A fascinating theory of Amazon hurting consumers with monopoly power. “Amazon also uses its bazooka of cash from Prime members paying high consumer prices, laundered through third party sellers, to distort industries across the economy.” | learn more
“The scruffy exporters are used to roaming about suburban factory areas and dealing with constant cash flow strain, but suddenly they find themselves having coffee with top Chinese venture capital firms and investment representatives from internet giants, who come with […]
“Amazon and Walmart both use artificial intelligence to decide whether it makes economic sense to accept a return. These merchants can absorb the cost. But for smaller merchants, returnless refunds are a recipe for financial disaster.” | learn more
In 2018, the anonymous blogger behind Deep Throat IPO wrote this incredibly long post exploring the question “What would have happened if Amazon and Walmart had never been born?” It’s a fascinating exploration of the dynamics of US retail and […]
Thingtesting highlights a few brands that aren’t following the typical d2c script for social media: “Manicured feeds, on-brand messaging, the occasional playful meme, and an ultra-friendly member of the customer support team lurking in the comments.” | learn more
I was unimpressed by this company when a Chinese friend showed me their website. I’ve made a complete reversal after reading this. “It reportedly did almost $10 billion in revenue in 2020, and has grown over 100% for each of […]
“With Travis Scott, no creative choice is obvious or predictable. In fact, he didn’t even want his first album to be released on CD, still the standard format of the day in 2015.” | learn more
This is a nice long ode to Wayfair! “The furnishings giant is almost 20 years old. But it says it’s just getting started.” | learn more
Last year, Tequila’s share of liquor sales grew 22%. “Meet the tequila and mezcal brands serving a new generation of drinkers.” | learn more
I haven’t tried this store but I love the concept of Curated. Product expertise tends to really be missing from ecommerce. “Founded in 2017, Curated is a three sided marketplace, connecting consumers, experts and brands.” | learn more