eCommerce News Weekly Update Vol 26.

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

1. Total U.S. Online Retail Sales to Reach $886.2 Billion in 2021

Last year, the epidemic changed the retail landscape, and now, as changes in the industry accelerate, research shows that：

Strong holiday sales will drive total U.S. online retail sales to $886.2 billion in 2021, Digital Commerce 360 estimates: Total U.S. online retail sales will increase 16.2% this year from $762.68 million in 2020 and jump 53.2% from $578.5 billion in 2019.

Currently, online sales account for about 20 percent of U.S. retail sales. And with Amazon and its competitors eBay, Walmart, Wish, and others investing heavily in e-commerce, online sales market share will continue to grow even as consumers return to brick-and-mortar stores to make purchases.

2. Beware of scams! eBay Germany suspends RatePay payment method

According to the media, eBay Germany has announced the temporary removal of the RatePay direct payment option. The reason for this is that there are some unauthorized purchases and payment requests made by RatePay.

This means that consumers who are not careful are likely to suffer from the risk of fraud, theft of funds, and leakage of personal information.

For their part, eBay said they are working with RatePay to solve this problem. To prevent more consumers and sellers from suffering losses, the RatePay direct debit system will not be available as a payment option for now.

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3. With the massive shutdown of US routes, air freight prices continue to rise

Under the role of a variety of situations, some people in the industry are already expected to increase the price of sea freight in December. Not only the situation of sea transport is serious, but the situation of air transport is also not optimistic.

Some freight forwarders have issued a delay notice, saying that due to the cancellation of flights by airlines and the delivery of epidemic prevention materials and other real problems, coupled with the space burst, cargo delivery time may be delayed.

For many sellers, logistics is the most prone to problems, but also the seller's preparation cycle, it can be said that the impact is very large.

In such a situation, in recent times there is a demand for shipping sellers can prepare in advance, combined with their own needs to choose a suitable shipping method, reduce logistics costs at the same time, but also as early as possible to ship and shelves.

4. Consumer shopping trends in the U.S. market to 2022

The survey found that because of the severe epidemic situation this year, most Americans' life and work plans have been disrupted, and U.S. consumers have more to look forward to next year.

Among them, 68% of U.S. consumers said they will pay more attention to the quality of life next year; 55% of the group said they will make up for the loss and shopping experience caused by the epidemic next year; 46% of consumers have already determined their travel plans for next year.

Based on these consumer survey interview data, we are also able to predict some trend changes in the U.S. consumer market in 2022, part of the category demand will rise, including home office furniture, sales may increase by 157%; small kitchen appliances are likely to grow by 22%; indoor carpet sales may increase by 29%.

5. Etsy will automatically inform buyers of delivery dates

Etsy has made a new announcement that it will increase the granularity of its peak season shopping delivery estimates by showing buyers how peak season shopping delivery estimates will be made.

In the announcement, Etsy noted that buyers want to know that their orders will be delivered on time, which is especially important during the busy gift-giving season.

To calculate the estimated delivery date that Etsy will show shoppers, Etsy will take information from the seller's shipping profile, such as processing time, carrier information, and mail category, and combine it with shipping time data to come up with a final delivery date for the package after the delay.