François Maingret

Tag: online sales (Page 2 of 6)

TikTok Getting Closer to a Ban in the US: My Top 3 Consequences for Brands

May 1, 2024 /

Some people say Gen Z will riot if TikTok gets banned in the US. For me, I think business owners and marketing managers have more reasons to be upset. While the major news focuses on geopolitics and the assumed threat regarding data security, I feel that the impact on US businesses is overlooked.

It would be a mistake to assume banning a Chinese app would only have positive consequences for US businesses. Keep in mind that I am not advocating for or against the ban. I understand that this is more complicated than my small area of expertise in e-commerce. But brands should be aware of the consequences of a potential ban so they can prepare for an uncertain future.

So let’s jump to the top three reasons, in no specific order, why I think banning TikTok could seriously hurt some local businesses.

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What Isn’t Sold Online These Days? How New Generations Drive Online Sales of Furniture and Other Large Items

April 11, 2024 /

When I moved to Dallas from overseas years ago, I remember renting a truck and driving around the city to pick up cheap furniture at IKEA and from Craigslist to fill my apartment. While I was able to find some good deals, I also remember how sore my back was the next day from moving and carrying heavy stuff all day.

If I had to do it again today, I would take advantage of all the amazing advances made in e-commerce to order most of the furniture online. It is estimated that the global market for furniture will reach $873 billion by 2030, with 35% coming from online purchases.

Companies like Wayfair saw a boom in sales during the pandemic. While revenues are down compared to their peak, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased its price objective for Wayfair from $63.00 to $79.00. So how come people buy more and more furniture over the internet? And, what are some products available for purchase today that were merely a dream a decade ago?

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What is the New Amazon SKU Economics Report and Why it Can Help You

April 7, 2024 /

You can often read on Amazon Seller forums, on Reddit, or other online boards about new entrepreneurs selling on Amazon who can’t figure out why they aren’t making as much money as expected, or even why they are losing money. After all, they buy widgets for $3 in China that they resell for $15; how are they not making bank?

The world of business, e-commerce, and Amazon can sometimes be rough on beginners. And, to be fair, Amazon can make it even more challenging to understand where your money goes. The fees change every year, new fees appear while others disappear. Some are even challenging to keep track of due to their convoluted structure (Hello, low-inventory fee).

Fortunately, Amazon has released an interesting feature: the new SKU Economics Report, designed to help sellers evaluate their costs and profitability per item. So let’s take a look at this new tool and how it can assist you.

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Ecommerce and Social Media are Fueling the Ultra-Fast-Fashion Machine – Can the Same Technologies Also Save Us From it?

April 5, 2024 /

In a previous article, I wrote about ultra-fast fashion, specifically on how France is trying to limit its impact on the environment with new regulations. We’ve seen how unsustainable fast fashion can be, with Americans tossing out a whopping 34 billion pounds of used clothes each year—that’s over 100 pounds per person!

What can be done about Shein? Let’s be realistic, Shein is the target of France’s proposed regulations. Bans or taxes sound good on paper, but they don’t completely eliminate the problem and tend to frustrate customers. Making local brands cheaper so they can compete with Shein (through new processes, innovation, or worse, lower taxes or subsidies) may help local economies, but this wouldn’t do much in terms of sustainability. Greenwashing and shaming customers isn’t ideal either, and won’t win any fans.

Are we stuck in a never-ending cycle of buying and trashing clothes, until we drown in used t-shirts? Thousands of new designs are released every day, and Shein sales are supercharged by influencers and social media. However, I believe we shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet. Ecommerce has come a long way in the last 20 years, and there are some impressive innovations that could help us shop smarter and more sustainably. So let’s see what our options are, and how some successful entrepreneurs are already addressing the fast-fashion problem by offering solid alternatives.

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Chewy is Losing Customers : Can the Ecommerce Giant Surprising Strategic Move Help Them?

March 29, 2024 /

When I moved to Texas from France, I was surprised to see this many dogs when walking around. I thought every other person had a dog. I wasn’t too far off: 66% of U.S. households (86.9 million homes) own a pet, with dogs being the most popular pet (65.1 million U.S. households own a dog).

As a result, the pet care market is huge, $246.66 billion worldwide in 2023 and is projected to grow to $259.37 billion in 2024. Of course, this market is very competitive, and even the largest companies have to constantly innovate to grow.

The e-commerce giant Chewy announced surprising plans to expand, and I’d like to discuss whether other retailers should emulate them.

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France Taxes Fast Fashion : Will We See Similar Regulations Expand to Other Countries and Industries?

March 25, 2024 /

Do you feel guilty ordering clothes from Shein? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of social media users are voicing their concerns about the impact on the environment and the labor practices of the Chinese giant, criticizing influencers’ “Shein hauls.”

Yet, Shein is more popular than ever, with over 250 million app downloads in 2023. The sheer volume of clothing sold and the resulting waste are reasons why some consumers are becoming concerned. But consumers are not the only ones worried: businesses and the government seem to be taking the threat seriously, with France’s parliament backing measures to make fast fashion less attractive to buyers.

Of course, governments say they want to support more sustainable practices. But is saving the environment the only reason behind these potential new regulations? Following the massive success of China-based shopping apps, could we see similar regulations expand to industries beyond just fast fashion?

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Why Are Amazon Third-Party Sellers Furious? Analyzing the New Inventory Placement Fee and How to Reduce it

March 12, 2024 /

When Amazon initially announced their new fee structures for 2024, sellers were expecting to see an increase in how much they’d pay. But now that the fees are implemented, there is a lot of outcry across Amazon seller forums, Reddit, LinkedIn, and social media. The object of all this rage: Amazon’s new inventory placement fees. Beyond the Change.org petition to get this fee removed, this made so much noise that the FTC is now investigating it. The agency’s interest followed Fortune’s recent article on how sellers feel about this new fee.

Today, I want us to review what this fee is, explain why sellers are furious and how it may impact your business. Finally, we will see if every company is impacted equally and investigate potential strategies to mitigate the impact of this fee.

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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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Rufus Unleashed: Amazon’s New AI Assistant and What It Means for Your Business

February 7, 2024 /

In the last couple of months, we’ve been hearing about AI all day, every day. Everyone and everything claims to be using AI these days. Marketing tools, dating assistants, deep fake scams, you name it. I think no one was surprised to hear about Rufus, the latest generative AI-powered shopping assistant, recently introduced by Amazon. 

My first reaction to this announcement wasn’t how this would help me as a consumer, but how this would impact my work as a marketer. We are still in the very early stages of this adventure, but we can already do some guesswork. Let’s quickly review the announcement, then try to imagine what the implications are for the millions of businesses selling on Amazon.

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