EVENT CANCELED - TO BE RESCHEDULED Celebrate NY Fashion Week With This Free Event on Thurs. Sept. 11th 6 PM at 188 Madison Ave. (at 34th St - SIBL Library)

Hope you can come out and join myself and Kenyatta Adams of the USPS 

for a presentation on export success for e-commerce fashion sellers!

No registration is required.  Seating is first come first served.  Doors open at 5:45 pm.  See you there!

US Postal Service is Grabbing Market Share Away From Express Couriers

This week I joined the Postal Customer Council for a presentation on the “International Misconceptions of the USPS,” which was presented by my friend, Kenyatta Adams.

While I was aware of changes USPS had been making in terms of increasing international shipments, I was unaware that it has 48% of the U.S. export market and grew 17% between 2011 and 2013.

What’s behind this?  E-Commerce of course, and the increase in wearing apparel sales which typically make for the ideal small and lightweight package.

At the pace the US Postal Service is moving, for small packages going outbound (exports) and inbound (imports) – I’ll explain that in a moment – there will be a lot of “moving and shaking” to keep an eye out for.

Imports have become streamlined thanks to their “Global Direct Entry (GDE) – Inbound” service.  Working with private international logistics providers, they can transport parcels from various foreign countries providing all logistics and brokerage activities.  The package is then handed off to USPS.

The caveat of course, is that shipments involving a certification or other form, such as a Fish and Wildlife declaration form (think, fur products, or a watch with a mother-of-pearl dial) cannot be sent through this type of service, and not all countries are yet a part of this GDE service.  But hey, it’s new and over time, more and more countries will be a part of it.  Currently, there are about 30 participating countries.

The top 3 highlights I learned about are:

1) USPS has International Tracking (yes, they do!), having rolled out “E-DELCON” last year

2) All returns are free for undeliverable packages in international shipping

3) Their service “METROPOST” is a same-day-delivery service in Manhattan and Brooklyn, USPS just has to receive it by 1 pm - this is great news for those of us in NYC!

With their competitive pricing in the 1 ounce to 70 pound packaging niche, not to mention their convenient flat rate envelopes and boxes, which I use, it is definitely not the USPS that it once was.

Questions or comments?

Post below or email me at clark.deanna@gmail.com

Keep up with me at www.fashioncompliance.com or:

On Facebook at www.facebook.com/FashionCompliance

On Twitter @fashcompliance

OWIT-NY Event Tomorrow at 6 PM on E-Commerce in Japan and China

To register and for more details, click here.

Hope to see you there!

Increased Scrutiny by FTC on the Blurring Lines of Digital Ads With Digital Content

The fashion industry and many others are blending advertisements with news, entertainment, and other content in digital media, referred to as “native advertising” or “sponsored content.”

 

For e-commerce vendors selling domestically or for export to destinations outside of the U.S., you should take note of this increase in scrutiny as it could ultimately correlate to the way you are thinking about advertising.

This is because if the government is paying attention, as is in this case, it is trying to ascertain where the bright line is (for this type of advertising) as it relates to non-deceptive marketing claims so that it can decide where enforcement measures (think monetary penalties) can be assessed.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) there is an increase in advertisements that more closely resemble the content in which they are embedded, which are graphical images, typically rectangular in shape, placed on publishers’ websites and mobile applications.

For this reason, the FTC is hosting a workshop on December 4, 2013 in Washington DC to explore the blurring lines of digital ads with digital content.  The purpose is to build on previous Commission initiatives to help ensure that consumers can identify advertisements as advertising wherever they appear.

The workshop will bring together publishing and advertising industry representatives, consumer advocates, academics, and government regulators to explore changes in how paid messages are presented to consumers and consumers’ recognition and understanding of these messages.

The general public is invited to make submissions and may do so online here.

Paper submissions may also be submitted and should reference "Native Advertising Workshop" both in the text and on the envelope, and should be mailed or delivered to: 

Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex X), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. 

The FTC requests that any paper submissions be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because postal mail in the Washington area and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions. 

Requests to participate should include a statement detailing any relevant expertise in digital advertising and should be submitted by October 29, 2013 via email to nativeads@ftc.gov.  Panelists selected to participate will be notified by November 6, 2013.

The workshop is free and open to the public.  It will be held at the FTC’s satellite building conference center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.  The Commission will publish a more detailed agenda at a later date.

For more information, click here.

 

Questions/comments?  Post below or email me at clark.deanna@gmail.com

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