Any Other Business: 06 November 2020

This week’s AOB looks at the latest e-commerce trends from around the world, including the innovative packaging idea helping one beauty giant to go green.

Amazon said it is already seeing signs that a record number of customers will be shopping online this holiday season, continuing on from a bumper Q3 in which it saw sales increase 37% year-on-year⁵.

Much of this growth can be attributed to the pandemic, according to Hilding Anderson, head of retail strategy at digital specialists Publicis Sapient⁶. “Amazon is well positioned this holiday season as physical stores’ importance diminishes this year. As the pandemic rages on, I expect that more consumers will stay at home, further solidifying the seismic shift towards shopping online. This year will likely bring the highest e-commerce sales we’ve ever seen for the holiday season, which is certainly an advantage for Amazon’s business.”⁷

Ensure your business sails through the busy holiday season with our Essential Christmas Delivery Tips.

International e-commerce businesses looking to sell to Chinese consumers this Singles’ Day will be encouraged by the results of a recent survey³ by AlixPartners⁴.

82% of the Chinese people surveyed said they plan to buy products via cross-border e-commerce, with quality, trustworthiness and better product design being the main drivers of this decision. It seems that the pandemic has influenced their buying behaviors, too – 30% said that being unable to travel overseas has made them more likely to buy goods and brands from outside of China this Singles’ Day.  

There are just a few days left until the world’s biggest online shopping day kicks off. Make sure your online store is ready for the rush with our exclusive Singles’ Day guide.

The second edition of the E-commerce Growth Summit⁸ will be held on 12 and 13 November. During the online event, e-commerce speakers will share insightful keynotes about the sector, and merchants who have survived the pandemic will share their stories.

The main theme of the event will be customer experience and the advanced developments in designing the perfect customer journey. There will also be discussions around how businesses can deal with Black Friday and Cyber Monday in these times, and how e-commerce will look in 2021.

Organizers expect at least 6,000 attendees, 18 e-commerce experts and six e-commerce managers to attend. Those wishing to join the free event can register via ecommercegrowthsummit.com.

In an effort to reduce its environmental impact, cosmetics brand Garnier Philippines⁹ recently launched “Green Beauty”, an end-to-end initiative that forms part of L’Oréal Group’s global sustainability targets.

Garnier has partnered with e-commerce platform Shopee¹⁰ and eco-friendly packaging companies SainBags¹¹ and EcoNest¹² to become the first beauty brand to launch sustainable e-commerce packaging. Each purchase of a Garnier product from Shopee will be packed using renewable or biodegradable materials, including honeycomb and cassava starch, both of which break down in weeks, rather than the hundreds of years plastic requires.

Ruoshan Tao, head of marketing at Shopee Philippines, said the e-commerce platform is excited about the partnership. “We hope that their [Garnier’s] global thrust will kickstart a new culture of sustainability in beauty retail and e-tail that will inspire real change across industries. With the delivery of every Green Parcel, we also hope to inspire consumers in The Philippines to start thinking about how they can play a role in sustainability, and collectively raise awareness on this important issue.”¹³

Discover how switching to greener packaging could give your business a boost here.