Read online Dear Readers, The three things on my mind this week: I was shocked to learn that eBay turned 30 years old this past week. The original marketplace pioneer will continue to operate the way it has over the last decade. The most interesting note is that eBay management thought this was the time to mention that they are also working on incorporating AI. CEO Jamie Iannone then made a bold claim that, to his knowledge, eBay had never passed a counterfeit item through any of its...
8 days ago • 8 min read
Read online Dear Readers, Firstly, to those who celebrate Labor Day, - hope you are having a good long weekend! The three things on my mind this week: I cannot remember when I last saw so many pixels and characters spent on a topic. The end of the de minimis exemption will reduce cross-border shopping but benefit sectors such as resale/recommerce or off-price retail. The biggest losers are Etsy and eBay. It will also lead to less selection and longer waiting times for goods. Will this lead to...
15 days ago • 7 min read
,Read online Dear Readers, The three things on my mind this week: Pattern has filed for an initial public offering (S1 here) and reported 35% growth in revenue over the first half of 2025. However, their net income from December 2023 to June 2025 fluctuated between 3% and 4.1% of revenue. Why is this going public and reportedly wanting to raise up to $400M? PE investors likely want an exit. This reminds me a lot of Pharmapacks and the challenges it faced. How will Amazon counter agentic...
22 days ago • 7 min read
Read online Dear Readers, The three questions on my mind this week: The company on the hot seat this week is The Trade Desk. The Information reported that the company's exclusive DSP relationship with Walmart is no longer. A week later, management could not communicate to investors that Amazon's advertising is not a competitor ($). The news led to a rebuttal, but it's clear that the company is under pressure. Remember the last company that failed to see Amazon as a direct competitor? FedEx,...
29 days ago • 7 min read
Read online Dear Readers, The three questions on my mind this week: Have we, as a sector, been thinking incorrectly about nascent emerging markets? Singapore-headquartered Flood, which raised $3.5M, wants to empower telecommunications companies and incumbents through its Superapp-as-a-service platform to grow retail. How does the future for brands look with Google's AI search and answer engine look like? Retailers and brands are concerned, but Google says it is leading to more queries and...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Read online Dear Readers, The three things on my mind this week: The big news of the week is JD.com announcing its intention to acquire Germany's Ceconomy (owner of MediaMarkt and Saturn) for $2.5 billion. JD.com has decided that 2025 is the year in which they will make big bets (enter the competitive food delivery sector) and now acquire a retailer that requires investment. Amazon announced its Q2 earnings, and while they beat market expectations, investors are still not sure about their AI...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Read online Dear Readers, The three things on my mind this week: Is it that time of the year again when Amazon stops its advertising on Google? A week after Prime Day, Amazon has stopped advertising. Is this a negotiation tactic, or is it a secondary effect of Google becoming an answering engine that showcases AI summaries? Can we agree that brand aggregators are a spreadsheet idea that has gone nowhere? OpenStore cut 95% of its valuation, while in India, The Good Glam Group collapsed. I am...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
Read online Dear Readers, Happy National Ice Cream Day to those who celebrate.The three things on my mind this week: The most interesting thing I read this week is Flipkart offering sellers the opportunity to advertise now on the platform and pay for it later. Can anyone say fintech plays a role in driving advertising on the platform? The dirty marketplace secret - most, if not all, marketplaces contain Chinese sellers. Why? Larger selection of goods at lower prices. One of the byproducts of...
about 2 months ago • 9 min read
Read online Dear Readers, It's the middle of July, so what are the three questions on my mind this week? Can anyone please tell or convince me that Prime Day, over four days, was a success? Bloomberg decided that an article on the first day's result was a good idea, but I tend to believe that consumers waited until the last day to see all the deals before making any purchases. Days one and two were down. Extending events leads to dilution of demand from consumers. In China, marketplaces are...
2 months ago • 9 min read