??17: The Future of Grocery. How Instacart & tech transforms retail? Plus: 60%+ of sellers on multiple marketplaces. What do they plan?

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Today's write-up is 2,130 words, a 8-minute read

This week’s highlights:

1. ??News: The Future of Grocery. How Instacart and tech transform retail?

2. ??Stat: 60%+ of sellers on multiple marketplaces. What do they plan?

3. ??Headlines: 亚马逊 , AliExpress , Shopify , eBay , FARFETCH , SHEIN , StockX , JD Sports Fashion , Vinted , Grubhub , Uber eats , Deliveroo , Etsy and more!

4. ??Spotlight: Used Electric vehicle wholesale marketplace, Event planning marketplace, in-person leisure learning marketplace

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1. ?? News of the week

The Future of Grocery. How marketplaces transform retail?

Groceryshop 2023 is the annual industry event in Las Vegas focused on practical solutions designed to address key priorities for retailers

Instacart highlighted there new tech from “Instacart platform” suite aimed to help retailers create a personalized experience both online and in-store.

The Instacart Platform includes:

• StoreFront (Storefront is an end-to-end omnichannel digital commerce platform built specifically for grocery. This white-label solution brings the best of Instacart's technologies to retailers. Instacart Storefront is built on the same core infrastructure as the Instacart App. To better understand Instacart Storefront watch the intro from the GroceryShop 2023 (Storefront Video)
• Fulfillment (Instacart helps retailers fulfill grocery orders through community of dedicated shoppers. On top of that Instacart offers an additional fulfillment solution: Carrot Warehouses, which helps retailers manage dedicated nano facilities to deliver in as fast as 15 minutes)
• In-store (Tech enabled Caper Cart with in-store rewards. Instacart helps retailers enhance the brick-and-mortar store experience with connected hardware)
• Carrot Ads (Instacart Ads available on retailer's own website. Carrot Ads opens up new revenue streams for retailers by making it extremely easy to stand up a retail media business.)
• Carrot Insights (near real-time visibility into their operations with key metrics like item popularity, item correlation, order sizes, delivery times, delivery ratings, and GMV, Carrot Insights help retailers optimize operations, and provide better customer experiences).

5 takeaways from the show that shape current grocery landscape:

1?? Enhancing In-Store Experience: Next-gen electronic shelf labels by Instacart, SES-imagotag, and Aperion turn shelf edges into a vibrant shopping experience. Color, video, and connectivity - a game-changer!

2?? Profit Pressures on Grocers: Traditional grocers facing earnings decline from 7.5% to 5.5% margins in 20 years. Amazon's soaring earnings highlight the industry gap.

3?? Video Content is King: Shoppable videos drive loyalty. A strategic content approach is required by brands and retailers.

4?? Tech vs. Store Theft: Smart carts combat theft. Instacart Caper Cart smart cart address inadvertent self-checkout losses. Tech making it harder to overlook items.

5?? Revolutionizing Checkout: Checkout terminals evolve. Automation and robotics step in to identify produce, speeding up the process and promising reduction of errors.

GroceryDive

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2. ?? Stat of the week

60%+ of sellers on multiple marketplaces. What do they plan?

Mirakl's has recently surveyed 1,500 retailers across the US, UK, Germany, France, and Spain about their marketplace experience. The information was complied together with aggregated data from 65,000 sellers on Mirakl's platforms into The 2023 Seller Report.

Here are the main points from the report:

???1. Marketplace sellers boom: The platform opportunity is booming! In 2022, there was a remarkable 31% increase in businesses embracing online marketplaces. This surge underscores the growing interest and potential within the platform economy.

???2. Rapid multiplatform expansion: Retailers, once they taste success, are on a fast track for expansion. Over 53% of surveyed marketplace sellers are now active on more platforms than a year ago, with a whopping 62% eyeing further expansion in the coming 12 months. 56% is already present on 2 or more platforms.

