'Perfect storm' of factors for TM I suspect. We've seen a drop off in sales on our website since about 12 months ago with our retail sales reducing substantially off the end of a boon period during the depths of COVID when many people seemed to gain experience and confidence buying online. It seems our wholesale customers have also seen a similar slowing of their sales of the goods they manufacture from our fabrics as those who sell primarily to the NZ market also feel the slowing of our national economy. Those selling internationally are still pretty active.
The slowing of NZ's economy will see many potential buyers shying away from the temptation that TM presents and also as buyers become more accustomed to online buying they gain the skills to search beyond TM and realise that there is a whole other shopping world beyond a platform whose functionality is clunky at best. Promoting a safe and friendly trading place is soon contradicted if their helpdesk function is required as those manning it are uneducated in TM's own systems and more inclined to fob enquiries off than take any meaningful disciplinary action to address an issue.
Fee increases don't help the situation as sellers (and buyers by way of passed on costs) pay more while service and functionality levels drop.
Add to that the disconnect that has happened with the removal of TM's community discussion function and the former advantages of trading on what used to the default selling platform for NZers have all but gone, or been snaffled by the likes of FB and Neighbourly.
And I completed this post to find this article in our local news: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1307166...s-presents which I'm sure will be echoed NZ wide in the coming weeks.
The slowing of NZ's economy will see many potential buyers shying away from the temptation that TM presents and also as buyers become more accustomed to online buying they gain the skills to search beyond TM and realise that there is a whole other shopping world beyond a platform whose functionality is clunky at best. Promoting a safe and friendly trading place is soon contradicted if their helpdesk function is required as those manning it are uneducated in TM's own systems and more inclined to fob enquiries off than take any meaningful disciplinary action to address an issue.
Fee increases don't help the situation as sellers (and buyers by way of passed on costs) pay more while service and functionality levels drop.
Add to that the disconnect that has happened with the removal of TM's community discussion function and the former advantages of trading on what used to the default selling platform for NZers have all but gone, or been snaffled by the likes of FB and Neighbourly.
And I completed this post to find this article in our local news: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1307166...s-presents which I'm sure will be echoed NZ wide in the coming weeks.