Here's what consumers got to say 🤭 

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As more customer information gets into the hands of e-commerce companies, consumers are increasingly concerned about their privacy. But apart from this, there have been a number of other things that consumers are talking about. This week, several big stories grabbed headlines:

• E-commerce subscription businesses may be affected by the FTC's proposed 'click to cancel' regulation.
• According to a recent personalization survey, consumers are hesitant to share a lot of information with retailers.
• Primark has launched a new website in the US, but it is currently not functional for shopping.
• In 2022, the average sales of Amazon sellers was over $230,000.

Top Retail and E-commerce Stories

Subscription Doomsday?: Is FTC Clicking You Out with the New "Click to Cancel" Regulation

Photo Credit: REUTERS

Unsubscribe! The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to implement a new rule that would simplify the subscription canceling process for consumers. Under the "click to cancel" rule, companies would need to provide a simple way for consumers to cancel their subscriptions or memberships. The cancellation process should be as easy as the sign-up process. One example could be prohibiting companies from mandating consumers to call a customer service line to cancel online subscriptions.

The FTC wants to introduce a new rule that would affect retailers selling products or services with subscription-based or automatic renewal systems. As per the new rule, retailers would have to provide more details about subscription periods and cancellation procedures. Additionally, they would need to send annual reminders to customers who have subscribed to non-physical goods.

Check out FTC's proposed rule here...

Data NOT for Sale: Shoppers Not Comfortable with Giving Out Information

Photo Credit: Machina Labs

Keep it personal and private. A recent survey revealed that 42% of customers are unwilling to share personal information with retailers, whether with or without their consent.

According to a personalization survey conducted by CI&T in March 2023, consumers are not comfortable sharing much personal information beyond their gender, city of residence, desired spending amount, and age with retailers. Although retailers have the capability to customize the shopping experience for individual customers using this information, it raises the question of whether or not they should.

More of these findings here...

Ready or NOT?: Primark Releases New Website in the U.S. But It is Not Shoppable

Photo Credit: Head Topics

So...what is it for, then? Primark, the UK-based fashion giant, has finally launched its new website in the US. However, Primark has chosen not to offer online shopping on its website in order to save money on logistics, which allows them to offer lower prices to customers.

According to a press release, Primark is purposely not using a traditional e-commerce business model. Their website aims to enhance the connection between browsing online and in-store shopping. Primark describes the website as a "virtual shop," but customers cannot buy anything directly from it.

More of this news here...

The Amazon Corner

Ca$hing!: The average sales for Amazon sellers exceeded $230,000 in 2022.

Photo Credit: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images

Dollah' dollah' bills, y'all! According to Amazon's Small Business Empowerment Report, small and medium-sized businesses on Amazon's marketplace achieved an average sales figure of over $230,000 in 2022. According to Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon's vice president of worldwide selling partner services, independent sellers managed to sell over 4.1 billion products, which equals to around 7,800 products sold every minute.

Furthermore, over 60% of sales made on Amazon's marketplace are generated by independent sellers, with a majority of them being small and medium-sized businesses. This impressive number reflects the resilience of American entrepreneurs during an uncertain economic period. In contrast to 2021, when businesses sold over 3.9 billion products.

More about it here...

Improve your Amazon listings with these steps...

A Little More

• How did Cards Against Humanity become a $500 million product, and how does Allbirds handle their free shipping?
• In Q1, Walmart's e-commerce sales increased by 27% due to the rise in curbside and delivery orders.
• Sales in US e-commerce increased in the first quarter, although the level of penetration remained the same.

QUICK TIP

Try this. Increase your business's sales by implementing an efficient transactional email strategy. A transactional email strategy is an automated process that sends out emails to customers based on their behavior and preferences. 

FUN FACT

It is projected that sales of pet products through e-commerce will exceed $30.7 billion.

LISTEN UP

Are you wondering if free shipping is really a thing? Should you jack up your prices to offer free shipping? On this 86th episode of The E-Comm Show, not only will our host, and BlueTuskr CEO Andrew Maff will be talking about free shipping, but he'll also be sharing about how to manage a VA, how to leverage ClickFunnels, and how to keep up with your competitors in the world of digital marketing.

Watch the full episode below, or visit TheEcommShow.com for more.