Shopee Pte. Ltd. (Shopee) is a Singaporean multinational technology company which specialises in e-commerce. A subsidiary of Sea Ltd, Shopee was first launched in Singapore in 2015, and later expanded its reach abroad.

As of 2021, it is widely considered as the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia with 343 million monthly visitors, and the company also serves consumers and sellers throughout several countries across East Asia (Taiwan), Latin America, and Europe (Poland) who wish to purchase and sell their goods online.

Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Launched in 2015, it is a platform tailored for the region, providing customers with an easy, secure and fast online shopping experience through strong payment and fulfillment support.

shopee believe online shopping should be accessible, easy and enjoyable. This is the vision Shopee aspires to deliver on the platform, every single day.

shopee believe in the transformative power of technology and want to change the world for the better by providing a platform to connect buyers and sellers within one community.

To Internet users across the region, Shopee offers a one-stop online shopping experience that provides a wide selection of products, a social community for exploration, and seamless fulfilment services.

shopee believe in simplicity and integrity, ensuring a life that’s honest, down to earth and true to self. shopee are friendly, fun-loving and bursting with heaps of energy, spreading the joy with everyone we meet.

shopee enjoy spending quality time together while shopping online with friends and family – doing the things we love as one big unit.

History

In February 2015, Shopee launched in Singapore as a social-first, mobile-centric marketplace where users can browse, shop and sell products. the asset-light platform is integrated with logistical and payment support, and claims to make online shopping easy and secure for both buyers and sellers.

The app-based platform launched a website to compete with other e-commerce companies such as Coupang, Lazada, Tokopedia and AliExpress. To differentiate itself, Shopee offers online shopping security through its own escrow service called Shopee Guarantee, which can be used to withhold payments from sellers until buyers have received their orders.

On 3 September 2019, Shopee officially opened its six-storey regional headquarters at Singapore Science Park. The new building spans 244,000 square feet (22,700 m²) of space, which can accommodate 3,000 employees and is six times larger than Shopee’s previous headquarters at Ascent Building. The building was leased by weWork before it was relinquished to Shopee.

Shopee aims to continually enhance its platform and become the region’s e-commerce destination of choice via ongoing product optimisation and localised user-centered strategies. Shopee, a Sea company, was first launched in Singapore in 2015, and has since expanded its reach to Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Sea is a leader in digital entertainment, e-commerce and digital financial services across Greater Southeast Asia. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology, and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol SE. The Shopee team is rapidly expanding across the region and we are constantly on the lookout for talents who have the passion and drive to become part of a fast-moving and dynamic team.

Shopee started as a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace but it pivoted into a C2C and business-to-consumer (B2C) hybrid model.^[14]

The company partners with over 70 courier service providers across markets it serves to provide logistical support for users.^[15] In Singapore, Shopee collaborates with logistics startup Ninja Van for item pickup and delivery.^[16] Other delivery partners in the region include Pos Malaysia and Pos Indonesia.^[17][18] Shopee also partnered with Delivery and Ecom Express for deliveries in India before it exited the domestic market.^[19]

In its early phases of growth, Shopee offered subsidies and free shipping to its users while delivery services were still expensive in the areas it serves

Market share

As of 2019, Shopee’s app has recorded 200 million downloads. Gross orders also grew 92.7% to 246.3 million in Q2 2019, compared to 127.8 million a year ago. Its gross merchandise value (GMV) also surged 72.7% to US$3.8 billion in Q2 19, compared to US$2.2 billion a year ago.

According to a report by iPrice in Q2 2019, Shopee was the top shopping app base on monthly active users, total downloads and website visits, ahead of its competitors, Lazada and Tokopedia.^[22] These GMV claims led to backlash from Lazada. Lazada’s former CEO, Max Bittner asserted that GMV numbers can be easily inflated “by subsidy schemes and history shows that GMV falls away as unhealthy subsidies are removed.”

In Malaysia, Shopee became the third most visited e-commerce portal in Q4 2017, overtaking Lelong, and replaced Lazada as the top app on iOS and Google Play app stores.

Among consumers in Indonesia, a survey conducted in December 2017 revealed that Shopee is the top shopping platform for Indonesian mothers (73%), ahead of Tokopedia (54%), Lazada (51%) and Instagram (50%).

