The hottest E-commerce Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

How Onlyfans Took Over The World

Knowingless • 7901 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
💼 Business Online Platforms E-commerce Marketing Consumer behavior Sex work
  1. OnlyFans changed the way adult entertainment works by creating a sense of individual connection between creators and fans. This makes users feel like they're having a personal experience, even when there are a lot of other guys involved.
  2. The platform allows creators to reach a wider audience without much advertising support. Instead, users have to market themselves, which leads to a huge increase in the number of ads for OnlyFans across the internet.
  3. Agencies have become a big part of OnlyFans, managing content and interactions for creators. They help maximize profits by taking care of marketing and customer interactions, letting creators focus on content.

The Jeff Bezos Playbook

The Generalist • 1080 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
💼 Business E-commerce Management Strategy Entrepreneurship Leadership
  1. Be customer-obsessed, going above and beyond to meet their needs can lead to long-term benefits, even if it means sacrificing short-term profits.
  2. Always be willing to innovate and don't fear failure; it’s a crucial part of success in business.
  3. Sometimes, it's smart to work with your competitors for mutual benefit, as this can set you up for future advantages against them.

This Is What Fairer Trade with China Looks Like

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1080 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
💼 Business Trade E-commerce Marketing Retail Economics
  1. There are differences in the tariffs that companies like Gap and H&M pay compared to platforms like Temu and Shein. This raises questions about fairness in trade practices.
  2. Brands like Shein and Temu are gaining a lot of attention through aggressive advertising on social media and other platforms.
  3. There is a culture emerging around 'haul' videos, where influencers showcase their purchases from these low-cost retailers, promoting consumerism.

The Secret Behind Nubank and Mercado Libre’s Rise to Market Dominance

The Wolf of Harcourt Street • 539 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
💼 Business Fintech E-commerce Emerging Markets Digital economy Innovation
  1. Nubank and Mercado Libre are successful because they used technological leapfrogging. This means they skipped older technology and went straight to using modern solutions, like mobile banking and digital payments.
  2. They took advantage of large numbers of people who had never used banking services before. By being mobile-friendly, they turned non-users into active customers quickly.
  3. Having low switching costs made it easy for users to adopt these new technologies. Since there were not many old systems to replace, people could easily try out and stick with these services.
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Market Movers - 5 October 2024

The Wolf of Harcourt Street • 579 implied HN points • 05 Oct 24
💼 Business Stocks Finance E-commerce Market Trends Investing
  1. InPost launched a rewards program called InCoins, which allows users to earn coins for using their services. This strategy aims to make delivery more fun and encourage more people to use InPost.
  2. Sea Limited opened a new fulfilment center in Brazil to improve logistics for sellers. This move is expected to help local businesses grow and provide faster service to customers.
  3. Airbnb saw a big increase in bookings in Thailand, especially for group travel and long-term stays. This growth is due to better flight options and new visa policies that attract remote workers.

Sezzle Removes Merchants Following The Bear Cave’s Investigation

The Bear Cave • 513 implied HN points • 21 Jan 25
💰 Finance Payment Systems E-commerce Fraud prevention
  1. Sezzle stopped working with several online pharmacies after an investigation revealed they were illegal. This means those pharmacies can no longer process payments using Sezzle.
  2. Many of these online pharmacies sell medications that may not be safe for U.S. consumers. They often have poor regulations and can provide the wrong or dangerous drugs.
  3. By highlighting these issues, the investigation helped prevent fraud and potential harm to consumers. Removing the payment option makes it harder for these illegal pharmacies to reach American buyers.

Problems at Signet Jewelers (SIG)

The Bear Cave • 559 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
💼 Business Retail E-commerce Consumer Trends Market Analysis Branding
  1. Lab-grown diamonds are becoming very popular, especially among younger couples, because they are cheaper and ethically sourced. Many people prefer them over traditional mined diamonds.
  2. Signet Jewelers, a major diamond retailer, is facing challenges as the market shifts towards lab-grown diamonds. They are trying to promote mined diamonds through a new advertising campaign aimed at younger customers.
  3. The diamond industry has a lot of hidden information and marketing tricks that make it hard to understand the true value of diamonds. An expert is now sharing insights to help clear up the confusion.

