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E-commerce: Alibaba launches discount fashion platform “Luxury Soho”
J&P Comments
As the online fashion industry has been one of the sectors worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic, it is encouraging that Alibaba are working to help to get fashion brands back on their feet and help them to manage their inventory and stock – this is an issue that is often overlooked in fashion.
E-commerce: Amazon catches up with backlog of orders to provide normal delivery times
Amazon has said that its delivery times are expected to return to “pre-coronavirus” levels, and that shoppers will soon be able to receive orders in the usual time of 1-2 days. The reason for this is that the leading E-commerce platform has been able to catch up with a huge backlog of orders created by the COVID-19 crisis. On top of this, restrictions imposed on sending certain items to warehouses have also been lifted – An Amazon spokeswoman has commented “We removed quantity limits on products our suppliers can send to our fulfillment centers”.
J&P Comments
As Amazon has had to deal with an unusual level of demand over recent months and has also had to suspend shipments on non-essential items, it is understandable that many orders have been delayed for customers. However, it is positive that more products can now be shipped to warehouses as customers will be able to receive their parcels when they expect to.
E-commerce: AO.com Has Seen Exponential Growth during UK Lockdown
UK and Germany-based electronics retailer AO.com has reported that it has increased its market share and seen a huge rise in demand since the start of the lockdown in the UK. In the year leading up to March 31st, the retailer said that it successfully met its four key strategic ambitions, including returning to profitability and being cash generative. AO.com’s chief executive John Roberts has said “We are more certain than ever of the potential of the business and the platform it provides for growth.”
J&P Comments
It is interesting that AO has reported this growth when the electronics sector in general has been in decline since the start of the lockdown. However, last year the business shifted its focus to expanding in Germany, and as this has proven to be a success, this definitely may have also contributed to AO’s recent growth.
E-commerce: Asda launches platform and food boxes for vulnerable customers
Leading supermarket Asda has increased its efforts to help those who are unable to access groceries at this time. The UK giant has set up an online platform where it will provide food boxes which will be delivered within two days to customers’ homes. The food boxes cost £30 and 31 different types of food items that are popular among British shoppers will be included in the boxes – these are mainly essentials such as bread, pasta and tinned goods.
J&P Comments
Asda has shown its commitment to making life easier for its UK customers along with German grocer Aldi – last month, J&P reported that Aldi had also opened a new service which provides Britons with access to a box of essential grocery goods.
E-commerce: Amazon launches coronavirus tracking tool for employees
Leading E-commerce platform Amazon has released a tool which allows workers in fulfilment centres and warehouses to track and report the number of coronavirus cases in their facilities. The system uses information reported by employees to provide an accurate number of how many members of staff have been diagnosed with coronavirus. An Amazon spokesperson has said “We’re doing all that we can to protect our employees and take the proper precautions as stated in WHO guidelines.”
J&P Comments
Along with rolling out face masks and introducing thermal cameras to detect the temperatures of employees, this system will help employees within Amazon facilities to feel safe and better protected from the coronavirus.
E-commerce: Morrisons and Amazon expand partnership to give Prime members same-day delivery access
Last summer, J&P reported that British supermarket Morrisons had teamed up with Amazon to offer one-hour delivery slots and fulfil large online shopping orders made by Morrisons customers. The two companies have announced that they are strengthening their partnership to provide thousands more UK Prime customers with access to same-day grocery deliveries at this challenging time. Prime customers located within 90% of Greater London can now order groceries which will be delivered in 2 hours.
J&P Comments
The decision to expand on their partnership with Amazon demonstrates Morrisons’ commitment to give customers access to products during lockdown. The supermarket giant also collaborated with Deliveroo last month to make essential items available for delivery through the Morrisons app.
