The festive period is known as the most wonderful time of year and, for most of us, it is. However, for ecommerce sellers it may be more appropriate to call it the most stressful time of year. This is always the case, but this year may be the most stressful yet. Today’s article is going to look at some of the problems that ecommerce sellers are going to have to deal with this year. As we stressed in our previous article, ecommerce sellers should be preparing for the festive period as soon as possible. If you need any help preparing your ecommerce business for the holidays, please get in touch with us.
Lack Of Consumer Trust
Cross border ecommerce was one of the only industries that actually saw an increase in profitability from the pandemic. This has led to more consumers shopping online from abroad than ever before. It is likely that this will continue for the holidays, but consumers are more apprehensive than you might believe.
55% of online shoppers are open to buying holiday gifts from abroad. However, almost 50% of consumers are concerned that their orders will not arrive on time. Adding an estimated delivery time could definitely go along way to alleviating customer concerns. 69% of respondents said that this would help convince them to make a purchase. Sellers should just ensure that their supply chains can deal with the increase in demand.
Port Delays Could Affect Deliveries
The consequences of the pandemic are still being felt at ports across the world, and this could mean major issues for ecommerce sellers who do not get their deliveries done quickly. In the US already, data has shown that their ports handled more containers coming in than ever before last month. This has inevitably led to delays and complications.
The situation is similar in the UK and EU, where it is not only the pandemic affecting the ports but also the lasting effects of Brexit. Ecommerce sellers have to ensure that they have all the relevant paperwork when importing and exporting over the next few months. In addition, having their importing processes in place properly, such as taking advantage of schemes such as PIVA, could really help with cashflow issues over the coming months.
Don’t Forget To Consider Early Holiday Deals
As mentioned in our previous articles, the ecommerce giants are pushing their holiday deals even earlier this year. Monday saw Amazon launch their ‘Black Friday-worth deals’, with Target in the US offering similar deals the week before. Gone are the days when Black Friday signalled the beginning of the holiday season.
Amazon have also introduced some changes to its lists feature. Customers now have the ability share gift ideas with their relatives and friends, which they are able to organize to their liking. Whilst these changes will certainly help sellers ensure that their deliveries make it to their consumers before the big day, it does mean that sellers are having to prepare earlier than ever before. Sellers should ensure their inventories are ready in good times.
If You Are An Ecommerce Seller, We Can Help You
If you have any concerns about dealing with the upcoming holiday season, we at J&P have the qualifications and knowledge to help you plan ahead, so please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any further questions about selling on online, or if you need any help with adapting your business. We can get you VAT registered across the EU and can file your returns. Essentially, we sort out your tax so you can deal with selling your products. You can contact us at enquiries@jpaccountant.com, on our social media, or give us a call on 0161 637 1080.
