By Sheila Donovan
ARE YOU OVERLOOKING OBVIOUS E-COMMERCE OPPORTUNITIES?
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etermining all of the factors that create a successful global e-commerce business can be an elusive task. You have to shift through the countless tools and apps that build websites, analyze traffic, engage customers, and ship products. Equally as important, but often overlooked in global e-commerce are cultural and economic factors. Beliefs and values are a core part of religion, making religious beliefs an integral part of a nation’s culture. Retail and e-commerce companies that are aware of the major religious holidays, especially those involving gift-giving, will be well positioned to capitalize on the sales spike associated with these events. Let’s start with Christmas, which is a Christian holiday. It makes sense that
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countries with large Christian populations are likely to purchase Christmas gifts. We all know that the Christmas holiday has spawned two major shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, both originating in the United States. Retailers around the globe have spotted the enormous opportunity that shopping events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer and many have jumped on the shopping event bandwagon. Some countries have adapted the concept to better suit their culture and market. For example, in Lebanon, the day is called “White Friday” and Mexico’s version of “Black Friday” is a three-day event in early November. The chart below lists countries that have “Black Friday” style shopping events modeled after the US.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 | www.PARCELindustry.com
Argentina Australia Austria Bolivia Brazil Canada Colombia Denmark France Germany India
Ireland Lebanon Mexico New Zealand Nigeria Panama Romania South Africa Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom
It is no surprise that the Black Friday shopping bonanza concept has been adopted in nations with high Christian populations, but India is a surprising standout. Only 2.3% of the country’s population is