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Marketplace news
Alibaba blames politics as Taobao retains place on US government naughty list. “It’s clear that no matter how much action we take and progress we make, the USTR is not actually interested in seeing tangible results. Therefore, our inclusion on its list is not an accurate representation of Alibaba’s results in protecting brands and IP, and we have no other choice but to conclude that this is a deeply flawed, biased and politicized process,” Michael Evans said. TechCrunch, Alizila
Amazon Australia One Month Later. Amazon launched in Australia in December last year. One month later the marketplace attracted over 5,000 sellers and has recently surpassed Amazon's Brazil marketplace which expanded in October. Marketplace Pulse
JD.com has introduced its own brand offering products from suitcases to bath towels, putting the online retailer in direct competition with the manufacturers that sell their products through its platform. The brand, called Jing Zao, translates to `Made by JD’, now offers 38 products with a style reminiscent of Japan’s Muji or US luggage maker Samsonite but at a lower price. Both companies sell their wares through JD.com. South China Morning Post
China’s biggest e-commerce company Alibaba has reportedly shut down over 240,000 online shops for selling counterfeit products from designer bags to fake wines on its platform in 2017, expanding its effort to combat counterfeit products on its online marketplace. The Drinks Business
Apartment List raises $50 million for home rentals. Co-founder and CEO John Kobs said that despite the competitive landscape which includes Zillow, HotPads and PadMapper, he believes Apartment List has a business model that’s different. It only collects payment from listings that actually result in a transaction. TechCrunch
Amazon Eyes Australian Grocery Sector. Amazon has taken action on its interest in Australia’s grocery market, with the renewal of the trademark for its supermarket chain at Australia’s office of intellectual property in December. In addition to this, Amazon also registered its checkout-free store, Amazon Go, with IP Australia in May 2017, and it has also for the past decade held an Australian trademark for its Amazon Fresh business. Power Retail
Car marketplace Auto1 reportedly raises €460 million from Softbank. The Berlin-based company develops a platform for buying and selling used cars. The funding news was first reported by The Financial Times. Auto1, which was founded in 2012 and according to Reuters had revenues of €1.5 billion in 2016, has yet to comment officially. Tech.eu
An Indian CPG company will work with Amazon and Flipkart to take on Hindustan Unilever. Patanjali on Tuesday said it’s partnering with e-commerce companies including Amazon.com Inc., and Flipkart Online Services Pvt to sell its products online, and it expects to double revenue to about 200 billion rupees in the year ending March 31, according to Bloomberg Quint. Digital Commerce 360
Flipkart can’t use the private label ‘MarQ’ till February 5. A Delhi court has restrained Flipkart from using brand MarQ until February 5, dealing a blow to the e-commerce giant's large appliances private label. The interim judgement came after city-based appliances manufacturer Marc Enterprises alleged that Flipkart's brand was similar to its own and in violation of its trademark registered in 1984. The Economic Times
eBay has a joint venture with Warren, Akron. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, today announced his full support for a joint entrepreneurship partnership between eBay and the cities of Warren and Akron. The “Retail Revival” program involves a 12-month partnership to help local small businesses and Northeast Ohio harness the power of technology and eBay’s global marketplace, Ryan's office announced in a news release. The Vindicator
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Weekly Marketplace Insights
JD.com this week joined the group of marketplaces that are using private labels to compete with their third-party sellers. JD.com has introduced a “Made by JD’ house brand that is aimed at the home category that is not one of JD.com revenue drivers. JD.com clearly is feeling that this private label will drive sales and provide better profit margins in comparison to only being reliant on commissions from third-party sellers. How does JD.com drive customers to this brand? They don't have a voice speaker like Alexa and thus I believe will be using marketing on their platform to drive awareness and sales. This will be an interesting storyline for 2018.
