What to do if your pre-orders are delayed

Building a business is about selling a product. Naturally, you create videos, write articles, and so on, and you want to keep track of all the content you create, but ultimately, you're trying to create a paid value exchange. Views, followers, and collected email addresses are great, but nothing validates an idea better than getting someone to buy your product in a pre-order.

Pre-orders are, in fact, product validation.

While trying to create this value exchange, you naturally want to collect email addresses from people who are interested in what you're building, but the best way to validate an idea is to ensure that someone actually pays for it. If you don't have a product that people are willing to pay for, you don't have a business. The sooner you can confirm that people will pay for your idea, the better. Allowing a customer to give you money for your idea before it's 100% ready is one of the best motivations you can get.

Allowing a customer to pre-order your product is also a way of saying, “Hey, you can go behind the fancy velvet rope while everyone else stands in line!” Who doesn't love early access? Who doesn't want to see a product before others? We are big proponents of pre-orders. Pre-order customers can provide valuable feedback on the first version of the product you're selling. They become beta testers. They form a valuable part of the iterative process that's necessary when building something new. They also become a group of cheerleaders to help you spread the word about your product through the best marketing tactic ever: word-of-mouth. Whether the product is already sold out or about to launch soon, pre-orders serve as a kind of reservation for the customer. This builds loyalty and gives you better insight into expected demand. But what if your pre-orders are delayed?

Help! My pre-orders are delayed.

When pre-orders are delayed, it can sometimes be a challenge. But don't worry, there are a few tips you can follow to help you deal with this situation:

1. Communicate with your customers: It's important to be open and honest with your customers about the delay. Let them know why the pre-orders are delayed and when they can expect to receive their product.
2. Keep your customers engaged: Try to keep your customers engaged by keeping them updated regularly on the developments. This can be through newsletters or social media updates.
3. Look for solutions: Work with your suppliers and vendors to find solutions for the delay. Maybe you can find an alternative supplier or speed up production in some other way.
4. Offer compensation: If the delay persists, consider compensating your customers for the delay. This can be through discounts on future purchases or free products.

Remember that satisfied customers are the key to a successful business, so make sure you take the time to keep them happy, even if there are delays.

Do you also want to avoid stock stress? Read our six tips to prevent this stress here.