Companies that are resistant or slow to change face real threats from the emergence of a new group of DTC brands, boosted by technology, that can deliver a complete end-to-end customer experience. Laggards need to address their operations urgently, or risk being digitally leapfrogged and left behind by the pack of hungry DTCs.
As e-grocery adoption continues to grow, with 60% saying they had bought online in the past month, up from 52% in March, Walmart has surpassed Amazon as the most-shopped online grocer, according to weekly data published by Coresight Research. There was also a dip in those reporting avoidance of public places and malls.
Walmart said its ecommerce sales nearly doubled in the second quarter, rising 97% to over $10 billion as it reaped the benefits of major digital investments and initiatives over the past several years amid a massive surge in pandemic-influenced online buying.
Kroger plans to launch a marketplace this fall through a partnership with French platform provider Mirakl, adding 50,000 items from sellers initially to its assortment, including toys and household goods in addition to specialty foods, international foods and natural and organic items. The marketplace is an expansion of Kroger Ship.
The uncertainty around schools reopening has made this back-to-school season unlike any before it for retailers, with school supplies lists often unknown as districts work out details, and the normal cadence of discount events and promotions disrupted as well, experts say. Apparel has been hit hardest while tech items are winners.
The State of the Ecommerce Facilities Services Industry Study analyzes how leading ecommerce companies are managing and improving their facilities, warehouses and logistics strategies and operations. It covers best practices and benchmarks in areas such as strategies, technology and innovation and operations and labor.
Digital fraudsters are nothing if not opportunistic, and the current pandemic is an excellent example. Many reports from consultants and researchers talk of increasing scams and tricks, and “content fraud” is on the rise. Jeff Sakasegawa, a trust and safety architect at fraud prevention firm Sift, talks about the problem and his findings.
Google has been busy on the ecommerce front lately, announcing a plan to drop commission fees for sellers who use its Buy on Google checkout service, while making its pilot-tested product recommendation engine publicly available to let sellers display more personalized offers.
Although some shoppers are looking forward to returning to stores, others will be more inclined to continue to shop from the safety of their home. The shift to ecommerce caused by COVID-19 will linger well after social distancing policies are lifted. But behavior varies from shopper to shopper and between categories.
One key reason friendly fraud is such a problem is that merchants and banks lack the capacity to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate dispute claims. AI-based tools sending transaction data would allow for more accurate analysis of industry trends and consumer preferences, freeing up resources and reducing overhead.