François Maingret

Tag: marketplaces (Page 1 of 2)

Amazon Plans to Facilitate Direct Shipping from China: Are Temu and Amazon Two Sides of the Same Coin?

July 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Right before taking a vacation, I saw the news about Amazon planning to assist sellers based in China to ship directly to US customers, similar to what Temu does. While I recognized the importance of this move, the news didn’t surprise me. It’s been clear that China-based sellers have become a key part of Amazon’s strategy. We’ve seen several moves in the past to help Amazon compete with Temu and Shein, so this isn’t entirely new.

However, this might be Amazon’s boldest move to date. My initial thought was, “Some Amazon sellers are in big trouble.” After discussing this shift, I’d like to reflect on the convergence between Amazon’s and Temu’s strategies and review the potential impact on US-based sellers.

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Why Retailers are Launching Their Own Resale Platforms: The Case of Decathlon

June 19, 2024 /

I can’t help feeling angry when I see people throwing out perfectly fine products just to make room for new stuff. Not that I worry about them making easy money from reselling the items, but because of the waste of resources involved, especially when there are so many online resale platforms available. Many focus on fashion-related items, but we are starting to see more for other products. Only a few days after posting about Shein’s resale product, I read about the sport retailer Decathlon’s new resale platform for their products. And I thought, it is about much more than just pricing. Thinking about it, I can see many more reasons why companies are starting their C2C resale channels.

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Is Walmart Marketplace Catching Up on Amazon? A Short Case Study on a Specific Category

March 1, 2024 /

If you missed the big news about Walmart this month, here it is: their earnings surpassed expectations, and the company hit a major ecommerce milestone with $100 billion in sales last year.

This announcement prompted many ecommerce managers and executives (I certainly did) to reflect on their strategy regarding Walmart.com and if their plan was appropriate. 

It is true that overlooking Walmart is easy these days. Amazon is still the king in the ecommerce realm, and flashy new entrants like Temu or Shein are being extremely aggressive in their marketing. And Walmart is in this awkward space where its ecommerce operations are too big to be completely ignored, but too small to be a company’s main focus (I get approached by Amazon agencies every day, but they very rarely mention Walmart). 

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Target Considers a Paid Membership Program : What is it About and Should Ecommerce Professionals Care?

February 20, 2024 /

For some people, going to Target to buy a loaf of bread and returning with $300 worth of clothes and home decor is a familiar scenario. The addiction to Target is real and might become more intense for some. Bloomberg reports that the company is considering offering a paid membership program as early as this year. Should they launch it, this program would be another competitor for Amazon Prime, Walmart Plus, and Costco memberships. However, Target is late to the party, many years after its competitors. Would proceeding with the project make sense for the company, or would it be doomed to fail? Ultimately, should e-commerce entrepreneurs keep an eye on this program?

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Temu Opens to US and European Sellers : Extra Revenues or Major Headaches?

January 30, 2024 /

Have you found yourself needing a toaster-shaped desk lamp? How about a $1.28 keychain stapler? Or a 200-pack of men’s ankle socks? If so, I’ve got you covered. Temu has it all, and quickly became one of the most downloaded shopping apps in the US, offering millions of relatively inexpensive products shipped directly from China, targeting low-income Americans.

In recent news, Temu announced they would open their marketplace to US and European sellers. While this sounds like an obvious way to expand their operation, this information surprised me and made me wonder about Temu’s long-term strategy. Will they still pursue low-cost items, or are they attempting to diversify their offer?

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Anecdotal Data on Amazon Pricing and Market Saturation

January 24, 2024 /

Below is one of my recent LinkedIn Post. I wanted to also share it here on my blog, as I think the data I collected and charts I built can be insightful to those of you selling on Amazon.

Is Amazon saturated? I don’t have the answer, but I do have some interesting anecdotal data (and some good news if you’re in the market for a massage gun).

I looked at a random product, massage guns. First, the evolution of the sale price for the current top 5 massage guns on Amazon. Most launched in 2020 (the first few months of data isn’t always available).

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TikTok Shop Increases Referral Fees – Who Will Lose The Most?

January 9, 2024 /

If you’re selling on TikTok Shop, or if you consider doing it, you’ve probably heard the big news: Referral fees will increase from 2% to 8% per transaction. TikTok Shops will also cut some of the subsidies they previously offered. While some immediate reactions following the announcements were dramatic, with people claiming the death of TikTok Shop, I feel that most people still see the platform as a viable channel.

My opinion is that TikTok Shop is a unique channel, with a strong value proposition. The lower fees were a tactic to increase the number of sellers on the platform and grow the marketplace. However, it isn’t for every business and some will be more impacted by the new fees than others. I also believe that the importance of the subsidies cut was downplayed, and will have significant consequences this year.

Let’s see how these fees compare with other marketplaces and what I think will be the consequences for businesses.

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2024 Amazon Fee Changes: What You Can Expect to Pay Next Year

December 16, 2023 /

If you’re selling on Amazon and plan to continue doing so next year, I advise you to stock up on aspirin. Amazon has announced changes to their fee structure, and it will become a lot more complicated to figure out your cost structures when selling on the marketplace.

Some fees will decrease, others will increase, and new fees will be introduced. While selling on Amazon in 2023 could be a little confusing for new entrepreneurs, I imagine that even veterans will need time to adjust to these new fee structures.

Let’s go over the December 5th statement from Amazon explaining what changes will be made, and see who will see their expenses increase the most (and maybe the lucky ones who may pay less than in 2023). I will summarize the fees and try to make them as easy to understand as I can.

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Amazon Now Sells Cars: A New Era of Growth or a Road Full of Potholes?

November 18, 2023 /

Amazon sells millions of different products: clothes, food, lawnmowers, toilets, and even houses. Not much is missing, especially now that we’re almost able to buy cars on Amazon. Starting in 2024, Amazon plans to revolutionize car buying by enabling customers to purchase Hyundai vehicles online directly from its platform. Amazon’s latest move, in partnership with Hyundai, may significantly impact the auto industry. The news was strong enough to impact the stock prices of companies like Carvana and Autotrader in mid-November. This move is a natural progression for Amazon and its digital showrooms, presenting an unprecedented offer to consumers.

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Prime Big Deal Days Success and a Seller’s Dilemma

October 22, 2023 /

Everyone has a few products they love, but only buy when they are on sale. Whether it’s electronics, luxury fashion, or even our favorite candies, sometimes we just refuse to pay full price, but are quick to pull out our credit card when we see a good deal online. For me, this product is Liquid IV. I feel like it really helps me not be dehydrated after a long flight. I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Liquid IV products were among the top sellers during the successful Prime Big Deal Days event on October 10-11.

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