Weekend reading: 24th September

With everything somewhat ‘back to normal’ and the industry gearing up for peak season amidst chronic fuel shortages, delayed deliveries and more, there are a lot of people feeling pretty pushed for time and feeling the stress. If you’re feeling that too – we’re with you! However, we’ve got some thoughts on how you can get through Q4 as unscathed as possible, including increasing your inventory by sourcing from our UK-based sellers.

This week on the reads, we’re talking about new functionality from Facebook, examining the latest in shoppertainment, reminding you not to break Amazon’s rules, offering a solution for handling customer service issues in Q4, and thinking ahead to the National Insurance tax increase.

The latest from us

We’re hosting a Supplier Showcase Webinar next Wednesday, 29th September at 4pm UK time. Mustafa and Matthew will be talking about eCommerce product trends, bestselling products, as well as why products from our suppliers and brands are well worth adding to your inventory throughout Q4 and beyond. Sign up for your spot here.

Talking of suppliers, this week we’ve brought an incredible premium nutrition supplier of RE-NU-ME products, with a range of supplements that include hair and skin support – perfect for retailers of fitness and health products.

We’ve also still got some great offers including up to 40% off selected products for a limited time, we’ve curated lists of Halloween (you can read some suggestions here, and Bonfire Night here), and Christmas goods, and many more. Log into the platform Home page to see more.

The weekend reads

There are some exciting new tools coming from Facebook that will simplify person-to-business communications. Of course, since Facebook also own Instagram and WhatsApp, you’ll see more improvements on those platforms too – which means you can interact with your customers much more effectively on those platforms. Find out more here.

The lines between eCommerce sales, marketing and social media have been becoming more and more blurred over the past few years and the rise of ‘shoppertainment’. Fast fashion brand Shein is taking this one step further, with their Shein X Rock The Runway 2021 event that takes place on 26th September, and can be seen via the Shein mobile app, their Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channel. They’ve enlisted stars from the music industry to create a music and fashion event that is part-concert, part-fashion show. The event will showcase the Autumn/Winter collections, performances from the musicians, and will support civil rights organisation National Action Network, and homeless youth organisation Youth Emerging Stronger.

Amazon’s attack continues on Chinese brands that knowingly and repeatedly break its rules, including offering rewards for positive reviews. While there will undoubtedly be a hundreds more businesses to take their place, it is a timely reminder to stay firmly inside the lines when it comes to the rules – you don’t want to risk your seller account at any time, but at this point in the year it could be catastrophic for the business.

Have you realised that you need a way to manage your customer support enquiries so that you can work effectively through the busy quarter four period? Our friends at ReplyCo have recently reviewed their pricing plans, making access to the software more affordable than ever – we think it is well worth a look, whether you’ve got an enquiry management system currently or not.

It might not be coming just yet, but Boris Johnson confirmed a UK-wide National Insurance tax increase that will take effect from April 2022. This is expected to place an even bigger burden on retailers – you can read more about the expected impact here.

Dates for your diary

The next few weeks are busy in terms of interesting events for sellers and suppliers! In addition to our Supplier Showcase Webinar next Wednesday 29th September, eBay Open UK 2021 takes place between 28th and 30th September, eCommerce Expo also between 28th and 30th September, and the following week, Linn Academy during the 6th and 7th October. It is potentially a lot of time out, but when you’re prepping for peak season, these events are almost certain to be full of useful information – so pick and choose your attendance wisely.