Methods of purchasing have changed but, as we are all dealing with new realities, don’t make the purchasing experience tougher on your customers than it needs to be.

No doubt your business has had to change how it does business and most customers would understand that, however, if an experience, especially a purchasing experience is frustrating or difficult, your customers will find somewhere else to spend their money.

A large, well-known grocery store offered curbside pickup, in line with what most retail establishments are currently offering. A new customer placed a rather large order and her entire order was initially shown as being in stock. When she arrived to pick up the order, her itemized list noted the items that the store ultimately didn’t have in stock, contrary to the website, but also quite a few items had disappeared from both her order and the “out of stock” list. She wasn’t upset about items being out of stock, but her receipt made it appear that more of her order was fulfilled than it actually was. Even though it may have been a computer or programming glitch, the optics weren’t good. It was as if the store wanted the customer to forget that she ordered those items.

Most customers will understand inventory and supply chain issues, we are in unusual times, but being deceitful, or having the appearance of being deceitful, is something that a customer will not tolerate. Once trust is gone, it’s difficult to get it back.