📦 The Order : Weekly Roundup - Amazon Ecosystem Partners, Thrasio, GoNorth & Heroes

Issue #137

Happy Sunday,

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

Chart of the Week 📈

As Jason Goldberg points out, the eCom spike was more than a covid bubble — within certain categories the story isn’t quite as rosy though.

Amazon’s Ecosystem Acceleration

Jeff Cohen’s visual captures how Amazon’s ecosystem is currently evolving, and you can see the Amazon smile expanding…

Notable reads:

• Meta and Amazon, Meta Shops and ATT, Amazon Logistics and the Anti-Amazon Alliance [Stratechery]

• Amazon Reaches Deal to Run Shopping Ads on Snap [The Information]

• Amazon launches Shopify App for Buy with Prime [Marketplace Pulse]

• Twist of fate: “Before TikTok Turned Into a Rival, Amazon Saw a Potential Partner” [The Information]

Movers & Shakers 🙌

• Klarna Brings Its Creator Shops Platform to the US [Business of Fashion]

• Siena AI raises $4.7M to make AI-powered customer support more human [Siena Blog]

The shitty news section (…but there’s hope!) 🧻

The GoNorth financial reporting sums up what many in the aggregator space are experiencing: “Given the revised financial outlook, the Company is expecting to be in breach with certain financial covenants[…]”

• Amazon Aggregator Thrasio Prepares for Bankruptcy [Wall Street Journal]

• Go North Group AB provides an updated financial outlook and initiates a restructuring program [GoNorth]

• As Jon Derkits points out in his newsletter Best@Amazon, Heroes may be facing crunchtime too - quoting the company‘s recent financial filings: “the expiry of the current debt facility represents a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt upon the Group's ability to continue as a going concern post 8 February 2024”. This statement is a few months old, and fingers crossed the team at Heroes has secured follow on funding that allows them to grow their business more sustainably (because there are certainly a lot of strong points in their aggregation approach as Jon also points out).

Solid restructuring (with a haircut for lenders and the equity side) is likely a necessary evil, to give the brand houses a fair shot at their IPO dreams.

Strategy 🦈

• How Amazon is using AI to ensure authentic customer reviews [Amazon]

• Apple reportedly cut a deal to get cleaner Amazon pages [The Verge]

• Amazon introduces new Buy with Prime perks, such as tracking and returns [TechCrunch]

• ‘Everything’s Locked Up’: Shoppers Turn to Amazon as Big-Box Retailers Combat Theft [Bloomberg]

• Walmart sounds a note of caution on consumers ahead of holidays, shares fall [Reuters]

• E-commerce, nearshoring key drivers for Mexican startups as funding trickles back [Reuters]

• Shein’s Revenue Surged More Than 40%, Likely Surpassing Zara [The Information]

• Sea Plunges 22% After Unexpected Loss From Rising Competition [Bloomberg]

Events 🎤

• National Retail Federation - Retail’s Big Show, Jan 14-16, New York, NY

• ShopTalk, Mar 14-16, Las Vegas, US — Exhibitor opportunities

Big week coming up - make it week count 🙌

Christian