The year that changed retail – that’s likely how 2020 will be remembered in the business world. A lot happened, both good and bad. All are in one way or another tied to the most important event of the year: COVID-19. The pandemic impacted just about every aspect of daily life. Healthcare, education, entertainment, and social engagement all look very different today than they did just 12 months ago. Fortunately, each of these is likely to return to at least somewhat normal conditions once COVID-19 is officially behind us. One thing that has changed for good, however, is retail.

Sponsored Products are one of the most popular and effective marketing tools that Amazon provides to help brands reach customers. These cost-per-click ads promote individual product listings by appearing where customers will see them when searching on Amazon, such as the first page of shopping results. Sponsored Products allow advertisers to choose their budget, bids, and targeting parameters. This helps brands of any size reach a wide variety of goals, including generating awareness of a new product, promoting seasonal items, clearing excess inventory, or showcasing best-selling items. 

Customers can now fill their prescription medication via Amazon as easily as ordering a pair of socks or a smart speaker. Well, almost as easily. In November, the retail giant launched an online and mobile prescription medication ordering and fulfillment service called Amazon Pharmacy. The new store allows customers to complete an entire pharmacy transaction on their desktop or mobile device through an app. Amazon states its new pharmacy service will make it simpler for customers to compare prices and purchase medications for home delivery.

During what has been a challenging time for most Americans, Cyber Week will be regarded as one of the most positive weeks of 2020 – at least for brands. It’s no secret that small- to medium-sized businesses have spent the better part of the year struggling to survive in the wake of COVID-19’s disruption of life and commerce. For those that adapted to the rise in e-commerce, the five-day stretch between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday was a much-needed relief.

To sell on Walmart Marketplace or not – that is the question for many brands that currently sell on Amazon. Describing itself as the world’s largest omnichannel retailer, Walmart’s online platform has expanded to around 60,000 sellers. This is only a fraction of Amazon’s 2.5+ million active sellers, but the recent growth spike along with Walmart’s well-established customer base gives it the potential to become a strong competitor. Here Channel Key highlights the key similarities and differences between the two platforms to help you decide whether Walmart Marketplace is a good e-commerce channel for your brand.

Cyber Week is finally upon us – and it’s going to be big. By all accounts, the shopping momentum between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday is expected to generate record sales this year as online shopping continues to spike. Ideally, brands should have their Cyber Week marketing and advertising strategies in place by now. If not, there are still things you can do to better prepare for what is forecast to be the highest-grossing Black Friday and Cyber Monday in history.

Market research company eMarketer forecasts that American consumers will spend more than $192 billion on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. While this is great news at first glance, it also presents possible challenges for both shoppers and sellers. According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Amazon is recommending that shoppers place holiday orders as early as possible to avoid shipping delays. For sellers, increased demand means potential issues with FBA fulfillment – especially as COVID-19 cases surge in many parts of the U.S.

For the first time, major retailers are embracing “Black November” – an assortment of Black Friday-worthy promotions spread throughout the entire month to capture the momentum of customers who began their holiday shopping more than a month ahead of schedule. Despite this early start, all eyes are on Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. Here Channel Key outlines vital information that will help your brand stand out, generate traffic, and convert sales during Cyber Week and the rest of the holiday season.

Black Friday traditionally begins the day following Thanksgiving and is considered the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Neither is the case this year. To help shed light on what to expect this season, Adobe Analytics analyzed over a trillion visits to 80 of the top 100 U.S. retail websites, along with sales of more than 100 million unique products. Based on findings from the 38-page report, Channel Key has outlined the five most illuminating data-driven predictions for the 2020 holiday shopping season.

COVID-19 has changed the way many people shop, and that includes groceries. Data from Inmar Intelligence shows that nearly eight out of ten consumers have purchased groceries online during the pandemic, a 19% boost from 2019. Mercatus reports that online grocery sales in the U.S. increased from $1.2 billion in August 2019 to $7.2 billion in June 2020. With this surge in supermarket e-commerce, retailers are competing to capture online grocery sales – and the race is heating up.