Tag Archive for E-commerce

Hot Business News Today

Small businesses selling into EU face £180m in extra red tape costs

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Small businesses that sell into Europe face £180m in extra red tap costs as they get swept up in new EU One-Stop-Shop VAT rules.
The new EU One-Stop-Shop rules, which will be introduced on July 1, are designed to stop an estimated designed to stop an estimated €7bn in annual VAT fraud by non-EU ecommerce sellers, mainly located in China, according to Alavera.
However, the EU One-Stop-Shop changes remove remove VAT exemptions for SMEs and shipments not exceeding €22 (£19), which means about 26,000 UK e-commerce sellers will have to register for VAT in an EU member state for the first time.
>See also: Where to find your £2,000 Brexit Support Fund grant
This will cost a majority of these companies at least €8,000 (£6,900) a year each, or roughly €208m (£180m) annually.
“Now we’re outside of the EU, [the UK has] been lobbed in with VAT-avoiding Chinese traders, and ecommerce companies will pay the price,” Richard Asquith, vice-president global indirect tax at Avalera, told the Financial Times.
UK e-commerce sellers will now have three options when trading into the EU:

Register for VAT in the country where they sell most of their goods, which the European Commission estimates will

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5 ways to make your website more friendly for older customers

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Originally written by Paul Gray on Small Business
The ongoing pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives but perhaps the most impacted has been how we as a nation shop. From our weekly groceries to smart home tech and even furniture, the changes in rules due to lockdowns has led to us having to rely more on online shopping as physical stores were forced to close.
And for some the changes will now be permanent, with well-known high street brands collapsing and being brought back as online only.
‘Many e-commerce sites are yet to consider older shoppers as a viable demographic’
While more and more older customers have embraced the internet and online shopping due to necessity, many brands and e-commerce sites are yet to consider older customers as a viable demographic.
But can brands really afford to ignore any potential shoppers right now? Especially a demographic that, pre-pandemic, was reported to account for £320bn of annual household spending and the over-50s hold over three-quarters of the nation’s financial wealth.
>See also: 7 ways to enhance your small business website in 2020
Over 65s are not just one group
The market for 65 plus is constantly changing, not only as older customers adopt technology more readily into

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Hot Business News Today

5 ways to make your website more friendly for older customers

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Paul Gray on Small Business
The ongoing pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives but perhaps the most impacted has been how we as a nation shop. From our weekly groceries to smart home tech and even furniture, the changes in rules due to lockdowns has led to us having to rely more on online shopping as physical stores were forced to close.
And for some the changes will now be permanent, with well-known high street brands collapsing and being brought back as online only.
‘Many e-commerce sites are yet to consider older shoppers as a viable demographic’
While more and more older customers have embraced the internet and online shopping due to necessity, many brands and e-commerce sites are yet to consider older customers as a viable demographic.
But can brands really afford to ignore any potential shoppers right now? Especially a demographic that, pre-pandemic, was reported to account for £320bn of annual household spending and the over-50s hold over three-quarters of the nation’s financial wealth.
>See also: 7 ways to enhance your small business website in 2020
Over 65s are not just one group
The market for 65 plus is constantly changing, not only as older customers adopt technology more readily into

Read more...

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5 tips to maximise Black Friday sales during lockdown

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Originally written by timhyde on Small Business
Britain is now in the middle of “lockdown 2” which ends, according to the powers that be, on December 2. This means that this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales rush will take place when all non-essential retailers are in lockdown.
So what does this mean for retail spend?
In my mind, it is going to be intensified and businesses therefore need to be prepared.
>See also: How to use Snapchat to sell your products to Gen Z
Spending behaviour has inevitably changed over the last few months as retail outlets have been forced to close and customers have had to shop online. Businesses have therefore had to pivot their strategy to adapt to a focus of online selling.
‘Online retail has expanded by 35% so far this year’
Whether you take Shopify numbers or Amazon statistics, BFCM numbers show a year-on-year growth of around 50 per cent and I think we will see that again this year. Predictions are that online retailers expect 45 per cent Black Friday boost and that’s backed up by figures from online retail association IMRG indicating e-commerce has already expanded by 34.9 per cent year on year to October.
If we compare trends