OnlyFans Sticky Business Model

SatPost by Trung Phan • 127 implied HN points • 14 Feb 25
💼 Business E-commerce Digital marketing Entrepreneurship Financial Analysis Consumer behavior
  1. OnlyFans has grown rapidly, with many creators and subscribers, making billions in revenue. The platform allows creators to earn money through subscriptions and direct messaging.
  2. The business model of OnlyFans is unique. Creators can earn more by keeping subscription prices low and upselling personalized content through DMs, rather than relying mainly on subscription fees.
  3. The success of OnlyFans raises questions about the nature of online connections. While it provides income for many, it sometimes sacrifices genuine connection and quality of interaction.

Is Better Brand Shutting Down-Company Was Once Valued at $170M?

Snaxshot • 359 implied HN points • 06 Oct 24
💼 Business Startups Finance Product Management Consumer Goods E-commerce
  1. Better Brand, once valued at $170 million, is facing allegations of being a scam as their product quality has declined significantly after raising money.
  2. Many customers cannot find Better Brand products in stores, and some have not received their orders, leading to frustrations and reports to consumer agencies.
  3. Key employees have left the company, and the founder is rumored to be hiding in Europe as the situation escalates.

What happened in marketing: Amazon dethrones Walmart, NikeSKIMS & Big Tech vs EU

The Social Juice • 24 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
💼 Business Marketing E-commerce Advertising Retail Digital Media
  1. Amazon has now surpassed Walmart in quarterly revenue, making it a leader in sales with $187.8 billion. This is the first time Amazon has taken the top spot over Walmart.
  2. Nike has joined forces with SKIMS to launch a new brand aimed at women, which shows their effort to attract new customers and expand their market.
  3. Big Tech companies are facing challenges in Europe, as governments push for stricter regulations, impacting how these companies operate in the region.

Xuất khẩu gian lận

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 11143 implied HN points • 25 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Online Scams Tech industry E-commerce
  1. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta have dedicated teams to combat fraud from Vietnamese individuals.
  2. Individuals from Vietnam have been involved in creating fake online accounts and engaging in various forms of online fraud, causing significant financial losses.
  3. Vietnam has a reputation for fraud and account takeover schemes in the global community, leading to distrust and higher trading costs for the country.

Tariff Engineering, Explained

SatPost by Trung Phan • 84 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
💼 Business Tariffs International Trade Market Competition E-commerce Product Design
  1. Tariff engineering is when companies change their products slightly to pay less in import taxes. This can involve using different materials or designs that fit into cheaper tariff categories.
  2. Some well-known brands, like Converse and Subaru, have used tariff engineering to give their products lower duty rates. This practice can lead to legal debates but is generally accepted as long as rules are followed.
  3. Recent changes in tariff rules, especially related to low-value imports, can affect companies like SHEIN and Temu significantly, potentially leveling the playing field for U.S. businesses and impacting the prices consumers pay.

Are Brands Coming For The Group Chat?

Total Rec • 2236 implied HN points • 27 Apr 24
💼 Business E-commerce Entrepreneurship Consumer behavior Marketing Ethics
  1. Substack chats provide a space for genuine conversations and personalized recommendations, free from traditional algorithms and commercial pressures.
  2. The influx of brands into these organic spaces raises concerns about maintaining authenticity while allowing brands to engage profitably.
  3. Exploring the idea of creating online spaces that prioritize values like community, collaboration, and enrichment over the pursuit of vast wealth and success.

Arguing with Software

David Friedman’s Substack • 251 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Automation E-commerce Customer Service Digital Platforms
  1. Dealing with automated systems can be frustrating. Sometimes, your complaints are answered by software that just sends form letters instead of real help.
  2. Getting issues resolved often requires persistence. If you keep pushing for a solution, a real person may eventually step in to help.
  3. It's important to remember that companies aren't people. They may prioritize efficiency over empathy, which can impact how they handle problems.

