Toy World spoke to Etopia Consultancy founder Asha Bhalsod to find out how the past year has unfolded, and what the future holds.

Etopia Consultancy, which provides strategic advice to help companies grow their Amazon sales, is celebrating its 1st anniversary after a year in which eCommerce has truly flourished.

“Who knew that launching an eCommerce business in the fastest growing channel ahead of a pandemic would turn out to be the best thing I have ever done in my life?” Comments Asha. “I feel fortunate that I can help so many businesses with the challenges they face in eCommerce, and managing Amazon in particular. Talk about being in the right place at the right time…”

Looking back over the last 12 months, Asha told Toy World what has been the most memorable part of Etopia’s first year in business.

“Creating great business partnerships and forming relationships with clients,” she says. “From my first ever client to my most recent, each has had full trust in my ability to help manage their biggest sales channel. I’ve been instrumental in building their eCommerce strategy, working with each to create opportunities for even greater success. In the first week of launching Etopia, I had so many messages of support from old colleagues and bosses, which cemented why I love the toy industry so much.”

With Amazon reporting a strong third quarter, where in this period alone profits triples, there has arguably never been a better time to be involved with Amazon. And with the start of a new year fast approaching, Asha clues us in on the biggest opportunities out there heading into 2021.

“Most Amazon vendors will either be entering Year 2, or will be pushed into Year 1, of Amazon Pan EU Management. If they want to remain relevant across all the EU markets, businesses will have to look at aligning the skills they have in managing eCommerce with how they navigate Pan EU agreements. Many businesses are represented across multiple offices, in various locations, and they are structured differently across those locations. They will need to ensure their biggest channel has dedicated resources working across Account Management, Marketing and Operations.”

Asha notes that eCommerce channels will continue to grow, and even more so even due to the pandemic, which means businesses will need to embrace change following an unprecedented year.

“Amazon is no longer just a sales account – it’s now also a huge marketing platform,” she explains. “Here at Etopia, we will continue to evolve our service offering as the eCommerce landscape adapts and changes. We are excited to work with many of the top brands, helping them establish their global eCommerce/Amazon strategy. I also want to instil in companies the knowledge that data analytics will offer the best insight into eCommerce, and that Etopia is structured and trained to help companies use their data to create valuable insights.”

Readers can get in touch via www.etopiaconsultancy.co.uk or can email info@etopiaconsultancy.co.uk.

Read the full interview with Asha in the November issue of Toy World, here.