Once the domain of books, entertainment and second hand bargains, household giants Amazon, eBay and Play.com are now capitalising on the apparel market. Just a couple of days ago Amazon’s iPhone fashion app was relaunched for Kindle Fire and Android, whilst eBay have maximised their 2011 fashion sales success with the launch of new improved listing formats for clothing and accessory retailers.
Thanks to the flexible, scalable nature of Magento, retailers operating on the platform can now penetrate the world’s largest online marketplaces to boost profits and grow their following.
eBay acquired 100% of Magento in 2011, with a plethora of extensions hitting the market to boost compatibility. The others are following suit in recognition of the platform’s popularity.
In our experience maximising these sales channels involves some strategic thinking. One of the issues we address with clients is the risk of devaluing high end brands by engaging with what are widely regarded as budget bargain channels.
Often the solution is to treat the online trio not as a core sales strategy but as a valuable complement to your central business plan. Clearance sales, one-off budget lines and seasonal or occasion-led offers can all tap into a whole new customer base without compromising your overall branding – since the market profile is essentially new and different. If handled carefully, engaging with ecommerce’s biggest players can open up a new world of possibilities.
Grabbing these opportunities requires expertise in Magento and how to set up the platform. We’ve been working with clients to tie up their sites with the biggest internet retailers and achieve maximum merchandising with minimum headaches. Of particular value is the ability to centralise stock control – eliminating the complexities of managing supply chains via multiple outlets.
We have been using the M2E Pro module since it was first released as well as Gomage Feed Pro to connect to Amazon Marketplace and others. Currently we’re working on our first integration to Play.com. The average time to set these up including creating eBay store fronts and appropriate brand assets is around 40-60 hours of design and development.
