Weekend reading: February 5th

With so much changing in the field of eCommerce and retail at the moment, and so many interesting thoughts being shared, we thought we’d start a new type of post for our readers. These posts will be a curation of links that we think that you’ll find interesting to take a moment and read over the weekend, whether you’re an experienced retailer or you’re just starting your journey building your business as an eCommerce entrepreneur.

Weekend reading

The biggest news of the week? Jeff Bezos is stepping down from his position as CEO at Amazon. Unless you’ve deleted all the news apps from your phone (as some of us are, because quite frankly, we’ve all had enough of hearing about COVID, right?) and avoided your TV, you’ve probably heard about this, but still. Read the full email to the Amazon staff here.

High street retail has taken a massive hit through the pandemic, and so many businesses are looking for ways to adapt. Although we’re expecting high streets to reopen once things change for the better, it is clear that reinvention is absolutely critical for the longevity of town centres. Find out more about how Retail Week expect start-ups to provide diversification for the high street retail sector here.

If you’re still not clear about what retail automation is and how it can benefit your business, head for this post.

With there being so much change through 2020 and already into the start of 2021, you might be interested to see the top retail trends from 2020 to help your business to continue to thrive. Since this article was posted when you were likely to still be in the last minute pre-Christmas push, check out the top retail trends of 2020 here.

Since the pandemic, households have made enormous savings, so combined with more vaccines, the Bank of England is predicting that next year looks bright. If business has been tough the last year or so, get ready to get back to normal trading once again. To ensure you’re prepared, get your inventory sorted with extra choice for your customers. If investing in additional stock isn’t possible or feels too risky at the moment, sign up for Avasam to source and sell stock without upfront investment.

Have you still got to catch up on setting your entrepreneurial goals for 2021? Or perhaps you’ve let yours slide already? If you’re looking to set targets and move forward in the next 12 months, check out this post, and if you want to get even more support with your planning, there’s a great list of recommendations on the Volo blog.

Dates for your diary

The biggest change for UK retailers recently has to be the fact that finally Brexit got done. Whatever your thoughts on that, it happened, so if you’re trading in the EU, or planning to be in the coming year or so, you’ll need to be prepared for the changes. Linnworks, in association with ShipStation, are putting on a webinar on February 9th that will cover product and inventory management tips and compliance with the new EU Customs Regulations. Register your attendance here.

February 14th – Valentine’s Day. Need we say more?

If you’re interested in selling on the latest Amazon marketplace – in Poland – you’ll want to catch this webinar on the 18th of February. Find out more about amazon.pl here.

On January 1st, HMRC implemented new rules about VAT for eCommerce in the UK and EU, and there are more changed coming on July 1st when the EU is making further reforms to VAT for sellers. If you’ve been putting off learning about how these changes will impact your business, register for Tamebay’s webinar with VP Global Indirect Tax at Avalara on March 30th at 11am.

In case you missed it…

Did you catch our guest post on the OnBuy blog? A large change that we’re seeing is mainstream retailers need to extend and diversify their inventory, which is a need that Avasam can fulfil – without requiring upfront investment in stock.

Find out how to sell adult toys in this post. It is a great category to sell ahead of Valentine’s Day!

Increase the environmental credentials of your business by selling sustainable packaging. Find out more about the types of products that are available in this post.

Don’t forget to add extra products to your inventory for Valentine’s Day. We’ve made it super simple, especially for businesses that are already sourcing inventory from Avasam suppliers – just log into the Avasam home page and you can click through to the list of products our team have curated for you. Read more about Valentine’s Day ideas here.