Going to do more here about some of the stuff that I've been working on for a while & share it - I don't mind if some of you know it already, but I'm sure it will be 'new' to someone - that's who I am aiming for. It's an #ecommerce so lets start with rational+business models...

I've been teaching eCommerce in classes/workshops for 10 years to some of the world's biggest brands. I've run $100m eCommerce sites & I've 'skin in the game' as I invest my own money in eCommerce startups. I've written over 100k words on eCommerce in the last 18 months....

#ecommerce business models:
● COM:selling direct to the customer from your site. You own CX end-to-end incl. cust. service, fulfillment /delivery. You stock/your own brands. Direct to Consumer (DTC) are typically brands created from scratch but old-school brands are now all-in.

#eCommerce business model #2 http://Storefront.com  - selling products from a large number of brands. A 1-stop shop using supply chain or scale advantages-we are all familiar with these eg http://Tesco.com , http://Carrefour.com  & even Asos .com but even they might be a

an #ecommerce Business Model #3 - a Horizontal Marketplaces offer a large selection of products across many different categories. http://Amazon.com  is the clearest example of a horizontal Marketplace,Noon in GCC,Lazada in SE Asia & TMall or http://JD.com  in China

#4 ECommerce Model - Vertical or Curated Marketplaces focus on one particular market eg Food Services Talabat (in GCC or Deliveroo. They connect supply (local restaurants) with demand (delivered meals). Likewise Stockx. com for sneakers in the US.

And, final eCommerce business model: Social Commerce: FB, Insta & Pinterest have now finally created an eCommerce to sell direct from their platforms - not just for product discovery. This is the one to watch IMO - most of Chinese eCommerce is this model.

Of course, there are distinctions & blurred lines, and, yes, you will pursue multiple models & channels. But these are the business models. What is best practice in ecommerce today will be, wrong tomorrow - just BAU.....

Besides COVID, the biggest driver has been the rapid rise of relatively low-cost SAAS platforms such as Shopify + their associated ecosystems of apps + Google Adwords + FB Ads allowing you to target superniches. You do not need to be a techy to understand how these platforms...

as a result, we are seeing the democratisation of #ecommerce - something that was only availble to those with big budgets. And this democratisation is only going to continue with the new FB/Insta/YT propositions barely started....in fact...

Messaging platforms such as Messenger & WhatsApp are the next frontier for ecommerce in the next few years as Facebook is heavily investing in new payment mechanisms to make them work within a messaging flow.

And, finally, as ever, we can already know the future of eCommerce by looking at China....livestreaming (think QVC / Homeshopping) will become a thing for the individual to make a living. Like Tupperware parties but broadcast over YouTube / FB.

/END
More tomorrow.