Weekend reading: 9th July

With the Great British Summer still holding off on making an appearance, this week we’ve been caught up in the football fever that has captured the nation. We’re all getting behind England for Sunday, and whether you’re a football fan or not, it seems that most of us are wondering whether football is finally coming home. Wishing the team the best of luck on Sunday!

This week on the reads we’re reminding you about the importance of sticking to Amazon’s rules; celebrating our partner BigCommerce’s move into Europe; reviewing more evidence to go omnichannel; reminding fashion retailers that size matters; and wondering whether Shoppable TV will be the next big thing for increasing sales.

The latest from us

We’re hosting a webinar on Wednesday, July 21st at 4pm (UK) about selling on Wish. Mustafa and Lukas will be chatting with Alan Small from the Wish team, and they’ll be offering insights into product trends, looking at how to diversify your marketplace strategy, as well as how retailers can make the most of our special offer from Wish. Register for attendance here.

We made some updates to the platform this week for suppliers that use Avasam – there are some important fixes, and some great new tools. Sellers won’t see the changes, but they should improve the experience in terms of better product data and the status of products in the longer term. We’ve got more updates planned, but we’ll let you know more about these updates when they’re ready to go.

Supplier GB010006 brought an incredible range of health, beauty and personal care products from more than 120 brands for you to source this week. They’re constantly working to increase their range, which you’ll benefit from as they bring new brands on board.

We’ve also increased the range of products across different categories from a number of suppliers this week, including home, outdoor, fitness, and pet accessories, so log in and check the New tag in the Product Type drop down menu.

The weekend reads

We’ve mentioned that Amazon has been cracking down on fake reviews for a long time, but now it seems that they are also suspending the accounts of top sellers that are violating other parts of Amazon’s policies – even when they are best-selling products. If you’re using tactics like inviting positive reviews in exchange for discounts, then now is the time to review the seller regulations and make sure what you’re doing is within the rules – you don’t want to risk ending up with your account suspended during the holiday period.

Our partners BigCommerce announced they are extending their European presence this week – which is exciting for retailers that are selling well in France, Italy, and the Netherlands. If you’re planning on launching local websites in those countries, BigCommerce will be offering fully localised website experiences, with local payment methods and currencies. If you’re thinking about getting involved, then you can get up to three months of BigCommerce absolutely free when you sign up here.

Retailers that have high street locations as well as their eCommerce presence have long debated whether taking an omnichannel approach is the right move for their business – and this week there was more evidence to support the approach. We wrote a deep dive about omnichannel last year, so if this research gets you thinking then head here for more.

Fashion retailers – do you have issues with customers returning items due to the fit of the garment? This is definitely not unusual in the industry, since there hasn’t been a standardised approach to sizing – well, ever, and it is one of the main reasons that customers state that they prefer to shop in store for clothes. Until a standard sizing convention is formed, if you’re holding stock, taking measurements from garments and adding them to your product information will almost certainly help to reduce the number of returns due to fit. Read more about the issue here.

Many of us assume that TV advertising isn’t worth doing in the age of streaming, since many viewers simply skip it. But this week ITV launched ‘Shoppable TV’ during reality show Love Island – and whether you love reality TV or not, the reality is that the show is incredibly influential, and drives sales of almost anything that is featured. While we won’t know exactly how profitable Shoppable TV will be for a while, it is definitely worth keeping an eye on – even if Love Island doesn’t make your viewing schedule! Find out more here.

Dates for your diary

Magento are hosting Meet Magento on Wednesday, 14th July, and even if you’re not in the market for a new website, there’s a lot to be gained from attending – with streams for merchants, developers and more. Find out more about the event here, and register for free here.

Want a bit of support with planning ahead? Retail Week are hosting a webinar on 10th August, looking at consumer trends, to help plan ahead for the holiday period and into 2022. This will be a great point to pause and prepare for the busy Quarter Four period. Register for the event here.

eCommerce Expo takes place between 28 – 30 September. With a look at cross-border commerce & international growth, delivery and fulfilment, as well as the customer experience, we’re certain that there is going to be value for all retailers. Find out more, and register here.