Richard Stubbings

Articles by: Richard Stubbings

Richard Stubbings

Prior to moving to Norwich, England, Richard Stubbings had 20 years IT experience — designing and building major computer applications. He then set up a bookshop concentrating on science fiction, crime, and horror. He soon started selling horror and movie-related figures alongside the books. The shop, called Kulture Shock, went online in 2000. Over the years, he used numerous shopping carts and the ecommerce site (which he has since sold) grew to be successful.

Marketing & Advertising > Merchant Voice
What to do now for 2019 holiday sales

December 4, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

Most ecommerce retailers are now fulfilling the holiday order rush. The vast majority of merchants depend on sales in November and December. It can be the difference between a good year ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Address potential business conflicts during good times

November 16, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

Very often people launch businesses with friends and family. The reason, typically, is that friends and family are trustworthy. But what happens when things go wrong, or when people disagree?
Business > Merchant Voice
Nonstop change is a certainty for ecommerce

October 10, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

The internet continues to disrupt the selling of products and services. The traditional ecommerce strategy of creating a single site and trying to market to the entire internet from that site ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Accessing Amazon’s and eBay’s delivery services

September 12, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

As far as Amazon is concerned, a parcel is tracked only if a seller uses a delivery service that Amazon approves of — one it can interface with to confirm the tracking number and delivery. Any other service is not tracked as far as Amazon is concerned. This has consequences if you use a service that does not integrate with Amazon.
Business > Merchant Voice
5 common communication errors with shoppers

August 27, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

Smaller ecommerce retailers should offer more value than the big box shifters. This includes helpful communication. In this post, I'll address often-overlooked communication errors that can affect a shopper's experience.
Business > Merchant Voice
Lessons from Ikea’s negative reviews

August 8, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

Those of us who sell on Amazon tend to believe that reviews are all important and that negative reviews can dampen sales, in part, because Amazon likely includes an element ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Using Amazon to wind down a retail business

July 13, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

There are many blogs on how to improve sales on Amazon. In this post, I’ll address the opposite: how to wind down and stop selling on Amazon entirely. It is becoming ...
Business > Merchant Voice
What not to sell on an ecommerce site

June 14, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

There is no shortage of advice on what to sell on an ecommerce site. In this post, however, I will describe what not to sell. Ecommerce should be about making money.
Business > Merchant Voice
Magento sold, again

June 5, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

With the acquisition by Adobe, the future of Magento is raising questions. Magento merchants naturally wonder whether Adobe will support the open source version and, indeed, if it will remain free.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Has Amazon altered A-Z claims process to help sellers?

May 17, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

I recently took a break from selling on Amazon whilst reorganizing my stock. When I returned I noticed a difference in the A-Z claim process. First, I found that customers are ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Europe-based merchant accesses GDPR

April 23, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

The E.U.'s new data protection law goes into effect on May 25. Many businesses here in Europe and elsewhere have ignored it. That is a mistake. Failure to comply could result in an eye-watering fine of $20 million. If your company does business or communicates with any consumer in Europe, you should comply, or at least take steps to comply.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
3 hooks to lure shoppers away from Amazon

February 14, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

In 2017 nearly 50 percent of all U.S. ecommerce sales went through Amazon. In the run-up to Thanksgiving, the rate was even higher. It is thus difficult to ignore Amazon if you want to succeed in selling online. But that is not to say that you have to follow other Amazon sellers and chase the price to the bottom. Instead, look carefully at the behavior of your target customers and determine how best to profit from them.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Dissecting Amazon’s new ‘Pay by Invoice’ method

January 10, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

The new payment method is "Pay by Invoice." It is an attempt to entice new customers to Amazon that prefer to pay after receiving the goods. It is presumably based on the assumption that there are organizations — libraries, public bodies, larger companies — who do not let their staff pay in advance for an item. On the face of it, it seemed like a good idea.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Every Amazon A-Z claim is a failure in customer service

November 28, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

Every Amazon A-Z claim is a failure in customer service. I could have avoided every one of the claims filed against my company, no matter how unfair it was. An Amazon ...
Business > Merchant Voice
What to consider when selling an ecommerce business

October 23, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

In light of recent industry upheavals, some retail businesses may soon close down. Sooner or later, owners of private businesses usually retire or move on. Whilst some will pass the ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Mobile payments could revive cash on delivery

September 4, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

Recently I have heard of retailers using modern technology for an old payment method: cash on delivery. Credit card payments can now be accepted on small terminals wherever there’s a mobile ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
For success on Amazon and eBay, don’t follow others

August 22, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

For many ecommerce merchants, it is essential to list stock on the likes of eBay and Amazon. The potential sales volume from these sites is too large to ignore. However,
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Independent retailers, repeat buyers, and Amazon

August 3, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

It is getting harder to gain and keep customers. Traditionally, independent retailers have earned their business by providing a better service or product to consumers — a unique selling point ...
Email Marketing > Merchant Voice
How I manage email spam

June 26, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

We all receive email spam. The longer our businesses exist, the more spam we get. So how should we deal with it? All businesses should have policies and procedures for dealing ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Would mandatory training help new business owners?

June 4, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

I moderate an online business forum in the U.K. A growing number of people are starting their own business here. On one level this is inspiring. But sometimes I think there ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
My (unplanned) survey of Amazon resellers

April 23, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

In the last few days I have been conducting an unplanned survey of the customer service of hundreds of Amazon resellers. It is unplanned and unwelcomed because someone sent phishing ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
The problem of fake products on Amazon

March 20, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

One of Amazon’s strengths is its extensive catalog and its requirement that every retailer selling an item has to list its offer on the same page. This means that when ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Planning for failure

March 3, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

Among the initial tasks of starting a company is to organize a business plan. It’s the first of many plans in the life of a business. After all, a well-managed business ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Generic online box shifters are doomed

February 21, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

2017 is going to be a difficult year. Smaller ecommerce and brick-and-mortar retailers will be squeezed out by the bigger players. Amazon will continue its push to stock the most ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
The dreaded Amazon A-Z claim, part 2

January 7, 2017 • Richard Stubbings

There are still readers who are commenting on “The dreaded Amazon A-Z claim,” my post from May 2013. I will not repeat that post here. But in light of some of ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Does President Trump affect ecommerce?

November 10, 2016 • Richard Stubbings

November 9 in the U.S. likely felt about the same to many folks there as June 24 did here in the U.K. We had Brexit. The U.S. has Donald Trump.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Implications of Amazon’s repricing software

October 13, 2016 • Richard Stubbings

In “The end of automated Amazon repricing?,” my post from 2014, I raised the prospect of Amazon creating its own repricing tool. Well, that tool now exists. It’s called “Amazon ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Whom do I work for?

September 20, 2016 • Richard Stubbings

One of the attractions to being an independent online retailer is to be your own boss. You supposedly answer to no one and set your own hours. But the reality ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Insurance and other boring (but crucial) expenses

August 12, 2016 • Richard Stubbings

There is a temptation for many start-up businesses to cut corners and spend all of their money on inventory. After all, it is the stock that sells, which brings in the ...
Business > Merchant Voice
From Magento to WooCommerce, 1 year on

July 27, 2016 • Richard Stubbings

Just over a year ago, I moved my website from Magento to WooCommerce. I described my process of evaluating and, ultimately, selecting WooCommerce in a 5-part series here on Practical ...