Here at AIS we’ve built many eCommerce/online shop websites for our customers and their success depends on reassuringly professional design, easy navigation and great marketing and SEO.

Recently however, we have had an experience which has reminded us that the best laid plans can come unstuck when one particular component fails.

The human component.

With 14 days to go until a family member’s birthday, we ordered and paid for a pair of pajamas from www.lovable.com.au - the official website of this Australian based company.

We received the usual auto email confirmation the same day, with the line:

Please allow up to 7 days for delivery within Australia

Well, the pj’s didn’t arrive and the birthday came and went.

I’ll spare you the details but needless to say several polite follow-up emails to lovable.com.au has to date* ( 6 weeks after placing the order ) failed to secure the goods.

There may be a genuine reason; they are out of stock ? they lost our order ? some clerical error ?

It should be noted that the pj’s in question are still for sale on the lovable website today.

The problem is, even though we have now secured a promise of a refund, there is still no explanation of what went wrong.

I will certainly be using lovable.com.au to illustrate to our customers this crucial principle of e-Business, that Communication is King.

Had we been informed of a supply problem and given the opportunity to choose another product from the lovable.com.au online shop, we would have cheerfully done so. Instead we are left disgruntled, out of pocket and pajama-less

Perhaps Lovable spent all their budget on their sexy website and the lovely Jennifer Hawkins ?
Maybe there was nothing left in the kitty for staff training ?

There’s an awful sinking feeling when you have bought something online and it doesn’t arrive.
So, as eBusiness people we must ensure we don’t fall into the Lovable.com.au trap.

It’s not enough to have the slick sexy eCommerce website, if the systems fail you, you need to be prepared to engage on a human level.

In an increasingly wired world, reputation is everything.

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Update: Full refund has now been received.

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