It is not!
You don't have to do everything.
CHANGES COMING TO THE ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM
Stampin' Up! is in the middle of a massive technology change. For now, they have arranged for something a bit different for the Pre-Order so you may notice a change or two.
Hopefully this will help in the system overload and crashing.
Here's the information they sent out in an email on March 28th ....
Dear Demonstrator,
You
may have experienced past challenges placing orders through Order Entry Express (OEX) during peak ordering times such as preorder launches. OEX supports demonstrator ordering traffic well on normal days, but a few times a year, it struggles to keep up with user demand.
You may be
aware that we’re working on a multi-year project called Digital Platform Unification (DPU), to bring our separate systems onto the world-class platform our online store is built on. Once demonstrator ordering is migrated in a future development phase, traffic-related site performance issues should be a thing of the past.
Until all our ordering systems are unified on the new platform, we have an interim solution for OEX to help regulate site traffic and prevent frustrating ordering experiences. This solution is called Queue-it, and it creates a branded virtual waiting room and access queue before traffic to OEX increases enough to impact your ordering experience. We’re excited to introduce it in time for the 2023–2024 Annual Catalog
preorder.
How Queue-it Works
Queue-it acts like a porter or doorperson who watches demonstrator users approach the OEX website. When it sees a concerning increase in traffic toward the “door,” rather than allowing the doorway to become clogged with everyone trying to enter at once, it moves users into a line. It ensures that everyone has a fair opportunity to shop in the order they arrive at the site, and
that everyone has a shopping experience without traffic-related site performance issues.
Queue-it only activates when OEX traffic reaches a
specified threshold (prior to site performance being affected), so it’s possible you won’t even experience the waiting room during your OEX visit.
When Queue-it is active and you access OEX during a peak traffic period, you’ll be routed into a Stampin’ Up!-branded waiting room screen that explains why you’re there and provides an estimated wait time for entry.
Once it’s your turn to enter the site, you’ll be automatically transitioned from the Queue-it wait screen to the OEX site if your browser window is open (we recommend you keep the browser window open to monitor your wait progress, so you don’t miss your turn for any reason).
Your place in the queue is tracked by a cookie created on your computer, so if you accidentally close the browser window while waiting your turn, you can reopen your browser and return to your place in line (you must use the same browser on the same device you entered the
queue with). Please note that if you clear your cookies for some reason during your waiting period, you will lose your place in line.
If your browser is closed when your turn comes, you will still have a 10-minute window to get back on. Should you fail to enter OEX during your entry window, you will have to reenter the queue in a new wait position if the queue is still active (traffic levels could subside and end the queue before you
resume shopping).
Once you are in OEX, the normal site inactivity timeout rules apply. If you are idle for 20 minutes, your shopping session will
end and you will have to reenter OEX to resume (the contents of your order will be saved for up to 30 days in the “modified,” or unsubmitted state). If Queue-it is still active, you will reenter the queue as if newly arrived. Please note that “idle” means you haven’t clicked anything within the site or refreshed a page
(simply moving your cursor on screen is not enough).
The Queue-It solution has nothing to do with product availability, and it does not
guarantee inventory levels. Inventory for items in your “modified,” or unsubmitted order is not reserved—your items are only secured when you submit your order. If inventory for an item in your in-progress order depletes before your order is submitted, you will not be able to complete your purchase of that item. Also note that once you submit, close, or cancel your order in your shopping session, your turn is complete, and you will have to reenter the queue (if still active) to start a new
shopping session/order.
You may wonder why we don’t just increase the traffic level OEX can support. OEX operates on a server system that makes little sense to dedicate
further development resources to as the DPU project is phasing that infrastructure out. Any development on this legacy system would take time and resources away from the DPU project, which would only delay our forward momentum.
We hope this delivers an orderly and enjoyable OEX
shopping experience during peak site traffic times!
PRICE CHANGES COMING AND MINDSET
Pricing Updates. No one likes them, but here's a couple of things to keep in mind as you frame the conversation for yourself, your team and your customers.
First, everything has gone up recently. Our world underwent a massive shift and may never go back to "normal" in some aspects. No one is being scammed, targeted or taken advantage of. Stuff costs more across the board. That is life. Nobody likes it, everyone whines (me too) but in the end we pay the prices or we don't get the item. We sell a high quality product at a
fair price, and if our product at our price is not for some people, that's the way a free market works. I choose to buy Sketchers over the no-brand tennies at Walmart for several reasons that are important to me (my arches!!), and I'll continue to prioritize good cardstock over dollar store paper for the same reasons.
Stampin' Up is not immune to these world-wide issues, and has in fact delayed raising our prices as long as they could, hoping things would settle back to pre-pandemic levels. They have not, and so the wisest
course of action to ensure the company continues is to adjust prices. In a recent leaders' meeting, they shared that a product that would typically rise in cost maybe once a year went up three times in just one quarter last year. They have done everything they could on their end to weather the fluctuations, but the time has come.
Finances are finite. That means that some people, possibly including you, are having to make different choices about what to buy at the grocery store or even how much gas to put in your car this week. Crafting is ultimately a luxury item, so people will be making those decisions about purchasing those splurges as well. There is nothing you can do about that except make sure you are consistently offering everyone a creative outlet at a good value. Have a variety of events/offerings, but don't
apologize for continuing to service those who DO have money they choose to spend on crafting.
The increase in people needing to watch their pennies does not have to be the end of your business. In fact, it could be the making of it! When's the last time you shared a cost-saving trick or a Dollar Tree hack? How can you encourage the use of scraps in new and fun ways? Have you spoken recently about how the Starter Kit is the best deal of all? Restyle yourself as a bargain hunting guru and you may find yourself all kinds of new fans. There are always opportunities in the midst of adversity for those who creatively look for them.
This season may seem like a worse financial blow than it normally would, with price
changes hitting at the same time as a color refresh and a larger retirement list. Nothing is the straw that breaks the camel's back unless YOU let it be. Be prepared in advance with a financial strategy and remind yourself you do not have to be overwhelmed.
This spring is kind of a perfect storm, but we see it coming and we're
emotionally braced for some turbulence. We will come out on the other side of the storm to a new "normal" very soon. And in the mean time, we'll have pages and pages of fabulous new colors and toys to drool over.
