The Webretailer News Digest for December 16, 2022
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Happy Friday! Christmas is just nine days away, so we hope you’re getting tons of last-minute holiday orders. Here’s a statistic for you: During the Cyber 5, 15% of shoppers purchased a different item than intended because of a promotion according to a report from DC360.
Today’s news is 951 words and takes 3 minutes and 48 seconds to read.
Walmart introduces text shopping
Shopping online with Walmart received a speed upgrade this week as the company launched a new Text to Shop feature. Customers can now connect their Walmart account to their phone number and enable a ton of shopping features including:
- Adding and switching items in their cart
- Reordering and checkout
- Delivery and pickup scheduling
The feature is free for both Android and iOS users and offers users an efficient means of keeping their shopping lists up-to-date. Their press release cited a shopper speaking about the convenience: “When different things pop into your mind you’re usually out and about running errands. I don’t have time to log into the app and add it to the cart.”
Additional Walmart Text to Shop highlights
Text to Shop allows you to order any product from Walmart’s inventory list, including Walmart.com or a customer’s local brick-and-mortar. Texting ‘reorder’ prompts a quick review text with frequently ordered items for review. The review process is also in place for ordering new items, so customers shouldn’t be fearful of mistaken orders.
Past, Present, and Future
Walmart announced they were beta testing the feature back in October. However, according to a report from Business Insider, the company has been working on text ordering functionality for years — a soft launch in NYC two years ago fizzled out quickly.
We’ll have to wait to see what happens this time. But with a much wider launch, it seems the beta test was successful enough to warrant another go.
Big Retailer News
Amazon launches shopping feed application
Amazon refuses to let ByteDance and Meta reap all the benefits of social commerce. This week, the company launched their new Inspire app described as “a new in-app shopping feed that’s personalized with shoppable photos and videos tailored to your selected interests and engagement.”
Sound a little like TikTok?
Called out immediately
Upon launch, multiple outlets reported the application’s similarity to TikTok. And TechCrunch reminded us that Amazon hasn’t really wowed users in the past with social media campaigns. The article points out Amazon’s product push content was bland, and disregarded the full social media marketing spectrum. But this time, things could be different.
Things could be different for Amazon this time
If the platform is solid and seamlessly connects with the Amazon marketplace, there’s the potential for big brands and top influencers to sign on. ByteDance upset many influencers with long hours and low pay when they launched TikTok Shop in the UK.
US influencers could want to work with Amazon over TikTok if treated better. Some Amazon sellers may already have access, but it’ll roll out to everyone in the coming months.
Social commerce for your business
TikTok, Pinterest, Meta, and now Amazon all have social commerce channels available for sellers. Whether you want to try yourself or hire an influencer to push products, this sales channel has huge potential.
Kroger expands on-demand delivery service
If you’re a web retailer put off by quick-expiration products, you may want to reconsider. Kroger announced this week they’re expanding their partnership with DoorDash to include both sushi and fresh flowers. The press release states they’ll “offer nationwide delivery from more than 900 of Kroger’s sushi locations and 1,600 floral locations in under one hour.”
Perishable items are a viable eCommerce option
Amazon Fresh, Walmart, and WholeFoods all offer items that perish quickly. But you don’t have to be a large retailer to offer fresh products. DoorDash, Instacart and other delivery services offer a way for local businesses to increase their eCommerce share. They may take a cut of your profits, but it can give you a leg up on your competition.
Final Quote
“By offering customer-favorite sushi options and premium floral bouquets through third-party marketplaces, we are continuing to evolve and meet customers where and how they are shopping.” – Stuart Aitken, SVP and Chief Merchant and Marketing Officer at Kroger Co.
Also in the News
- Amazon shifts return cost absorption to sellers. Amazon Seller Central.
- ShipMonk opens its 11th fulfillment center. BusinessWire.
International Retailer News
European ‘ReCommerce’ market is booming
According to a new report from Cross-Border Commerce Europe, reCommerce marketplaces in Europe are growing 20% over the overall retail market. If you’re not familiar, ‘recommerce’ is the term used for stores that sell second-hand items. With sustainability and inflation concerns on consumer minds, it’s growing into a gigantic business all over the world.
Key notes from the reCommerce report
- The EU reCommerce market is expected to grow 60% by 2025 to €120B, and the market share will increase from 10% to 14%.
- Fashion reCommerce should jump in value from €20B to €37B within four years.
- Almost half of the online car trade market in the EU is reCommerce.
eCommerce lessons
It isn’t necessary to manufacture your own product or sell new products to be successful in eCommerce. Sellers have a history of success on eBay and other platforms selling used or returned products at huge margins.
Primer partners with New Look in the UK
Online sellers looking for a no-code solution for processing payments should note Primer. The company announced a partnership with international clothing retailer New Look this week that will streamline their payment processes.
What does the solution do?
According to Primer, their solution “alleviates the high costs of building an online payments infrastructure which would traditionally require large engineering teams and significant time and IT investment.”
They also state the program helps customers to automate and maintain a range of payment and fraud-prevention tools. This allows customers to checkout faster with fewer identity checks during the process.
Also in the News
- Christmas online sales are down in Germany. bevh (in German).
- France fines Amazon and Google over cookies. TechCrunch.
Webinars
For everyone
Various dates: Amazon advertising’s global webinar program continues with 20+ webinars scheduled, covering Prime Day Preparation, Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, reporting, optimization, and other tips. Amazon.
For US sellers
None this week with the holidays on the horizon.
For UK sellers
Various dates: Amazon advertising’s global webinar program continues with 20+ webinars scheduled, covering Prime Day Preparation, Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, reporting, optimization, and other tips. Amazon.
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