Another Sale Fail for Ann Taylor Brands on Cyber Monday and Empathy for The Social Media Team
I’m really glad that I don’t manage social media for LOFT and Ann Taylor stores (note: in the interest of disclosure, I did offer them my services yesterday). On Sunday theyannounced a huge Cyber Monday sale. They often have online-only discounts…or should I say they often ANNOUNCE online-only discounts. Time and time again the brands’ sites crash in the middle of the one-day-only or hours-only sales. Seriously. This has happened so many times I don’t even bother to shop their online sales anymore. And I LOVE this brand!
Monday was no exception, unfortunately. When I got the reminder email Monday morning, I decided to check their Facebook page. Already they were posting apologies for the site being down on both the Ann Taylor and LOFT pages. This was before 9:00am CST!!
I can’t feel sorry for the brand any longer. I understand that every now and then a brand is going to have site issues during a big sale. But when this happens EVERY time, the brands’ decision-makers just simply aren’t getting it. How can they allow this to continue? Especially in the age of social media when your disgruntled customers can post their angry ‘I’m never shopping your store again’ (or worse: ‘You’ve lost my trust’) posts on Facebook and Twitter for all the world to see! It’s unreal that they haven’t taken extreme measures (many sales ago) to permanently correct this problem. If I were the CEO I’d invest in the largest servers (plural) and hire the absolute best IT people in the US. Whatever it takes.
But I digress…
What prompted this post was not only frustration with Ann Taylor’s incredibly unstable websites, but also my empathy for their social media team. I can only imagine how they must dread coming into the office on the morning of an online sale.
That being said, the social media team surely could’ve done more for their angry customers besides their ‘Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your patience.’ posts. To be fair, they also offered to honor today’s online-only discount in stores. A couple of problems with that, though. Many people don’t have stores in their area, can’t get to a store, don’t want to go to a store, etc. But the two biggest problems with that offer is that several stores didn’t get the memo and wouldn’t honor the discount (some customers even complained that the sales team treated as if they were lying )…and, oh, this was Cyber Monday! Um, yeah. Shopping online was sort of the point.
As a business owner, I’d have found a way to offer those disgruntled customers an even larger discount when (if?) the site was back up. That didn’t happen – not yet, anyway. The social media team simply attempted to placate the angriest complaints while ignoring hundreds of others, I can only assume that – once again – the decision-makers are not giving the social media team anything to work with. The social media managers obviously aren’t in a position to offer anything other than what they’re told to offer. That’s why I have empathy for them. No social media manager worth their salt would allow hundreds of complaints to pile up without doing something to mitigate the crisis – nor should any business owner who values their clientele.
There’s a lesson to be learned here for business owners large and small. Don’t tie the hands of your people on the front lines. Your social media team is in place to help you handle crises and to protect your brand’s reputation – online and off. As a business owner you must give your social media managers tools to work with. For starters, be sure that your server won’t be overwhelmed when lots of people want to purchase your products at the same time. Lots of customers should be a cause for celebration, not a crisis to be managed. If your site is capable of handling the traffic there will be minimal complaints lodged on your social media profiles and your social media team will be able to sincerely address those few issues (and maybe you could afford to give those few folks an extra discount).
Social media managers are your first lines of defense when there’s a crisis. Part of our job is to mitigate negative comments and protect your brand’s reputation, but you have to make decisions that give us the power to make things right for your customers. We are bound by the decisions made in the corner office. Don’t tie our hands. Let us help you. That’s what we do.
So I ask you…
If you were a decision-maker for Ann Taylor brands, what changes would you make to avoid another sale fail situation? Would you have let it go on this long? What would you do if you were on their social media team? Please leave your comments below!
Carole Billingsley (@YouSeekSocial) is a social media consultant and trainer. Combining her social media expertise with her decades of experience in entertainment and education, Carole founded Seek Social Media in 2011. She is known for her ability to make technical and social media topics easy to understand for even the least tech-savvy business owner. Specialty areas: social media, customer experience, digital presence, crisis management.
