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E-commerce: Amazon and Alibaba fight COVID-19 fraud alongside law enforcement agencies
J&P Comments
It is highly dangerous to sell counterfeit health products and products with inaccurate claims, as buyers are putting their health at risk when purchasing these products. It is encouraging that Amazon and Alibaba are working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that these products are not sold to members of the public.
E-commerce: Amazon Will Waive Long-Term Storage Fee for FBA Sellers this month
E-commerce giant Amazon announced this week that sellers using the Fulfilment By Amazon service will not have to pay their long-term storage fee on May 15th. Amazon has waived the fee because it is designed to motivate sellers to remove slow-selling goods from fulfilment centres, and there have recently been delays in the removals of these goods. In its announcement Amazon also said that it has hired 75,000 new employees to help process removal orders.
J&P Comments
The delay in removal operations has most likely occurred as a result of the huge demand Amazon is currently experiencing due to COVID-19. However, the decision to waive the fee will greatly benefit many sellers who are not able to get their stock removed straight away.
E-commerce: Online UK grocery market to grow by 33% in 2020
Leading market intelligence agency Mintel has reported that the value of online grocery shopping in the UK will increase by 33% this year. It is expected that the market will grow to €19.2 billion, up from a value of €14.5 billion last year. The research found that coronavirus has played a significant part in the growth, with studies conducted between 16-23 April showing that UK consumers had increased their online shopping by 36%.
J&P Comments
Over the last month, J&P has reported on many changes within the UK’s online grocery market, such as supermarkets making more delivery slots available and Ocado facing a massive increase in demand. These changes clearly demonstrate the impact COVID-19 is having on online grocery shopping and go hand-in-hand with the expectation that this sector will grow significantly in 2020.
E-commerce: Ocado’s Second-Quarter revenues skyrocket to new heights
Online UK grocery giant Ocado has reported that its retail revenue grew by 40.4% in the company’s second quarter. It is suspected that this is a result of the extraordinary demand the grocer has seen over the last three months due to the coronavirus, as the company’s revenue has almost quadrupled in comparison to its first quarter. A spokesperson for Ocado has said the company expects “the long-term shift towards online grocery to accelerate post-crisis”.
J&P Comments
J&P reported last month that Ocado were struggling to fulfil customer demand and had made the decision to shut down their mobile app. The grocer also stopped accepting new customers in March – but despite the company having to implement these limitations, they have shown that they can still perform above expectations.
E-commerce: Asda to donate online delivery priority pass to 3,500 care homes and 250,000 face masks
UK supermarket chain Asda is ramping up its efforts in response to the coronavirus crisis by giving 3,500 care homes priority access to its online shopping service and by donating 250,000 face masks. The priority pass provides users with early access to online delivery slots, and the face masks will be distributed across UK care homes from mid-May. Asda’s chief executive has said “I take great pride in knowing that Asda customers want us to support our local communities – and hope that you will be proud of us for taking this step to support care homes.”
J&P Comments
Asda is not the only UK supermarket to go out of its way to support the elderly and vulnerable at this difficult time – in late April, J&P also reported that Aldi has opened a new portal where shopping vouchers can be accessed, along with other UK supermarkets making 300,000 more delivery slots available.
E-commerce: Amazon launches Amazon Advertising learning program
Amazon has released a new learning program in which sellers and those looking to advertise their products can learn new skills and how to advertise their products better. With the Amazon Advertising learning console, new advertisers can learn tips such as choosing the right keywords and how to launch successful ad campaigns. The director of Amazon Digital Advertising, Matt Carr, has said “Our goal is to educate all our customers on the topics that matter to them, so they can be successful with Amazon’s marketing tools.”
J&P Comments
Sellers and small businesses on Amazon should definitely consider making use of the new learning program, as they will be able to gain valuable skills from this which they can use to successfully build their E-commerce business online.