Lessons from $1/day challenge

Kenny’s Sub • 299 implied HN points • 22 Jul 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Sales E-commerce Product Development
  1. Haggling often doesn't work well in the long run. It's better to stick to your price and negotiate on other terms if needed.
  2. $1 can feel expensive to some people. They may not see the value in what they are buying or find it too much effort for a small price.
  3. You need to have products ready to sell. Without anything to offer, it's tough to make money. Planning ahead is crucial.

All content should flow toward newsletter signups

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 349 implied HN points • 19 Nov 24
💼 Business Media Entrepreneurship Marketing E-commerce Finance
  1. Good content should always encourage people to sign up for newsletters. This helps creators grow their audience and make money.
  2. You can succeed on platforms like Substack even if you start with no followers. Many people have built their subscriber base from scratch.
  3. Partnerships can help you grow faster. Teaming up with established brands can lead to more visibility and subscribers.

The AI is eating itself

Platformer • 3419 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Social media E-commerce AR Cybersecurity
  1. Generative AI is dramatically impacting the internet with a variety of changes to platforms and services.
  2. The increasing use of AI-generated content poses challenges such as misinformation, disruption, and a dilution of human wisdom.
  3. Research shows that relying on AI systems to generate data can lead to degradation and collapse of models, raising concerns for the future of the web.

New cracks emerge in Elon Musk's Twitter

Platformer • 3164 implied HN points • 24 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Social media Software E-commerce Search Engines AI
  1. Twitter employees faced disruptions like Slack going down and Jira not working, causing frustration and questions about payment.
  2. Elon Musk announced plans to open source Twitter's algorithm, but doubts arise among employees about the transparency and actual release of the code.
  3. Twitter's performance has been degrading, with issues like increased latency during peak usage times, including events like the Super Bowl and a Twitter outage in Asia.

What happened in marketing: Google's gift to marketers, OpenAI's response to Deepseek and Meta's weird future

The Social Juice • 31 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
💼 Business Marketing Advertising Technology Public Relations E-commerce
  1. Google launched a new tool to help marketers measure their advertising effectiveness across different platforms. This tool should make it easier to understand what works best for their campaigns.
  2. OpenAI introduced a smaller version of their AI model, making it available for free. This aims to provide more people access to AI tools for their projects.
  3. There are concerns about privacy and safety in social media, especially with bills being proposed to limit access for kids under 13. This shows a growing tension between tech companies and government regulations.

Is Ssense hurting the cool-clothes ecosystem?

Blackbird Spyplane • 4875 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🪞 Fashion & Beauty E-commerce Fashion Trends
  1. Ssense's heavy focus on data drives its business decisions and influences small designers with large wholesale orders.
  2. Ssense's pricing strategies, like frequent markdowns and reliance on algorithms, impact both small retailers and independent designers.
  3. Ssense's practices raise concerns about the impact on the cool-clothes ecosystem, from the narrative of brands to the market dynamics of the fashion industry.

A guide to gift subscriptions and special offers

Substack Blog • 219 implied HN points • 25 Nov 24
💼 Business Marketing Subscriptions E-commerce Sales Customer Engagement
  1. Gift subscriptions are a great way for your current subscribers to share your work with friends and family during the holidays. It's not just a gift for them, but also helps promote your content.
  2. Special offers and discounts can make subscriptions more appealing for new subscribers. Timing these offers around holidays or relevant events can boost conversions and attract new readers.
  3. Using the holiday season to engage with your audience creatively fosters a sense of community. Celebrating together can help grow your subscriber base and strengthen relationships with existing ones.

India’s Operations Revolution: Lessons from Zepto, Rebel Foods, and the Dabbawalas

Gad’s Newsletter • 50 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
💼 Business Operations Logistics E-commerce Startups Innovation
  1. Zepto has transformed grocery delivery in India with its promise of delivering products within 10 minutes. This model responds to customer demand for fast service, using small warehouses to ensure quick order fulfillment.
  2. Rebel Foods leads the cloud kitchen market by creating multiple food brands under one roof. This strategy maximizes kitchen use and caters to different tastes, enabling rapid growth in a competitive environment.
  3. The Dabbawalas have a long history of reliably delivering home-cooked meals in Mumbai. Their simple, synchronized system shows how effective human coordination can be, even as newer tech-driven services emerge.

