Any Other Business: 23 September 2022

THIS WEEK’S AOB LOOKS AT THE LATEST E-COMMERCE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING THE START-UP HELPING E-TAILERS RECOVER ABANDONED CARTS, AND HOW TOMATO KETCHUP IS AT THE CENTER OF A SUSTAINABLE FASHION MOVEMENT.

Following substantial growth, abandoned cart messaging platform CartBoss¹ is gearing up to release new features. The Slovenian start-up helps online retailers recover abandoned carts and send post-purchase offers to customers, through automated text messages.

The company offers pre-prepared, tested and optimized text message templates for the best conversions. “We researched the idea of using text messages as a way of getting in touch with the people who abandoned their shopping carts and found statistics that were just unimaginable compared to emails,” explained founder, Tadej Bogataj². “Text messages have an open rate of 93% within the first three minutes of receiving them and an overall open rate of 99%. We knew this was the way to go.”

With its plugin and API, users can seamlessly connect the solution to their online stores – something over 500 customers have chosen to do since its launch in 2021. Furthermore, the solution automatically detects the local language of the recipients and translates it accordingly.

Further planned features include review and newsletter text messages.

With global inflation continuing to bite, The Drum’s Evolution of E-commerce Deep Dive³ has examined how it will influence consumer trends over the next year.  

Perhaps unsurprisingly, shoppers are expected to spend more time researching products before buying in order to get the best deal possible. “Brands that emphasize their marketing investments on searchable content that demonstrates consumer value will prevail,” Jacquelyn Baker, chief experience officer at VMLY&R Commerce told The Drum⁴.

Furthermore, Baker says consumers will be hypersensitive to shipping costs and delivery fees – meaning brands should work to minimize these for customers.  

With Christmas just around the corner, and nearly 9 in 10 consumers saying inflation will affect their 2022 holiday shopping⁵, discover how your business can still attract customers through its online doors.  

Leading e-commerce platform Shopify has launched a localization tool for merchants selling to cross-border customers. Translate & Adapt⁶ will work in tandem with Shopify Markets, its international selling platform, to quickly and accurately localize the customer journey. Key features of the new app include translation of the store into the local language, and customization of content per market, such as shipping terms and product descriptions.

Currently, over 175,00 Shopify merchants across the world use Markets to launch their international businesses, prompting the need for a dedicated translation tool. “We know that creating a seamless customer journey has real business impact: translating content increases GMV by 13% from buyers who see that localized content,” a statement from the company said⁷.

Eco-conscious consumers are becoming increasingly mindful of the impact of their online shopping habits. According to a global survey by software supplier Descartes Systems Group⁸, 50% of consumers said they are interested in sustainable delivery – including click-and-collect options and combined delivery of multiple orders.

Perhaps most surprisingly, 54% of respondents said they would even be willing to wait longer for an order if it is from a sustainable seller – an opportunity many retailers are missing, said Chris Jones, EVP of Industry and Services at Descartes⁹. “The mistake that many retailers are making is viewing home delivery sustainability as yet another challenge from the consumer instead of an opportunity to capture market share, reduce delivery costs and help the environment […] Many consumers prefer to buy more from those retailers with superior sustainable delivery practices and to take eco-friendly delivery options that reduce environmental impact and delivery costs at the same time.”  

In contrast, only 1 in 5 survey respondents said they are prepared to pay extra for green delivery, with free shipping remaining a leading incentive for even the most eco-friendly customers.

Next time you spill ketchup on your clothes, know that you are in fashion. Heinz has partnered with online thrift store thredUP to create a line of upcycled apparel, each with its own unique tomato sauce stain “logo”.  

The HEINZ Vintage Drip¹⁰ collection highlights the importance of sustainable consumption; upcycling or repairing damaged items instead of throwing them away. “We saw an opportunity to view the stain we've been leaving on clothes as another iconic brand symbol and change the narrative from a stain to a statement," said Alyssa Cicero, brand communications manager at Heinz¹¹.

Fashionistas can get their hands on one of the collection’s 157 second-hand streetwear and designer pieces via thredUP’s e-commerce website.