Thoughts:
“Every product you promote without confirming is a silent promise waiting to embarrass you.”
“Customer trust is hard to win but very easy to lose – with just one out-of-stock delivery.”
“The fastest way to kill your brand in Nigeria? Let customers pay for what you can’t deliver.”
I nearly lost my mind the day a customer insulted my entire family because of a wristwatch.
Yes. One wristwatch.
That’s the day I learned a lesson that most ecommerce sellers ignore till it slaps them in the face…
…with a refund request and a bad review.
Let me tell you how it happened (and how to avoid ending up like me).
So this lady ordered one wristwatch for her husband as a birthday gift on my website.
She said she needed it urgently. I said okay.
Every serious customer always wants things urgently.
I didn’t think much of it.
I was doing “standard procedure” – check the order, call her, send orders to agent, boom, done.
But when it got to delivery… wahala.
Delivery agent said he doesn’t have the product anymore.
The supplier I normally collect the watch from said, “Ah, stock don finish. Come back next week.”
Next week ke?
My customer was already screaming in my DM like I owed her dowry.
I told her we were out of stock after 1 full day of trying to solve it – my bad.
“Why put it online if it’s not available?!”
At first, I tried to explain.
But when I saw her comment on my business page with, “These people are scammers,” I just froze.
It wasn’t even the money. It was the shame. All because I assumed instead of confirming.
After many issues, like this, I can tell you that…
In Nigerian ecommerce, assumption is the fastest way to disgrace.
People don’t care if you were out of stock.
They care that you wasted their time.
Every unconfirmed order is a ticking bomb.
It either explodes on you… or explodes in your customer’s mouth.
And that bitter taste? It spreads faster than your delivery ever could.
That’s why you must treat daily stock confirmation like brushing your teeth.
You can forget once and still survive.
But if you keep ignoring it… mouth go smell. Business go smell too.
How To Avoid Sudden Out Of Stock Product Issue
1. The Stock You Don’t Confirm Is The One That Will Embarrass You
The only time I didn’t confirm the watch was the time we had that customer. Funny how life works.
So now, every morning before 10AM, my inventory sends a quick message to our delivery agents:
“Do you still have [Product A], [Product B], [Product C] available today? How many pieces? From our calculation, you’ve X pieces remaining. Kindly confirm”
No assumptions. No ego. Just facts.
Because if stock finish, you’re the one that looks like a fraud, not the supplier or delivery agent
Treat your supplier and delivery agents like your weather app.
If you don’t check the weather, don’t be shocked when rain beats you.
2. Be Honest Before They Pay, So You Don’t Cry After They Ghost
If a product is out of stock and a customer messages you, don’t lie.
Don’t say “we’re processing” when you know it’s not available.
Say,
“Hi, thank you for your order. This product is currently out of stock, but we’ll restock by [date]. Would you like us to notify you when it’s available again?”
This builds trust.
And trust is the currency that pays you long-term.
You’re not just selling a product. You’re selling reliability. And in Nigeria? That’s rare.
Stock confirmation is like checking your fuel gauge before going to work.
You might think you can “wing it”… until your car stops in third mainland traffic and LASTMA starts filming you.
Please, don’t be that person.
But here’s the wild part: most people think checking stock is a “manual task.”
They don’t realize you can systemize it and make your staff do it without stress…
Check out our programs let’s help you solve this challenge.
