With the holiday season fast approaching and consumers eager to find great deals, Amazon and eBay are bolstering their respective platforms for the busy shopping rush. Amazon has started filing lawsuits against counterfeiters, while eBay recently updated their app to incite and personalize holiday shopping. In 2015, Cyber Monday sales topped $3 billion; analysts predict similar or better sales this year.
Amazon Sues Counterfeiters to Keep Them Off Marketplace
Amazon is taking legal action to retain trust and stem sales loss. For the first time since its inception in 1994, the ecommerce giant is filing lawsuits against third-party sellers for allegedly selling counterfeit goods on its marketplace. Counterfeiters and counterfeit products have been a thorn on Amazon’s side. Many marketplace sellers are frustrated and have complained of lost sales.
Last month for instance, Apple filed a lawsuit against an Amazon seller, claiming that the business sold fake Apple products, including unsafe chargers, on Amazon.com. Apple estimates nearly 90% of Apple-branded chargers sold on Amazon are counterfeits. And it’s not just Amazon dealing with fake items; online marketplaces like eBay and Alibaba also struggle with counterfeits.
Amazon has been taking action to bolster the reliability and credibility of its marketplace. Last August, Amazon started imposing brand gating fees and requiring additional paperwork before new retailers could sell branded products. Amazon also banned incentivized reviews to improve shopper confidence on its marketplace.
Via Bloomberg
eBay Updates Mobile App to Personalize Holiday Shopping
The eBay app has been upgraded with a new browsing experience and comparison shopping tool, just in time for the holiday shopping season. These features let users personalize the app to find products based on their interests. Users can tap on different categories on the app header, and each page will display relevant and engaging content for shoppers.
This new shopping experience is the result of eBay’s structured data initiative, incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence to better gauge a shopper’s needs through contextual analysis. The new Browse pages make it easier for shoppers to find bestsellers and read community-driven reviews of products they may find interesting.
“With the holiday season upon us, shoppers are on the go and need to be able to find the gifts they want quickly and easily, while also getting a great deal,” said Mohan Patt, eBay’s VP of Shopping Experience. “With our new eBay app, shoppers can easily navigate our vast inventory and discover great deals and best selling products that match their interests. The new product pages offers a powerful comparison shopping experience highlighting multiple choices, product reviews and content, which will certainly help shoppers find that perfect gift.”
Via eBay
Alibaba Rings Up a Record-Breaking $17.8 Billion on Singles Day
Single’s Day is a massive online shopping holiday created by Alibaba, held on 11/11 each year in China. Last year, retailers on Alibaba’s platform hauled $14.3 billion worth of gross merchandise volume, twice the combined sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the US. This year, Alibaba processed a record-breaking sales of $17.8 billion, with 82% of ecommerce transactions made on mobile.
Alibaba also revealed that it was the most global Singles Day event since its inception in 2009, with cross-border transactions coming from 235 countries. In fact, 37% of buyers purchased from international merchants and brands, such as Apple, Nike, Uniqlo, New Balance and Sketchers. Japan, the US, and South Korea were among the top countries selling to Chinese consumers.
The company has big plans, striving to go beyond sales and to diversify their business, much like Amazon. Alibaba has already invested in areas such as big data, cloud computing, AI, mobile Internet, smart logistics and digital entertainment. “eCommerce is just the first phase of Alibaba’s entire strategy,” says Zhang Jianfeng, the company’s CTO. “Our ultimate strategy is to build the future infrastructure for global commerce.”
Via Business Insider