In 2019, Shopee entered the Latin America market when it launched a localised site in Brazil. It later started operations in Mexico, Chile and Colombia in 2021. In September 2021, Shopee introduced its marketplace in Poland. Launches in Spain and France followed over the next two months. Shopee exited France and Spain on 6 March and 17 June 2022 respectively, leaving only Poland with operations in Europe.

Shopee started operations in South Korea as of 2020 to help local merchants reach customers in markets where the former operates. However, Shopee does not have a consumer-facing platform in South Korea.

New launches

In 2016, Shopee launched an initiative called Shopee University, a series of workshops and tutorials to aid local entrepreneurs and businesses in setting up their online businesses in the Philippines.

In 2017, Shopee launched Shopee Mall with 200 brands in Singapore and the Philippines.The dedicated portal features thousands of products sold by leading brands and retailers in the region. Shopee Mall was created to offer a more diverse online shopping experience, and to better cater to larger brands looking to pursue an omni-channel approach.

In 2018, Shopee launched the China Marketplace portal that offers shoppers easy access to products from Chinese merchants, without any shipping and agent fees in Singapore and the Philippines. The portal competes with Lazada’s Taobao Collection option.

In 2021, Shopee launched a social media customer service arm in the Philippines, known as Shopee Cares PH. The same year, Shopee launched a food delivery service called ShopeeFood, in partnership with over 500 merchants

Brand ambassadors

In 2018, Shopee appointed South Korean girl group Blackpink as its inaugural regional brand ambassador, as part of its partnership with YG Entertainment. Bambam from South Korean boy band Got7 was also appointed as the brand ambassador in Thailand in October of the same year.

In 2019, Shopee appointed professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as its regional brand ambassador. The partnership was announced in line with Shopee’s signature annual shopping event, 9.9 Super Shopping Day.

In the Philippines, Shopee has engaged nine local brand ambassadors: actresses Anne Curtis, Kim Chiu and Marian Rivera, singer Jose Mari Chan, boxer senator Manny Pacquiao, as well as television personalities Sarah Geronimo, Kris Aquino, Willie Revillame, and Alex Gonzaga.

In August 2020, Gurmit Singh became Shopee’s first Singaporean brand ambassador and reprised his character as Phua Chu Kang from a Singaporean sitcom for the role.

More About Shopee

Shopee is a Singaporean multinational technology company which focuses on e-commerce. Headquarters uber sea Group, Shopee was first launched in Singapore in the year 2015 and later expanded its reach to Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia. Now Shopee has its own exclusive Indian online store where Indians can buy everything from and get deliveries in way less time. Due to an Indian based operation, Shopee can extend its services to maximum customers and you can be the one to gain the benefit of the earliest discount on the ecommerce site. We have uploaded the latest promo codes here which can help you to gain maximum benefits like free shipping, flat discounts on fashion, home essentials, beauty, groceries, electronics items, baby products, phones and many other categories.

About Shopee.in

Shopee India is a one stop destination for many items you end on a daily basis. You can not only get electronics like cameras and phone accessories like high quality headphones, but also automobile accessories like helmets and more. It is a leading online shopping platform in Southeast Asia with its main operations from Singapore. Some other products that you can apart from clothing and fashion accessories are beverages, books, electronics, and home appliances. You can buy from this international ecommerce store and be assured of the quality of items you get. Because it is a multinational company, you can find some really cool brands and warranty on the products. And now you can get it all directly from your home without any extra shopping or delivery hassles that many international brands require. All thanks to its India exclusive store which was recently launched.

Shopee in India

Shopee was launched in India in November 2021 and has clocked 100000 orders in a day. Not just that, its Google Play store has been downloaded over a million times in India.

