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~ Welcome ~

FOREWORD

Across the EU, e-commerce sales are projected to reach over
FLASH SALE There was a worry as we headed into the BFCM period that
€600 billion in 2023.

consumers were getting tired of online discounts and might
MANAGEMENT prefer to look in-store for the best deals. But what did we
see? Consumer habits didn’t just temporarily change over
the pandemic; they permanently shifted, in a seismic way, to
the point that over 80% of consumers now research products
BY ESW online as a first port-of-call, regardless of any deals they may
have seen in person.

So what does this mean for e-commerce brands? Well, there
is certainly opportunity out there and space for growth, but
only for the brands doing it right. The modern consumer is
the best-informed, most active, and least-loyal iteration of a
SELLING 200 FOCUSING ON YOUR CUSTOMERS on the moment.
consumer we have seen yet. Successful brands know this and
will be employing a few key strategies in 2023 to capitalise
HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT
ORDERS PER Lto approach this year with a decidedly less rosy First and foremost, you must focus on the customer. Now
ooking at the state of world economic and geo-
political affairs at the start of 2023, it’s hard not
more than ever, consumers are looking for a seamless,
convenient shopping experience and won’t accept anything
less. With so much uncertainty around living costs, you need
outlook than perhaps we might have started recent
SECOND years with. No matter where you look, it feels almost to be as honest as you can be about your shipping times,
impossible to escape tales of economic woes, falling
your return policies, and any changes to your operations.
Something as simple as not offering a refund on import
consumer confidence, and spiralling prices. Need I say
duties and taxes for cross-border trade can drastically affect
more?
sales, something Duty Refunds are poised to help you with.
Of course, much of this is true, and down to real, world-
changing events that have happened in recent months. As I 2023 will also be the year to embrace new technologies. From
sit here in rural Norfolk, deep in the UK countryside, I can augmented reality to chatbots to the continued growth of
think of at least a few country-specific decisions that have led social commerce on platforms like TikTok and Instagram,
to inordinately high prices in some areas here and a lack of there is an increasing number of ways to reach your customers
supply in others. directly and make their experience as smooth as possible.

But, despite all this, there is one thing we should all be Whatever you do this year, enjoy the challenge, and I wish
smiling about – whatever doom and gloom you may have you every success.
heard about the e-commerce industry has frankly been greatly
exaggerated. Simeon Wynn
Senior Partnerships Manager at Duty Refunds
The e-commerce industry is still growing
Yes, that’s right. Across almost all markets and in most major
verticals, the e-commerce industry is still booming. On Black
Friday 2022, total online sales were up 2.3% when compared
to 2021. Shopify also reported over 52 million consumers
worldwide purchased from a brand using their technology.
Meanwhile, Barclaycard Payments have reported a 3.2%
increase in transactions in the UK compared to last year.

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