Friday, September 22

#1 - 🎃 Halloween is looking scary good

📰 TL;DR - I know we’re all zeroed in on Black Friday—Cyber Monday, but don’t forget that Halloween will come first! A new report says Halloween spending will reach $12.2 billion this year as more people take part in the holiday compared to previous years. For comparison, 79% of people polled said they’d take part, compared to 69% last year. Decorations and adult costumes in particular will see a lot of spending.

💡 Insight - There’s been a cultural trend in the last few years that upgraded Halloween from a one-day event to it being “spooky season” as soon as the weather turns colder. I’ve also noticed that brands are offering way more than just outdoor decorations and costumes. I’ve seen a rise in Halloween-themed day-to-day apparel as well as home decor meant to stay up for weeks on end. There are also Halloween-themed accessories, candles, door mats… the list goes on. It may be a bit late to develop product lines now, but don’t be afraid to, for example, put up a social media post with your spookiest products.

➡️ You can read the article here...

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#3 - 🚫 Amazon cancels fee hike

📰 TL;DR - Great news for third-party Amazon sellers! Amazon had a rather sudden change of heart and decided to cancel a planned 2% fee hike for merchants that don’t use Amazon’s delivery service. The fee was initially announced in August but now the company is facing an historic antitrust lawsuit that may have changed their minds. With merchants already paying 8% to 15% in fees, another 2% would have been significant. For context, third-party sellers represent 60% of sales on Amazon.

💡 Insight - It’s presumed that the point of the fee hike was to push merchants into using Amazon’s delivery services, so it’s interesting that they changed course. However, I don’t think that changes the fact that Amazon is aiming to be everyone’s go-to partner for delivery and fulfillment. They recently announced expansions in both areas, even to non-Amazon sellers. This antitrust suit is going to be looking at Amazon’s policies for third-party sellers specifically, so it will be interesting to see if any more changes result from that.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

👻 HALLOWEEN - While total sales are looking good, most shoppers still plan to shop for Halloween in person, so you might have to try a little harder to win them. Read here.

🔎 SERP - Want to know if Google considers you a trusted brand? Here’s how to tell.

🇺🇸 USA! USA! - According to this, the US accounts for more than half of the e-commerce sites around the world.

💃🏽 TIKTOK - In another sign that TikTok is serious about e-commerce, they’re on a hiring spree in Seattle. Read here.

👀 SEO - Here are some tips for writing effective SEO copy.

#5 - 🤖 When AI goes too far

📰 TL;DR - I think we can all agree that the future (and really, the present) of e-commerce is steeped in AI. We know it can provide personalized experiences and even speed up customer service, but can it ever go too far? This piece makes the case that AI can push itself into being just plain uncomfortable and annoying if not deployed correctly. For example, bombarding customers with post-purchase recommendations that are irrelevant is a turn-off. This argues that you need to retain a human touch.

💡 Insight - I think this makes some fair points while also highlighting how to use AI for e-commerce well. I’ll also note that I’ve seen surveys that show older customers in particular aren’t too hot about AI, at least in theory. The concept makes them uneasy, even though they don’t realize they actually like the conveniences it brings. All that would lead me to say that AI needs to be used with precision and a lot of forethought. Don’t go installing every AI-powered app just because. There needs to be a solid business case and proven results.

➡️ You can read the article here...