Weekend reading: 27th August

With many children heading back to school next week, the August bank holiday weekend is usually the last chance for many of us to squeeze in the last few drops of enjoyment out of our summer. And unusually – this year, the weather looks like it is going to play nicely, with wall-to-wall sunshine forecast for much of the UK! So we hope you’re reading this from a sunny spot in your garden, after you’ve had a great time at the beach, or wherever you’ve enjoyed time outdoors.

This week on the reads, we’re reminding you to get your plans for the holiday season started, talking about the latest from the TikTok-Shopify partnership, recommending caution due to shipping delays, thinking about vegan fashion, and sharing how to encourage your customers to endorse your brand.

The latest from us

We’ve brought some incredible new products to the platform this week! We’re excited to announce Mirror Outlet, who has made their extensive range of mirrors of all different shapes, sizes and finishes available for you to source and sell – perfect for businesses that want to extend their homeware range! We’ve also brought a manufacturer of fashion and accessories to the platform, with some outstanding items, so browse the range and add more products to your inventory today.

Our team has also carefully curated a list of Autumn products that your customers are likely to be searching for – you can find this by signing into the platform homepage and looking for the ‘Get set for Autumn’ card.

We published a new blog this week – and if you’re new to eCommerce, or are trying to explain to someone the difference between reselling and DropShipping, then this post is definitely worth reading and sharing.

The weekend reads

If you haven’t already, now is the time to start getting your holiday planning sorted. This week, Amazon announced their Black Friday Deals submission window is open – and so, if you’re planning to make the most of Black Friday/Cyber Monday, then be sure to get them in ahead of the deadlines, which start by October 8th. Read more, including the deadlines you need to know, here, and if this is your first time, we wrote about planning for Black Friday in this post, and all of that advice is just as relevant.

Shopify has now made Shopping available in TikTok – so if your target customers are likely to be TikTok users, then this is definitely something you’re going to want to include in your marketing strategy. As the lines between eCommerce and shopping through social media blur even further, if you’re not thinking about social commerce, you’re going to be missing out on valuable sales.

We mentioned last week about the fears of a potential perfect storm being created because of problems with driver shortages, global supply chains, and other issues. This week we’ve seen the UK government reject the idea of temporary EU visas to ease those shortages, and the drivers represented by the union Unite have voted in favour of industrial action over pay demands. With that in mind, we’d strongly advise being ready to manage customer expectations, and to have contingency plans for if stock doesn’t arrive – which could be as simple as having an Avasam account ready to fulfil orders if need be.

Are you looking for the next big thing that customers are going to be demanding? Research suggests that vegan fashion is set to reach £799 billion by 2027. While the majority of UK consumers oppose the use of fur and products from exotic animals and have done for many years, it seems that we’re moving towards a much more ethical fashion movement all round.

We talked about Amazon suspending accounts of sellers that were offering rewards to customers in exchange for positive reviews a while ago, and the UK government are cracking down on the practice too. With offering incentives for reviews becoming less of an option, how can you encourage your customers to endorse your brand and your products? This post discusses some of the ways that work, without risking your seller account, or legal action.

Dates for your diary

Ready to Make It Big? Our partners are hosting the Make It Big two day virtual conference on September 14th and 15th, with exclusive content, information about the latest ecommerce trends, techniques to scale your business, connect with your audience and to build brand awareness. Find out more and sign up here.

eBay Open UK takes place between 28th and 30th September. This is an event that is running both online and in person, and will feature live Q&A sessions, strategy insights and developments from eBay and their partners. Details and sign up can be found here.

Linn Academy is running between October 6th and 7th, with industry leaders, innovators and brands expected to share insights and trends. We’ve attended Linn Academy in person in previous years, and found the content to be incredibly useful, and since registration for this virtual event is free, it is likely to be well worth your time. Find out more and register here.