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Hot Business News Today

5 tips to maximise Black Friday sales during lockdown

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by timhyde on Small Business
Britain is now in the middle of “lockdown 2” which ends, according to the powers that be, on December 2. This means that this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales rush will take place when all non-essential retailers are in lockdown.
So what does this mean for retail spend?
In my mind, it is going to be intensified and businesses therefore need to be prepared.
>See also: How to use Snapchat to sell your products to Gen Z
Spending behaviour has inevitably changed over the last few months as retail outlets have been forced to close and customers have had to shop online. Businesses have therefore had to pivot their strategy to adapt to a focus of online selling.
‘Online retail has expanded by 35% so far this year’
Whether you take Shopify numbers or Amazon statistics, BFCM numbers show a year-on-year growth of around 50 per cent and I think we will see that again this year. Predictions are that online retailers expect 45 per cent Black Friday boost and that’s backed up by figures from online retail association IMRG indicating e-commerce has already expanded by 34.9 per cent year on year to October.
If we compare trends

Read more...

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As predicted, Amazon passes on 2% sales tax onto small businesses

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Entrepreneurs say that Amazon has “shafted” small businesses by passing on the Government’s new 2 per cent digital sales tax.
Instead of forcing the internet giant to pay its fairer share of corporation tax, all the new digital sales tax has done is hiked up fees to sellers, “punishing small businesses in a crisis,” according to Amanda Thomson, founder of Thomson & Scott, which sells alcohol-free and sparkling wine on Amazon.
The Government launched the 2 per cent digital sales tax in April with the aim of getting internet giants to pay their fair share of tax. At the time, Amazon UK country manager Doug Gurr warned all that would happen was that his company would pass the levy onto its small business sellers, which is exactly what has happened. The same thing happened in France.
>See also: Amazon retailers could find their businesses blocked in a no-deal Brexit
Amazon has told UK small businesses using its services to sell products that it will increase its fees by 2 per cent. Some say they will have to pass on the cost to consumers.
“This self-employed group, who already pay their taxes in the UK, have become collateral damage

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Small businesses may have to pay 2% online sales tax

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Small businesses face being hit with another sales tax as Rishi Sunak considers launching a digital sales tax for goods sold online.
The Treasury is debating whether to charge 2 per cent on top of goods sold online, as a way of giving High Street shops a slight price advantage over online retail, according to The Times newspaper. The levy would raise around £2bn a year.
Last year, the Commons Treasury committee called on the government to consider an online sales tax to create a more level playing field in the retail sector.
>See also: Nearly a quarter of small businesses cut jobs despite furlough scheme
Another idea under consideration is charging home-delivery customers a surcharge for having online goods delivered online, which say critics, is adding to urban congestion.
Both ideas are part of a wider review into business rates, which the Government launched as a consultation earlier this month.
The review, begun last week, will conclude by next spring. In a consultation paper, the Treasury said it was “exploring the potential strengths and weaknesses of alternative property and online taxes put forward as possible replacements for rates”.
The COVID-10 pandemic has struck when bricks-and-mortar shops are already struggling

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Hot Business News Today

Small businesses may have to pay 2% online sales tax

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Small businesses face being hit with another sales tax as Rishi Sunak considers launching a digital sales tax for goods sold online.
The Treasury is debating whether to charge 2 per cent on top of goods sold online, as a way of giving High Street shops a slight price advantage over online retail, according to The Times newspaper. The levy would raise around £2bn a year.
Last year, the Commons Treasury committee called on the government to consider an online sales tax to create a more level playing field in the retail sector.
>See also: Nearly a quarter of small businesses cut jobs despite furlough scheme
Another idea under consideration is charging home-delivery customers a surcharge for having online goods delivered online, which say critics, is adding to urban congestion.
Both ideas are part of a wider review into business rates, which the Government launched as a consultation earlier this month.
The review, begun last week, will conclude by next spring. In a consultation paper, the Treasury said it was “exploring the potential strengths and weaknesses of alternative property and online taxes put forward as possible replacements for rates”.
The COVID-10 pandemic has struck when bricks-and-mortar shops are already struggling

Read more...