Walmart’s lower quarterly earnings have caused a lot of speculation in the financial world. But from an eCommerce standpoint, things are looking up. The retail giant released its fourth-quarter earnings for the fiscal year 2022 this week, and eCommerce sales grew a whopping 90% when compared to two years ago.
That ‘two years ago’ mark is important to note because the fiscal year 2020 ended shortly after the confirmation of the first COVID-19 cases in the US. The earnings reported by Walmart show a healthy break-in time between how things were going pre-pandemic versus what’s happening now.
Another important figure from the earnings release showed a 1% online sales growth in Q4 of this year. But compare that number to 2020, and it’s a 70% increase. Overall, their eCommerce net sales for 2022 totaled $73.2 billion.
Regarding eCommerce, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said, “Our stores have become hybrid. They’re both stores and fulfillment centers.” He mentioned that year over year the total number of online orders fulfilled increased by 170%. And he also pointed out that Walmart increased its pickup and delivery capacity for online orders by nearly 20%, and they expect to increase an additional 35% next year.
With the Walmart+ memberships being a huge part of this growth, the company should be able to weather its supply chain issues and get back on track in due time.
FedEx and eBay to roll out shipping label program in Canada
Sellers in Canada will soon be able to use eBay Labels to access FedEx shipping services. The integration creates a fluid platform process that provides sellers with global and local shipping solutions at a special rate.
“Providing an exceptional selling experience to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians that leverage our global marketplace remains a top priority for eBay, and FedEx is key in delivering on this experience,” said eBay Canada General Manager, Robert Bigler.
eBay and FedEx have partnerships around the world, so this does not surprise many in the logistics world.
The program will offer a label-printing solution to help sellers manage labels through eBay without having to create accounts with multiple couriers. Some benefits announced include:
- Pre-filled label information
- Auto-addition of tracking orders on eBay for buyers
- Sellers can use both the desktop platform or mobile app to purchase labels
- Bulk printing
- A “Combine” feature to print a single label for multiple orders for the same buyer
Chargeflow fights false chargebacks on Shopify with the launch of the AI platform
While there are legitimate chargebacks in the online selling world, Chargeflow states that around 85% are without merit. And with low recovery rates and conflicts with payment providers over the practice, merchants are feeling the sting.
To combat the issue, Chargeflow launched its new platform — powered by AI — to help sellers battle against these fraudulent chargebacks. The platform is free to install and sellers will only pay if the platform is successful in helping them recover funds or win the dispute.
The company uses its own proprietary algorithms to analyze chargebacks and auto-responds with necessary data points for disputes. It’s already saved merchants millions of dollars across the world and the company describes it as “a game-changer in the e-commerce industry in the never-ending battle against chargebacks.”
BigCommerce names Mollie as the preferred technology partner
European payment service provider Mollie is one of the fastest-growing in the business, and it looks like they’ll be scaling even more. BigCommerce just named the company as a preferred technology partner in a bid to help their European merchants.
The partnership gives around 60k merchants access to the Mollie payments gateway and provides support for the leading payment methods throughout Europe. BigCommerce sellers will be able to connect their Mollie and BigCommerce accounts with a single click.
Customers of these merchants can track their orders and payments in real-time from the Mollie dashboard. It seems like a winning situation for all parties involved.
Dropshipping just got easier with DSers and Shopify integration
Shopify and DSers announced an eCommerce integration this week. The partnership will provide sellers with top-tier dropshipping solutions to increase revenue and reduce time and effort.
If you’re not familiar, dropshipping allows merchants to sell products without purchasing them directly. Because of this, their business model is at the behest of suppliers.
To ensure dependable dropshipping businesses, Shopify and DSers worked together on an integration that services a wide range of dropshipping business scenarios. The direct connection auto-syncs supplier price changes during procurement and notifies merchants. The platform will also auto-update merchant stores in real-time.
For sellers on Shopify, order fulfillment is a key point to customer satisfaction. With this connection, they’ll be able to access high-quality suppliers with an automated system and meet their customer’s needs.
eBrands raises $30 million in funding round
Nordic eCommerce brands are paying attention to a relatively new eCommerce aggregator in eBrands. The company raised $30 million in its recent funding round and is showing signs of heavy growth.
Based in Finland, eBrands takes a special interest in Nordic eCommerce brands and helps to scale them and sell them on the international market. With the new funding round, the company plans to expand its current portfolio and double its workforce this year.
eBrands only acquires direct-to-consumer brands that operate within the sports, wellness, lifestyle, sustainability, and home products spaces. Entrepreneurs have the option of staying with the company or exiting upon acquisition.
The company is hoping to increase the consumer brand venture capital market in the Nordic countries.
Webinars
For everyone
Various dates: Amazon advertising’s global webinar program continues with 20+ webinars scheduled, covering Prime Day Preparation, Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, reporting, optimization, and other tips. Amazon.
For the US
May 24: Driving Awareness with Brand Pages & Display Ads. Tinuiti
For the UK
May 24: Ask Amazon Webinar — Strategic Update Q&A. ChannelX
Various dates: Amazon webinars covering selling, fulfillment, SFP, advertising, and Amazon Business. Amazon.