December – the month of presents, chocolates, mince pies, fun, festivities, cake…and of course, the following not-to-be-missed eCommerce news. 

Congratulations

We don’t normally blow out own trumpet, but this month we deserve to. 

Expandly was voted onto BusinessCloud‘s list of 100 eCommerce trailblazers for 2019. Joining the likes of Skyscanner, Auto Trader and Ocado, we think our team deserves a big pat on the back. 

In other celebratory news:

? Gamely Games won Amazon’s Small Business of the Year UK

? Naissance won Amazon’s Exporting Small Business of the Year UK

? Disposable Green won Amazon’s Innovative Small Business of the UK.

Cyber Monday and Black Friday

Creeping into December this year was the BFCM weekend, and we finally have the official results from all of the mayhem. 

According to Royal Mail, Central London shoppers made the most online purchases this year, with Lerwick and Llandrindod closely following. 

Over on Shopify, merchants broke records again with $2.9+ billion worldwide sales over the weekend. 

And, Amazon experienced it’s biggest Cyber Monday yet, with millions of toys, clothing, home items, Amazon devices, and avocados sold.

Buy it again

eBay shoppers can make repeat purchases with ease, thanks to eBay’s new ‘Buy it Again’ button. This is great for customer retention but not so great if you’re out of stock. 

Accompanying the flashy new button is a ‘buy Similar’ button, that takes shoppers to other sellers selling similar items. 

Key takeaway: swot up on inventory management software to ensure that you don’t get caught out. 

Merry Christmas to all…

Santa’s elves were working up to the final hour this year, with Amazon accepting orders right up until Christmas eve. 

It’s a little early to confirm the official online retail statistics of 2019, but the initial signs show that online spending is up and battling the crowds is down. 

eBay returns policy updates

If you read our recent blog on eCommerce returns best practices, you might already be tweaking your policies. And it’s a good job. 

From March 2020, any US eBay listings that don’t align with one of eBay’s returns policies will automatically be updated. These policies are:

? No returns

? 30-day returns (free or paid)

? 60-day returns (free or paid).

In other words, 7-day returns policies aren’t allowed, except for jewellery and watches. 

A surge in Amazon reviews

If you’ve experienced a surge in Amazon reviews, you’re not alone. A number of Amazon sellers have recently reported an increase in customer reviews on the platform – great news but unexpected. 

Market Pulse decided to delve deeper and found that Amazon’s new ratings system is to praise. 

Back in September, Amazon allowed shoppers to leave a star rating, without delving into a full-on written review. Easier, quicker, and far more attractive. Thanks Amazon. 

I’ll have a blue Christmas…

Pantone has released its colour of 2020, and it’s a “Classic Blue”. 

Etsy, on the hand, has picked Chartreuse as it’s colour of the year – a bold colour known for its energy increase properties. 

In other news

We were talking about the best eCommerce books for business owners, the different types of Christmas shoppers, driving repeat purchases, and our 2020 eCommerce predictions. 

Finally…

Thank you for a fantastic 2019. Here’s to a brilliant 2020!