Any Other Business: 22 July 2022

This week’s AOB looks at the latest e-commerce news from around the world, including the app platform every Shopify business should know about, and the leading reason consumers abandon their carts.

Technology company Shop Circle¹ is continuing to acquire and grow e-commerce software as it aims to become a one-stop shop for online businesses selling on Shopify. Currently, merchants have over 7,500 different apps on Shopify’s platform to choose from – an exercise that can be timely and costly. But Shop Circle collates the “best-of-the-best” apps to streamline the process and help them find what they need more quickly.

“We want to be the ‘Microsoft for e-commerce merchants’. We want every merchant selling online to use our tools to run and superpower their stores,” said co-founder Luca Cartechini².

Shop Circle has about 15 different categories of software. Apps include a shipping rates calculator, a referral program, and a feature which allows sellers to replace any section of their store with YouTube and Vimeo videos. Founded in 2021, the company now has over 50,000 Shopify users.

“Our goal is to provide entrepreneurs with the most cutting-edge tools in the industry and empower them to build the future of e-commerce through experiences that customers will love,” a statement on the company’s website says. 

Early data from Amazon Prime Day is trickling out and 2022 was another bumper year – particularly for marketplace sellers. According to Digital Commerce 360³, products on the marketplace – that is, those sold by third-party sellers rather than Amazon.com directly – took the highest share of sales in the event’s history. In total, bargain hunters across the world spent more than US$3 billion on over 100 million products from small businesses that sell on the Amazon marketplace.

Other shifts in shopper behavior include greater spending on household items, and an increase in the number of inflation-weary consumers passing on a good deal “because it wasn’t a necessity.”

Thinking about selling on Amazon? Weigh up the pros and cons with our exclusive guide to online marketplaces.

Twitter is trialling a “CoTweets” feature, opening up opportunities for brands and creators to collaborate in new ways. Available to select accounts in the US, Canada and Korea, the feature allows users to invite followers with a public account to co-author tweets with them. Once accepted, both authors will then appear on the tweet’s header. The invitees have the option to revoke their involvement once it’s published.

“We’re continuing to explore new ways for people to collaborate on Twitter,” a spokesperson for the social media giant said⁴. “We’re testing CoTweets for a limited time to learn how people and brands may use this feature to grow and reach new audiences, and strengthen their collaborations with other accounts.”

It’s what every online retailer fears: the dreaded cart abandonment. And according to a recent survey by PYMNTS⁵, it remains a significant friction point.

The survey of US consumers found that over the previous 12 months, 54% had abandoned a clothing and accessory purchase, whilst 47% had abandoned a home furnishing purchase. 

Diving into the reasons why, the most cited by respondents were the cost of delivery and the consumer finding the product cheaper elsewhere, whilst out-of-stock products and slow delivery ranked highly too.

With the average cart abandonment rate for e-commerce standing at a whopping 69.8%⁶, these are the 8 steps your business should take to ensure your customers make it to your checkout and complete the sale.  

A final bit of feel-good news to round up this week’s AOB … DHL Express – typically kept busy with e-commerce deliveries – had a slightly more unusual assignment earlier this month. In a joint operation with Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection, the logistics specialist’s Sub-Saharan Africa team flew four vulnerable chimpanzees from Guinea-Bissau to their new home in Liberia.

The animals were transported in an ATR72 LCD aircraft designed for large cargo, and with DHL Express’ extensive experience, were in good hands for the 2 hour and 20-minute trip.

“Each wildlife mission we undertake has its unique requirements,” said DHL Express SSA’s VP of Operations, Anthony Beckley⁷. “That is why we always connect with our experts and specialists in order to guarantee that the animals arrive safe and in good health at their intended destinations.”

Western Chimpanzees are extinct in many countries across the world, but in Liberia, Fifi, Tze, Simao, and Tita will be rehabilitated in a natural and safe environment. Best of all, they made it to their new habitat in time for World Chimpanzee Day on July 14.