Encountering an eCommerce sales spike is undeniably positive. That doesn’t mean it won’t cause some issues, though, especially if you don’t expect it. Too many sales at once might clear your inventory, stress your team out, and even crash your eCommerce hosting site. In the end, you might wish the spike never happened at all! So, read on to ensure your sales spike doesn’t wreak too much havoc on your business’s operations.

Use a Logistics Service

A sales spike will likely leave you and your team feeling defeated. With too many orders, you might worry that you can’t get them all out on time, leading to unhappy customers. Fortunately, that never has to happen – not when using a logistics service. A 3PL service will manage inventory, picking, packing, shipping, and returns. It takes a lot of the work off your plate so that you can focus on other business areas!

Scale Up Your Hosting Site

A crashed hosting site is one of the most worrying things to happen during an eCommerce sales spike. Luckily, there is a way to avoid that from happening: scaling up. Ideally, your hosting site does it automatically as soon as it experiences an influx of sales (Shopify does this). If not, you can manually scale it up on the hosting site itself. However, if neither option is viable, contact your hosting provider directly to let them know you need it scaling up.

Keep Enough Stock

Keeping way too much stock in the inventory isn’t the best option. However, holding more than enough stock is beneficial for times like this. When your eCommerce site gains lots of unexpected purchases, you have the stock to manage it properly. It also means you don’t miss out on sales from new customers. In a way, the additional inventory will be a lifesaver when you experience a spike!

Liaise with the Marketing Department

If you have a separate marketing department, keep up to date with them. By liaising frequently, you will have a better idea of when to expect a spike or dip in sales, and you can use this information to your advantage. For example, you’ll know when to order more stock, hire more hands, and take it a little easier. On top of that, you can keep the entire team informed about busy upcoming weeks.

Hire a Financial Advisor

Are you experiencing a significant spike that’s bigger than any that came before? If so, you might be surprised by the sudden increase in profit. The last thing you want to do is waste it! So while some of the profit will inevitably need spending, you must think carefully about how you handle the rest. That’s where a financial advisor comes in handy. By talking with a business financial advisor, you’ll make better decisions concerning your sudden increase in profits.

Prepare Your Current Staff

Your current staff will each have a fixed routine in place. Whether they work on the sales team, marketing department, or picking orders, they are likely used to their usual workday. While that’s good for when things are steady, it’s not so great when you experience a sales spike. That’s why preparing your staff for such times is essential. By getting them ready for an influx of orders before the spike, they will find it easier to manage such a high volume of work. Don’t forget to reward them for such hard work!  

Hire Temporary Staff

Spikes are called spikes for a reason – they increase sharply and then usually taper off. For this reason, only temporary measures should be implemented during busy periods. That includes new staff. By hiring temporary employees during these times, you gain extra pairs of hands without committing to paying a brand-new, full-time employee. It’s all about ensuring you don’t take hasty measures that you can’t go back on.

Put Money Aside

A sales spike will make you feel like you’ve made it. After all, more sales equal more success! There is no guarantee that this success will continue indefinitely, though, which is why it is so important to put money aside during this time. By setting aside some cash, you will have backup funds for when business isn’t as booming. Then, in the future, when you experience a less-than-average month in terms of sales, you will thank your past self for putting surplus money to the side.  

A sales spike is a good sign. It means that your eCommerce business is doing something right, whether that’s a great marketing strategy or an excellent product. So, instead of letting the sales spike overwhelm you, embrace the increase in profits by being prepared. Remember - once you manage it the first time, you will be more prepared later. Eventually, what used to be a spike might end up being a usual sales week!