Day 0 — Audit Hotfix (D2C emergency audit)

They run a fast audit to stop leaks. The audit is simple and strict. It must finish in 24–48 hours.

Three immediate fail metrics

• Fulfill — orders not completed or timed out.
• Refund — requests paused or denied beyond policy.
• Sentiment — angry mentions rising on reviews or social.

Quick actions (first 2 days):

• Create a single UTM tag pattern for all rescue links. Use it for paid posts, emails, and quick social replies so the team tracks every click.
• Assign a triage owner and route items flagged by POS, reviews, and social mentions into one inbox.
• Set KPI: percent resolved within 48h. Target ≥ 80% on day 0–2.

Use a short progress bar to show audit coverage for the team:

Day 1 — Rapid Reconciliation

They fix money and trust fast. The goal is to reassure guests and close refunds or swaps in 48 hours.

One-click swap flows

Design a single link or button that starts a swap or resend. The link should:

• Auto-fill order ID from the UTM or ticket.
• Offer a direct swap, credit, or full refund in one click.
• Show expected timeline: clear refund SLA (example below).

Visible copy example: "Refund or swap processed within 48 hours. Track refund: link."

Response SLA: 48-hour window to confirm action and 72 hours to complete most refunds. The team displays the SLA on the swap form and in customer replies. Keep offers truthful and clear about timelines and fees.

One-click swap

A single action that selects a replacement item and triggers fulfillment without extra approvals.

Refund SLA

Clear public promise of how long a refund takes. Use plain language and the exact hours.

Triage owner

One person responsible to confirm each case within 2 hours of triage assignment.

Day 5 — Counter Price Cuts

They respond without starting a price war. The goal is to protect margin while keeping sales.

Timed bundles and anchored price copy

Offer time-bound bundles. Use anchor messaging to make savings feel real.

• Timed bundle example: "Today only: Family meal + side for $X — ends at midnight."
• Anchored copy example: Show original price struck through and the bundle price next to it. Use a clear reference point like a usual combo price.
• Floor pricing per segment: set minimum margins per customer segment (new, returning, VIP).

What to lead with: value, speed, or guarantee — pick one and make it obvious.

HBR-backed guidance suggests prefer targeted nonprice responses. That means adding value or changing terms rather than cutting price sitewide.

Day 7 — Monetize Spike

They turn the viral or traffic spike into cash and control. It must happen fast and safely.

24-hour offer rollout

1. Pick the best-performing offer from Day 3 tests.
2. Limit quantity or time (24 hours) to create urgency and protect margin.
3. Push via the UTM-tagged links and monitor the same triage inbox.

Real-time analytics snippet

Show simple live metrics to owners and staff so decisions can be fast.

Quick security check: follow basic "Shields Up" guidance — ensure monitoring is on, block obvious bot traffic, and do not publish admin links in offers.

Triage score formula: triage score = urgency × impact. Use it to rank cases for the 24h team.

Schema review note: confirm product/offers use structured data for price, availability, and offer validity so search engines display accurate offers during spikes.

Final notes and quick glossary

D2C emergency audit

Fast, focused review of orders, fulfillment, and customer sentiment to stop revenue loss.

Swap flow

A frictionless process for replacing an item with minimal clicks.

Anchored price

A copy technique that shows a higher reference price next to the offer to make the deal feel larger.

Teams that follow this plan move from reactive to decisive in one week. They emphasize speed, transparency, and measurable offers. They keep records for later analysis and to improve decision analytics and useful AI prompts.