Amazon cuts commissions in half! This new category takes off

Recently, Amazon officially announced that it will separate the bicycle accessories category and reduce the platform sales commission rate for this category from the original 15% to 8% , which is equivalent to cutting it in half!

This policy will be officially implemented from April 1 this year , including major European Amazon sites and the UK site, which will implement this rate change at the same time. The only difference is that this rate does not include the digital tax rates currently announced by various countries, so sellers need to add the digital rate of their own site (2% for the UK site, 3% for France, Italy and Spain) to get the final commission ratio. For example, the final rate of the UK site is 8%*1.02, which is 8.16%.

After being separated, the bicycle accessories category includes the following products: bicycle backpacks, bags and saddle bags, bells, covers, locks, rearview mirrors, air pumps, frames and panniers, water bottle cages, etc. It is a very precise and segmented category. In addition, cycling is quite popular in Europe. The most famous event in the cycling circle is the Tour de France. Europeans love bicycles far more than other parts of the world.

In June last year, when Europe gradually resumed work from the epidemic lockdown at the beginning of the year, bicycles were the best-selling item among major European retailers and e-commerce platforms. Due to the insecurity of public transportation, consumers frantically rushed to buy bicycles as a means of transportation after the lockdown was lifted, and they were sold out almost every day.

In the middle of last year, bicycle sales at major European stations soared. Sales in Italy and the UK increased by about 4 times compared with the same period last year, and in Spain by 22 times! The booming bicycle market also led to a surge in the prices of related accessories.

European countries encountered a second wave of the epidemic at the end of last year and issued a new round of lockdown orders, which were not relaxed until the beginning of this year.

UK: The third round of blockade is gradually lifted

The British government held a televised press conference today, saying that in order to seek a balance between public health, economic and social factors, it will gradually lift the third lockdown implemented since January.

It is initially expected that schools in the UK will reopen on March 8, and a small number of people will be allowed to go out for recreational activities (picnics, outings, etc.) in outdoor places such as parks. On March 29, the mandatory stay-at-home order will be lifted, and residents who go out will not be fined. The government will only advise people to stay at home to work and reduce going out.

By April 12, some non-essential living places, such as barber shops and general stores, will be opened, and other entertainment indoor places such as bars and clubs will be unblocked in June.

Germany: Lockdown expected to be lifted in March

Although the epidemic in Germany is not serious among European countries, out of concern for new mutant strains, Germany extended the lockdown period that began in January until March 14. However, foreign media broke the news last week about a plan between Merkel and state officials to gradually relax some restrictions after February 14, and may first open industries such as hotels and shops in areas with low infection rates.

France: The blockade has been lifted and the epidemic is currently stable

France lifted the lockdown imposed at the end of last year last month, and held a press conference last week, saying that the current epidemic situation is stable and there may be no need to launch a new round of lockdown.

In addition, France's current vaccination work is progressing steadily, and it is estimated that 3.5 million to 4 million people will be successfully vaccinated by the end of February. France is expected to become one of the European countries with the fastest economic recovery in February.

Italy: Soft lockdown expected this week, lifting some restrictions

Italy recently announced that it will implement a "soft lockdown" across the country starting from the 25th of this month, setting up several epidemic areas and dividing them into color levels.

Areas such as hospitals and essential stores are white and need to remain in normal operation at all times, while shopping malls, bars and other places are orange and subject to regular review and blockade. Effective zoning will allow Italy to more effectively coordinate and decide whether different companies should resume work.

To sum up, European countries are planning to gradually lift the blockade and restart the economy recently. If so, there will definitely be a huge demand like when the blockade was lifted in June last year. Products like bicycles will be sold out with the help of this lifting of the blockade. Bicycle accessories have been separated this time, and the sales commission has been reduced by half. It will definitely be a super popular category!