Global Marketing News – 27th August 2015
Cost beats delivery for North American ecommerce buyers
Research by Purolator International has revealed that US and Canadian online shoppers are willing to wait longer for items to be delivered if it means lower shipping costs.
When asking respondents what the most important was when ordering a product online, 32% of Americans and 44% of Canadians said shipping costs were their primary concern.
This was followed by an online store’s reputation, Canadian tax laws, delivery speed and ease of return.
Almost 60% of Americans, and 80% of Canadians, said they were willing to wait 4 days or more for delivery if it meant lower shipping costs, with around a third saying it was “very important” to be able to get cheap shipping.
Around half of Americans and 60% of Canadians said they were put off from online shopping during the holiday period last year due to expensive shipping costs, showing that putting shipping costs too high really does translate into fewer customers.
Cross-border ecommerce between the US and Canada is booming, with around 300 billion US dollars worth of American goods are sold in Canada each year.
Alibaba launches own smartphone as Xiaomi goes to Africa
The Chinese tech giant Alibaba has released its own-brand smartphone.
Alibaba teamed up with Maizu to produce the smartphone, which is affordably priced and aimed at the low-end Chinese smartphone market.
It is not the only Chinese internet company that has entered the Chinese smartphone market. Earlier this year, Qihoo 360 released a new smartphone that cost just 399 Yuan, equivalent to £41 or $63.
The news comes as the more-established Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi announced its plans to enter the African smartphone market.
Xiaomi will start selling its smartphones in 14 African countries from next month, following its success in China and India.
It is following hot on the heels of Google, who released its latest cheap smartphone Hot 2 in Africa just a few days ago, as part of its Android One initiative.
The Android One initiative aims to produce affordable smartphones running on the latest version of Android for customers in developing countries.
The Hot 2 smartphones are being sold in Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Morocco and the Ivory Coast at a cost of 88 US dollars.
TripAdvisor to launch “unforgettable” online marketing campaigns
Tourist destinations in the Asia Pacific region are being offered the opportunity to launch “unforgettable” online marketing campaigns due to a competition launched by TripAdvisor and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
Tourism companies are being invited to demonstrate what makes their region a unique attraction for travellers, with the competition organisers looking for destinations with rich heritage, culture, customs and natural beauty.
The winners will be awarded with a prize worth half a million US dollars, with the chance to work with digital marketers at TripAdvisor to create online marketing campaigns to promote their destinations.
“Travellers around the world are always on the lookout for places to discover and explore. By participating in the PATA CEO Challenge, emerging destinations will have the opportunity to showcase their unique destination to TripAdvisor’s global travel community,” a TripAdvisor spokesperson said.
The deadline for entries is the 1st October 2015.
Convenience and trust driving ecommerce in Nigeria
And finally, the founder of Jumia has said that convenience and increasing trust are behind the booming ecommerce market in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the leading African nation for ecommerce, with 90% of Nigeria’s 50 million internet users either shopping online currently or planning to do so in the future.
Increasing trust is leading to an increasing number of people willing to move away from the traditional cash-on-delivery payment option and paying online.
Poor internet infrastructure and expensive broadband costs are hampering uptake, however, by preventing many people getting online.
Addressing these issues with internet access would help ecommerce to grow even further, he said.
Webcertain’s global marketing news bulletins are daily 5-minute videos, providing marketers with the latest international digital marketing news in an easy-to-digest format.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Gemma Houghton
Latest posts by Gemma Houghton (see all)
- Watch the recording: How to identify and seize growth opportunities in international markets - April 20, 2022
- International marketing recruitment: How to drive global growth amid The Great Resignation - February 23, 2022
- 5 trends to include in your 2022 international digital marketing strategy - December 21, 2021
