Merry Thursday, ECFers!
Have you noticed an uptick in abandoned shopping carts this holiday season? You’re not alone: A study found that roughly two-thirds of online shoppers during Black Friday and Cyber Monday were actually “jingle bots.” Ho ho … oh.
It may lift your spirits to learn that Amazon has opened its Vine program to third-party sellers, and the U.S. and China struck a preliminary trade deal halting 15% tariffs set to hit many consumer goods before the holidays. Get the details below or in this week’s podcast.
In shipping news, Amazon blocked sellers from using FedEx ground for Prime shipments, and UPS expanded its express services across 40 countries. Craigslist boasted some growth of its own, launching its first official mobile app. (Seriously, Craigslist, where have you been since the mid-’90s?)
In the podcast I also get into how I’m prepping for 2020, as well as a few tax strategies you may not be familiar with that can save you some coin.
Wishing you all a Happy Holiday and a Merry Christmas!
– Andrew
Amazon Vine Rolls Out to Third-Party Sellers (membership required; hat tip to Judah Bergman)
‘Jingle Bots’ Jam Online Shopping Carts to Use Up Stock and Frustrate Customers
What Is Actually in the U.S.-China ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal?
Amazon Blocks Sellers From Using FedEx Ground for Prime Shipments
Craigslist Launches App for iPhone
Imitating Amazon: E-Commerce Battle Bolstered by Companies Mimicking the Market Leader – “From shipping startups to warehouse providers, a virtual network aimed at competing with Amazon is growing in the company’s long shadow”
Lessons From Spending a Quarter Billion on Facebook (Tweetstorm) – Faheem Siddiqi shares the commonalities he sees among successful DTC brands from his time advertising on Facebook. Hat tip to Drew Sanocki.
Individual Coverage HRA (ICHRA) vs. QSEHRA: How Do They Compare? – Struggling to figure out the best way to reimburse your employees for their own healthcare without worrying about the IRS coming a’ knocking? A HRA is probably the answer but the introduction of a new type (ICHRA) makes the decision a bit more complex. And here are full details on what a standard QSEHRA is from Take Command Health which offers 20% off plans to eCommerceFuel Community members.
Live Your Mission Podcast — My friend Peter Awad recently launched a podcast about living out your mission intentionally. He was kind enough to invite me on for an episode where, among other things, you can watch me nearly pass out eating insanely hot jerky.
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