📦 The Order : Weekly Aggregator Roundup - Chord, Shein, Oro, ThriveCart & Brand Profitability

Issue #94

Jan 22

Happy Sunday,

Here’s a quick roundup of last week’s news :

Chart of the week

90% of Amazon’s top sellers use FBA. Everyone will have their story on the impact of inventory limitations. Welcome the next chapter: Inventory bidding to excess capacity access. It’s yet to be seen to what extent this will be the exception or become a norm where inventory could face similar bidding as advertising is long used to.

Marketplace Pulse has further details in “Amazon Turns FBA Into an Auction”:

The next level of Amazon profitability 💰

Explore hard brands are increasing profitability with real-time alerts & actions that focus on profit impact 👉 Quick Intro to the Amazon AI Operations Assistant

Funding Craze 💰

No new funding announced for brand aggregators - meanwhile the software space is heating up:

Tools & Infrastructure funding:

$15M round: “Chord connects new funding to predictive commerce metrics so brands can grow” [Techcrunch]
“Shein valuation reportedly plummets by a third as it seeks $3B” [Techcrunch]
“Oro, an open-source B2B ecommerce platform from Magento's cofounder, raises $13M” [Techcrunch]
“ThriveCart, which sells tools to build e-commerce carts, raises $35M” [Techcrunch]

Strategy 📈

“Amazon quietly tests even cheaper Prime membership in India” [Techcrunch]
“Why companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target will let you keep some products you want to return — but issue you a refund anyway” [Business Insider]
“‘Your dollar goes a little bit further’: Smaller brands are finding TikTok to be a more profitable advertising channel” [Modern Retail]
Case study: “How to Build a Profitable DTC Brand“ [Business of Fashion]
“DTC Briefing: How Jolie reached $4.2M in sales its first year while staying profitable” [Modern Retail]
DTC going retail: “The era of DTC brands is over. Here’s what the next generation of startups looks like” [Fast Company]
Another take on physical sales: “Allbirds Says eCommerce-Only Model Limits D2C Brands’ Growth Potential” [PYMNTS]
Branded content push: “3 ways companies like Nordstrom and Albertsons say they will cash in on the $45 billion retail advertising opportunity this year” [Business Insider]
“TikTok’s E-Commerce Management Structure Undercuts Claims of Autonomy From China” [The Information]
“CEO of SoftBank-Backed Clearco Resigns as Onetime Fintech Darling Cuts Staff” [The Information]

Events 🎤

Prosper Show, Mar 13-15, Las Vegas, NV
Shoptalk, Mar 26-29, Las Vegas, NV
Seller Sessions Live, May 13, London, UK

Make this week count 🙌

Christian

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