Hello and welcome to July: In Review
School’s out for summer and so are the eager shoppers… That can only mean one thing, July has been and gone! It’s time to review last month’s hottest retail and ecommerce content.
Sit back, relax and enjoy our pick of the top 4 retail news stories to hit the internet in July.
1. News: Amazon Prime Day 2017
Amazon Prime Day has dominated the news this month both in the lead up, during and following the discount shopping event. Amazon has taken over the headlines with everything from extending the event from 24 to 30 hours, to how it was their biggest sales day on record.
We already know Prime Day was a huge success for Amazon so we wanted to focus on how independent retailers performed on Prime Day 2017. At Brightpearl, we have the privilege of working with over 1,200 SMEs so we took a look at how our retailers performed this year in comparison to 2016. The key findings showed:
- Order volume across Amazon increased by 33% with 30,617 orders created
- Average order volume per hour increased by 10%
- GMV increased by 7% to $1,011,262
- Average order value dropped by 20% in 2017 from $41 to $33
The statistics are really interesting and promising as there was a mostly positive increase in performance. Read the full blog to learn more about the findings.
Are you an Amazon seller? Did you get involved in Prime Day? Let us know how you got on in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.
2. Article: The new delivery models disrupting the industry
This month, Drapers wrote an interesting article which explores new pay-later delivery models from Net-a-Porter and Amazon. With fast delivery now being such a crucial factor in shopper conversion, it’s no surprise that larger retailers are looking for ways to deliver fast whilst also going above and beyond to win the loyalty of their customers.
Net-a-Porter will launch a “you try, we wait” service later this year which allows shoppers to try on products before actually purchasing them. The delivery courier waits as you try on your selected items in the comfort of your own home.
Amazon’s new service, Prime Wardrobe, allows Prime shoppers to select 3-15 items to be delivered to them at home. They’re then given 7 days to try on the items and decide whether to keep or return the products. Amazon’s courier will then collect any unwanted items free of charge.
These shipping methods have their pros and cons. They’re likely to lead to a higher conversion rate as shoppers no longer need to worry about the returns process and it eliminates the worry of purchasing something they don’t want. However, both delivery methods are expensive and potentially could lead to more returns in the long run.
Read the full article to find out more about the pros and cons of these delivery methods.
What do you think of Amazon and Net-a-Porter’s new delivery services? Will they be the next big thing or will traditional delivery trump all? Drop us a comment to let us know what you think.
3. Blog: 33 Ecommerce Strategies for Growth from 12 $1M+ Brands
The BigCommerce blog is always creating insightful ecommerce content but our favourite pick of the month goes above and beyond as the advice comes straight from successful online retailers. This extensive blog shares 33 ecommerce strategies from 12 different brands including:
- How to find new customers no one else knows about
- How to turn your customers into influencers
- How to activate millennial B2B buyers
- How to turn great photos into millions in revenue
The blog also shares 18 must-have tools to help you achieve your ecommerce growth. This one is definitely worth a read!
4. Video: Brightpearl’s Automation in action with Open 24 Seven
We have to confess that we’re blowing our own trumpet with this one but we really wanted to share how our new Automation feature is really helping established retailers. We recently caught up with Lee Adams, Managing Director of Open 24 Seven, to find out how Brightpearl Automation is helping their two businesses, Alexander Francis and SpyCameraCCTV.
Lee Adams shared how automation has saved the business time, made admin tasks easier, removed the end of day process and streamlined their multiple warehouses. He said: “Brightpearl’s Automation feature has made things really slick around here. It’s basically meant that we don’t have to have an end of day process anymore. Everything is simplified.” Watch the video below to see what else Lee had to say about adopting automation.
If you’re wondering whether automation is the next big step for your business, why not take the automation assessment to see how your retail business can cope with peaks in demand?
That’s all for July! If you enjoyed our recap, why not subscribe to the blog to get the next one delivered straight to your inbox?
