Jump, Jump, Jump, Jump It Up!
Etsy announced it’s 2018 trend predictions and it turns out that wedding jumpsuits are a thing and they’re here. Home decor, mix and match jewellery and the hot new colour, ultraviolet, are all set to make an extra special appearance on people’s wish lists and shopping baskets. If you’re not with the times, hurry up!
Take It Back Now Y’All
Takeback Tuesday happened and it was busy. The biggest returns day of the year, people were busy returning those ‘close but no cigar’ gifts. Thank you gift receipt.
Parcel Tower To The Left Hand Side
Asda has launched the UK’s first automated parcel collection tower. Think vending machine on a bigger scale. Online consumers are increasingly opting to collect their deliveries, to avoid the dreaded ‘you were out when we tried to deliver’ card or, even worse, the ‘we threw your fragile china plate set over your garden fence’ card. Initiatives like this, aiming to make online shopping as convenient as picking up a pint of milk, are set to increase eCommerce sales even more.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Check It Out
Or not…Amazon opened its first checkout-less store this month in Seattle. Computer vision, machine learning and sensors enable the e-retailer giant to work out what you picked and packed and what you’ve picked and sacked off – leaving you to just scan your smartphone before leaving the store. Anticipated to be the future of retail, this is an exciting new step for shoppers and retail workers – with bakers, shelf-stackers and customer service agents dotted throughout the store, they were not without something to do!
The Prime of Your Life…At A Cost
Amazon has raised the price of its Prime membership in the US by 20% to $12.99. The premium Amazon service that gives subscribers free two-day shipping, cloud storage and video streaming services, it will be interesting to see if users think it’s worth the dollar.
Bargain Hunters
Amazon US has launched a new $10 and under section on their website, for all those bargain-savvy buyers (who spent out on Prime – see above). We’re yet to see if this will be launched in Europe but it’s an interesting new category for Amazon and one to think about when setting your prices.
A Bite Of The Cherry
There’s a new WooCommerce plugin-town that will enable users to accept Bitcoin Cash-the cheaper and more efficient cousin of Bitcoin. Watch this space.
Top Of the Class
The UK Customer Satisfaction Index was released this month and Amazon retained its place as the top performing retailer. Aiming to enable organisations to achieve excellent customer service, the independent body survey 10,000 people across the country asking them about their most recent interaction with retailers. eBay was up at number 22 and there were ten new entrants.
Grazie Millie
Etsy has made it even easier to reach out to international online shoppers, by allowing you to translate your own Etsy store instead of relying on machine translations. This will make your Etsy store appear more professional and seamless across the globe. Visit Shop Manager> Settings > Languages and translations to get started.
You Used To Call Me On Your Cellphone
And that’s not all thats been going on over at Etsy HQ. They’ve updated their mobile app so that you can now view your latest deposit balance and pay your shop bill all from the comfort of your phone.
Fanny That!
And finally, when you’re struggling to make it through the early part of the year, remember, eBay sold more than 57,000 bum-bags last year. Anything is possible.