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.

Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Unilever’s Liquidation Site; Amazon’s Shipping Delays; Shopify; Jumia

December 12, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series on news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll report on Unilever’s new B2B liquidation site, Amazon’s holiday shipping delays, Shopify’s holiday shopping statistics, and the troubles of Jumia, the African ecommerce marketplace.
Finance
Sales Report: 2019 Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday

December 4, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Adverse weather conditions in many regions and the ease of ordering via mobile devices contributed to record-setting U.S. digital sales for the 2019 Thanksgiving weekend. This is my fifth annual “Sales Report” for Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.
Cross-border Selling
Alibaba’s 2019 Singles Day: $38 Billion; 200,000 Brands; 78 Countries

November 14, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Alibaba’s Singles Day sales on November 11 totaled a record $38.4 billion or 268.4 billion yuan gross merchandise volume, an increase of 26 percent over 2018, according to the company. Gross merchandise volume — GMV — is total sales of merchandise through a particular marketplace over a certain time, excluding fees and commissions.
Business
Apparel from Plastic Waste Driving DTC Fashion Brands

October 24, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

A lot of plastic waste is either going into landfills or sitting around in stockpiles. An unlikely savior, the fashion industry, is now buying a lot of that plastic. Here are five direct-to-consumer brands that are successfully making products out of recycled plastic and other recycled material.
Cross-border Selling
U.S., China Trade War Is Impacting Ecommerce

October 10, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The trade war between the United States and China has been going on for over a year. A new round of U.S. tariffs on additional Chinese goods is looming. What follows is my analysis of the effects on ecommerce in both countries and possible future consequences.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Alters Small-business Strategy; Competitors Take Advantage

September 26, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon has told many small merchants that it would no longer accept bulk wholesale orders from them for its Vendor Central program. Several companies have seized on this change and are trying to attract smaller merchants who may be looking for alternatives.
Finance
Certified B Corporations Gain Ground in a Changing Business Environment

September 12, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Certified B Corporations are for-profit companies that have been evaluated by B Lab using rigorous social benefit criteria. The certification is becoming a competitive advantage as consumers, employees, and investors seek out companies that look beyond profits in how they conduct business.
Conversion
Recommerce Surges as Retailers, Brands Get in the Game

August 28, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Recommerce, the process of selling used products or excess inventory to companies or consumers, is growing 20-times faster than the broader retail market and five-times faster than off-price retailers. Leading recommerce merchants include thredUP, The RealReal, and Poshmark.
Cross-border Selling
Ecommerce in Russia: More Players, More Payment Choices, Better Logistics

August 15, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

I last wrote about the Russian ecommerce market in 2014, in “Ecommerce in Russia: Another Emerging Market?,” where I addressed the limited payment options and primitive logistics infrastructure. Those conditions have gradually improved.
Business
Generation Z Is the Most Coveted Retail Demographic

August 2, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Generation Z is replacing Millennials as the most coveted retail demographic cohort. With $44 billion in spending power according to Forbes magazine, Generation Z is being courted by brands and retailers.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Prime Day 2019 Breaks Records; Other Merchants Benefit

July 19, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

While Amazon does not provide sales data for Prime Day, it did state that during the 48-hour 2019 event on July 15 and 16, sales surpassed the 2018 Black Friday and Cyber Monday revenues combined.
Finance
Jumia, Revolve, Chewy among Q2 Ecommerce IPOs

July 10, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Some prominent ecommerce initial public stock offerings occurred in the second quarter of 2019. In this post, I'll address three of them.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: FedEx, Amazon Spark, Jet.com, Toys’R’Us

June 26, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

In “Ecommerce Briefs,” I address news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll report on FedEx severing its air-services relationship with Amazon and rolling out seven-day delivery, Amazon shuttering its social media platform Spark, Walmart folding Jet.com into its own website, and Toys "R" Us making a comeback.
Shipping & Fulfillment
The Growing Problem of Customer Returns

June 13, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The rate of customer returns for goods bought online is swelling to a worrisome level as more consumers switch from physical stores to online. Ecommerce returns average about 15 percent, with apparel returns closer to 30 percent. The cost to online retailers is substantial.
Business
Direct-to-consumer Brands Gaining Customers and Clout

May 30, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Watch out traditional retailers. Digitally native direct-to-consumer brands are stealing your thunder, and more of them are popping up. DTC companies manufacture and ship their products directly to customers, retaining ...
Finance
Direct Public Offerings: Unconventional but Gaining Traction

May 9, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The initial public offering has a challenger. Known as a direct public offering or direct listing, this technique avoids involvement from investment bank underwriters that buy shares at a set price in an IPO and then sell them to their clients. In a DPO, a private company lists itself on a stock exchange but does not raise money.
Local Business
Is Experiential Retail Working?