Shopee India Shopping Tips

Before buying an item, be sure to view product ratings and reviews from other users. Browse through the various categories well placed on the home page of the site until you find your favorite products –

• Once you find a needed product you have two options before checking out
• You can offer a different price to the seller. For this, click on “Chat Now” on the product page, then click “Make an Offer” and state your offer price and quantity. If the seller agrees to your offer, the product will be automatically added to your Shopping Cart
• Click on “Buy Now” to place an order directly.
• Select shipping option and fill in the shipping address correctly
• Now, select the payment method and tap on “Place Order” to proceed with payment

Download Shopee App

Shopee is an ecommerce platform that offers everything from groceries to fashion and beauty. Since the launch in 2015, it has emerged as a global marketplace for buying all sorts of products suitable for kids, men, and women. Check out the easy steps given below to start downloading the Shopee app on your smartphone:

Android Devices

• On your smartphone, open Google play Store and browse for Shopee.
• Now click on the “Install” button and complete the installation process.
• Again click on “Open” to register with your personal details.

Apple Devices

• On your smartphone, open the App Store and browse for Shopee.
• Now click on the “Install” button and complete the installation process.
• Again click on “Open” to register with your personal details.

Sell Your Products At Shopee

If you are looking for a perfect online marketplace for your handcrafted products, then Shopee could be the right fit for you. The best part is you will be charged zero commission fee, hidden charges, and shipping costs. Also, the payments are made with 100% transparency within the specified guidelines. All you have to do as a seller is to register yourself for the GST identification number, shipping address, and mobile number activation.

How to Use Shopee Coupons at GrabOn?

• Firstly, visit the GrabOn homepage and enter Shopee in the search bar.
• You will be redirected directly to the Shopee merchant page.
• From the list of available deals and coupon code, pick one that best suits your requirement.
• Now click on “Show Coupon Code” or “Get Deal” buttons.
• Again you will be navigated directly to the official Shopee website.
• Select and add items to the cart as the coupon gets automatically applied.

Shopee India Payment Options

• All major credit and debit cards are accepted
• You can opt for net banking too and pay online with is secure payment mode
• Cash on delivery is accepted.
• Other ways to pay via your Shopee order is via Shopee pay account or Shopee coins.

Shopee.in Shipping Policy

You have the freedom to choose which courier partner you want to opt for. Two options can be found viz. Delhivery and ECom Express. Just select the suitable one at the time of checkout and your order will be delivered by that particular shipping company. You can also visit the shipping companies website in order to track the package.

Shopee.in Return/ Refund/ Cancellation Policy

Shopee.in offers hassle-free 7 Day Free Return from top sellers. Returns can be made if you have received a wrong delivery, a damaged or faulty product, or it simply does not meet your expectations. You can raise a return request by logging into your Shopee.in account and selecting return against the order which you want to return. You would also need to select the reason for return to process your request.

Refund policy with Shopee

Refund requests will be initiated within 24 hours. However the time it takes to reflect back into your account depends on the payment mode which you had used. Here is the refund period that applies to your payment mode.

• Credit / Debit Card – 7-14 days
• UPI – 5-7 days
• Netbanking- 7-14 days

If you had used COD for your delivery, then the money will be credited back through either UPI or bank transfer.

How To Save More At Shopee.in

• You can avail super-saving discounts through coupons and use them during every purchase.
• Make use of multiple sales and promotions that more often happen in this site.
• By shopping on sale days that offers amazing deals for their top-selling items in specific brands
• Through the Free-Vouchers offered during sales periods and flash deals
• You can also follow Shopee on social media to get the latest offer details and subscribe to their newsletter in order to get the latest sale and discounts’ details.

How to save using Shopee voucher codess?

There are 2 ways to save with a voucher on Shopee. First, you can use a pre-loaded vouch which is basically applied automatically to your order in case one applies. You don’t have to do anything. Second, you can choose from a range of Shopee vouchers and apply them manually based on the order which you are placing. These second types of vouchers are called claimable vouchers. Both can be obtained either from the Shopee official website, or from this page as we frequently update all the vouchers for the ecommerce company with their terms and conditions.

Shopee customer care details

Email: You can sending an email through the help form on the Shopee website to gain information or to report a complaint

Call: The other simple way to reach out to them is by calling them at 1800 203 8899 which is available from 9am to 10pm from Monday to Thursdays.

Shopee Social media following:

Are you super-excited to buy all home, kitchen, electronic, beauty, fashion items at one place? Look nowhere! Shopee has got you covered. They have come with thousands of products across all the categories. So, you can start buying your favorite items without any trouble. Further, if you wish to stay connected with the Shopee platform online, do follow them on the below listed social channels. Have a look:

• Instagram: 112k followers
• Facebook: 2.3 crores
• LinkedIn: 1.3 Million followers

The company also has some outlets in Ireland. Shops in China were unsuccessful, and closed down in 2015.

