AVASK Accounting & Business Consultants Ltd began almost eleven years ago, originally starting out as an international e-commerce accounting firm, and became the first tax provider to receive a five-star rating on Amazon SPN. To date, the team have assisted more than 10,000 e-commerce entrepreneurs globally, and combined, speak over 23 of the world’s most popular languages. Teams are located worldwide but are all united under the AVASK founding principle, ‘to offer simple and uncomplicated solutions to enable e-commerce sellers to grow and adapt to the myriad of compliance changes in the e-commerce eco-system.’ We speak with Tax Director and Partner Melanie Shabangu, to learn more about how the company operates so effectively on a global scale, aiding tens of thousands of happy customers from Southampton to Shanghai, and beyond.
Relatively early into the AVASK journey, the company recognised that it could offer so much more to its clients than just manage their accounts and taxes, pivoting to include an array of additional services. Every service that the team has developed has been designed to provide uncomplicated solutions for e-commerce sellers, in turn allowing them to grow and expand cross-borders much in the same way as AVASK itself has done. The company’s global headquarters is situated in the heart of Southampton, but as a result of expansion, additional offices are now located in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Prague, New York, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.
Such expansion has also bared witness to the natural evolution of the company’s services, which are currently classified across a number of key sectors, Accounting & Bookkeeping Services, Indirect Taxes (VAT and US Sales Tax, for example), Customs & International Trade, Shipping and Logistics, Online Marketplace Indirect Taxes (a special sub-division which focuses on the needs of clients filing taxes via their online marketplaces), Eco-transition Services (new government schemes and taxes designed to reduce carbon emissions), alongside the e-commerce consulting, strategy, and growth services which are all on offer.
2014 saw AVASK begin its long-time partnership with Amazon, officially joining Amazon SPN. It was this which spurred on the expansion of the business, branching out from the UK headquarters to include LA, Paris, and Frankfurt. This partnership also led to the company attending Amazon run events, and in 2016, one such event the team were invited to in China resulted in the establishing of AVASK offices in Xiamen. Two years later in 2018, the firm joined the Amazon PAN-EU programme, which was unveiled at a time when European countries had altered their tax legislation to make online platforms, like Amazon, jointly liable for the taxes of the e-sellers using their platforms.
Almost immediately after, AVASK began assisting thousands of new clients as Amazon mandated a requirement to register for VAT in the European marketplace. Following this requirement, there was an overhaul in distance selling across the remaining 27 countries in this block, excluding the UK, and new legislation was later introduced that detailed once a seller had completed €10,000 in distance sales, they were required to register for the European One-Stop-Shop, or OSS. AVASK again provided essential, ensuring this legislation was covered in its core suite of services. Similar problems would arise on the back of Brexit, and many of the company’s clients found themselves in the unfortunate position of being unable trade with EU marketplaces as they had done previously. Again, providing a remedy for the issue, AVASK began to offer both direct and indirect representation, as well as a customs brokerage services, to its clientele.
In the aftermath of Brexit, AVASK freely began to offer Customs & International Trade Services to Amazon clients without restriction and have since worked on a variety of customs promotions with Amazon and similar online marketplaces and partners in attempt to re-stimulate growth in the UK and EU cross-border trading sector. When further legislation was introduced in both France and Germany to incentivise sellers to bring more eco-friendly and sustainable products into the market, AVASK once again joined forces with Amazon, offering EPR compliance solutions to entrepreneurs as a brand-new service.
Recently, the future of AVASK has again been diversified, this as a result of the launch of a sister company, KATA Global Logistics, which offers clients an end-to-end logistics service. This all-in-one solution will allow e-commerce sellers to make huge savings in the cost of the services required to sell goods across the world on global marketplaces. All of this represents the upmost commitment by AVASK to offer clients the most innovative solutions to the issues that arise within the industry as a result of outside influences. Through the offering of quick and effective workarounds, the business can stay ahead of the game, and a long-tenured partnership with an organisation on the level of Amazon only solidifies this fact.
From day one, AVASK’s ethos has ultimately been to establish long-term relationships, with a commitment by the dedicated team to offer transparent, concise, and professional advice. The core values of the business have been cemented since day one, and they revolve around insisting on the highest standards, constantly learning about shifts and updates in the e-commerce world, and thoroughly investigating all new avenues as they present themselves. At AVASK, the team prides itself on customer obsession, and they work tirelessly to always think outside of the box, while delivering outstanding results and earning the trust of the clients they serve.
It is this commitment to clients that positions AVASK at the cutting-edge of the industry, by providing unlimited consultancy to clients, a key insight is gained into their disposition and pain points. Over the course of the last three years, the team has designed and implemented a host of new services in order to meet client needs, many of which are frequently cross-border trading in multiple markets. Unlike many of its competitors, AVASK’s one-stop shop solution offers a host of services in addition to advisory, shipping, and freight forwarding, being proud to offer international accounting and tax compliance, import/export, as well as account strategy and management, among others, providing a complete compliance solution for e-commerce businesses of any size.