The anatomy of a breakthrough “Service-as-a-Software” business

Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged • 425 implied HN points • 15 Jan 25
💼 Business Startups Technology E-commerce Marketing Finance
  1. Chargeflow focused on marketing and customer relationships before building their product. This helped them understand what their audience needed and how to stand out.
  2. They made it super easy for customers to sign up and get started, which led to positive reviews and a better presence in app stores. Fast onboarding is key for attracting users.
  3. Chargeflow's pricing model is based on success, meaning customers only pay when they see results. This approach not only attracts customers but keeps them around longer.

Why Most Online Advertising Benchmarks Are BS (And What To Do Instead)

Nail It and Scale It • 119 implied HN points • 22 Jul 24
💼 Business Marketing Advertising Data Analysis E-commerce Growth Strategies
  1. Many online advertising benchmarks are unreliable because they don't account for differences in pricing and offers. This means you might be comparing apples to oranges, leading to wrong conclusions.
  2. To get better benchmarks, focus on two key metrics: Cost-Per-Click (CPC) and Conversion Rate. These give you a clearer picture of how your ads are performing compared to others.
  3. Joining groups or talking to industry experts can help you find more accurate conversion rates for your products. Sharing data with peers is a good way to understand what's normal in your field.

Black Friday - Happy Birthday sale

Computer Ads from the Past • 128 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
💼 Business Sales Marketing E-commerce Subscriptions Retail
  1. There is a special sale going on for Black Friday and a birthday celebration, offering 38% off subscriptions until December 8th. It's a fun way to mark the occasion and give people a discount.
  2. Readers can also support through one-time donations on various platforms like Ko-Fi or Patreon. There are flexible options for those who want to contribute.
  3. Gift subscriptions are available, making it an ideal present for anyone interested in computer ads or a fun way to share unique content. It's a thoughtful holiday gift for a nerdy friend.

Pssst! Medium Will Soon Have 1 Million Paying Members and More Insights You Need to Know

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 819 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
💼 Business Marketing E-commerce Startups Demographics Digital Media
  1. Medium is gaining popularity with over 100 million readers and is about to hit 1 million paying members. This shows it has a strong audience for writers.
  2. The main age group using Medium is 25 to 34 years old, with more male users than female users. Understanding the audience can help writers connect better.
  3. Technology is the most popular topic on Medium, with lots of articles written about it. Writers should consider focusing on trending subjects to engage with readers.

How Lon Seidman used his tech YouTube channel to build a huge affiliate business

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 149 implied HN points • 08 Nov 24
💼 Business YouTube Product Reviews E-commerce
  1. Lon Seidman focuses on reviewing everyday gadgets that are not glamorous but sell a lot. This smart choice helps him reach a wide audience.
  2. He uses his YouTube channel to drive affiliate sales, earning money when viewers buy products through his links.
  3. Lon is also exploring decentralized platforms to share his content, which may help him connect with more viewers.

Putting the (Insta)cart before the Grocery (horse): A COVID Favorite's Reality Check!

Musings on Markets • 1059 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
💼 Business E-commerce Entrepreneurship Market Analysis Financial trends
  1. Instacart's upcoming IPO shows that its value has dropped significantly since the peak days of the pandemic. What was once thought to be worth over $50 billion is now expected to be valued around $9 to $10 billion.
  2. The grocery business is generally slow-growing and has very low margins. This affects how much Instacart can charge for its services and makes it tough for them to grow dramatically.
  3. Instacart now faces tough competition from grocery stores that have started their own online services. This competition is likely to limit Instacart's market share and growth in the future.

What happened in marketing: Meta trumps fact checking, TikTok shutdown and AdTech at CES

The Social Juice • 26 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
💼 Business Marketing Advertising Technology E-commerce Media
  1. Meta is changing its policies around content moderation and fact-checking, which is causing concern among advertisers. They want more freedom and less control over what can be shared.
  2. TikTok is facing potential bans in the US due to national security worries, which has many users worried about the future of the platform.
  3. CES 2025 brought new advertising technologies and trends, showing a shift towards innovative ad solutions and increased spending, especially in online platforms.