eCommerce News Weekly Update Vol 24.

This week we prepared five eCommerce news for you to catch up with.

1. Pet product’s peak season, with $360 million spent on animal gifts in Australia

Nearly a third of consumers are planning to buy Christmas gifts for their pets, according to new research from eBay Australia, with spending on animal gifts expected to reach $360 million. Men plan to spend a little more on their pets than women, averaging $71 compared to $56 for women.

Furry, finned, and feathered pets such as dogs, cats, fish, and birds are the most popular with Australian families. eBay Australia's Sophie Onikul said some consumers said they expected to spend $100 on their pet for Christmas, compared to the usual $60.

2. Sustainable ideas take hold, eBay searches for related items up 315%

According to a recent eBay UK survey, searches for 'sustainable gifts' have increased by 315% in 2020 alone.

According to eBay, 44% of consumers say the epidemic has made them want to support small businesses more, followed by children and community-related businesses at 31% and 35% respectively.

And eBay says it will also continue to guide consumers to shop consciously and buy sustainable products in the future.

3. Another increase in USPS shipping rates in the US

USPS Shipping recently filed a notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) regarding price changes for shipping services, announcing that it will increase prices for shipping services effective January 9, 2022, and requesting PRC approval for two mail product services focused on local communities.

According to the document, the prices for Priority Mail service and Priority Mail Express service, both of which are shipping product services, will increase by 3.1 percent.

4. US shoe sales to reach $100 billion this year

According to the monthly report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), prices in the US rose by 6.2% in October compared to a year earlier, the highest year-on-year price increase in a single month in nearly 31 years.

Compared to the same month last year, US footwear prices rose by 5.2% in October. Women's shoe prices rose by 4.2% and men's shoe prices rose by 5%. The price of children's shoes rose by 7.5%. This marks the sixth month that footwear prices have continued to rise. In June, women's shoe prices rose by 7%, the highest year-on-year increase in women's shoe prices in nearly 32 years.

5. Data shows that low prices are most likely to trigger consumers' desire to buy new brands

The Associated Press study on consumer loyalty to a particular merchant found that consumers are most likely to be attracted by the right price (low price) and thus move to another merchant to make a purchase.

According to the data, six out of 10 consumers said that low or no-frills prices were most likely to attract them to order from an online shop they had not previously purchased from; after low prices, offering a larger range of products and better value-added services also helped to attract some new consumers; good customer reviews were the fourth most important driver for consumers to choose a new merchant, and around 15% of consumers said that more flexible payment options or faster delivery times would also attract them to switch between merchants.