Page 21 - CBM26

~ Coffee Corner ~

offee or tea? When and how? big customers to move fast, test and learn, and deliver the
Coffee in the morning, with plenty of milk. I do like optimum go-to-market e-commerce strategy.
Ca cup of tea in the afternoons also, with no milk. If
I’m out and about, I usually go for a flat white coffee. Being Can you tell us a bit about the latest trends
Irish, I do love an Irish coffee on occasion too. within e-commerce when it comes to selling on
marketplaces?
Can you tell us a bit about Luzern eCommerce and Brands recognise the potential of a multi-marketplace approach,
yourself? and key e-commerce players around the world—Walmart, eBay,
I joined Luzern eCommerce four years ago as Director of Best Buy—are enjoying spectacular growth and increased shopper
Marketing, and I lead the go-to-market strategy for the numbers. Regional marketplaces, including Allegro in Poland, Bol.
company, so everything from corporate messaging and com in the Netherlands and OnBuy and Debenhams in the UK,
positioning to product marketing to digital, PR, and customer are investing in marketing and advertising to raise their profiles.
marketing. Luckily not all on my own! I do have a great team Specialist sellers such as ManoMano and Zalando are diversifying
of marketing and business development professionals. The beyond their traditional markets and products, working on
culture is highly collaborative and inclusive, and everyone is developing comprehensive fulfilment services, including
encouraged to share their ideas, opinions, and suggestions, warehousing and delivery. They are looking to compete head-to-
as the company respects and values input. The subject matter head with Amazon, and brands need to join the revolution.
expertise and market knowledge of the team mean we’re
always at the cutting edge. Also, we get to work with leading And what about the recent challenges within
global brands that are highly respected in the industry. e-commerce?
This exposure provides us with a wealth of knowledge and In many cases, brands feel they are losing control due to the
experience in the e-commerce field. complexities of Amazon, along with the extensive costs associated
with that. Loss of control over pricing can impact pricing on
What kind of solutions does Luzern eCommerce offer? all channels and creates channel conflict. Product lists can be
We have an e-commerce platform, and we wrap that with suppressed if they are deemed to be unprofitable to Amazon,
revenue-generating services that optimise sales, margins, and which puts a significant squeeze on margins. It can be difficult to
inventory across channels and geographies for some of the launch new products unless Amazon supports it, which they don’t
world’s leading brands. Through our platform and our people, always do as without previous sales history, it’s seen as risky. Then
we extend the e-commerce capabilities of brands, helping there’s the whole product returns issue, which can be costly and
them to attract buyers, boost margins and improve the difficult to manage. Amazon can also push competitors if there is
customer experience of the shopping journey. Our focus on more margin in it for them, and we now see them launching more
Amazon and other marketplaces ensures that our clients can of their own branded products. In our experience, there’s a kind of
reach and convert more buyers where they like to shop. By love-hate relationship between the brands that sell on Amazon.
providing comprehensive e-commerce support and resources,
we help brands realise their full potential and achieve long- Lastly, what would your advice be to retailers when it
term growth and success. comes to overcoming these challenges?
To compete effectively in the multi-marketplace space, you need
And how do these solutions help online retailers the agility to move fast with a clearly defined strategy. Consumer
improve their business? expectations have never been higher – and those expectations have
The Amazon Marketplace represents both an opportunity largely been set by the success of Amazon. Consumers expect the
and challenge, as selling on the world’s biggest one-stop shop purchasing process to be smooth and seamless, from the moment
can present issues around pricing, profit margins, and more. the decision is made to buy, right through to the payment,
Helping brands with their Amazon strategy is our sweet fulfilment, and further on to the returns and refund procedures
spot. They need to be able to grow and sustain profitability, if necessary. Different currencies, changing financial regulations
and that’s where we come in. The other main part of our across multiple jurisdictions, cross-border transactions and import
business is building D2C web stores. In both cases, Luzern’s and export rules all need to be understood and incorporated. ••
proprietary technology has been proven to dramatically
increase online revenues for the brands we work with. While
the business of building bespoke web stores varies from client
to client, the challenges of selling on Amazon are likely to
resonate with brands worldwide. Our household brand name
customers have a hugely positive impact on prospects and
help prove our ability to scale and work with such brands
around the globe. Our customers know we are solid, and
today we work with each client as an extension of their
team. Our flexible platform and agile approach enable our

21