20 Comments
5 Ways Brands Respond to Negative Comments on Social Networks (Hint: Only One is Effective)
April 30, 2013[…] especially when there are multiple complaints (such as the one I covered a few months ago in my blog post regarding Ann Taylor brands and Cyber Monday). They ignored, deleted, and placated – all while […]
WHBM
June 27, 2013Well because of hard times, people are now quite alert every time there is a sale! So to even out site visitors, why not make the sale fall on certain hours like to have it every two or three hours so more people have the chance to grab it at their hours of convenience. This is a great way to distribute the traffic and have less down time of the site. I usually buy my stuff at Chico’s, their designs are worth every penny! When they have a sale, their site does not go down too like Ann Taylor’s!
Rebecca
August 4, 2013Chico’s?? What in the world does Chico’s have to do with Ann Taylor?!! They couldn’t be more polar opposites. Chico’s stuff is huge, also. A large customer base of AT’s is either petite or slender or both. Chico’s stuff is loud, large and horrible! But I digressed from what I came here to say..
I have many issues with Ann Taylor lately. One has to do with the low inventory in my size. They know they have many 00’s and 00P’s who shop there (I read many reviews by these people!) yet they are forever running out of those sizes. I’ll have something in my cart trying to figure out whatever weird promotion they have going on, and how it is going to work, then BAM! my size disappears, only to reappear a few days later after the promotion!! It’s so frustrating.
Also the sizing has changed. I have dresses from a few years ago that fit me, in a 2P. Now a 0P is bigger than that size and a 00P is the same as the 2P used to be!
And, the fabrics, though nice, are not what they used to be. All this polyester!!! At least it is good quality polyester and the designs are still great.
Patty Liu
October 29, 2013I agree that it’s frustrating with AT site crashing at the most inconvenient times especially when there is 60% off sales going on. The site not just crash, but sometimes even after you’ve managed to make your purchase, you receive an apologetic email about how the item you ordered is no longer available just to see it back on the website again a few days after.
But over time, I’ve become a more avid shopper tracking exactly when their sales might occur and when would be the best time to purchase. The 00p and 00 runs out fast especially for dresses and statement blouse. Usually by 50% off your entire purchase, those sizes are gone. I actually have a little blurb on my blog about my AT strategy to buy $20-30 blouse, $40 silk blouse, $35 pencil skirts. Check it out.
AT definitely need to update their website to accommodate more simultaneous shoppers and transactions. Streamline their inventory so shoppers don’t purchase something they love then receive a disappointing email about how it can’t be fulfilled. Develop a more structured sale calendar so shoppers will be ready at certain day of the week at certain week of the month. When a habit is developed, the buyers will be waiting for the retailer and not the retailer trying to lure buyers in just like Zara’s biannual sale.
Carole
October 30, 2013Completely agree, Patty! AT definitely needs to update their site to be able to accommodate all the traffic their sales generate. I’m sad to hear this is still happening; I wrote this post almost two years ago and stopped trying to buy from them online after the way they handled the situation then.
Sounds like you have a system down for making the most of online shopping! Thanks for your comment!
Carole
Paula
December 4, 2013As a former Ann Taylor manager, let me give some insight into the online fulfillment process.
1. Stores are sourced the online orders. When there is a flash sale, stores receive about 100 orders to fulfill. The stores are only given 4 hours of payroll to search for and process the orders. This comes at the expense of helping customers who are shopping in store. Most stores simply reject the orders because they have no time to complete.
2. Items are not backstock items, they have been on the floor, tried on, and sometimes sitting in the sale section for months. The condition most sale merchandise goes out is questionable. But the stores are expected to complete as many as possible and items frequently go out regardless of their condition.
3. Items and sizes that mysteriously become available again have probably been returned to a store and then the store is given the online order to process regardless of their condition.
4. You are paying more for the convenience of your online purchase! Yes you might be getting 60% off your purchase online; but that same item in store is offered at a lower price point in store. They might give you free shipping, but you are paying a higher retail price. I have returned so many online purchases that the customer could have bought at sometimes $20 less in store.
