Optimizing eCommerce Teams; TikTok Partners with Shopify; eBay Elevated US Growth
Just as the eCommerce industry has accelerated, hiring and investment plans originally slated for years out have also been accelerated, as 81% of brands report either slightly (48%) or significantly (33%) ramping up eCommerce investments relative to pre-pandemic plans. On average, eCommerce teams consist of seven dedicated individuals and five…
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Retailer Paid Search; Whole Foods Expands Grocery Pickup; Commerce Marketing
As eCommerce gains prominence, manufacturers continue to be drawn to paid search advertising activations across different customers. 71% of respondents polled during our Summit indicated they spend 75% or more of their ad budget on Amazon within paid search activations. In addition, investing more and refining paid search strategies on…
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General Merchandise Spend Increases; SpartanNash Deal; Direct to Consumer Strategy
General Merchandise spend intentions have increased to a net 22% of shoppers anticipating buying more over the next 30 days (vs. a net 13% in July), likely in part due to Prime Day and other deal days from competing retailers. Apparel, electronics, home décor, and toys are GM categories that saw…
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Delivery and Pickup Delays; COVID Costs; Expected “Return to Normal” has Worsened
In September, when asked about their most recent online order, anywhere from a third to 44% of consumers have experienced delays on delivery or pickup times across multiple retailers. When looking at the weighted averages, Target.com performed best, while Wayfair had the longest delivery time. Interestingly, despite winning the top score for…
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Post-Pandemic Retention, Costco Holds Off on BOPIS, Holiday Promotional Plans
We recently surveyed 1,386 general merchandise consumers across seven key online retailers to determine how these retailers are performing, which ones are leading and lagging on different dimensions, and to what degree consumers think they’ll use these eCommerce sites post-pandemic. When considering post-pandemic retention, a net 83% report being comfortable…
Read More Target Supply Chain Fulfillment; Lowe’s Invests in Digital; Amazon Staffing
According to our recent Target.com research, early supplier feedback has been positive on the addition of fresh and frozen items for Pickup and Drive Up, and Target seems committed to expanding this offering so that all stores are carrying fresh and frozen items for Pickup and Drive Up before the…
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Instacart Activations; Kroger eCommerce Profitability; Consumer Holiday Shopping Plans
Our latest research on Instacart suggests brands should first turn to Featured Products (i.e. paid search) with their activation budgets, maximizing that spend before moving to other activations. This is analogous to how many brands have approached their paid activation strategy on Amazon. Our consumer research shows search remains the…
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Prime Day; Amazon’s Partnerships with Kohl’s and Toys R Us; eCommerce Growth Forecasts
We expect the holiday shopping season to kickoff early this year, as Prime Day is expected to run in mid-October and Amazon’s competitors are following suit with holiday-type promotions planned to start earlier than normal (Home Depot the most recent example). We expect the consumer to react reasonably well to…
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Direct Import Program; Walmart+ Launch; Increasing Budget for Amazon Paid Search
We estimate Amazon’s GMV growth rate nearly doubled in 2Q20 as pandemic-driven buying behavior increasingly shifted online. We expect this trend to continue, forecasting 37% and 40% growth in 3Q and 4Q respectively. With massive growth comes fulfillment challenges and ordering and supply chain initiatives are increasingly being discussed in the manufacturer…
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