You’ve heard about eBay UK, but did you know about the ways you can use this popular online auction site to grow your business? This article examines Wayfair’s and Houzz’s market shares as well as the new integration between eBay and ShipStation. The benefits of this integration are obvious. Listed below are a few examples of how you can use ShipStation to grow your business on eBay. Read on to learn more.
eBay’s market share in the UK
In the United Kingdom, eBay’s market share is growing. In 2015, it accounted for 8% of the UK’s e-commerce market. Compared to other online retailers, its share of this market is increasing. It is up to 30% today, up from 28.8% a year ago. However, the market share in the UK is still quite small. It is still behind local retail giants Tesco and Amazon, which both have about the same percentage of sales, and it is only 9% of the entire online market.
Amazon dominates the e-commerce marketplace in the UK, accounting for more than a third of monthly visits, according to Statista. With over 474 million monthly visitors and a population of 67 million, Amazon leads the British market. On average, every resident of the UK visits Amazon. So, despite Amazon’s large scale, eBay has managed to hold its own in the UK market. With this, eBay is gaining market share from its competitors.
Wayfair’s market share in the UK
Wayfair’s latest earnings report shows the company had its first profit quarter since 2014. It attributed this increase in part to a jump in home goods and online shopping. The company’s year-over-year compound growth was 50%, which is better than its competitors. But it’s also important to note that Wayfair’s active customer base fell by 23.4% compared with the previous year and its orders from repeat customers fell by 26% to 8.1 million. Its growth was still higher than its peers, although SG&A expenses continue to be a concern.
Despite having more than 22 million products on its site, Wayfair hasn’t succeeded in creating a unified brand. Instead, the company has focused on developing a more targeted approach. It offers users a way to personalize the shopping experience, including allowing them to opt-in to receive emails from specific vendors that pitch products based on their browsing history. Wayfair also offers advisers who are available to help them sell their products.
Houzz’s market share in the UK
Home improvement company Houzz has recently moved to a new European headquarters in London’s technology hub, King’s Cross. Its London-based team is headed by Vivienne Sung, who is focused on boosting Houzz’s use among homeowners and professionals. In her new role, Small hopes to grow the company’s UK market share as well as expand the number of local branches in the UK.
For now, the UK edition will be free to use but will not have revenue-raising features until membership reaches a certain size. In the meantime, it will focus on producing content aimed at working in cramped spaces. Houzz UK claims one million users and 8,000 UK professionals. However, some experts don’t want to share their secrets online. In such a case, Small argues that Houzz UK is worth checking out.
ShipStation’s integration with eBay UK
Originally designed as a standalone shipping tool for eBay UK, ShipStation now offers a wide range of services to UK sellers. It was created by technology consultants Byron Weir and Jason Hodges, who were tasked with helping retailers get started in the early days of ecommerce. These consultants also helped these new businesses make connections with shipping companies. Now, the UK version of ShipStation offers the same functionality as the U.S. version, with a few notable exceptions.
For sellers looking to expand their international reach, ShipStation can save them money on shipping internationally. Every UK postcode and address is validated automatically by the platform, which means that you won’t have to worry about manually completing customs forms. Additionally, ShipStation allows you to set up Automation Rules to automatically fill out customs forms and generate the lowest shipping rates. You can also set up email updates, send tracking information, and generate return labels for your items.
