Any Other Business: 22 October 2021

This week’s AOB looks at the latest e-commerce news from around the world including eBay’s new video capability, and how consumers are already in the festive spirit. 

The holiday season is just around the corner and many shoppers are already getting into the festive spirit. According to a Digital Commerce 360 survey¹, 40% of consumers said they plan to start their holiday shopping in October or before, whilst 28% said they plan to start in early November. That’s in contrast to just 8% who will wait until December. 9% said they will kick off their shopping on Black Friday in order to secure some bargains. 

Many savvy retailers have already begun their Christmas marketing, including marketplace giant Amazon which recently unveiled several gift guides and tools including one which lets Prime members send gifts to family and friends anonymously.

Check out our peak season shopping guide for all the tips and tricks to ensure your e-commerce business is prepared for this year’s rush.

“When your co-worker thinks Alaska is an island, make it a thing” – says the narration in Shutterfly’s² new advert. The product personalization brand has launched a holiday campaign encouraging customers to get creative and send friends and family “inside jokes” as gifts this year. 

The e-commerce company, which sells cards, stationery, prints and photo books, is tapping into consumers’ desire for gifts with deeper meaning. It carried out market research and found that a third of Americans plan to buy a customized gift this holiday season³. The most popular reasons cited were “to show family or friends they care” (52% of respondents), followed by them thinking that “a personalized gift holds more meaning” (44%). 

Italian online marketplace Everli⁴ – which delivers groceries to customers in as little as one hour – is planning to expand into Germany and Romania early next year.

Customers shopping via Everli’s platform can choose their favorite local supermarket, before dedicated Everli Shoppers go and pick the products and deliver the same day at a time scheduled by the customer.

The company has already grown rapidly to operate in 80 cities across Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and France, fuelled by the increased demand for online grocery shopping. At the peak of the pandemic, e-commerce’s share of worldwide grocery retail grew from 7% to 10%⁵.

“While demand in many markets across Europe has dramatically increased, there’s still a lack of available and convenient online same-day grocery shopping for many customers”, says CEO Federico Sargenti⁶. “We can sustainably provide a unique service offering a wide selection of fresh and packaged goods, in both city centers and lower density areas, delivering groceries in as little as one hour.”

Earlier this year, eBay⁷ introduced a feature that allows some sellers to add video to their listings. Last week, the online marketplace rolled it out in Canada – albeit on a limited basis still.

The new video functionality means merchants can show their products in more detail, or even post instructional guides. Sellers can add videos to their image gallery through eBay’s APIs or via third-party providers.

“Video is the next step in our ongoing efforts to help you deliver more engaging shopping experiences to your current and new buyers,” eBay said in a memo to buyers after the initial rollout⁸. “They let you showcase your products and brand, and help drive buyer engagement and sales.”

Currently, the videos are only available to those shopping through the eBay app, but will soon expand to desktop and mobile.  

Selling to the EU? Then you better check your green credentials. Recent research from PYMNTS.com⁹ found that 71% of EU consumers consider the environment when making an online order, whilst 19% said they may be deterred from buying online in the future if the delivery service on offer is not eco-friendly¹⁰.

The UK lags slightly behind: 60% of adult consumers there think about the environment when shopping online, although this rises to 88% amongst the under-25 age group.

So, how sustainable is your business? From carbon offsetting to using recyclable packaging, discover some tips to reduce wastage along your supply chain, save money, and keep customers happy.