Market America | SHOP.COM's Marc Ashley Shares The Best Way For E-Commerce Businesses To Sustain During Times Of Uncertainty

By Hayden McConnell, Market America | SHOP.COM

A lot has evolved in the past month, as the situation of COVID-19 is changing daily. With that has come new implementations that businesses are having to continuously enforce to ensure they are not endangering the wellbeing of their employees, as well as the general public. On May 5 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, President and COO of Market America Worldwide, Marc Ashley, once again addressed the world to provide an update on how the company has handled recent evolutions of the pandemic within the business and what new products its award-winning, global e-commerce site, SHOP.COM, is making available to meet consumer demand.

Beginning with a touching tribute to Julio Zchicay, an Executive Coordinator from Elmhurst, NY, who unfortunately lost his life to COVID-19, Ashley attributed the session to Zchicay, sending his thoughts and prayers to Zchicay’s family. Following the heartfelt introduction, Ashley discussed the new steps Market America has taken to ensure the health and wellbeing of its employees, distributors (known as UnFranchise Owners), customers, and the general public.

In addition to checking warehouse employees’ temperatures daily, Market America also has provided them with masks and face shields to guarantee they are using the best protective equipment available. Additionally, the warehouse staff continues to practice social distancing.

Ashley also announced how the company has integrated its Business Continuity Plan into its health and safety regulations. “We went the extra mile as it relates to health and safety,” he stated, expanding on how the company has created four zones throughout its distribution center. The employees of each zone wear a wristband marked with the color of their specific zone, not allowing them to leave that zone and cross-contaminate other employees. This was implemented so that if one employee from one zone were to contract COVID-19, the employees of that zone would be the only ones affected. If this were to happen, the company has created a standby team that remains at home, so if one zone is infected, there is no disruption of order fulfillment. Talk about forward-thinking!

While health and safety are of the highest concerns for Market America, there are various unknowns that businesses are facing during the pandemic. With several large companies shutting down, many people have faced job losses; unemployment is at an all-time high, as a staggering 36 million people have filed for unemployment in the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security deemed Market America an essential business, so the company has been fortunate to retain every single employee during the pandemic; in fact, the company has needed to expand its employee base. With 99 percent of office employees successfully working from home, Market America is recruiting and hiring to expand its team, providing job opportunities to those who may have lost their livelihood due to COVID-19.

Ashley also discussed how important it has been, now more than ever, for the company to respond to the market appropriately, stating, “As a product brokerage company, Market America Worldwide always has  and will always be responsive to swings in the marketplace and an ever-changing environment.”

In response to the recent high demand of so many of the company’s exclusive products, Market America | SHOP.COM has worked hard to offer new products, including Dr. Brite Hand Sanitizer, hand sanitizer RX,  Shopping Annuity Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer Spray, alcohol wipes, face masks, disinfectant cleaner, vitamin C 1,000 mg, vitamin C 1,000 mg with rose hips, vitamin D3 and Shopping Annuity Premium Immune.

“As president of the company, never have I had to prepare so far in advance for something — especially when you don’t have control of what’s going on in the world, so you don’t have the say-so to adapt. As a result, anticipatory thinking must be even more acute, so you’re prepared for whatever happens,” Ashley stated.

Let us not forget that while forward-thinking always has been a driving goal for most companies, it has never been more essential than it is today. With their eyes always looking forward, even in unprecedented times, the Market America | SHOP.COM corporate team and their loyal employees continue to prove their place as one of the top e-commerce businesses.

About The Author

Hayden McConnell is the Public Relations Assistant at Market America | SHOP.COM. She is a senior at Elon University with a major in Professional Writing and Rhetoric. Her passions include writing, digital art, and creating.

About Market America

Market America is a global product brokerage and internet marketing company that specializes in one-to-one marketing and is the creator of The Shopping Annuity.