Welcome to this week’s round-up where we take a look at Amazon’s Australian decision backtrack, backlash about its packaging, eBay’s new data-driven ad campaigns and more!
Customers complain that Amazon has ruined Christmas
Amazon has come under fire from a number of customers on social media recently who have claimed that the e-commerce giant has ‘ruined Christmas‘. These Amazon customers had ordered gifts for loved ones from the site, however, the items were delivered in the original packaging and thus ruining any element of surprise. Typically orders from Amazon will be added to a generic Amazon-branded cardboard box which would conceal what is inside. Amazon has responded to some users on social media stating: “in an effort to reduce waste some items may ship in their original box. If available please mark ‘Ship in Amazon box’ on the checkout page if you don’t wish to reveal the contents. Your item will be shipped in an Amazon box at no additional charge.”
Amazon reverses decision to block international sites in Australia
Amazon has announced that it is no longer going to block users in Australia from accessing amazon.com or any other international versions of its site. Back in July this year, Amazon stopped shipping to Australian addresses from international sites after the implementation of a new goods and services tax. It also redirected Australian users to amazon.com.au. A spokesperson from Amazon has said: “as a result of customer feedback, from 22 November Amazon customers will be able to ship eligible items from amazon.com to Australian delivery addresses.” It has been rumoured that this will only apply to listings from Vendors and as such, any third-party sellers will remain unable to ship items to Australia.
Major data breach hits Amazon
A major data breach has hit Amazon just days before Black Friday with customers’ names and email addresses being disclosed. Amazon has said that it has emailed all customers who have been affected by the breach but have refused to provide any further details on the breach or disclose how many people have been affected or where they are based. In an email to affected customers, Amazon said: “our website inadvertently disclosed your email address or name and email address due to a technical error. The issue has been fixed. This is not a result of anything you have done, and there is no need for you to change your password or take any other action. The impacted customers have been contacted.” The timing of this couldn’t be much worse for Amazon as Black Friday approaches and millions of people will be logging in to the site to try and take advantage of any deals.
eBay to launch data-driven advertising campaigns
It has been announced that eBay Advertising is developing customer data-driven campaigns which will be designed to help sellers promote their products through an actionable insight. The new ad campaigns will offer eBay’s merchants insights into customer purchasing behaviours to help create product advertising campaigns. It is intended that this new feature will allow the creation of advanced customer segments, which in turn will improve the personalisation of each campaign across eBay’s European markets. Phuong Nguyen, EU general advertising manager of eBay has said: “this evolution of the eBay Advertising business is a strategic response to the rapidly changing and converging media and e-commerce landscapes. The industry is now realising the power and potential of digital shopper marketing. There are huge opportunities for brands to get closer to their customers and make a bigger impact.”
Alibaba to bring $200bn worth of goods into China
The world’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba has announced that it will bring $200bn worth of imported goods into China within the next 5 years. The announcement came in response to Chinese consumers’ growing demand for higher-quality products from overseas. Alibaba’s CEO Daniel Zhang mentioned that from 2019-2023 the company will import goods from 120 countries, up from the current 75 with the number of product categories expected to increase from 3,900 to 8,000 including clothing, baby products and beverages. This announcement ties in with one from the President of China Xi Jinping who stated that the country as a whole will import more than $30bn worth of goods and $10 trillion worth of services in the next 15 years.
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