validates addresses against the comprehensive USPS database, confirming their accuracy and deliverability.
Moreover, this step is crucial for avoiding shipments that return to the sender, reducing unnecessary shipping and packaging costs for the seller, and avoiding the effort, time, and other necessary work involved in shipping items just to be returned to the seller if an address doesn’t exist.
By integrating the USPS Address & Verification API into your checkout process, you can automatically validate addresses as they are entered.
This streamlines the order fulfillment process and gives you confidence that orders are legitimate and will be received promptly by customers without any delays.
Why is it Important to Implement Verification Tools in Small Businesses?
Integrating these verification tools into your small business’ e-commerce platform can significantly streamline your order processing and delivery system.
It safeguards against common Easter challenges, such as fraudulent orders and delivery issues, while enhancing the customer experience. By ensuring each order is legitimate, deliverable, and verified, you build a stronger foundation for your business, not just for the Easter season but year-round.
Searchbug’s Verification Tools
As small businesses gear up for the bustling Easter season, efficient, reliable verification processes become more important.
Searchbug’s Verification Tools offer services that streamline customer verification, enhance security, and improve order accuracy. These tools are essential for tackling the unique challenges of high-volume sales periods.
1. People Search
Fraudulent orders can significantly impact a business’s bottom line and reputation. Searchbug’s People Search service uses advanced algorithms and vast databases to find someone’s contact information and confirm the authenticity of a customer’s details.
Here are a few data points it can find and verify for you:
- Name
- Mailing Address
- Phone Number
- Email Address
2. Phone Validator
Before packing any orders, ensure that you have a valid contact number for each customer as it is crucial for seamless communication. Searchbug’s Phone Validator tool confirms the validity of a phone number and checks its status and type.
Here are the data points Searchbug’s Phone Validator API can provide you with:
- Original Line Type
- Original Carrier
- Current Line Type
- Current Carrier
- LNP (Local Number Portability) Check
- SMS Email
- OCN (Operating Company Number)
- Location
- State
- Time Zone
- DNC Check
- TCPA Check
- Line Status
- Caller ID
3. USPS Address Lookup & Verification
Did you know that incorrect or fraudulent shipping addresses are a common issue that can lead to lost shipments and increased costs?
Searchbug’s USPS Address Lookup & Verification tool validates addresses against the USPS database, ensuring every order is shipped to a legitimate, deliverable address. This improves delivery efficiency and enhances customer trust in your shipping process.
Contrary to popular belief, small businesses can also use API to automate verification. Searchbug offers API integration options that simplify incorporating these verification tools directly into your existing e-commerce platform.
No need to worry; with comprehensive support and documentation, setting up and using these tools is straightforward. This ensures that your business can benefit from enhanced verification processes immediately.
Key Takeaway
Navigating the Easter season’s challenges, such as shipment delays, delivery inaccuracies, and scam orders, is crucial for small businesses.
Also, our discussion pinpointed effective strategies and tools for overcoming these obstacles, focusing on verification methods to ensure smooth operations and customer trust.
Key solutions include the People Search for identity verification, Phone Validator for confirming customer contacts, and USPS Address Lookup & Verification to guarantee accurate shipping addresses. Moreover, these tools prevent fraudulent transactions and ensure that products reach their rightful owners without unnecessary setbacks.
In order to protect themselves from common seasonal challenges, small businesses need to standardize and layout the groundwork for sustained success and customer satisfaction.
With all these verification efforts, small businesses can effectively navigate the demands during Easter, ensuring a more secure, efficient, and rewarding season for the business and its customers.