History

1969 to 1979: Early growth

B&Q was founded in March 1969 in Southampton, England, by Richard Block and David Quayle, following the purchase and fitting out of a former furniture warehouse in the Southampton suburb of Portswood. Originally called Block & Quayle, the duo soon shortened the brand to B&Q as stock delivery notes and invoices were already unofficially abbreviating the name.

By each working over sixty-hour, six-day weeks, they were able to repay their bank overdraft within six months of opening, with turnover reaching £1million within the first five years of operating. Following the departure of co founder Block in 1976, the chain quickly expanded, and by 1979, there were twenty six shops across the United Kingdom.

1980s: Buyout and further expansion

B&Q grew rapidly through a combination of mergers, acquisitions and expansions, such as the acquisition of Scottish based company Dodge City at the beginning of the 1980s. The chain was itself acquired by the F. W. Woolworth Company for £16.8m at the beginning of the 1980s, coinciding with David Quayle selling his share, who by that time had a personal wealth of £4 million.

Two years later, F. W. Woolworth’s United Kingdom subsidiary (Woolworth’s Ltd.) and B&Q were purchased by Paternoster, now known as Kingfisher plc and still B&Q’s parent company.

B&Q developed two new trading formats: HomeCentres, retailing furniture, bathrooms, soft furniture, flooring and lighting; and AutoCentres, being similar to a Halfords, the first launch taking place at Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, at the end of the 1980s. The concept being to have a HomeCentre, AutoCentre and DIY Superstore with one communal car park.

The forays into these new markets were relatively short lived, and the various sites were sold on a couple of years later. The AutoCentres becoming in the main ‘Charlie Browns’, the HomeCentres being sold off individually.

1990s to present

In the mid 1990s, B&Q opened a new format of shop known as the Depot (later changed to B&Q Depot), a forerunner of a new class of shop known as the B&Q Warehouse. The company also began to expand outside the United Kingdom. In 1995, the retailer opened their first overseas subsidiary in Taiwan, and in January 1996, the first overseas large home improvement centre in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

In September 1998, it acquired NOMI, Poland’s leading chain of DIY shops, and later that year, merged with France’s Castorama.

The following year, B&Q opened a shop in Shanghai. In December 2000, Kingfisher plc acquired twenty eight development sites, intended to house future shops of rival chain Homebase from Sainsbury’s, who sold the chain. The development sites instead housed shops of B&Q. In August 2001, B&Q opened its first shop in Shanghai, when it hoped to increase outlets from four to 58 by 2005.

B&Q opened its first shop in Hong Kong on 1 June 2007, but was scheduled to close it on 13 September 2009. In December 2007, Kingfisher sold its 50 per cent stake in B&Q Taiwan to its joint venture partner. The $106.5 million (£51.6 million) sale, producing a profit of £25m was used to reduce debt.

In March 2009, B&Q closed twenty two of its then sixty three shops in China, blaming the housing slump. In May 2011, B&Q agreed to acquire thirty one shops in the United Kingdom, from the administrators of Focus DIY for £23 million. During 2011, B&Q opened a new regional distribution centre, at G.Park in Swindon.

In 2020, B&Q announced a sales increase of 17.6pc to £3.5bn for the quarter to October 31, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during which people spent money on home improvements.

In March 2021, B&Q said that it is expected to open in Saudi Arabia by fall introducing home improvement products.

Customers

B&Q were reported to have a customer base of seven million in July 2016, of which it was estimated 75% use the retailer’s website to research their desired products, prior to purchasing in shop. B&Q have customer loyalty schemes, such as the Diamond Club scheme which entitles members over the age of 60 to a 10% discount on Wednesdays on many garden products. However, no new customers are able to join the scheme, after changes were announced on 2 August 2018.

Corporate affairs

The retail chain offers over 40,000 products across their three hundred shops and through their online presence. Reports in May 2007 suggested it was the second largest in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world (behind the Home Depot, Lowe’s and OBI).

