My name is Elliot Brindel, and I am the founder of SellerDirectories.com. We produce Ecommerce Sellers Lead Databases and publish a Top 50 Amazon UK Marketplace Sellers List every month. Our Top 50 ranking is based on the number of seller reviews an ecommerce company has received over the previous 90 days. In this article we will be looking at the latest Top 50 list and providing some insight on those companies who are at the top of the tree.
Just to note that we are focussing on UK brands and private label sellers to the exclusion of book sellers and wholesalers/resellers.
Being able to cater for soaring demand for technological gadgets and help people get set for an active summer outdoors has been a successful formula for top UK brands and private label sellers.
Accer Trading, whose products for sale on Amazon include sleep masks, skipping ropes, Blukar car phone holders, LED torches, rechargeable camping lanterns, charging cables and selfie-sticks, was ranked in first place in the SellerDirectories.com Top 50 Amazon UK marketplace list with 2271 reviews over the last 90 days.
There may well be more growth to come with projections from Statista that the number of users in the sports and outdoor segment, which came to approximately 17million in 2021, are expected to increase to 25 million by 2027. This will be helped, it said, by the drive of digital and the increasing popularity of connected equipment.
Gaming and Gadgets
Also dialling up an impressive performance is Technet which is second in the Top 50 this month with 1725 reviews over the last 90 days. Technet is an experienced online retailer focussing on electronic products such as gaming headset headphones, wireless keyboards, laptop and gaming pad coolers and smart home products including wireless doorbells and digital kitchen sales. It also sells car electronics such as wireless chargers and boutique goods including windproof umbrellas and electric pumps for paddling pools.
Again, like Accer, Technet is in a sweet spot of demand as computer gaming continues to soar in popularity with millennials being joined by older gamers who picked up the habit during the Covid pandemic lockdowns. According to Straits Research the global gaming accessories market, valued at $8.65billion in 2021, is set to hit $24.38billion by 2030.
Nutravita is third on the list with 1561 reviews over the last 90 days. It sells a range of affordable nutritional products and health and wellbeing accessories such as vitamins, Omega 3 Pure Fish Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar capsules. Its best sellers are Turmeric vegan capsules and Vitamin D3 soft gels.
Nutravita is owned by Sylphar International, which in turn is part of the Karo Pharma group. It helped Karo mark up a 131% sales increase in wellbeing products in the first half of last year and a 49% hike in skin health demand.
It is benefiting from a ramp-up in concerns over people’s health, fitness and wellbeing since the pandemic. A greater focus on and understanding of mental health has also helped spur demand. According to The Global Wellness Institute the wellness economy has increased its global market value to approximately $4.4 trillion – with an annual growth rate of 5 to 10% in recent years.
Another two companies feeling healthier off the back of this trend is sixth placed Nu U Nutrition, with 825 reviews in the last 90 days, and Supplemented with 811 reviews.
Lighting Up The List
Barkley Trading – paulrussells.com – come fourth in the Top 50 list with 1003 reviews. It specialises in lighting with ‘the mission to provide the premium quality LED light bulbs at the most affordable prices’. The products include LED Frosted Bulbs, LED Filament Bulbs and LED Spiral Decorative Vintage Light Bulbs. It also sells glass kettles and ceiling downlights.
Also brightening up the list in fifth comes Duronic with 846 reviews over the last 90 days. Duronic has a wide ‘creative consumer’ product base covering the office, home, kitchen, health and travel. This includes keyboard drawers, sit/stand workstations, food steamers, air fryers – which have rocketed in demand in the UK and elsewhere this year – blood pressure monitors and travel irons.
Pet supplies group Copdock Mills – a family run business for over a century is also highly placed in the list bounding in at 19th place with 485 reviews. They are producers and suppliers of premium-grade animal feeds, accessories and equipment such as Corporal’s Crunch food for working dogs, poultry food for laying hens and bird food to attract wild birds to people’s gardens.
Copdock has benefited from a rise in demand for pets in recent years in the UK and not just common animals like dogs and cats. According to Statista the estimated number of domestic fowl – which covers all birds that are kept for home use such as chickens and roosters – has climbed from around 700,000 back in 2010/11 to 1.4million in 2021/22. That’s been driven by a number of factors from the pandemic to keep kids at home entertained with a new pet and even the cost of living giving rising egg prices and shortages.
A Taste for Luxury
Food of a different kind comes in at number 30 with Martin’s Chocolatier and its 413 reviews in the last 90 days.
According to its website the group is the UK’s first Premium Online Chocolate shop ‘providing luxury specialty chocolates from a wide range of internationally renowned Artisan chocolatiers from across the world’. Its best sellers are luxury chocolate planets truffles and fruity chocolates alongside its other ranges such as boxed chocolates and chocolate ballotins. The group has a heavy emphasis on gift chocolates for special occasions such as Father’s Day and Thank You gifts.
Personalisation gift boxes is another key focus where shoppers can use their own designs to wow their family and friends.
Another likely driver for the company is its status as a sustainable, ethical chocolate brand. Its chocolate is made from traceable cocoa beans grown by farmer communities and cooperatives in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
For each chocolate bought, cash is reinvested into farmer training and farming tools to elevate farmers into experts as well as training programmes for women in West Africa. According to Ethical Consumer the value of ethical spending in the UK has increased by 2.4% in the past decade from £51bn in 2010.
Fashion is also shaping up well with Ajvani Shoes placing at 27th with 428 reviews. Its products range from ankle boots to comfortable slippers, work shoes as more people return to the office, womens trainers as part of the surging athleisure trend and party shoes such as high heels. Free standard delivery and free returns for unworn items also seem to have gone down well with customers.
Sole London is also striding proudly placed at 37th in the Top 50 with 380 reviews in the last 90 days. Its website says it provides the latest trends at affordable prices with a particular focus on young women starting a new school, University or a new job. Its range of footwear includes trainers, ballet pumps and heels.
Staying at Home
Another interesting company to point out is Oypla which is placed at number 11 with 658 reviews. Given concerns over rising inflation, interest rates and mortgage rates there has been a drop in house prices in the UK for the first time in over a decade.
If people are deciding not to move, then it is likely that they are looking to put some of their cash instead into improving their current properties. This appears to be benefiting Oypla which sells a range of DIY, garden and home and furniture products.
Netta Direct – placed at 15th in the list with 508 reviews – has also benefited given its range of products such as garden leaf blowers, garden furniture, kitchen appliances and sleeping bags for campers.
In conclusion it is far too complex to explain seller performance through a single metric based on reviews. But we can tell from the list that successful businesses share a number of strengths – mainly that their business models and product ranges are often defensive and therefore can perform well in most market environments. Indeed, just over 50% of companies in the Top 50 list sell some form of product connected to the home, household or garden.
But despite fears over the economy consumers still want to get their hands on new electronics and gadgets and play their part in the digital revolution. About a fifth of firms in the Top 50 sell electronics.
Perhaps cash-strapped families are once again looking more at staycation trips this summer given the strong performance of companies selling outdoor and camping equipment. But they also have time for the odd luxury and gift-giving such as tasty chocolates.
Overall, these companies know the value of innovation, product refreshment, strong and flexible delivery options and the targeted use of promotions and discounts to keep customers spending.