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B2C (Business to customer) news
Amazon is raising the price of Prime monthly memberships by nearly 20 percent. From $10.99 to $12.99. I view this as Amazon trying to convince monthly Prime customers to become annual members. Amazon Prime memberships are getting more expensive for those customers who want the flexibility to pay for the speedy shipping and media streaming program on a monthly basis. Recode, Bloomberg
JD.com, the Chinese e-commerce firm that rivals Alibaba, has continued its expansion in Southeast Asia with an investment in Vietnam-based Tiki, a seven-year-old online retail service. JD.com is leading a Series C investment round in Tiki alongside VNG, the Vietnam-based online media and gaming company that is already an investor. TechCrunch, JD.com
Amazon takes on Wish with an “Under $10” selection of products that ship for free. Amazon has quietly launched a new feature that’s seemingly aimed at helping the retailer better compete with discount shopping apps such as Wish and others. In the Amazon mobile app and on the web, Amazon recently added a new section offering products under $10 that ship for free. Some of the products are also available on Prime, but the feature doesn’t appear to be limited to Prime subscribers. TechCrunch
Rocket Internet’s Home24 reportedly planning an IPO this summer. German online furniture retailer Home24 is reportedly planning an initial public offering on the stock market for this summer. Manager Magazin reports that the Rocket Internet-backed company is in the midst of preparing a listing, according to sources within the company. Tech.eu
Why Empty Backseats May Be the Next Big Thing In Delivering Packages to Your Doorstep. Roadie, Atlanta-based startup, thinks there may be an answer right in front of us (or more precisely, besides and behind us): The empty space in the millions of cars and trucks already on the road. Instead of summoning a driver to ferry your package to its destination, Roadie recruits drivers who are already headed in the right direction to make the delivery. Fortune
The Return Strategy. Some estimates put the average online return rate (across merchandise categories) as high as 30%, whereas overall retail runs at about 9%3 Because online retailing is growing at a rate of a rate of about 15% a year (and currently comprises about 8% of all retail commerce, increasing to about 15% in 2020), it is hardly surprising that the volume of returns as a percentage of sales is accelerating at a faster rate than retail commerce, per se. The result is that returns can eat into 10% to 20% of retailers’ profits in a given year. Medium
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D2C (Direct To Customer) news
How Smart Luggage Makers Are Reacting to the Impending Ban. Earlier this month, American, Alaska, and Delta Airlines announced a ban on smart luggage with batteries that can’t be removed. The restrictions, which take effect Jan. 15, 2018, apply to both checked and carry-on luggage. United and Southwest are expected to make similar announcements soon. Bloomberg Pursuits
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Fashion e-commerce news
NA-KD, a Swedish fashion retailer, has raised 45 million dollar (36.8 million euros) in Series B funding. NA-KD wants to use the money to accelerate the company’s growth and to further expand its business globally. The Swedish startup has plans to launch 9 localized websites in the coming months. Ecommerce News Europe, TechCrunch
Zalando's zLabels Makes Private Labels Public. With 17 different brands, zLabels is somewhat different from other firms that have launched private label businesses, noted Zalando Vice President of Product and Merchandising, zLabels, Sergio Odriozola: their offerings have more of a reach. Instead of focusing on millennials or business shoppers, zLabels hopes to capture a wider footprint of shoppers. PYMNTS
How Kiehl’s is using text messages and AI to keep customers loyal. The cosmetics brand, which does the majority of its business through its own Kiehl’s-branded stores and on Kiehls.com, is now using text messaging as a way to keep customers coming back. One way has been an automatic replenishment plan. The company uses predictive data and dynamic processing through AI to figure out when customers might run out of something they’ve ordered in the past, then hits them with an email message prompting them to re-order. Digiday
Boston Area E-Commerce Firm True Fit Snags $55M in New Funds. By the end of next year, True Fit, who works with thousands of fashion brands and 200 retail sites in the United States and Europe, aims to have 70 percent of the $2 trillion apparel market mapped out by a variety of details, including sleeve lengths and details like the placement of zippers. Xconomy, TechCrunch
Amazon changes seller fees for fashion and accessories. Amazon adjusted the referral fee rate structure—the fee it collects on each unit sold by a seller on the marketplace—it sets by product category. The referral fee rates will increase the sale of goods in the clothing and accessories category, and in the shoe, handbag and sunglass categories. Digital Commerce 360
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Mobile commerce
WhatsApp launches a separate app for small businesses. WhatsApp has launched a separate app designed for use by small businesses to more easily connect with customers. WhatsApp Business adds key features like dedicated business profiles for details like email address, business description, store addresses, and website; smart messaging tools like greetings, quick replies, and away messages; and metrics for how many messages were sent, delivered, and read. The Verge, Whatsapp
Instacart has today announced the acquisition of Unata, a Toronto-based company that offers a platform for both grocers and consumers to interact digitally. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Unata’s product, unlike Instacart’s, is a white-label grocery platform, letting grocers anywhere create apps and websites for consumers to order products, complete with coupons, purchase tracking, push notifications, deal suggestions, and more. TechCrunch, Bloomberg
App Annie: App spending doubles in 2 years. Consumer spending on mobile apps more than doubled to $86 billion in 2017 from two years earlier as smartphone and tablet users spent more time on their mobile devices, according to an App Annie study. The number of downloads last year jumped 60% from 2015 to more than 175 billion. Mobile Marketer, App Annie
Carousell raised over $45m in new funding last year. Carousell appears to have raised over US$45 million in new funding last year, according to financial documents reviewed by Tech in Asia, while the startup confirmed it has new backers. This could be a sign of investor confidence in Carousell’s ability to become profitable. Tech in Asia
American grocery delivery service Instacart aims to serve 80% of Canadians within the next 18 months. American grocery delivery service Instacart is buying Toronto-based technology company Unata as part of its ambitious expansion efforts across Canada. Financial Post
In WeChat, sellers are experimenting with new models of e-commerce. “Following WeChat’s big push for mini-programs, you can see that more and more stores, brands, and platforms are setting up shop on WeChat, because they benefit from WeChat’s large user base and social sharing functions,” Mo Jia, an analyst at market research firm Canalys. Tech in Asia
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Stats and other interesting news
Amazon Go, a high-tech version of a 7-Eleven, will finally open on Monday — with no checkout lines and no cashiers. Amazon Go allows customers to grab items and just walk out without stopping to pay. Recode
Speedy Websites Bring Holiday Cheer to Shoppers, with Global Retail Websites Ready to Use in 3 Seconds or Less - Business Wire
JD Launches Unmanned Delivery Vehicles in Tianjin in Smart City Push - JD.com
How top retailers’ conversion rates stack up for holiday 2017 - Digital Commerce 360
Walmart’s Store No. 8 Will Have Five Ventures Up and Running By 2019 - Multi Channel Merchant
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