Nikki Gilliland says, “Social commerce hasn’t quite taken off in the way it was predicted to.  While 52% of marketers said it would be the most prominent trend of 2016, you could argue that live video or influencer marketing ended up stealing its thunder. It seems that despite mobile commerce rising in popularity – and with one in four users trying to purchase a product on social last year – many brands have struggled to find the right balance between social media and ecommerce. In fact, a recent survey suggests that 45% of adults have no current interest in clicking on a ‘buy... [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “In a survey polling more than 1,600 Amazon merchants, nearly 50 percent of the respondents said they sell almost exclusively on Amazon, with the e-commerce site delivering 80 to 100 percent of the merchants’ online sales. When asked what other e-commerce channels they use, 65 percent of survey respondents reported that they also sell on eBay. Less than 10 percent use channels like Rakuten, Walmart and Jet. Looking toward the future, 29 percent said they plan to expand their online sales efforts to Walmart this year. The same number of respondents said they had plans... [...]

Maria Haggerty says, “With the growth of the web, entrepreneurs continue to leverage eCommerce and for good reason. Online purchasing continues to grow and evolve. In fact, according to Forrester Research, online sales, specifically in the U.S., are expected to break the $500 billion mark by 2020. It’s expected to grow even more as access to the web expands with the proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices. As the industry booms, it’s important to recognize the successes and challenges of different eCommerce models in order to make informed decisions regarding the future... [...]

Matt McGee says, “Many companies that offer a subscription-based product or service have an easier way to sell their wares to Amazon.com customers with today’s launch of Subscribe with Amazon, a self-serve platform that’s already being used by several major publishers and well-known brands. Subscription offerings are available to consumers now on a dedicated subscription storefront. Major publishers like The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, People magazine and Consumer Reports are selling there already, as are subscription product providers like Sling TV, Dropbox and The Princeton... [...]

Laura Forer says, “If you work in e-commerce, it’s likely that your brand and your competitors are using video to help educate, entertain, and sell products or services. But video takes investment, and the pressure to see viable ROI from videos is especially pronounced in e-commerce. The team at Goodvidio has put together an infographic of 40 video statistics relevant to e-commerce marketers that can help guide you as you look to make the most of your video investment. You can find statistics about general video usage, such as product videos can increase the likelihood of a purchase... [...]

Ellie Martin says, “As social media and ecommerce become increasingly enmeshed in our lives, the opportunities for them to interact with and bolster each other are innumerable, considering that the average person spends around an hour and 40 minutes browsing social media every day, and the number of internet shoppers in the US will reach 217 million this year. Back in the old days, a business’s presence would be signified by advertisements in the paper and a physical storefront. Now, in the digital age, business reputations live and die by their social media standing. Right now, social... [...]

Tess Townsend says, “Google has added a new shopping feature in Image Search called “style ideas” that shows users perusing fashion merchandise what specific items look like paired with others. A preview of the feature, launching in mobile search, demonstrates a search for a purse from Zara. Below the carousel of products similar to the purse is a grid of photos of various models pairing the purse with a jean jacket, gray suede boots and a pastel pink hijab. The new feature is clearly aimed at getting people looking at products to think of Google as a place to start shopping searches... [...]

Allison Enright says, “Amazon.com Inc., the largest online retailer in North America and Europe, has released its 2016 annual report. Data in the report shows where and how Amazon generates revenue, and the contributions of each business segment. By key geographic market Amazon generates two-thirds of its total revenue from its business interests in the United States, including its retail business, marketplace, seller services and its computing business, Amazon Web Services. Amazon’s next-largest markets for sales are Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. By business segment Retail products... [...]

Emma Koehn says, “Online purchases of less than $1000 made from overseas suppliers will be subject to the goods and services tax (GST) from July 1, but overseas retail giants are now fighting it out over how and when the policy should be implemented. Global shopping marketplace eBay has said the policy could force it to prevent Australians from buying its foreign sellers, while Amazon is arguing that logistics providers should be responsible for collecting and processing the tax. But some smaller local operators say the specifics of the collection processes don’t matter as much as the... [...]

David Mercer says, “Amazon is a truly gargantuan marketplace with millions of products and hundreds of thousands of sellers all competing to make sales and capture market share. According to the Seattle Times there are more than 2 million sellers registered on Amazon’s marketplace. It’s a vibrant, living ecommerce ecosystem that is full of opportunity. Being one of the biggest and baddest marketplaces around comes with great advantages for Amazon, which often enjoys pride of place in Google’s organic search results, regularly capturing multiple results on the first page. With Amazon... [...]