Shops

By 2000, B&Q had fifty one large warehouse shops; this had doubled by 2003. By May 2014, B&Q in the United Kingdom had 359 shops, and 20,887 employees; and eight shops in Ireland.

In March 2015, Kingfisher said it would close sixty shops of B&Q in the United Kingdom and Ireland over the next two years. It would also close a few loss making shops in Europe. It also said that B&Q UK and Ireland could adequately meet local customer needs, from fewer shops, and some shops should be smaller.

Financial performance

B&Q account for around a third of their parent company’s revenues, seeing like for like sales increase by 5.6% in August 2016. In the year ending 31 January 2007, sales were £3.9 billion despite overall sales falling by 1.7% compared to the previous year, whilst profit was £162.9 million, a fall from £208.5m during the previous year. Profit fell further in the year ending 31 January 2008, to £131million.

It operates many big-box format stores across the United States (including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands); all 10 provinces of Canada; and all 32 Mexican states and Mexico City. MRO company Interline Brands (now The Home Depot Pro) is also owned by The Home Depot, with 70 distribution centers across the United States.

History

1978–1999

The Home Depot was co-founded by Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, Ron Brill, Pat Farrah, and Ken Langone in 1978.^[6][7][8] The Home Depot’s proposition was to build home-improvement superstores, larger than any of their competitors’ facilities. Investment banker Ken Langone helped Marcus and Blank to secure the necessary capital.

Bernie and I founded The Home Depot with a special vision – to create a company that would keep alive the values that were important to us. Values like respect among all people, excellent customer service and giving back to communities and society^[9]

— Arthur Blank

The Home Depot Atlanta Store Support Center, 2018.

In 1979, the first two stores, built in spaces leased from J. C. Penney that were originally Treasure Island “hypermarket” (discount department and grocery) stores, opened in metro Atlanta (in Doraville and on Memorial Drive in Decatur, both near I-285)^[10] on June 22, 1979.^[11][12] On September 22, 1981, The Home Depot went public on the NASDAQ and raised $4.093 million. The Home Depot joined the New York Stock Exchange on April 19, 1984.

The Home Depot began to branch out of Georgia to Florida in 1981 with stores opening in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. By 1984, The Home Depot was operating 19 stores with sales of over $256 million. To enter the Dallas market The Home Depot acquired Bowater Home Center from Bowater Inc. on October 31, 1984, for $40 million. The increased expansion of The Home Depot in the mid-1980s created financial difficulties with earnings falling by 42% and debt rising to $200 million. The financial difficulties of The Home Depot also caused the stock price to fall. To curb The Home Depot difficulties it opened only 10 stores in 1986 with a stock offering 2.99 million shares at $17 per share which helped The Home Depot to restructure its debts.

The Home Depot in Markham, Ontario, Canada

In 1989, The Home Depot became the largest home improvement store in the United States, surpassing Lowe’s. In the 1990s The Home Depot searched for ways to redefine its marketplace. An installation program for quality home improvement items, such as windows or carpets, was launched in 1991 called the EXPO with success. A 480-page book Home Improvement 1-2-3 was published in 1995. The Canadian hardware chain Aikenhead’s Hardware was acquired by The Home Depot in 1994 for $150 million with a 75% share. All of the Aikenhead’s Hardware stores were later converted to The Home Depot stores. By 1995, sales reached $10 billion while operating 350 stores.

Former General Electric executive Robert Nardelli became CEO and president of The Home Depot in 2000.

2000–2007

San Diego maintenance and repair supplies company Maintenance Warehouse was purchased by The Home Depot in 1997 for $245 million. Maintenance Warehouse was purchased because it was a leading direct-mail marketer of maintenance, repair and operations supplies that could reach customers out of reach by The Home Depot. Atlanta-based company Apex Supply was acquired by The Home Depot in 1999. Apex Supply is a wholesale distributor of plumbing, HVAC, industrial pipe and fittings. Apex Supply and Maintenance Warehouse were rebranded in 2004 as “The Home Depot Supply.”

In 2004, Home Depot employees at a suburban Detroit store in Harper Woods, Michigan, rejected a bid to be represented by a labor union, voting 115 to 42 against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers. If the union had won, the Michigan store would have been the first Home Depot to have union representation.

