Marcia Kaplan

Articles by: Marcia Kaplan

Marcia Kaplan

Marcia Kaplan is a longtime contributor to Practical Ecommerce, addressing capital markets, global online trends, and more since 2011.

She is also a seasoned business writer and technology market research analyst, having written for trade magazines and newspapers, including CRN, Silicon Valley Business Journal, and Ziff Davis. Her consulting clients include Fortune 500 companies as well as startups

Marcia holds an M.B.A. from San Jose State University in California and a B.A. in sociology from Binghamton University in New York.

Email Marcia.

Shipping & Fulfillment
Returns Take a Toll on Online Retailers

January 31, 2022 • Marcia Kaplan

Many merchants that have softened return policies during the pandemic are starting to feel the financial pain. Some have pulled back entirely.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon, Walmart and the Epic Battle for Consumer Spending

January 14, 2022 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon is adding brick-and-mortar locations. Walmart is beefing up its online tools. It's a massive battle of two retail titans. We compare their operations and strategies in the historic competition for consumer spending.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs from Europe: Growth, Acquisitions, Amazon, Delivery

December 19, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

"Ecommerce Briefs" is my occasional series on news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I'll focus on happenings in Europe.
Business
Sales Report: 2021 Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday

December 2, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Sales for the three big U.S. shopping days were flat or slightly lower from last year. It's not surprising since retailers encouraged consumers to shop earlier due to expected product shortages and shipping delays. Buyers heeded the suggestion.
Cross-border Selling
2021 Singles Day: Record Sales for Subdued Event

November 16, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

China's Singles Day, previously a celebration of unbridled spending, had a very different tone this year. Thanks to the Chinese government, consumerism is no longer in vogue. Nevertheless, both Alibaba — whose founder Jack Ma started the event — and JD.com, its closest competitor in revenue, racked up record sales.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Walmart; Amazon Logistics; Holiday Shopping

October 28, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

"Ecommerce Briefs" is my occasional series on news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I'll focus on Walmart's ecommerce activity, Amazon's parcel delivery, and consumers' holiday shopping intentions.
Finance
Latin America Fintech, Ecommerce Awash in Startup Funding

October 14, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

During the pandemic, Latin America became a hot market for tech startups, with foreign venture capital flooding the region. Latin America now hosts 23 private "unicorn" companies — valued over $1 billion — according to Crunchbase. Overall, these companies have raised more than $15 billion. Roughly two-thirds of them are based in Brazil, but data indicates other countries are catching up.
Inventory
Supply Chain Problems Upend the Global Economy

September 23, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Nothing highlighted the United States’ reliance on foreign manufactured goods more than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Ecommerce Briefs: Amazon v. Walmart, Prime Members, E.U. Sellers

September 9, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series on news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll focus on Amazon's omnichannel growth and Prime membership, as well as acquisitions of third-party Amazon sellers in Europe.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Last-mile Delivery Attracts New Services, Providers

August 26, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

With the holiday shopping season approaching, retailers and carriers are rolling out new delivery services. Smaller third-party providers are also entering the market, as last-mile delivery remains the most troublesome part of the package handling process.
Cross-border Selling
Driven by Covid-19, India’s Ecommerce Surges

August 11, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Owing to its large population, India has always been an attractive ecommerce market, even if a relatively small percentage of its residents have access to the internet or adequate income. But ecommerce is now surging in India.
Finance
Investment Robust in Retail, Ecommerce Technology

July 29, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

The pandemic has posed obstacles for both brick-and-mortar and online merchants. Among the challenges are labor shortages, inventory problems, delivery conundrums, and the need for more personalization. New providers are addressing those needs, and venture capitalists and other investors are eager to fund them.
Customer Retention
Online Shopping, Post Covid, Retains Consumers

July 14, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Covid-19 brought a huge increase in online shopping. Many consumers became online shoppers for the first time. It appears that they will continue to rely on ecommerce for a myriad of items. Second-quarter 2021 results demonstrate that online shopping is holding on to much of its gains.
Amazon & Marketplaces
A Subdued Prime Day 2021 Despite Competitors

June 28, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Every year since 2017 I've written an analysis of Amazon's Prime Day. This year's review includes the online sales of certain competitors rather than Amazon alone. Amazon itself does not share complete Prime Day revenue figures.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Ramps Up Its Own Delivery Service

June 10, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon Logistics provides shipping services to third-party sellers regardless of the sales channel. The program, called Multi-channel Fulfillment, is available to merchants who use Fulfillment by Amazon.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Amazon Sellers, Walmart.com Grocery, Click-and-collect

May 26, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series on news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll report on Amazon's program allowing brands to promote new products, Walmart.com's focus on grocery sales, and the growth of U.S. click-and-collect sales.
Business
Is Apparel Sustainability Real or a Marketing Ploy?

