Marketplaces Year in Review 2021
2021 was the year of broken supply chains, Amazon aggregators, more advertising, Shopify's almost-marketplace, and one unanswered question - did the pandemic boost e-commerce after all? For now, the world of marketplaces revolves around Amazon - it has doubled in size in two years. No one will challenge it directly, but a different paradigm might.
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eBay’s Aging Seller Population
A growing share of sales on eBay comes from sellers selling on it for over five years. More than half, from those who joined ten years ago. That indicates shrinking interest from new sellers.
Amazon Live is Embarrassing
Amazon has been unable to unlock live commerce three years after launching Live in February 2019. Its amateur content didn’t attract viewers and, without users, brands and influencers are unwilling to commit to it.
Amazon Slips to 4th in Global Shopping App Rankings
Amazon ranked fourth in global shopping app downloads in 2021 - they were the number one most-downloaded app in 2020. Amazon is still first in the U.S. rankings, but Shopee, Shein, and Meesho leapfrogged it in global rankings.
Marketplaces Year in Review 2021
The fourth edition of Year in Review is a collection of stories, insights, and data, all told through forty charts. 2021 was the year of broken supply chains, Amazon aggregators, more advertising, Shopify's almost-marketplace, and one unanswered question - did the pandemic boost e-commerce after all?
Amazon Aggregators Raised Over $12 Billion in 2021
Amazon aggregators raised over $12 billion in 2021 - that's at least a billion dollars for twelve months in a row. The amount raised includes both equity and debt financing.
Amazon Seller Valuations Have Doubled
Amazon seller valuations have doubled since the start of 2020. There were only a few buyers then, and the concept of selling an Amazon seller business seemed far-fetched. Sellers were heavily undervalued, and the market is now catching up.
Shopify’s Almost-Marketplace
Shopify insists that they won't build a marketplace, but the Shop app has recently become one. The app now allows discovering merchants, adding their items to a shopping cart, and checking out - all without leaving the app.
Covid Didn’t Accelerate E-Commerce
U.S. e-commerce penetration is currently at levels it would have reached even if the pandemic didn't happen. While Covid boosted e-commerce spending in 2020, that acceleration perhaps wasn't a step-change after all.
Data
Proprietary software parses raw data to extract critical pieces of structured data on brands, products, categories, and sellers.
Research
We analyze the data and share insights as research reports and articles.
Analysis
We believe that data is better than opinions for understanding what's next in e-commerce.
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