Is Gilt Groupe Ready for an IPO?

An eMarketer report released earlier this year estimates US retail sales to have recorded a 4% growth this year to $4.53 trillion. The researcher revealed that brick and mortar sales still amount to a major proportion of the retail sales in the country and contributed $4.23 trillion of total sales. E-commerce transactions grew 17% in 2013 to bring in $304 billion and are projected to grow to $491.5 billion by the year 2018 to command 9% of total retail sales in the country.

>>>

E-Commerce Darling Zulily Grows Furiously Fast

Many analysts believe that flash sales sites are a passing fad. But, if one looks at players like Zulily and Gilt Groupe, that may not be true. By identifying a niche market space, addressing the target demographic and carefully selecting products to put on sale, both Zulily and Gilt Groupe have become the poster children for flash sales sites. >>>

MercadoLibre’s Rising Competition in Latin American E-Commerce

An eMarketer report released earlier this year estimates the business-to-consumer e-commerce sales in Latin America to grow 20% this year from $48.14 billion to $57.69 billion. The market is expected to grow to $74.5 billion by the year 2017, translating to a 12% annual growth over the period 2013 through 2017.

>>>

Fab.com’s Continuous Transformation

An IBISWorld research report published earlier this year pegs the US home goods market which includes furnishings, furniture, and décor products to be worth $30 billion this year. The industry is estimated to have grown 2% annually over the period 2009 through 2014. While the industry is dominated by the traditional brick and mortar stores, the online sector is gradually establishing its presence. Analysts estimate that a mere 6% of the market is currently catered to by e-commerce.

>>>

Thought Leaders in E-Commerce: Mall for Africa CEO Chris Folayan (Part 6)

Sramana Mitra: There are two trends that are holding e-commerce back in India. India is getting a lot of investments right now. There is one major company that has emerged called Flipkart that is doing very well. Amazon has announced that they’re going to invest $2 billion. There are two major issues in Indian e-commerce. One is the Indian consumer does not like to pay by credit card. It’s a cash-on-delivery e-commerce market. Two is the logistics. There is no equivalent of a delivery service like UPS in India. What are the counterparts of that situation in Africa? How comfortable are people with paying online versus cash on delivery? What is going on in the logistics side of e-commerce?

>>>

Flipkart Looking at Alibaba as a Role Model

Nomura’s India Internet Research Report released last month projects the Indian e-commerce market to grow from $10 billion to $43 billion in the next five years. Other researchers estimate the Indian e-commerce market to grow to $76 billion by the year 2020. Within the market, Accel Partners estimates that revenues from marketplace revenues or product sales will grow from $2 billion in 2013 to $8.5 billion in 2016. The rapidly growing market is attracting a lot of interest with multi-billion dollar investments being made in the country. Recently, India’s e-tail giant, Flipkart received funding of $1 billion and Amazon also announced plans to invest $2 billion to capture a bigger share in the Indian market.

>>>

Thought Leaders in E-Commerce: Mall for Africa CEO Chris Folayan (Part 5)

Sramana Mitra: What is the size of your customer base? How many African consumers are interacting with your mobile application to buy products from the US and UK?

Chris Folayan: We have several hundred thousand customers on our platform. The amount of sales done on our mobile platform is about 52% right now.

Sramana Mitra: The rest are desktop?

>>>

E-Tailer Etsy’s Unique Marketplace

The online marketplace is not only an easy place to find run of the mill stuff, but with vendors like Etsy around, buyers can also scout for one-of-a-kind products with ease. Founded in 2005, DUMBO, Brooklyn-based Etsy, is a leading e-tailer in handmade and vintage products. Here is a quick view into their rapid growth.

>>>