Understanding Fast-Follower Strategies in Vendor Evaluation

Imagine your ecommerce platform company is not the first to launch a new support tool or feature, but you want to quickly adopt what’s proven to work. That’s the essence of a fast-follower strategy: watching early adopters, learning from their experience, and then moving quickly to get the best results without the risks of being first. For a customer-support professional using BigCommerce, this means evaluating vendors smartly so your team can onboard faster, boost activation, and reduce churn.

A 2024 SaaS Industry Report found that fast followers in ecommerce platforms increase feature adoption by 30% faster than companies that build from scratch or delay vendor selection. But not every product or vendor fits your needs. Here’s how to methodically evaluate vendors to support your customer-support goals.

Step 1: Define What You Need from a Vendor

Start by clarifying your team’s specific needs. For customer support in BigCommerce, ask:

• What gaps do we have in onboarding or activation workflows?
• Which customer pain points are highest priority (e.g., delayed responses, feature confusion)?
• Are we looking for help with onboarding surveys, feature feedback, or reducing churn?

Write these down as bullet points. For example:

• Collect real-time onboarding feedback from customers.
• Easily segment users based on feature adoption.
• Integrate with BigCommerce’s backend and popular SaaS tools such as Zendesk.

Gotcha: Avoid vague requirements like “we want a better support tool.” Instead, focus on measurable problems—like “we want to reduce onboarding drop-off from 40% to 25% in 3 months.”

Step 2: Research and Shortlist Vendors

Once you know what you want, start researching vendors that fit your ecommerce and SaaS context.

• Use review sites like G2 or Capterra to filter by SaaS and ecommerce compatibility.
• Ask in BigCommerce community forums or Slack groups for recommendations focused on support tools.
• Look for vendors offering features like in-app onboarding surveys, feature adoption tracking, and churn analytics.

Example vendors to consider:

Edge Case: Some SaaS vendors claim BigCommerce integration but require complex API setups. Check integration ease early to avoid unexpected development delays.

Step 3: Create a Clear Request for Proposal (RFP)

The RFP helps get vendor responses tailored to your needs. Here’s how to build one:

• Introduction: Briefly describe your company, your BigCommerce platform, and your customer-support goals.
• Scope of Work: List the specific problems and features you want from the vendor.
• Technical Requirements: Ask about API access, data security, and support for ecommerce-specific workflows.
• Success Metrics: Define what success looks like (e.g., reduce onboarding churn by 15% in 6 months).
• Budget & Timeline: State your budget range and desired timeline.

Sample RFP question:
“How does your product support collecting feature adoption feedback specifically from BigCommerce checkout users? Please explain your integration process and typical time to onboard.”

Tip: Keep the RFP concise but specific. Vendors get dozens of proposals; a clear one will get you better answers.

Step 4: Run a Proof of Concept (POC)

Don’t trust just demos and promises. Run a POC to test if the vendor’s tool actually meets your needs in your live BigCommerce environment.

• Choose 1-3 top vendors from RFP responses.
• Set up sandbox or trial accounts with real onboarding flows.
• Use onboarding surveys or feature feedback tools (like Zigpoll) to collect data from actual customers.
• Measure key KPIs: onboarding activation rate, user engagement, and churn rate changes.

For example: One ecommerce support team ran a POC with Zigpoll and Intercom. Zigpoll’s onboarding surveys identified a confusing checkout step, raising activation by 8% after they acted on that insight, while Intercom’s user segmentation allowed targeted messages that cut churn by 12%.

Warning: POCs can get derailed if stakeholders don’t commit time. Schedule sessions upfront and set clear goals.

Step 5: Evaluate Vendor Support and Training

Fast-following means you want to speed through onboarding with minimal downtime.

• Check the vendor’s customer success team responsiveness.
• Ask about training materials tailored to ecommerce support teams.
• Look for vendor-supported onboarding surveys or feature adoption templates.
• Confirm there’s a plan for ongoing updates and feedback loops.

If the vendor’s training is too generic or SaaS-agnostic, you might struggle to onboard your team quickly, slowing feature adoption and risking churn.

Step 6: Make the Final Decision and Implement

With all data collected, compare vendors against your criteria:

Pick the vendor that best matches your goals, budget, and timeline.

Implementation tip: Plan a phased rollout. Start with a small user segment, measure results, then scale. This reduces risk and helps catch unexpected issues early.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Skipping the POC: Buying based on demos alone often leads to poor fit or integration issues.
2. Not involving your support team: Frontline feedback is vital for evaluating onboarding and churn tools.
3. Ignoring integration complexity: SaaS tools that don’t plug well into BigCommerce will slow your team and frustrate customers.
4. Overlooking data privacy: Make sure vendors comply with GDPR and other regulations, especially when collecting user feedback.

How to Know Your Fast-Follower Strategy is Working

Look for measurable improvements in:

• Onboarding activation: Are more users completing onboarding steps? Aim for a 10-20% lift within 3 months.
• Feature adoption: Track usage data — is the new tool or feature being actively used?
• Churn rates: Has customer churn decreased? Even a 5% reduction can mean big revenue gains.
• Support efficiency: Are support tickets related to onboarding or feature confusion reduced?

Use tools like Zigpoll for continuous feedback and surveys to measure user satisfaction and surface new pain points.

Remember, being a fast follower means moving quickly but smartly—using data from real users to guide your vendor choices and customer support improvements.

Quick Reference Checklist for Vendor Evaluation in Fast-Follower Strategy

• Define clear, measurable support needs related to onboarding and churn.
• Research vendors with proven BigCommerce integration and SaaS focus.
• Draft a focused RFP with specific questions about feature adoption and feedback.
• Execute POCs with real users and track KPIs like activation and churn.
• Evaluate vendor support, training, and implementation timelines.
• Compare vendors using a criteria matrix.
• Plan phased rollout and monitor results with onboarding surveys or feature feedback tools.
• Avoid rushing purchase without testing or ignoring integration complexity.
• Continuously collect user feedback post-implementation for ongoing improvement.

Using this approach will help you as a customer-support professional pick the right tools fast, improve your user onboarding and activation rates, and lower churn for your BigCommerce-powered SaaS business.