Nearly six months after doing so in the U.S., Amazon is increasing the cost of Prime in the UK and Western Europe by up to 43%, as it too battles inflationary pressures and higher operating costs. German Prime members will see a 30% increase, with a 20% bump in the UK; Spain, Italy and France will see annual increases between 39%-43%.
Walmart like Target lowered its quarterly and year-end guidance, citing the continuing drag of overstocked inventory and shoppers focusing on lower-margin essentials and less on general merchandise. The scenario is causing a negative effect on pricing and profit, causing a hit to its stock and others in retail.
Building operational resilience and developing problem/solution scenarios for your ecommerce fulfillment center prior to a recession will allow you to be nimbler. Have a plan vs. just hoping it doesn’t occur; hope is not a strategy. Include department heads early, identify areas to review and develop a course of action.
More than a third of U.S. consumers said they plan to cut back on other spending in order to be able to shop for back-to-school items due to ongoing inflation concerns, according to the annual survey from Prosper Insights & Analytics commissioned by the National Retail Federation. More than half had started shopping as of early July.
Back-office is one of the most important functions of an ecommerce business. Accounting, finance, inventory, order fulfillment, shipping, vendor management and website updates contribute to building a strong back-office system. The back-office team handles these aspects, allowing the business to keep running smoothly.
Google parent Alphabet is reportedly considering splitting up parts of its business that handle digital advertising into a separate unit, to avoid antitrust litigation from the U.S. Justice Dept. as part of an ongoing investigation, according to the WSJ. It’s not clear whether anything short of an asset sale would satisfy federal regulators.
Now that technology has advanced further and skills are being acquired to deliver on past ideas and dreams, we are at a potential breakthrough point. We are in an exciting time of discovery, and everyone is racing to be at the forefront. Here’s my advice for retailers from within and outside the metaverse.
