Five Keys to Success on E-Commerce Marketplace Platforms
The pandemic-driven seismic shift to e-commerce has caught many manufacturers by surprise. In 2015, an established CPG brand might have done a mere 3%-5% of its overall business (defined as brick-and-mortar plus e-commerce) online. During the peak of Covid-19, many consumer brand organizations have grappled with the consequences of 30%-40% of their entire business occurring online, and more specifically on Amazon.
Three Keys to Ecommerce Marketplace Success, No Matter the Platform
Several years ago, to win on marketplaces, manufacturers simply needed a popular product at a good price. Customers would find the product and manufacturers would realize success. However, a popular product at a good price is simply no longer enough to win on marketplaces such as Amazon.com. In today’s environment, winning strategies are more nuanced and complex.
6 Life Lessons from Amazon’s Q4 2020 Earnings Call
1. Life Lessons from Amazon’s Q4 2020 Earnings Release – Everyone cares too much about what others think of us. Amazon continued their focus on corporate image and positioning themselves as a sales enabler vs. a retailer.
Four Surprising New Business Pivots Post COVID-19
In a few short months, brand-manufacturers and retailers have been under enormous pressure to change not only their channel and advertising strategies, but their entire philosophies on how to get goods to consumers who need them.
Warning Signs That Your Amazon Business is Off-Track
Wondering how to know when something has gone off-track with your Amazon business? Look and listen for these warning signs. Answer True or False to the statements below to assess your level of risk. More than one “True” in each category, and it’s time to seek help!
Think you know your brand’s competitors online? Think again.
I consistently hear large, established consumer brands refer to other large, established consumer brands as their biggest online competitors. However, the data shows the opposite – the in-store leading brands aren’t always the leading brands online. Instead, eCommerce provides a favorable battleground for insurgent brands.
How to compete with a marketplace of infinite choices.
Nationally distributed brands. Legacy brands. Digitally native brands. Marketplace-native brands. Vertical brands. Hybrid brands. Influencer brands. Amazon exclusives. Private label.
5 Predictions Based on Amazon’s Q3 2020 Earnings Recap
Pandemic-fueled revenue drove revenue and profits ahead of guidance. Amazon experienced productivity headwinds in fulfillment. AWS and streaming services are doing nicely, no surprise. And Amazon is probably hedging their Q4 forecast.
Three Better Input Metrics Than Market Share In Measuring eCommerce Success
When measuring eCommerce success, there are three better input metrics than market share that should be utilized. A representative of a large global beauty brand recently said to me, “Our strategic goal for Amazon this year is to gain our fair market share.” I’ve written previously about how while market share might work to measure your brick-and-mortar business, it’s a deeply flawed metric on e-commerce sites such as Amazon, Target and Walmart.
How COVID-19 will change consumer behavior long-term
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has affected our personal lives, businesses, schools, health care systems, government and shopping behaviors. As retailers and manufacturers on the front line, we face real, daily challenges. How do we get more hand sanitizer into the stores? Should we pivot our manufacturing to produce toilet paper and cleaning products? How do we pull back or adjust ad spending to address the consumer’s current needs? Should we scale back store hours? How do we continue to take care of our employees?