4. It is not just the website that is inadequate. The whole point of sale and back office operating system has not been updated in over 15 years. The entire system is woefully inadequate to service tech savvy customers of today.
5. And as a side note, every time an online order is returned to the store it negatively affects that store’s business. Countless returns of over $1000 are seen returned to stores each week by thoughtless women who buy 3 sizes of the same item and have buyers remorse and return it all. At a recent corporate meeting it was basically said that the brick and mortar stores make no profit for the company, it is all online. What does that mean? That when leases are up, they won’t be renewed. So if you at all value any type of in store experience you need to take advantage of it now.
Carole
December 4, 2013Wow, Paula. Thanks for your insights! That is a crazy crazy business model! I can’t believe that the stores fulfill the online orders. That doesn’t even make sense from a logistical standpoint…not to mention the extra burden on store employees. Do they at least send orders to stores that are closest to the customer? I’m seriously in shock that this is the way they do business. No wonder there are consistently issues given that the POS and back end operating systems are so antiquated. Wow, wow, wow!
Thanks so much for your comment and insights!
Carole
Julia Wallace
January 19, 2014I could not agree more with all of these posts! I have been an avid Ann Taylor shopper since 2005 and I’ve watched the quality drop, prices go up, and inventory go down. One of my biggest pet peeves is this nonsense of “on line exclusive only” stuff. Okay, it’s available on line only which means I have no idea what I am really purchasing, nor do I know if it will really fit and look good on until I spend $8.95 in shipping PLUS shipping tax. I kid you not – tax on shipping! To frustrate me further, many of these “on line exclusives” will go on sale and be marked as final sale. I wear petite sizes and have found that most petite items are no available on line only. I recently purchased a skirt that I saw in the store in the regular size, liked it, so I ordered the skirt on line that was final sale. When it arrived and I tried it on, I was so disappointed and frustrated. I felt so taken advantage of so I returned the skirt to my local store and simply told the saleslady I lost my receipt and was given store credit back. Because the prices are no longer the same everywhere as they used to be, I was given credit for approximately $80 instead of the $38 that I paid. As the saying goes, “There is more than one way to skin the cat” if you will. I remember that several years ago and before that, prices were consistent EVERYWHERE. The price on line was the same as the price at every other store in the country. Not the case anymore. The other posts about items appearing on line and being sold out only to reappear days later after a big sale is equally frustrating.
Carole
January 21, 2014Thanks for your comment, Julia! I’ll never understand how companies think they can get away with sub-par customer service on any level, in this day and age. Consumers now have so many ways to purchase and so much more information available to them than ever before. The fact that Ann Taylor doesn’t realize that their customers are aware of these different pricing models for stores and ecommerce outlets is ridiculous. And if they do realize it and continue to do it, well, I’m not sure how they believe this would be a viable business model.The more restrictions they place on returns also makes them less desirable to do business with. There are plenty of other retailers out there that offer free shipping (and free return shipping) and have reasonable return policies. How can you have a final sale on clothing purchased online??? That makes no sense whatsoever! By the way, I’m glad you were able to return that skirt!! 🙂
LOFTy Expectations | Heart of the Matter
July 16, 2014[…] Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past browsing–the website constantly crashed. This isn’t the first time that LOFT’s website couldn’t handle extra traffic during a big […]
Monterey
September 14, 2014I’ve only been shopping at AT for a year and half now. I like the designs. The quality is okay to good. I haven’t had the site-crashing experience others have had. Sorry to hear of the difficulties. I have had pretty good experiences ordering online, however. I’m thankful AT is out there, making clothes. The only thing I wish is that they would solve the occasional problem with the all-black items; sometimes the black dyes are really strong-smelling on the clothes and it doesn’t wash out. I have learned to try and notice before buying, in case the item in question has that problem. But recently I bought a nice all-black dress on final sale and it did have that problem, and I just had to throw it out! Please change your black-dye processes, AT!
