This year’s peak season is just around the corner – and many e-commerce retailers are hoping it will be an opportunity to make up lost ground after a challenging 12 months.
To maximize sales during what are traditionally the busiest few weeks of the year, merchants must be willing to shake things up when it comes to sales channels. The retail landscape remains unpredictable, which means one channel won’t rule all – and now is the time to branch out.
The best sales channels to add will depend on where your target audience are most likely to be and your own research should be carried out.
However, here are eight of the best sales channels to consider joining for peak season 2023…
1. Amazon
As the top dog in e-commerce, Amazon is the marketplace of choice for retailers from all sectors because its established infrastructure and customer trust can significantly boost sales, especially during peak season.
As well as offering unparalleled reach to a vast customer base, Amazon’s FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) program streamlines shipping and customer service and can make adding Amazon as a sales channel relatively simple and low-risk.
2. Depop
For fashion, homeware and jewelry brands, Depop offers an exciting opportunity to build community and customer loyalty and it should definitely be on the list of platforms to consider for peak season 2023.
As a peer-to-peer marketplace with a strong focus on individuality, sellers can showcase their style and connect with a younger demographic through the app’s social media-like interface on a level that can’t be achieved with other sales channels.
3. Wayfair
Wayfair is the top UK online retailer for home furnishings and the largest marketplace for furniture in the US. With over 22.6 million active customers and counting, Wayfair offers a fantastic opportunity for homeware brands to expand their reach.
With many shoppers reluctant to buy furniture they haven’t seen in person – but Wayfair’s established reputation for quality removes this barrier to purchase. Selling on Wayfair gives you access to a huge range of customers and creating listings is much simpler that on other marketplaces, including Amazon.
Perhaps best of all, Wayfair does not charge monthly account fees or commissions on sales, which can mean a healthier profit margin.
4. Etsy
With 60 million buyers, Etsy is a well-known and trusted marketplace which receives a lot of traffic. Centered around handmade, vintage, and unique products, Etsy is a particularly popular magnet for shoppers looking for meaningful gifts during peak season.
For e-commerce merchants with the right type of artisanal offerings Etsy is one of the quickest, cheapest, and easiest marketplaces to consider adding. However, it’s not for every business. Etsy prohibits the sale of repackaged commercial items or products you haven’t designed or made yourself and there are a number of fees associated with using the platform.
5. Instagram
With more than 2.35 billion monthly active users, Instagram has evolved from being a photo-sharing app into a dynamic sales platform with powerful shoppable posts and Stories features.
This peak season, e-commerce brands should consider using Instagram to engage their audience with visual storytelling and directly drive sales using the app’s integrated shopping features.
6. Google Shopping
Google Shopping is used by consumers from all backgrounds to search for products and compare prices from various online retailers. For e-commerce merchants, Google Shopping offers a platform to showcase their products prominently to potential buyers who are actively searching for similar items.
By listing your products on Google Shopping, you can increase your visibility and potentially attract more qualified traffic during peak season, which can lead to higher conversion rates and sales.
7. TikTok
For e-commerce merchants that want to capture the attention of consumers in the younger demographic, joining TikTok as a sales channel will be vital this peak season.
The app is on a clear mission to grow as a sales channel and reports claim it hopes to more than quadruple the size of its worldwide e-commerce operations to as much as $20 billion in merchandise sales this year
TikTok’s short-form videos present a creative way for e-commerce merchants to engage with a younger demographic. With features like “Shop Now” buttons, businesses can turn TikTok’s viral potential into sales during the peak season.
How Brightpearl can help
Peak season is stressful enough without the operational chaos that adding new sales channels can bring – but Brightpearl makes it simple and stress-free.
As the leading flexible retail operating system, Brightpearl allows you to seamlessly integrate with multiple sales channels – and add new ones in minutes. From one centralized dashboard, you can monitor your inventory and synchronize product listings, pricing and stock levels across all channels.
Repetitive tasks such as order fulfillment, shipping, and inventory updates can be automated using the powerful Automation Engine. The performance of each channel can be easily monitored and analyzed – and all CRM data can be centralized.
Book a free demo now to find out more.
