Weekend reading: 6th August

With the supermarkets full of back to school gear (even though the schools don’t go back for another month!), this week we got to thinking about planning ahead – so the reads this week are focused on that. Summer holidays go by pretty quick, and once September starts and everyone is back in the swing of things, quarter four, with Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and pre-Christmas sales being upon us in no time. A new report this week says that a quarter of British people that celebrate Christmas will start thinking about it, planning and buying from the end of August – so there isn’t any time to lose.

So, with all that in mind, this week on the reads, we’re looking at how to plan for Black Friday, thinking about how to maintain excellent customer service, making sure you’re making the most of your social media feeds, and talking about how ‘clean beauty’ is the next big thing in skincare and cosmetics.

The latest from us

We brought even more incredible suppliers and products to the platform for you this week!

Primehide has a range of luxurious leather accessories, from small purses and handbags through to laptop bags and weekender bags, these leather goods are outstanding quality at excellent prices. You can find a link to those products on the home page of the platform, or search for supplier code GB010094.

We brought a number of suppliers that have increased the range of homeware and accessories, as well as more fashion and accessories – so there’s a lot to browse through when you’re updating your inventory.

If you haven’t yet listed ‘back to school’ items, it isn’t too late to source and make sales! The team have collated a range of items that are perfect for kids going back to school, and for students heading off to university – log into the home page of the platform to source the entire range.

We’ve also published a new blog this week, talking about liquidation – we hope you won’t need the information contained in it, but just in case you do, you can read the post here.

The weekend reads

Black Friday, Christmas and the holiday season feels like half a year away – and while it almost still is, in eCommerce those crucial dates come around faster than you think, which means planning ahead needs to start as soon as possible. Start thinking about the holiday season now, and you’ll be guaranteed to perform better than you might expect. Read more about how to plan for Black Friday.

The customer experience you provide is the key to success for retailers – nobody wants slow service, or poor quality goods from the businesses they buy from. With Quarter Four fast approaching, your service may be the difference between selling well, and having the best season ever. To check if your service is going to stand the test, head to this post.

We have mentioned social commerce on the blog plenty of times before, and how your social media feeds need to be so much more than just static posts. Many people question whether customers actually buy from their social media channels – but usually because they don’t buy that way themselves. If you’re unsure quite how many sales can be made on social media, then you definitely don’t want to miss this post – and this post to follow up with.

Looking for the next big thing for your inventory? Clean beauty – where customers are shopping much more carefully, and ensuring that the ingredients in their cosmetics, skincare and toiletries – is very much the future, with research suggesting that the market will reach $22 billion by 2024. Start by searching Avasam for ‘organic’ – our suppliers have some amazing products that customers want, such as organic soaps, lotion and shampoos. Read more about the difference between vegan, organic, natural and so on here.

Dates for your diary

Planning ahead for the rest of the year, we’re excited to see what eCommerce Expo has to offer in September. There are a limited number of spaces for the in-person event on 23rd September, with much more happening on the virtual event between 28-30th September. You can find out more here.

If you’re a Linnworks user, then Linn Academy is one of the main events of the year, and is taking place between October 6th and 7th. Details are yet to be announced, but make sure it is on your calendar – and if you want a preview of the type of thing you can expect, check out some of the replays that are available here.