š¦ The Order : Weekly Roundup - Amazon Ecosystem Partners, Thrasio, GoNorth & Heroes
Issue #137
Happy Sunday,
Hereās a quick roundup of last weekās news :
Chart of the Week š
As Jason Goldberg points out, the eCom spike was more than a covid bubble ā within certain categories the story isnāt quite as rosy though.
Amazonās Ecosystem Acceleration
Jeff Cohenās visual captures how Amazonās ecosystem is currently evolving, and you can see the Amazon smile expandingā¦
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: āBefore TikTok Turned Into a Rival, Amazon Saw a Potential Partnerā [The Information]
Movers & Shakers š
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 (ā¦but thereās hope!) š§»
The GoNorth financial reporting sums up what many in the aggregator space are experiencing: āGiven the revised financial outlook, the Company is expecting to be in breach with certain financial covenants[ā¦]ā
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 companyās recent financial filings: āthe 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 2024ā. 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 š¦
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]
āEverythingās Locked Upā: 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]
Sheinās Revenue Surged More Than 40%, Likely Surpassing Zara [The Information]
Sea Plunges 22% After Unexpected Loss From Rising Competition [Bloomberg]
Events š¤
National Retail Federation - Retailās Big Show, Jan 14-16, New York, NY
ShopTalk, Mar 14-16, Las Vegas, US ā Exhibitor opportunities
Big week coming up - make it week count š
Christian