With many European countries boycotting Amazon, can sellers still achieve booming sales on Black Friday?

Recently, Amazon's Black Friday promotion is being carried out as scheduled. A survey shows that this year the number of online shoppers in the United States on Black Friday may exceed the number of people shopping in stores for the first time.

On the other hand, Amazon also officially announced that Amazon Middle East will hold a White Friday promotion from November 24 to November 30. The launch of various promotional activities means the arrival of the peak season.

But looking at the recent situation of Amazon sellers, there is no sign of explosive orders. On the contrary, the soaring ACOs and the continued sluggish sales can't help but make sellers wonder: Am I having a fake Black Friday?

▲ The picture comes from the seller communication group

Why is there no peak season atmosphere on Black Friday this year? In addition to the inconsistency between the Black Friday event date and discount display time, the national policies of each site and the epidemic situation are also important factors affecting cross-border e-commerce.

There is no need to elaborate on the situation in the United States. The epidemic continues to worsen, riots continue, logistics delays, warehouse overflows, and various difficulties follow one after another. However, the protagonist of today's article is not the United States, but Europe, which has caused Amazon and many sellers to "suffer".

Affected by the epidemic, the real economy of many European countries has been hit hard, but online e-commerce has flourished. Its rapid growth rate has shocked many European governments, and they have called for restrictions on online shopping or e-commerce websites. Amazon, as an e-commerce giant, has also been caught up in a boycott storm.

During this period, when other sellers were cheering for the arrival of Black Friday, sellers on the French site could only watch anxiously, because all they got was news of Black Friday being repeatedly delayed.

Although Amazon only accounts for 1% of the market share in the conservative French retail industry, it has become the target of local traditional businesses. Below, the editor will sort out the timeline of the Black Friday news in France:

Faced with a series of pressures from the French government, Amazon had to back down and repeatedly complied with the government's demands to withdraw Black Friday advertisements and postpone Black Friday. However, France did not stop there. They still hoped to ban Black Friday activities or even completely boycott Amazon.

It is learned that last week, several French mayors and senior government officials took the lead in opposing large-scale promotions led by Amazon, and shouted "Christmas without Amazon", asking everyone to give up shopping on Amazon. If the calls for boycotting Amazon grow, it is hard to imagine where the sellers on the French site will go in the future.

In fact, for France, suspending a shopping promotion is not a big deal. But for Amazon, it may face a huge loss. Statistics show that last year, the sales of European sites accounted for about 23% of the total sales of Amazon's global sites . Amazon created a revenue of 5.7 billion euros in France last year , accounting for 1% of the total retail sales in France.

In addition to France, the situation in some other European countries and cities is not optimistic, setting off a wave of boycotts against Amazon and Black Friday.

1. Barcelona

According to foreign media reports, Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau called on Barcelona residents not to buy goods on Amazon or large online platforms during the "Black Friday Sale" and Christmas. She bluntly said: These giants not only do not pay taxes, but also have no value to our city.

2. Spain

Similarly, Spain has also been constantly criticizing "Black Friday", believing that "Black Friday" will bring forward the Christmas and New Year consumption peak season , thereby destroying Spain's traditional "big sale" and fiercely plundering the market of local small and medium-sized businesses.

3. Italy

According to foreign media reports, Italy is also calling on consumers to support local businesses at Christmas. It is reported that Codacons and Confesercenti also expressed support for the "Noel Sans Amazon" campaign launched in France. In addition, Codacons also asked the Italian government to study how to limit Amazon's "excessive power" on the grounds of "risks to competition".

Judging from the current situation, Amazon's business in many parts of Europe has been subject to many restrictions, and the severe epidemic has also caused the European economy to plummet. In the long run, boycotting online shopping is not a perfect move for either the local area or Amazon.

What will be the fate of Amazon in Europe in the future? As a seller, I certainly hope that Amazon can develop in the long run, but the continued "cold reception" of Amazon in Europe in recent days has made many sellers worried. Will there be a peak season at the end of the year? Can the French Black Friday be held as usual? How long will the sluggish sales during this period last?

▲ The picture comes from the seller communication group

Of course, some sellers are optimistic and believe that although European governments have called for a boycott of Amazon, consumers' desire to shop has not diminished. For example, orders at the Italian site have increased instead of decreased.

At present, European countries have not explicitly stated that Amazon will be prohibited from selling in their local areas, so sellers do not need to worry too much. At the same time, they should pay more attention to foreign policies and Amazon news during this period. Previously, France said that the blockade measures would last until December. Black Friday and the lifting of the blockade are coming soon. Sellers should also pay more attention to the dynamics of the site . No matter what the result is, they must be fully prepared to deal with emergencies.