???3. Diverse Paths to Success: While 50% of sellers showcase their entire product range, 25% opt for a selective approach, and 8% create exclusive offerings for their marketplace partnerships. It's evident — there's no one-size-fits-all strategy!

???4. Curation vs general marketplaces: The majority of retailers (57%) prefer to sell on marketplaces that offer a wide range of products and categories, while 43% prefer curated marketplaces that specialize in specific categories..

??? 5. Seamless Operations: Sellers aren't just revenue drivers; they're custodians of performance and reputation. An astounding 99.8% of customer service inquiries are adeptly handled by marketplace sellers, showcasing the reliability and brand-safe customer experiences they bring to the table.

3. ?? Headlines of the week

?? Mass merchant marketplaces

• ???Amazon restricts authors from self-publishing more than three books a day after AI concerns. Still some authors report AI ripoffs of their books on Amazon (sometimes even multiple ones in one). Same issue is reported by other markeplaces e.g. Bol.com. Deep dive →?Guardian | NL Times | Guardian
• ???Cainiao Network Technology and AliExpress start ‘5-day global delivery’ service for consumers in UK, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea. Cainiao and AliExpress expect to soon expand their global five-day delivery service to more countries. The five-day global delivery service was tested the past few months in South Korea, where AliExpress orders increased by more than 100 per cent, according to Cainiao. Deep dive → South China Morning Post
• ???Shopify?invests in wholesale marketplace Faire. Retailers on Shopify will be able to reorder bestsellers from nearly 10 million products through Faire’s buyer app. At the same time, brands on Shopify will be able to simplify their wholesale distribution to thousands of retailers through Faire’s seller channel. Deep dive →?RetailDive
• ?????Amazon is sued by FTC for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power. The Federal Trade Commission, along with 17 state attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the tech giant of maintaining an illegal monopoly through anti-competitive tactics. The lawsuit claims that Amazon's strategies hinder competition, limit price reductions, harm product quality, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and impede fair competition from rivals. Deep dive →?FTC
• ?????Amazon to expand eco-friendly shipping program in 2024. Amazon recently announced plans to extend its "Ships in Product Packaging" program to all third-party sellers using its fulfillment services by 2024. The initiative aims to reduce excess packaging by allowing items to be shipped in their original branded containers. Currently in pilot form as "Ship in Own Container" with select sellers. Deep dive → SupplyChain Dive
• ?????eBay sued over sale of harmful products. The Department of Justice raked eBay over the proverbial coals today, accusing the online retailer of “unlawfully selling and distributing hundreds of thousands” of products that threaten the environment and public health. EBay could face billions of dollars in penalties, including up to $5,580 for each Clean Air Act violation, according to the government's complaint filed in the federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Deep dive →?TechCrunch | Reuters

?? Fashion marketplaces

• ?? Shein X Designer Incubator Program debuts sustainable fashion line, part of "evoluSHEIN by Design." To meet standards, garments must contain 30% preferred materials, such as recycled polyester and forest-safe viscose, and be produced by socially and environmentally compliant suppliers. Shein aims to invest $105 million in the program over the next five years. Deep dive →?GolfBusiness | Fashion Network
• ?????StockX is testing out physical retail with its first ‘shoppable experience’ in New York City. StockX facilitated $1.8 billion through its site in 2020. StockX does operate four physical locations in New York City, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong — but these have been for sellers to drop off items, get them verified more quickly and get paid out faster. Deep dive →?ModernRetail
• ?????JD Sports eyes European expansion with proposed ￡452m takeover of French sportswear retailer Courir. JD currently trades from over 3,400 stores across 32 territories, including Britain, France, Germany, the US and Australia while courir has 313 stores across six countries in Europe. Deep dive →?ThisIsMoney
• ?????Farfetch acquisition of YOOX Net-A-Porter to be decided by EU antitrust regulators by Oct. 20. The deal, initially involving Farfetch acquiring a 47.5% stake from Richemont, is part of a trend in luxury e-commerce. The European Commission may approve with or without remedies after its preliminary review or initiate a four-month investigation if concerns arise. Deep dive →?Reuters
• ?????Vinted subsidiary is granted e-money institution license by the Bank of Lithuania. The license of an electronic money institution gives the right to issue electronic money and provide payment services. The company intends to provide payment services to clients of the Vinted platform throughout Europe. Deep dive →?LRT

