Any Other Business: 18 September 2020

This week’s AOB looks at the latest global e-commerce news including Peloton’s unstoppable growth, and the expectations consumers have on brands to act sustainably.

eBay¹ has revealed plans to roll out its managed payments service to sellers in France, Italy and Spain early next year.

The service, which started in the US in 2018, will mean those who sell on the online marketplace can have their end-to-end transactions and payments managed by eBay, thus eliminating third-party payment processing fees. Customers on the site will receive more flexibility and choice in payment methods and options, including credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

“We’re creating a simpler, more unified experience for our customers, and streamlining operations for our sellers with one place to sell and get paid”, said Alyssa Cutright, VP of global payments at eBay².

Need more reasons to sell on eBay? Discover the boost it could give your e-commerce business with our exclusive guide.

British fashion retailer Cos³ has launched an online clothing resale platform called Resell⁴, where consumers can buy and sell pre-loved clothing and accessories from the brand. Sellers can set the price and will be responsible for providing the product information and managing shipping, while Cos will take a 10% commission.

It comes as fashion brands are increasingly facing pressure to address the environmental damage caused by their fast-moving, trend-based model, constantly producing new items each season, therefore its becoming increasingly important for businesses to become more sustainable and reducing their social footprint.

Resell will launch initially in the UK and Germany, with plans for the site to be available to global consumers later this fall.

Peloton⁵, like many other sports and fitness brands, saw a sharp increase in online sales in the early weeks of the pandemic as locked-down consumers looked for ways to stay fit at home.

Now, even as gyms across the world have begun to reopen, the brand best known for its exercise bikes, is still going strong. Peloton’s global membership base hit 3.1 million at the end of June, more than double a year earlier, and the number of ‘connected fitness’ subscribers who access its remote classes via one of the company's machines and through the Peloton app rose to more than 1.09 million⁶ – perhaps an indicator of consumers becoming more used to carrying out traditionally face-to-face experiences online.

Sponsored content is by no means new – getting a famous face to endorse your product is common practice on social media through the use of influencers – but the results of a survey⁷ carried out in Australia suggest that for SMEs that use it, it’s still effective.

While only 5% of Australian small businesses use influencers to promote their wares, 60% of those surveyed were satisfied with the outcome – even though almost two-thirds of Australians reported to be less likely to purchase from a brand that uses influencers and celebs.

Whether you’re already using #sponcon to reach potential customers, or looking to add a famous face to your social media strategy, our guide to Influencer Marketing has everything you need to make the most of the opportunity.

New research⁸ by PWC⁹ has unveiled some of the expectations consumers have of brands regarding their eco-friendly practices. 43% of European consumers said they expect companies to be accountable for their environmental impact, and a quarter said they consider sustainability aspects when shopping – including environmental and social responsibility, and the brand’s transparency about the origins of their product(s).

Win customers and cut costs: discover why switching to greener packaging makes perfect business sense.