As most well informed individuals might evidently know, the advent of the internet has dramatically altered the way most things are done. And this of course includes how business is conducted today. With the growing rate of online shoppers seeking for goods and services they want, many firms are increasing embracing the e-commerce platform. In an attempt to optimize their core business operations such as marketing and even sales to realize their objectives.
This platform has also more importantly given birth to multibillion dollar online marketplaces such as EBay and Amazon, which facilitate for the effectively interaction of both buyers and sellers. Indeed these websites boast of wide and highly diversified range of products and services categories. Which makes it infinitely convenient for buyers to access the merchandise they might be keen on buying right from the confines of their homes.
As would be expected with the colossus success of online marketplaces like the aforementioned EBay, there are now emerging a new breed of ecommerce websites that focus on promoting the selling and buying of so many products all over the globe. This is naturally is a major boon for both sellers and consumers alike.
The following is an in-depth review of some of the top 5 online marketplaces that are quickly rivaling the potential of the well established players in this industry.
FlipKart happens to be an India based ecommerce company that was founded in the year 2007, and currently has its headquarters in Bangalore. This firm first started as an online book seller, but rapidly evolved into one of this country's top ten online marketplaces. FlipKart as we speak has its hand on a wide range of pies so to speak and offers a lot of products categories. From computers and accessories, electronics, fashion and accessoiries to home appliances and the list goes on.
To make things even better, this ecommerce website now has its own products range that goes under the epithet "DigiFlip". Which primarily focuses on offering items such as computer accessories, headphones, pen drives and other related merchandise. To underscore the remarkable success story of this online marketplace, its 2014 financial year is projected to generate an astonishing ten billion rupees. This obviously say volumes about
FlipKart's commitment to meet the voracious demands of online shoppers in India. This firm also recently launched the legal Flyte online digital music store which is patterned on the likes of iTunes and even Amazon.com. FlipKart offers a 30 day return policy for all items bought through it, EMI options, and free delivery for all merchandise sold through it.
SnapDeal is arguably India's top online marketplace, and currently has its headquarters in New Delhi. This ecommerce website first started as a daily deals platform , but quickly evolved to be India's premier marketplace. With a reported 20 million registered users all over this country, SnapDeal happens to be a pacesetter in this industry. It now offers over 4 million products that span a plethora of categories.
It also has an extensive distribution network in four thousand cities and towns in India, while also catering for two thousand sellers. SnapDeal has also tapped into Mcommerce and has a mobile app for IOS, Android and even Windows phone users. Through which both buyers and sellers can conveniently access its marketplace from wherever they might be.
SnapDeal has also recently entered into a partnership with EBay, which allow the latter to tap into the former's 20 million users and its distribution network in India.
Some of the products this online marketplace vends include electronics, computers and accessories, clothing, furniture, home furnishings and plenty more others.
eStore.lk happens to be Sri Lanka's first and more to the point online marketplace offering a very effective and convenient platform where buyers and sellers interact.
This firm prides itself with its astonishing customer service such as its iconic seven day return policy on all items bought through it, cash on delivery services and absolutely free shipping on all the merchandise it vends.
The portal has a wide and highly diversified products categories, which include computers and accessories, mobile devices, office equipment, clothing, jewelry, fashion accessories, home appliances and many others.
Etsy international is a very popular ecommerce website that primarily focuses on offering its users a wide range of handcraft and vintage products. It also has an extensive product categories of factory manufactured merchandise that cover a wide variety of industries such as art, foodstuffs, clothing, beauty products, health & fitness products and even jewelry. According to its guidelines all vintage items sold through it have to be certified to be at least twenty years old or above.
As of August 2013 Etsy international had over thirty million registered users across the entire globe.
What makes this online marketplace stand out from the rest and fuels its ever growing popularity is the fact that it offers a lot of items that are fashioned from recycled and even upcycled raw materials. This essentially makes it a green company, one of the very few in this industry.
Etsy international also vends a large variety of inexpensive mass produced merchandise, which again makes it one of the few ecommerce websites to do so. This firm is also very dedicated to give back to the community, and has been very recently certified to be a B corporation. Which means that it proactively uses its influence in the business sphere to comprehensively address pertinent social and environmental concerns all over the world. This is undoubtedly very rare in a firm of its stature.
Conclusion
These online marketplaces are by far not the only ones in existence. Every now and then new ecommerce companies are launched. With the mission to utilize the net to proliferate the numbers of products and services that are offered to online shoppers.
With the boundless attributes of the ecommerce platform, it is safe to say that these firms have only touched the tip of the iceberg. And are destined to scale infinitely higher heights when it comes to effective online business operations. This is an insight in this regard.
