Any Other Business: 26 November 2021

This week’s AOB looks at the latest e-commerce news from around the world including the streaming service following Netflix into the e-commerce game, and why word of mouth is still the King of marketing.

E-commerce is booming, but for some eco-conscious consumers, that brings with it “packaging shame” as they unwrap their deliveries. Thankfully, one New Zealand-based startup is enabling a greener experience…

Noissue¹ creates made-to-order, custom packaging for businesses, from branded tissue paper to stickers and tape. Every product is 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable, and best of all, the company can work with low order minimums, helping smaller businesses meet their sustainability goals.

The idea for the company happened almost by accident. The founders were busy working on a sustainable eyewear brand that made frames from recycled materials. Unable to find green packaging that could be ordered in low minimums, they sourced their own, which caught the eye of their stockists – many of whom were small retailers. “After a bit of research, we realized there were very few places small businesses could go to get sustainable packaging that showcased their brand, so noissue was created to service this need,” CEO Josh Bowden said².

The company grew rapidly during the pandemic and now serves 80,000 customers – mainly in North America – with plans to expand globally.

Need some inspiration for Christmas gift ideas? Then look no further than Hulu’s new online store. Following in the footsteps of its rival Netflix³, the Disney-owned streamer is moving into e-commerce with the launch of Hulu Shop⁴. The site will allow fans to buy limited-edition clothing and themed merchandise from Hulu shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “American Horror Story”.

Customers can also purchase Hulu’s annually-released ugly holiday sweaters – usually given away as promotional perks – for the first time. Proceeds from these sales will be donated to charity.

Are you giving your customers something to talk about?

In a recent survey⁵ of consumers in the US and UK, nearly one-third (28%) said that word of mouth is their preferred method for learning about a new brand, product, or service, whilst 55% said they have done so this way in the past year. This compares to just 26% of consumers who said influencers have an impact on their likeliness of trying a new product or service.

"In a tumultuous and challenging year, consumers embraced traditional marketing methods as they sought to discover, research, and ultimately purchase from new brands," said John Pecaric, president of RRD Marketing Solutions and Business Services which conducted the research⁶. 

Compared to other leading online retailers, Amazon.com is the cheapest for 15 product categories, new research has found. Profitero’s fifth annual Price Wars study⁷ compared Amazon’s prices to 11 competitors in categories including beauty, home furniture, fashion and electronics, and found the online retail giant consistently offered the lowest prices – on average, by 14%. Only online pet retailer Chewy⁸ was able to match Amazon’s prices on pet food and supplies.

Mike Black, Profitero’s CMO, credits the company’s diverse portfolio for enabling it to offer bargains. “Unlike more traditional retailers, Amazon isn’t as focused on its profit margins since it is able to generate a large amount of revenue from other services, such as advertising and Amazon Web Services,” he explained⁹.

Thinking of selling on Amazon? Dive into our exclusive guide to the leading online marketplaces to find the right ones for your business.

The big day is finally here – and it’s going to be another global sales bonanza. According to Statista, 68% of UK retailers are planning to take part in Black Friday this year¹⁰. Across the pond, there’s excitement too – 49% of US shoppers plan to buy their holiday presents today, whilst 38% will do so on Cyber Monday¹¹, so there’s still time to polish your e-commerce channels.  

Happy selling!