April 25, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Looking to rejuvenate their stores and slow the wave of closings, many retailers and mall operators have embraced experiential retailing — shifting from selling products to providing an “experience” that sometimes does not include selling anything.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Amazon Shipping, Kohl’s Collaboration, Teen Shopping

April 12, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

In “Ecommerce Briefs,” I address news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll report on Amazon's expansion into shipping and logistics; the success of the returns partnership between Amazon and Kohl's; and where teenagers like to shop.
Finance
Pinterest Files for an IPO; Focuses on Shopping

March 28, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

In a year that looks promising for tech IPOs, Pinterest has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange using the ticker "PINS." The company hopes to raise at least $100 million, in April.
Business
Online Marijuana Sales a Burgeoning Market in North America

March 13, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The North American ecommerce market for marijuana products is gaining momentum as Canada legalized the sale of recreational marijuana across the country in October 2018 and more states in the U.S. legalize the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana.
Finance
Shopify Excelled in 2018, Attracted More Merchants

February 27, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Operating in the shadow of online marketplaces and located in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify does not get as much attention as it should. A $41 billion market-cap business, Shopify is the choice of approximately 820,000 online merchants in 175 countries, growing from 600,000 in 2017.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Posts Stellar 2018 Financial Results; 2019 Not as Bright

February 14, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon reported its 2018 fiscal year and fourth quarter financial results on January 31. As expected, the company surpassed last year's results with a superb performance. Amazon is cautious in its 2019 guidance, however.
Finance
New Indian Investment Rules Limit Amazon, Walmart

January 29, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The Indian government will soon implement regulations that will severely hamper the Amazon and Flipkart marketplaces from doing business in India. Effective February 1, 2019, the government is enacting restrictions that will challenge the entire business model of those companies.
Finance
Ecommerce Briefs: Holiday Sales, Retail Chains, 2019 Predictions

January 17, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is an occasional series wherein I review news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll address final holiday sales figures, a change in brick-and-mortar location trends, and 2019 predictions.
Finance
2018 Holiday Sales Wrap-up

January 6, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Consumers happily opened their wallets in the 2018 holiday season, resulting in a five percent increase in overall spending — online and brick-and-mortar. Online spending alone grew by 19.1 percent compared to 2017 and contributed over 13 percent to total holiday sales.
Conversion
Ecommerce Briefs: Walmart vs. Jet, FedEx and DHL Enhancements, Product Returns

December 20, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

In “Ecommerce Briefs,” an occasional series, I review news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll address Walmart's effort to differentiate Jet.com, new ecommerce shipping options from FedEx and DHL, product returns, and vacancies at shopping malls.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Will Amazon’s Private Labels Squeeze Out Smaller Brands?

December 13, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon is aggressively expanding both the number of private label goods it sells and the product categories it offers. Besides dominating online sales, Amazon is the source of over 50 percent of all online product searches, surpassing Google. Amazon's private label strategy is simple.
Finance
Sales Report: 2018 Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday

November 28, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Consumers embraced 2018 online holiday shopping with gusto starting on Thanksgiving Day and culminating on Cyber Monday, which became the highest U.S. ecommerce sales day in history with $7.9 billion in revenue. Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday all exhibited healthy year-over-year sales growth.
Cross-border Selling
Alibaba’s 2018 Singles Day: Record Sales, Slower Growth

November 14, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Alibaba's tenth Singles Day event this past Sunday again set a 24-hour sales record. Those results represent an increase of about 27 percent over last year, smaller than the 39 percent year-over-year increase achieved in 2017.
Local Business
Ecommerce Merchants Embrace Clicks-to-bricks

October 25, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Digitally native businesses are opening physical stores at a brisk pace, embracing the "clicks to bricks" movement. This trend shows that physical stores are not dead, though the big-box mall model may not be the blueprint for the future.