Handling discontinued products is an inevitable challenge most ecommerce businesses will encounter at some point. Whether it’s due to seasonal changes, evolving market trends, or supply chain complications, the reality is that products will come and go.
Fortunately, a discontinued product doesn’t need to translate lost customers. Online businesses can maintain customer satisfaction, increase conversions, and preserve SEO performance with the right features that guide shoppers to product alternatives.
Read on to learn more about a custom BigCommerce solution for managing discontinued products.
The Challenge of Discontinued Products in Ecommerce
There are several reasons why businesses may temporarily or permanently discontinue certain products, including:
- Limited or seasonal availability
- Product has become obsolete
- Supply chain issues
- Declining product sales or profitability
- Changes in marketing or product strategy
- Regulatory issues that require product removal
Discontinuing one or several products can present unique challenges for ecommerce businesses. Some of the most common issues include:
- Poor User Experience: Finding a desired product only to discover it’s unavailable is a frustrating experience for shoppers. It can also reflect poorly on the merchant’s reputation and impact long-term customer loyalty.
- Negative SEO Impact: A page linked to a product that’s no longer available can negatively affect the SEO ranking of that page and the site’s overall health. Higher bounce rates from disappointed customers can exacerbate the issue.
- Lost sales opportunities: When a shopper lands on a discontinued product without finding a suitable alternative, the business loses a potential sale. These lost opportunities accumulate over time, impacting revenue and profitability.
The impact of discontinued products on your business doesn’t have to be negative. With a custom solution in place, you can keep customers satisfied by leading them to a comparable alternative.
Replacement Products Feature: Transforming Product Challenges into Sales Opportunities
Since BigCommerce does not have a default solution to handle discontinued products, our team of developers created a custom “See Replacement” option for the product page.
By clicking on a prominently placed “See Replacement” button, shoppers are promptly redirected to a similar product, helping them to avoid leaving empty-handed.
How it works:
- If a certain item is unavailable, shoppers will find the “See Replacement” button that leads them to a comparable in-stock product
- Links to replacement products are updated by custom fields and uploaded via bulk product import
- Discontinued Product Detail Pages (PDP) are kept indexed in search so customers can find the old product and replace it with the new product
Need a Custom BigCommerce Solution? We’re Here to Help.
Having one or multiple discontinued products can pose challenges for ecommerce merchants, especially when it comes to maintaining a positive user experience, preserving SEO rankings, and leveraging sales opportunities.
With a custom “See Replacement” feature, customers enjoy a positive user experience while businesses keep sales intact.
Interested in this or another custom feature? Our expert BigCommerce developers can equip your online store with extended functionality and powerful, engaging features that drive more sales for your business.
Send us a message or call us at 866-901-4650 to discuss how we can help.