Carole
October 1, 2014Hi Monterey,
I love AT’s clothes, too! I’ve never had the dye issues that you mentioned (thank goodness!). Glad you haven’t had problems ordering online.
Thanks for your comment!
Carole
Nanette Vaughn
October 27, 2014I went into an AT store today in Atlanta with only 20 or so spare minutes. There were 2 customers in the store, including me, one store manager and three other sales associates. Yet, I escorted myself to a fitting room. No offer to assist or ask if I needed another size, which I did. But, I did love the pale blue silk shirt and figured the 2P grey pants would fit.
Went to the register and was the only one in line. In fact, now the only customer in the store. Pulled out my $15 off b’day card and pointed it out more that once to s/a. She began “folding” my purchase while ringing it. Oh my! She was wadding up the clothes and “folding” away from the seam and sort of tumbling into a ball. The delicate silk blouse was a mess in her hands. The manager was not more than 3 feet from her and saw the crumpled mess she was creating. I politely asked for the blouse to refold – again in front of the SM.
When she announced the total some elementary math in my head made it clear she had not correctly entered the coupon. No $15 off on the receipt. She asked the SM for assistance who was just 3 feet away. The SM loudly stated, “She will just have to wait a minute. I am in the middle of something.” She? Um, I’m standing just to the left of you. The store was void of customers other than myself. It was 3pm on a Monday. You’d think they’d be happy to have a sale rather than chase one away. Which is what happened. I had them void the sale and left with nothing. What a shame. And not one of them cared.
Nanette Vaughn
October 27, 2014Oh, I meant to add, I then called corporate to report the encounter. If I really wanted to I could leave my email and someone would get in touch with me for “feedback”. I did and we’ll see if anyone bothers.
I did go to FaceBook to post my experience. They deleted it twice. I violated no standards they have posted and posted only facts very much like the comments I posted here previously. Shame on them. How would FB feel about them doing that? Are there standards they have agreed to meet regarding postings and following their own social media standards? Just curious.
Carole
October 29, 2014Wow, Nanette! What an awful experience! Sounds like things have gotten worse over at AT instead of better! I absolutely can NOT believe they deleted your posts rather than addressing them. That is insane and, frankly, downright stupid from a customer service perspective. As for what FB would feel about it, I’d imagine they’d suggest that providing resolutions to customer issues is a HUGE part of social media best practices. Page owners are, for the most part, allowed to run their pages any way they’d like (most of FB’s rules apply to advertising and promotions), even if the way they choose to run their page could damage their brand in the long run.
Thanks for your comment! I’d be interested to know if they ever bothered to get back to you for your feedback.
Carole
The Complete Guide to Audience Loyalty: Why You Need It and How to Get It | Flexton Blog Homepage | Application , Consulting and Technology Content
July 5, 2015[…] genuine. Seek Social Media wrote up a post about the way that Ann Taylor’s social media team offered a halfhearted apology after their sites kept crashing while people were looking for details on upcoming Cyber Monday […]
How Flash Sales Can Boost Black Friday | Rare University
November 23, 2016[…] large scale, site-wide flash sale can overload your server and cause a site crash. This challenge gets even more acute on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Even though you may be able to […]
Cindy
February 20, 2017Ann Taylor and Loft websites never work when they are having a sale. The pages won’t load, you can’t even get to your “basket” when you are trying to buy something. I’m not sure they really want to sell anything. I never have trouble with any other store’s website but theirs. It is awful.
How Mini-Flash Sales Can Help You Avoid Killing Your Profit Margins on Black Friday - Rare.io
January 9, 2018[…] large scale, site-wide flash sale can overload your server and cause a site crash. This challenge gets even more acute on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Even though you may be able to […]
High Traffic Hosting Solutions for Cyber Monday - Applied Innovations
March 13, 2018[…] The site couldn’t handle the spike in traffic and crashed just as soon as the one-day promotion started. Apparently, this isn’t the first time for this company and is quite a common occurrence. […]