Back to class: US back-to-school ecommerce sales will grow more than 13% this year, even after last year’s spike, increasing their share of total back-to-school sales this season.
The small-business-centric point-of-sale solution can push PayPal further into in-store payments and help it court more small sellers—though it’ll face competition from players like Square and Stripe.
Livestreaming is poised to be a major driver of growth for social commerce as the capabilities expand and improve. For marketers that are ready to dip their toes in the livestreaming waters, here’s how to incorporate the practice into social commerce strategies today:
Zoom webinars no more: Three-quarters of brand marketers say they're back to in-person experiential marketing, but events are unlikely to look the same as they did in 2019 as more marketers embrace hybrid in-person and virtual models.
Livestreaming was an existing trend that gained newfound relevance during the pandemic. Over the past few months, nearly all of the major US social networks have expanded their services and introduced new livestreaming opportunities, many of which are aimed at boosting commerce on the platforms.
The downturn forced issuers to take steps to mitigate risks and maintain primary card status. But with much of the US beginning to look past COVID-19, issuers can now switch gears to focus on growth again.
On today's episode, we discuss how resale is taking retail by storm, what will happen to fast fashion, and how much companies need to do in terms of sustainability in the eyes of the consumer. We then talk about how retail growth is getting on halfway through the year, what the pandemic did to small businesses, and what technology retailers are (and are not) doubling down on. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer director of forecasting at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu.
Shopify Unite: At its annual developers conference, Shopify unveiled a flurry of updates to its merchant platform, offering sellers more ways to customize their online storefronts. The ability to create unique brand experiences is a key differentiator between Shopify and Amazon.
Walmart gets in on loyalty: Its partnership with cash-back platform Ibotta is likely an attempt to keep customers shopping online so it can continue to grow its digital ad business.
Sellers have more freedom to customize their online stores with new design and payment tools, which can help Shopify maintain its seller base after the pandemic subsides and ecommerce growth normalizes.
The payfac model is a framework that allows merchant-facing companies to embed card payments into their software—which in turn enables their customers to process payments.
Young shoppers mind brands’ social stances
NTWRK pushes live shopping in the US: The livestream-centric mobile marketplace is competing with giants like Amazon and Facebook as US companies emulate China and struggle to succeed in the fledgeling livestreaming ecommerce space.
Brexit-induced tensions: Six months after the end of the Brexit transition period, UK brands that sell online are reporting a significant loss of EU-based customers.