“We have to type web orders in by hand”: why it happens and how to stop
Re-keying ecommerce orders into your order system costs time and accuracy. Here's why it happens, what it really costs, and what changing looks like.
E-commerce
Basket add-ons reveal customer identity
Add-on and attach patterns expose whether someone is stocking up, experimenting, or buying on impulse — useful for picking, promos, and service level.
When it is rational to lose money on acquisition
Subsidising first orders only works when repeat behaviour, margin, and fulfilment cost are modelled honestly — not when growth slides need a vanity curve.
Order-triggering products
Some products exist mainly to start the order — razors, coffee pods, nappies. Recognise them in assortment and fulfilment planning.
Attracting bargain hunters vs loyalists
Deep discounts pull price-sensitive volume; loyalists pay for reliability and speed. Mixing the two without segmentation erodes margin and floor morale.
Free delivery thresholds psychology
Thresholds nudge basket size — but also pick complexity and cut-off pressure. Set them with ops input, not only conversion charts.
The cost of frictionless commerce
One-tap reorder and saved baskets shift labour from the customer to the picker. Frictionless for the shopper must be structured for the floor.
The real cost of last mile
Last mile is not a flat fee — it is failed deliveries, parking, returns to store, and customer comms when the window slips.
Micro-commitment in ecommerce
Samples, trials, and low-friction first orders build habit — if fulfilment treats them as seriously as full baskets.