Currently, the ever-changing industry is facing a host of trends that AVASK in the process of adapting into its always-evolving strategy. The first of these is pricing performance, as in a world where anybody can take out their smartphone and compare the price of a product across multiple marketplaces, entrepreneurs must either enter bidding wars with competitors or otherwise create a differentiator. The question Melanie asks is: “How are you going to make your product stand out in a crowd?” is a question the team constantly poses to its sellers, understanding its vitality in the modern marketplace.
Just like in so many other industries, the monumental rise of artificial intelligence into the mainstream has flooded day-to-day lives of sellers and consumers alike. In the specific e-commerce world, the team has seen impressive in-roads in articles, photos, and product listings become the norm. With automation taking over, the industry is bound to become more efficient, and those who are not on the A.I. bandwagon will likely miss out entirely as it continues to develop and expand over the coming years.
Another recent trend has been an increase in the concern given to the environmental impact of products that are being bought/sold on the e-commerce market. Entrepreneurs in the field can no longer ignore the issues around ethical and sustainable sourcing, manufacturing, and packaging, as in a few high-value countries, such as Germany, France, and Spain, they are now liable for carbon offsetting costs, with the rest of the EU and UK soon to follow.
While traditional online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay still hold majority shares in the e-commerce consumer market, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and particularly now TikTok, have integrated shop features directly into their platforms which are especially popular among youth markets. With consumers not having to leave the site in question to make direct purchases, social commerce is sure to experience continued growth well into the future.
With such a crowded marketplace in the EU, UK, and US, the reality is that sellers can no longer succeed if they only limit their activities to one marketplace. Throughout 2022, AVASK witnessed first-hand the integrating of the e-commerce industry with traditional establishments, as retailers are now increasingly focused on delivering a streamlined, seamless experience across both its physical and online channels, with a rise in popularity of such features as the click and collect scheme, which now operates in abundance across some of the UK’s leading retailers.
Other similar developments impacting the marketplace include the increase in offerings of a personalised shopping experience, with companies offering such incentives as a gift with purchase, or a discount upon the placing of a subsequent order, as e-sellers attempt to stimulate brand loyalty in order to maintain their client bases. Voice commerce has also recently seen a dramatic increase, with global voice activated purchasing expected to exceed a 72% increase from 2023 compared to the year before. Keeping this in mind, entrepreneurs should consider adopting a long list of keywords in product listings, as voice shoppers tend to give more detailed descriptions than their manually searching counterparts.
AVASK is clearly knowledgeable on current global trends across the industry, and this ultimately has something to do with the more than 450 personnel who are based in one of the many offices the company possesses around the world. As a result of such a sizeable global footprint, the team is incredibly diverse, and this is key to the organisation’s success, with every team member integral in crafting the value that the business thrives upon. The culture at AVASK is one of acceptance, tolerance, and collaboration. Melanie explains, “We operate an open-door policy with all managers and directors being available throughout the working day to support any team member, regardless of the position that they hold.”
Since 2019, and the expansion of the Amazon PAN-EU programme, the company has continued to recruit for new roles and has experienced unprecedented growth across all elements of the business. The AVASK recruitment team have worked tirelessly to guarantee that any new recruits live up to the high standards that the company holds itself to, and by using the firm’s recruitment website, LinkedIn, and other scouting tools, talent are headhunted to fill key roles and continue to provide the high-quality service the business is famed for and has built its reptation upon. The company’s effective recruitment programme and outstanding company culture were formally recognised earlier this year, with AVASK being awarded the Great Place to Work certification in August 2023.
Looking ahead to the future, AVASK plans continued growth and expansion across the world, with its new Polish office recently coming to fruition in Warsaw, and the completion of another new office in Prague, Czech Republic recently occurred. These new offices will help deliver new and localised services to the e-commerce marketplace and will support online sellers as they grow into exciting businesses and communities. By continuing to work with close commercial partners and business development teams around the world, the company will carry on growing its client base.
In the same vein, AVASK developed software solutions will also continue to evolve and expand, adding even more features to an already feature-rich client portal. The in-house software development team will also be on hand to continue to lay the groundwork for the future of the company, and new compliance services will be launched in fresh markets, helping the truly global client base seek out new opportunities in e-commerce eco-systems.
It is the AVASK company motto, “What matters to you, matters to us,” which serves to underpin the truly remarkable success that the brand has had over the years. With demonstrably fantastic customer-service skills, a passion for innovation, and a truly unique insight and understanding of the industry, AVASK has established itself as the ultimate solution for sellers looking to thrive in the e-commerce market, and the team are sure to continue to experience well-deserved success for years to come.
Contact: Melanie Shabangu
Company: AVASK Accounting & Business Consultants Ltd.
Web Address: www.avaskgroup.com
