Wednesday, January 3

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🚨 In today’s newsletter 🚨

• The Free Ride Ends

• Launching Your Own Online Shop

• Livestream's Leap into Mainstream Shopping

Let’s get into it👇

#1 - The Free Ride Ends

The Rundown: A new report shows that free online returns, which shoppers have grown accustomed to, are disappearing as retailers begin widely charging return shipping fees.

Key points:

• Major retailers like J.Crew, Abercrombie, H&M, and Macy’s now charge for returns.
  

• 81% of retailers are charging fees for at least some returns.
  

• Returns are becoming extremely costly for retailers. $816 billion in merchandise was returned in 2022.
  

• Customers return 16.5% of items purchased on average.

The relevance: This signals a major shift in online shopping behavior and expectations. As free returns go away, shoppers will need to be more careful about purchases and brace for fees if they do return items. It shows that the high costs of returns are no longer sustainable for retailers. At this moment as free returns disappear, consumers should rethink shopping habits and adjust expectations.

➡️ You can read the article here...

 #2 - How sending free products to Micro-Influencers has helped brands 5X revenue in 2 months

Tapping into the power of social media Micro-Influencers and a platform called Stack Influence that automates influencer collaborations at scale (hundreds of promotions a month), Amazon brands like Unilever, Magic Spoon, and Blueland have been able to grow their monthly revenue by 5X, decrease their ad costs using a war chest of influencer UGC, and build an army of affiliate marketers to consistently drive new customers.

➡️ Get Started Here

#3 - Launching Your Own Online Shop

The Rundown: Starting your own ecommerce business

Step-by-step:

1. Prepare for some intimidating new experiences - legally forming a company, purchasing inventory without a guarantee of sales, figuring out accounting basics. It's unfamiliar territory that pushes you outside your comfort zone.
   

2. Recognize the high likelihood of failure. Most e-commerce startups never catch on. To beat the odds, you must put in tireless effort on marketing, order fulfillment, inventory management, industry analysis and more.
   

3. Anticipate both struggle and enjoyment if you persevere. Battling constant competition is draining, but that thrill when a new order arrives or spotting an opportunity to outmaneuver a rival - it’s an addictive, high-stakes game.
   

4. With the right mindset - brave, smart and relentlessly self-believing - triumph over the long odds is possible. Success is earned through informed risk-taking, wise planning and gritty persistence.

➡️ You can read the article here...

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#4 - Livestream's Leap into Mainstream Shopping

The Rundown: Livestream shopping could rocket from niche to $50 billion industry in the US by 2023, but brands need smart strategies to ride the wave.

The details:

• Adoption still low but interest growing, especially among younger demographics like Gen Z
  

• Major platforms providing easy entry points, while third parties offer full-service ecommerce livestreaming
  

• Benefits like engaging customers and integrated checkout must be weighed against costs

Why it matters: As livestream opens new revenue streams, understanding optimal formats and ironing out measurements will separate the winners from the laggards.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#5 - Crisis at the Castle

The Rundown: Once China's top tech titan, Alibaba has fallen into disarray amid competitive threats, leadership struggles, and a failed restructuring plan.

The details:

• Alibaba bungled its reorganization into six units, sowing confusion and sparking concern it lacks direction for future growth.
  

• Former leaders still wield power inside the company, hampering new CEO Wu's attempts to assert control and reboot flagging businesses like cloud computing.
  

• Upstart rivals like Pinduoduo and Bytedance's TikTok are stealing Alibaba's lunch in areas like e-commerce and advertising.

Why it matters: Alibaba was a trailblazer that introduced millions of Chinese to online shopping and finance. Its troubles highlight the rapid pace of change in China's tech scene, where today's dominant player can quickly become tomorrow's also-ran without innovation, focus and leadership. For Alibaba to regain its perch, it must get back to its entrepreneurial roots.

➡️ You can read the article here...