The coronavirus pandemic has changed many things around the world – in some cases beyond all recognition. But one area that has experienced unprecedented growth is ecommerce. In fact, according to a recent survey by Barclays, more than 25% of industry leaders believe that current events have heralded a technological revolution in online shopping.
What’s more, some 15% of UK companies have actually created new roles in order to cater for this changing market. And globally speaking, the ecommerce sector is set to surpass $6.5 trillion in 2022, an increase of almost 50% from 2019.
So with an industry that’s shifting on its axis, shouldn’t we expect to see some big changes in the way that we shop online? At the moment, Amazon is still the undisputed leader in the world of ecommerce, with its wide range of products and tried-and-tested formula attracting more than 300 million customers worldwide. But according to the experts, its growth is not keeping pace with the online shopping market – meaning the door is wide open for alternatives to step in.
In the UK, we have the third biggest ecommerce market in the world, surpassed only by China and the U.S. So it’s no wonder that home-grown companies have been taking the lead when it comes to developing alternatives to Amazon. Today, we want to shine the spotlight on Add to Cart, a new marketplace that’s taking the online shopping sector by storm.
On the surface, Add to Cart works in much the same way as Amazon and other competitors, providing a place where sellers can market their goods to a far wider audience than they might reach through their personal online store. But by pursuing a transparent, seller-focused model – rather than Amazon’s big business approach – the marketplace has identified a huge gap in the market that’s seen sellers flocking to sign up in droves.
With Amazon, sellers automatically enter a cut-throat marketplace, competing against the retail giant and its superior algorithms to get their products noticed over Amazon’s own offerings. But what Add to Cart offers is something different: a platform that leverages expert SEO and marketing skills to boost all their sellers’ rankings, resulting in increased visibility and more sales across the board.
Where Amazon’s focus is on building its own brand, then, Add to Cart is all about helping sellers to realise their full potential. And that’s why all sales are totally transparent, with customer details fully available to individual merchants – allowing them to build good relationships and encourage repeat custom in their own way. Finally, the marketplace doesn’t charge any expensive listing or sign-up fees – just a low commission on any successful sales.
As the ecommerce industry continues to grow to unprecedented levels, Add to Cart has chosen the perfect time to debut this new model for online shopping. And it shows: even before the marketplace’s official launch, there were more than one hundred sellers and 80,000+ products available across the platform. What’s more, they’ve recently become an official sales channel on Shopify, the market-leading e-commerce platform, making their services more accessible than ever before. If current feedback is anything to go by, we will be seeing a lot more of Add to Cart in the months and weeks to come.
