E-commerce

Best of 2019: Startups

While we report on what some of the bigger e-commerce players are up to, we also like to talk about the up-and-comers.

From the ‘eBay of surplus food’, to an organic tampon subscription service, here are some of our favourites from 2019.

Online luggage brand raises $10.5 million to take on industry giant

Direct-to-consumer luggage brand July received $10.5 million from investors, including Strandbags, to take on Samsonite.

The business will use the investment to launch into Singapore, New Zealand, and further into Asia Pacific.

AirRobe aims to help fashion brands tap into resale market

The trend towards circular fashion and secondhand retail continues to rise with the launch of AirRobe, a luxury peer-to-peer reselling platform.

The site aims to increase the lifespan of luxury clothing by helping consumers and sellers connect online, as well as offering secondhand physical retailers the opportunity to operate their own digital shop-in-shops on its platform.

Maison de Sabré hits $10 million in sales in just two years

Online accessories retailer Maison de Sabré announced it has reached a $10 million milestone in sales since it was founded in 2017.

Maison de Sabré sells monogrammed and personalised leather mobile phone cases, clutches and card holders.

Her Organics targets niche market in women’s health

Australian entrepreneur Mia Plecic has tapped into the opportunity of organic goods, and launched her own organic feminine business, Her Organics.

According to Plecic, educating women on the importance of using toxic free, organic tampons is a huge drive in the business venture.

Oomami to bring farmers’ market experience online

Oomami is the world’s first social marketplace for small food producers.

The marketplace aims to bring the farmers’ market experience online and make it as convenient for consumers to source groceries direct from producers as it is to shop at one of the big online grocery retailers.

Why Kellogg’s is backing Yume – the ‘eBay for surplus food’

Yume is an online B2B marketplace that provides a commercial option to manufacturers and farmers to deal with excess food.

Suppliers can list quality surplus food on the platform at their chosen price, and buyers can purchase perfectly good food at a discount, with the aim of reducing the 4.1 million tonnes of food waste annually coming from the commercial space.