WHY IT MATTERS: Digital Transformation

WHY IT MATTERS: anyone looking at fulfillment by amazon (FBA) should consider this reference for add-on tools.

WHY IT MATTERS: I don't pay for much content these days but I did for Benedict Evans newsletter because he sits - as I do - at the confluence between technology and business and often, as in this quote, coins the issues in a few words. 

WHY IT MATTERS: although the focus is on Israel startups the analysis applies worldwide IMO.

WHY IT MATTERS: a simple overview of cloud based ecommerce solutions that small businesses should consider.

WHY IT MATTERS: cet article et surtout ce chart indique clairement que l'achat local ne fonctionnera pas seulement si les commerces sont présents en ligne. Ils devront aussi avoir des prix compétitifs, une bonne valeur, la disponibilité, etc. etc.

WHY IT MATTERS: always the same, reports stress all the elements and solutions on the FRONT-OFFICE and hide under the rug the make-or-break elements of the BACK-OFFICE - probably because they are the most difficult elements to get right. Or maybe is it because they don't know? ;-)

WHY IT MATTERS: Shopify is now a leader in the field so their annual report provides important insights.

WHY IT MATTERS: the explosion of ecommerce due to covid lockdown will see impacts in years to come. This list sounds about right regarding what's coming in the foreseable future...

WHY IT MATTERS: useful reference when considering going direct to consumers as there are PROs and CONs for doing it and this report highlights them well.

WHY IT MATTERS: 50% return rates stated as "normal" for this retailer: I find it shameful and unsustainable for many reasons (economic and environmental for starters). It is great that only 0.05% end up in the landfill but this is not the case in most organizations: returns are at best discounted and most often trashed. How can small retailers build profitable eCommerce business models when 1in2 or 1in10 orders gets returned? It may work ok for apparel or luxury or other high margins segments, but for most retailers this is not the case. Returns are a problem and they need to be addressed!

WHY IT MATTERS: picking the right ecommerce platform is not easy. This guide can help - keeping in mind that it is very biased to Shopify strengths ;-)

WHY IT MATTERS: this guide is specific about Google and Shopify but the principles apply to all eCommerce solutions and the various discovery channels out there (facebook, Amazon, etc.). It highlights the relative complexity and expertise required to let your eCommerce website standout in a sea of solutions. Retailers thus must learn new ways to market and merchandize their store and their products to standout online. In the illustration from the guide, just crafting the right title for your product names requires time and effort in order to make it easy for users to *find* your products on Google. Not easy, not simple. This is where Le Panier Bleu can help by reducing the clutter and making local retailers standout when buying local is a concern for shoppers...

WHY IT MATTERS: a great starting point for retailers looking for #local Quebec #tech solutions. One missing tech may be DVORE www.dvore.com for eCommerce... and www.lepanierbleu.ca ;-)

WHY IT MATTERS: this study of 100 post-checkout experiences across UK retailers applies to Quebec, Canada and US as well. Full of useful insights about free delivery, delivery selection, returns, etc.

WHY IT MATTERS: very informative post about returns with useful stats, solutions and links to help retailers manage returns. Especially useful during Holiday shopping but true all year around. Moreover, as retailers move from bricks to clicks, they have to consider this important new aspect that eCommerce brings to the forefront.

WHY IT MATTERS: last mile delivery is the Achille's heal of eCommerce. This report provides a great overview of the micro-fulfillment solutions out there.

WHY IT MATTERS: Amazon delivery cost now account for 17.8% of sales, increasing. It ships billions of packages via postal service in US (and Canada and elsewhere) but reports like these seem to indicate it may want to build its own delivery infrastructure. And this would be bad for eCommerce as Amazon would control the whole supply chain and obviously keep the savings for itself. 

Graph is from The information: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/amazons-massive-spike-in-delivery-stations-poses-threat-to-usps

WHY IT MATTERS: every country, state, region is faced with similar problem: keeping local stores alive during covid shutdown - and then later on in the face of eCommerce popularity. This article provides a non exhaustive list of French startups that focus on helping local retailers.

WHY IT MATTERS: the acquisition of robotics for Ocado fulfillment centers could be seen as one more tech announcement. But buried in this Fortune article is this quote from Ocado CTO that summarizes the ultimate goal of grocery eCommerce: dark warehouses with robots doing all the work. 

This may sound very futuristic but in fact it is the consequence of the grocery eCommerce business model: the only way to make money is to have robots to the work that consumers do when pushing carts in the store.

WHY IT MATTERS: this is a great example of the way small local businesses can survive - by creating marketplaces to sell and promote their wares. This is a vertical marketplace (focus on books). You also need horizontal marketplaces (focus on all stores on a street or region). And you need amazing search engines to let you discover merchants and their products.

WHY IT MATTERS: parcel delivery has become the primary volume for postman. Why not have delivery routes - postman or milkmen - to deliver the parcels and not just the mail? Would this not be a more cost effective solution than delivering one by one?

WHY IT MATTERS: shopify as a marketplace is question I've been asking for months (or any other eCom solution). After all, once you build your own eCommerce website on Shopify, all the components are in place to create a marketplace: products, categories, inventory, etc. After all, a marketplace is nothing more than a superset, a combination of all those individual shops?

Well, not really. A marketplace is more than a collection of products. It is a destination that provides a single user account, consolidated shipping and delivery, a single destination to resolve customer issues. It is a service, not a technology.

Thus, even though Shopify has the *technology* to build a marketplace, it does not (yet?) have the infrastructure to provide the *service* that a marketplace requires.

WHY IT MATTERS: looks like marketplaces have become a "thing" and merit their own maturity model. Given inherent complexity I guess this is warranted. Plus McFadyen are most experienced, they should know.

WHY IT MATTERS: marketplaces are the next step in eCommerce, as retailers realize that technology is not the issue anymore. Expect hundreds of marketplaces to show up on your radar in the coming years, further splitting the market in multiple zones. Retailers will have to revert back to the old maxim: location, location, location!

WHY IT MATTERS: 2 elements we can highlight from this announcement.

1- AR is often a marketing gimmick with no real purpose. Why would you download install and use this app? Same goes for most AR apps out there...

2- eCommerce has a major downside from a sustainability standpoint because of transport, returns, over packaging, plastics, etc. As volume grows this must be addressed. This AR app will not help in any way. Unfortunately...