SME News Southern Enterprise Awards 2023 | 8 Founding Partners 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
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