International sales could rise considerably (Image: AdobeStock)
International online sales are predicted to increase by 63% across November and December compared to the same two months in 2019, offering a potential life line for retailers as Lockdown 2.0 comes into effect.
With lockdown directives varying from market to market, cross-border ecommerce sales have remained at record levels. Data from eShopWorld (ESW), which is the largest cross-border ecommerce provider globally, suggests a 56% and 70% year-on-year increase in November and December respectively as the upcoming Peak Trading period is marked by unparalleled uncertainty.
These latest figures follow recent predictions indicating international online sales would increase during October, as consumers shopped earlier for Christmas pulling sales forward and away from the traditional twin peaks of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Tommy Kelly, CEO, ESW explains: “We saw a 113% year-over-year increase in same-store global online sales in October and we’re confident the end of the year will follow the same pattern. Although consumers began their Peak shopping earlier this year, a predicted increase in sales throughout November and December suggests that the ‘typical’ Christmas shopping season will be active, as always. We’ve already seen many countries enter a second phase of lockdown, so we can see that the massive shift to online shopping is here to stay.”
The unprecedented growth of cross-border ecommerce sales is in contrast to figures detailed in the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) latest monthly distributive trades survey, which showed UK retail sales fell at their fastest pace in four months in October, from 11% to -23%, as people reined in their spending in the face of more coronavirus restrictions.
“Now is the time for UK brands and retailers to embrace the cross-border opportunity as addressing this customer demand has become a business necessity,” adds Kelly. “The potential to grow sales, reach and brand loyalty is immense. Selling internationally not only means greater and more diverse audiences, but also additional opportunities to optimise marketing efforts to capitalise on multiple shopping events during the year, match seasonal inventory to local seasons, and meet market conditions on the ground, in an ever-evolving global market.”
via https://AiUpNow.com November 4, 2020 at 06:01AM by Paul Skeldon, Khareem Sudlow,