?? Food marketplaces

• ?????Grubhub expands Snoop Dogg-starring effort on tail of international success. Snoop Dogg stars in the latest U.S. push for the delivery platform as it eyes a brand refresh. Deep dive → MarketingDive
• ?????Uber Eats and Getir ink tie-up in Europe for speedy grocery deliveries. The partnership will begin in the United Kingdom, but before long it will be extended to countries like Germany and the Netherlands. Through the deal, Uber Eats customers will be able to order groceries via Getir’s dark stores and Gorillas’ former warehouses, giving them access to more than 2,000 products. Deliveries are made by Getir’s riders and can therefore be completed in a matter of minutes. Deep dive →?TechCrunch
• ?????Deliveroo to return up to ￡250m to shareholders with tender offer. The tender offer, which closes on 27 October, is conditional upon shareholder approval at a general meeting being held on 16 October. The tender prices represent premiums of 4.3 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, compared with its closing price of 110.30p on Wednesday. Deep dive →?ThisIsMoney
• ?????Delivery Hero scales down Asia operations. Move touches joint venture with South Korea's Woowa Brothers in Vietnam as part of its plan to "streamline operations to become leaner and more agile." Deep dive →?Nikkei Asia

??Various marketplaces

• ???Mirakl & Havas Announce global partnership to accelerate eCommerce and retail media growth. Havas Market, a strategic full-service eCommerce offering, has grown to over 200 eCommerce consultants and 500+ retail media experts servicing a vast range of industries across more than 23 countries Mirakl's suite of solutions will be seamlessly available to Havas clients to sell on Mirakl-powered Marketplaces and position Mirakl as a strategic partner to help Havas clients launch and grow their marketplace. Deep dive →?Yahoo
• ?? Etsy to hide listings flagged by bots until Human can review. Many sellers have complained that Etsy has become flooded with commodity items masquerading as handmade goods. Deep dive →?ecommercebytes
• ?? Etsy offers advice on getting featured ahead of Holiday marketing. Etsy provided the following tips to improving the chances of getting featured: focus on photography; make your shop easy to find; ensure an excellent customer experience and ship smoothly; avoid policy violations and strive for 5-star reviews. Deep dive →?ecommercebytes
• ?????eBay launches ‘Assured Fit’ guarantee for parts sold on its platform. Customers who purchase an “eligible” part or accessory can return it for free within 30 days for a full refund if it does not fit. Deep dive →?MotorTrader

??Funding/new marketplaces

• ?????Plug (an online used-car wholesale marketplace devoted specifically to facilitate the buying and selling of used EVs among dealers and fleets) has launched beta platform. Plug is founded by former Tesla director of sales and delivery operations and senior manager of used cars Jimmy Douglas. marketplace is designed to address that “data gap” and capitalize on “unique aspects of EVs” that are beneficial to “a purely online marketplace model.” Deep dive →?Autoremarketing

• ?????Breezit (Lithuania-based professional event planning digital marketplace) raises $2M in funding. The company intends to use the funds to further develop the generative AI and machine-learning capabilities of its venue and vendor marketplace. Deep dive →?FinSmes

• ?????TeachMe.To?(in-person leisure learning marketplace) raises US$2m in seed funding. US-based platform offers to connect coaches to users for lessons in sports such as pickleball, golf and tennis. TeachMe.To aim to use the funding to accelerate growth and introduce new improvements to its end-to-end lesson experience. Deep dive → SportsMedia

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