With the construction industry about to enter one of it’s busiest periods, the B2B Briefing from ManoManoPro, out today, reveals that the number of sign-ups to ManoManoPro in January 23 vs. December 22 is up 66%. Power tools (+93%) Shower (+66%), Radiators (+65%) and Toilets (+84%) are the best performing product categories in January 23 compared to December 22. Like every industry, construction has its peaks and troughs throughout the year. The winter period is commonly seen as prime time for businesses and contractors to source new projects for the year ahead and get a head start on their pl ..read more

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s House of Commons Committee report on Royal Mail and the Post Office makes for sad reading for anyone that uses the postal network for ecommerce. Covering the use of PDAs, Sick Pay, and the veracity of Oral Evidence given, the part that most concerns ecommerce operators will be Royal Mail’s failure to delivery the Universal Service Obligation, delivering letters and parcels 6 days a week to every address in the UK. We believe that Royal Mail has systemically failed to deliver against parts of its Universal Service Obligation. We recognis ..read more

The current economic climate is prompting greater emphasis on value and experience among shoppers. For merchants, building loyalty among increasingly price conscious audiences can be a challenge, but there are some key areas that can help with both retention and growth. Dan Edelman, Vice President and UK General Manager, Merchant Services at American Express shares his advice. Seizing the moment – why retailers need to make every step of the customer experience count Many UK retailers are feeling an air of cautious optimism as we head into Spring; with the warmer months typically signalling in ..read more

There are a lot of tech layoffs taking place currently, and marketplaces Amazon and eBay have already announced a shrinking of staff, with Amazon announcing a further 9,000 downsized staff this week. This comes on top of of the 18,000 job losses announced in January. With that many industry professionals, we’re delighted to share the news of one position that’s just opened – that for a Senior Ecommerce Platform Merchandising Specialist at Wish. As a bonus, it doesn’t matter where you live as this role, reporting to the Senior Manager, Merchandising Operations, can be performed remotely in the ..read more

Douglas is an international success story selling a wide mix of health and beauty items across cosmetics, skincare, hair care and perfume in multiple countries in Europe. Founded in Germany in 1910, Douglas operates a network of 2,000 bricks-and-mortar stores as well as online sites including Douglas.de. In our Health & Beauty Marketplaces report we cover Douglas indepth, so if after reading the following extracts you want to find out more, download the full report here. In 2019, the retailer, which considers itself a digital first business, became the first beauty retailer in Europe to in ..read more

Best Offer and especially Send Offers are powerful tools for retailers on eBay, but Coded Coupons are perhaps an even more powerful way to attract new and existing customers on the marketplace as they are more directed and can also be used off eBay on your social and other marketing channels. Coded Coupons, which enable you to offer your buyers a discount through a customisable coupon code, are not a new features, having launched a couple of years ago in 2021, but well worth revisiting if you’re not currently using them regularly. To get started with eBay Coded Coupons, select the Marketing t ..read more

Parcelforce retail prices have been published, which will come into effect from the 3rd of April 2023. It’s worth noting that retail customer will pay a premium for dropping parcels at a Post Office, the tariff makes it cheaper to buy online and have the convenience of a collection. As an example, a 5kg 24 hour delivery will cost £9.70 if you drop at a Post Office, but just £9.20 if you book a collection from your warehouse or home! This is still a small increase from the current prices which are £9.35 to drop at a Post Office or £8.40 if you buy online. The new Parcelforce retail prices from ..read more

Amazon’s Automated Grade and Resell programme is a way to increase recovery value from returns which are considered not to be sellable as New. The inventory is then re-sold as Used from fulfilment centres, rather than you having to return or dispose it. This allows you to recover more value from the inventory while letting Amazon take care of the complexity and reducing potential disposals at the same time. Your decision on whether to use this programme should be a simply financial calculation – is it cheaper to leave distressed returns with Amazon and sell them as graded returns, or do the ec ..read more

CommerceHub have a new marketplace integration partnership with Michaels, the largest specialty arts and crafts retailer in North America. The partnership supports the launch of the new Michaels.com online marketplace, providing retailers with a new venue to retail on. This includes support by ChannelAdvisor, which was acquired by CommerceHub last year. The new specialty arts and crafts marketplace provides Michaels.com customers with a vast, curated assortment of over 750,000 new items selected to meet the expectations for quality, creativity, and inspiration that Michaels has delivered on fo ..read more

The world has faced a series of shocks over the past decade, with the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine coming on the heels of the US-China trade war and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. These disruptions, along with gradually rising geopolitical tensions, have strained the ties that connect countries around the world. We’re hearing a lot of talk about greater national self-reliance, a shift from globalization to regionalization, geopolitical fracturing, and even the “end of globalization.”  But the numbers tell quite a different story. Drawing on more than four million data points ..read more