Artificial intelligence or international expansion - in which direction to develop your online store? eCommerce news #no. 44

Zalando is using artificial intelligence to help its customers make shopping choices. Amazon is launching a special program to help sellers expand overseas. The events of the past few weeks reinforce the belief that the eCommerce industry does not stop developing both in the area of Artificial Intelligence and cross border. Changes in the market are occurring extremely dynamically - for this reason it is worth keeping up to date with industry news. We present a subjective compilation of the most interesting ones in the latest issue of Advox Press. Will you read it?

How will artificial intelligence help Zalando customers shop?

Instant advice from a stylist at any time of the day? That's the functionality Zalando, a marketplace focused on improving its customers' shopping experience with the help of artificial intelligence, plans to implement in the near future. How will the new tool make it easier for consumers to make the best choices from an offer consisting of thousands of products?

The German sales platform has developed a solution based on Open AI technology. It will allow users to ask questions to the Virtual Assistant using their own vocabulary of concepts and vocabulary related to fashion and everyday life. In practice, when looking for an outfit for a specific occasion, a potential customer will be able to ask a question like "What to wear to a wedding in July in Spain?". On this basis, the digital stylist will be able to match the appropriate articles, taking into account criteria such as, for example, the type of occasion or the predicted weather at the time. But what if the robot's recommendations do not meet the inquirer's expectations?

In this case, the buyer will be able to provide additional information and achieve better search results through discussions with the AI Assistant. In further stages of development, the functionality will also draw on information about the customer's preferences (e.g., favorite brands, worn sizes), which will influence even more accurate personalization of choices.

The first version of the tool will be made available to a select group of customers this spring. You can read more about Zalando's current activities here. In your opinion, will they revolutionize online sales in the fashion industry?

Cross-border sales break records in Europe. Cross-border Commerce Europe Report

Total turnover in the online cross border sales market reached 179.4 billion euros in 2022, up 5% from the previous period. However, the above results are only a preview of the dynamic development of cross border commerce. According to a report by the Cross-border Commerce Europe network, the projected value of international online commerce in 2023 will exceed €200 billion. This means an increase of up to 12% compared to previous years. What other conclusions can we draw from the study entitled: "TOP 500 Cross-Border Retail Europe"?

The ranking provides not only a global view of the condition of eCommerce in Europe (which is still on an upward trend despite the economic crises in many countries), but also indicates the development of foreign online sales activities in specific industries and countries. The publication shows, among other things, that in 2022:

• cross border commerce generates the highest turnover in Germany (€34 billion), the UK (€28 billion) and France (€25 billion),
• the total value of sales on marketplace platforms in Europe amounted to more than €24 billion,
• foreign consumers were the most likely to go for products in the fashion, jewelry and children's items categories (39%). Just behind them were items from the home and garden category,
• Among the top 5 players in the cross border market were Ikea, Lidl, Zalando, H&M and Lego, respectively.

Although the foreign e-commerce market still faces many challenges (related, among other things, to the economic situation or differences in legal regulations in individual countries), more and more sellers are choosing to start selling abroad. However, it is important to remember that developing the right strategy and knowing the differences in each market is crucial to success in this area.

If you're planning to expand your online store overseas, you'll find practical advice on our blog, where a series of interviews with industry experts on the subject await you.

You can read the details of the report by clicking on this link. What do you think, will the Polish market soon match the performance of European leaders?

Cross border sales in two steps? Amazon facilitates overseas expansion in eCommerce

It's not hard to find evidence that online overseas sales aren't stopping. Amazon, one of the industry's largest marketplace platforms, recently introduced a special program aimed at making it easier for sellers to expand in Europe. What benefits can those joining the European Expansion Accelerator (EEA) program expect?

The primary advantage of EEA is process automatization such as:

• Account registration and configuration,
• Content Translation,
• Verification of the suitability of individual products in a given market,
• Adjusting shipping methods to foreign standards.

This approach will allow sellers to quickly and effectively start selling on all 9 European versions of Amazon's platform in as little as 3 days. Despite the many improvements, sellers will still be able to customize key elements of the platform to meet their individual business needs. They will remain in possession of essential tools such as payment processing, advertising functions and data reporting and analysis, for example.

Who will be able to benefit from the program? The European Expansion Accelerator is available free of charge to Amazon sellers who are already selling on at least one platform in Europe.

You can read more about the opportunities offered by the marketplace on Amazon's website.