May 13, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Much of the media assumes consumers want products that are manufactured and sold in an environmentally conscious manner. However, research suggests that sustainability is not the most important factor in consumer decision-making; people may still emphasize price.
Inventory
The Increasing Complexity of Product Returns

April 29, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

The pandemic sparked an increase in ecommerce sales but it also generated a massive rise in product returns. According to U.S. Department of Commerce estimates, total ecommerce sales for 2020 were $788 billion, an increase of 32.4 percent from 2019.
Business
How Businesses Go Carbon Neutral

April 15, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Climate change is front and center in the news. How businesses can make a positive impact is not well understood. I'll provide an overview in the post. First, a few definitions.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Walmart Expands Marketplace, Challenging Amazon

March 25, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Walmart’s U.S. ecommerce sales in the last quarter of 2020 increased by 69 percent year-over-year while its total sales grew only 7.3 percent. The message is clear: future growth will depend on ecommerce.
Cross-border Selling
Ecommerce in the Middle East: Covid Uptick

March 11, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Many countries in the Middle East have immature digital infrastructures and inefficient logistics. But a few have relatively young and affluent populations that are eager to utilize ecommerce despite the problems. This article will focus on three of the richer countries.
Business
Major Brands Bet on DTC Ecommerce

February 25, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Selling directly to consumers online is no longer just for start-ups. As brick-and-mortar sales decline because of Covid-19 and store closures, established brands are focusing on digital sales. Even before the pandemic, the traditional model of manufacturers selling to wholesalers who then sold to retailers was faltering.
Finance
Raising Funds Becomes Easier with New SEC Rules

February 11, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has modified rules that affect how companies can raise capital via direct listings and equity crowdfunding. Previously, in a direct listing, a company could sell existing shares (from employees and private investors) on public stock exchanges.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Everything to Know about Amazon Marketplace Sellers

January 28, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon marketplace sellers are diverse, spanning many countries, age groups, and reasons for participating. What follows is a summary of demographic and psychographic data about sellers.
Business
2020 Holiday Sales Wrap-up

January 14, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Challenged by a pandemic and an unstable economy, online and brick-and-mortar retailers scrambled to salvage the 2020 holiday shopping season. Most merchants started offering discounts much earlier than in previous years to accommodate the changed shopping dynamics. This is my third consecutive holiday sales wrap-up, following installments in 2018 and 2019.
Cross-border Selling
China Is Dominating Ecommerce

January 3, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

In China, a drab gray Mao suit was once the required attire for men and women. No longer. The country is poised to become the largest luxury apparel market worldwide by 2025. With a 2020 population of 1.4 billion and a flourishing middle class with an appetite for foreign luxury goods, China is dominating ecommerce.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Marketplace Sellers Are Attractive Acquisition Targets

December 20, 2020 • Marcia Kaplan

Buyouts of Amazon marketplace sellers are booming. Aggregators are scooping up successful small sellers and creating large and lucrative portfolio companies. The acquisitions are mostly fueled by angel, venture capital, and private equity funding.
Business
Sales Report: 2020 Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday

December 2, 2020 • Marcia Kaplan

The challenges of this unique holiday shopping season have made omnichannel commerce a necessity. With several states closing non-essential brick-and-mortar stores and others severely limiting the number of shoppers allowed inside, consumers embraced online shopping with gusto during Cyber Week — Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday — with a big surge in mobile ordering.
Cross-border Selling
Alibaba’s 2020 Singles Day Breaks Record, Attracts Luxury Brands

November 15, 2020 • Marcia Kaplan

Alibaba's Singles Day is typically a 24-hour event on Nov. 11. This year, however, Singles Day ran for nearly two weeks, from Nov. 1 through Nov. 11. Gross merchandise volume during that period, according to Alibaba, was $74.1 billion. This compares with $38 billion in a 24-hour period on 11.11 in 2019.
Finance
SPACs: 2020’s Most Popular Method of Going Public

November 3, 2020 • Marcia Kaplan

The traditional IPO has mostly been the domain of large, high-profile companies that had received hundreds of millions in venture capital over a period of years. This year, however, traditional IPOs have been overtaken by a method that has been around for roughly 20 years but has gained traction only in the past two.