Your Other Warehouse, a large plumbing distributor with a focus on special order fulfillment, was acquired by The Home Depot in 2001. Your Other Warehouse also supplied two divisions of The Home Depot and the EXPO Design Centers. The “EXPO Design Center” division was reorganized in 2001 with three divisions based in the Northeast at South Plainfield, New Jersey, the West at Orange, California, and the Southeast at Atlanta, Georgia.

The Home Depot entered the Mexican market in 2002 with the acquisition of the home improvement chain Del Norte. In addition, The Home Depot had begun construction of stores in Mexicali and Tijuana. In the same year the Home Depot Landscape Supply was launched to integrate professional landscapers and upscale plants into a plant nursery retail chain. Home Depot Landscape Supply lasted only five years with only a few stores each in metro Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth. The Home Depot decided to close all Home Depot Landscape Supply stores in late 2007.

In September 2005, Home Depot Direct launched its online home-furnishings store, 10 Crescent Lane, shortly followed by the launch of “Paces Trading Company,” its online lighting store. In mid-2006, the Home Depot acquired Home Decorators Collection, which was placed as an additional brand under its Home Depot Direct division.

In 2006, the Home Depot acquired Hughes Supply the largest home retailer in the United States for $3.2 billion. Hughes Supply was integrated into The Home Depot Supply to better serve business-to-business customers. The Home Depot Supply rebranded under the new name HD Supply in January 2007.Five months later The Home Depot sold HD Supply to a consortium of three private equity firms, The Carlyle Group, Bain Capital and Clayton, Dubilier and Rice (with each agreeing to buy a one-third stake in the division).

2007–present

On January 2, 2007, the Home Depot and Robert Nardelli mutually agreed on Nardelli’s resignation as CEO after a six-year tenure. Nardelli resigned amid complaints about his heavy-handed management and whether his pay package of $123.7 million (excluding stock option grants) over the previous five years was excessive, considering the stock’s poor performance versus its competitor Lowe’s. His severance package of $210 million was criticized because when the stock went down, his pay went up.

Center aisle of a Home Depot store in 2014

His successor, Frank Blake, previously served as the company’s vice chairman of the board and executive vice president. Blake agreed to a much more conservative compensation package than Nardelli, which is very heavily dependent upon the success of the company. Although a longtime deputy to Nardelli at GE and Home Depot, Blake was said to lack Nardelli’s hard edge and instead preferred to make decisions by consensus. Indeed, Blake repudiated many of his predecessor’s strategies, and it has been reported that the two men have not spoken since Nardelli departed Home Depot.

In 2008 and 2009, with the downturn in the housing market, The Home Depot announced the layoff of several thousand associates, as well as the closing of 54 stores nationwide, including the entire EXPO Design Center chain. Associates at EXPO were allowed to re-apply for Home Depot jobs after the layoffs, and did not lose any tenure if hired back. In the year of February 2009, sales totaled $71.288 billion, more than $20 billion down from the peak of two years earlier due to the sale of HD Supply and falling revenue at the retained business. In 2012, they proceeded to close the big-box style stores that they had in China, however smaller stores that specialized in custom products and focused on more intimate interactions between customers and associates remain open there.

In 2013, The Home Depot established two large distribution centers in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Interline Brands headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida

In August 2014, it was announced that Frank Blake would step down as CEO and would be replaced by 57-year-old Craig Menear. The change occurred on November 1, 2014. Blake would continue with the company as chairman. Menear joined The Home Depot in 1997, and served in various management and vice-presidential positions, until 2003, including merchandising vice president of hardware, merchandising vice president of the Southwest Division, and divisional merchandise manager of the Southwest Division. He subsequently served as senior vice president of merchandising from August 2003 to April 2007. He then served as an executive vice president of merchandising from April 2007 to February 2014. Until becoming CEO, Menear served as president of U.S. Retail from February 2014 to November 1, 2014.

The company had a data breach in September 2014.One major reason for the data breach was the practice of entering credit card numbers directly into computers at the service-desk and pro-desk, and in specialty departments including flooring, kitchen cabinets, appliances, and millwork, rather than using POS credit card terminals directly. The practice was stopped, and Home Depot offered a year of free credit monitoring through AllClearID for any customers who requested it. There were also reports of credit card numbers being stolen when used to make purchases on Homedepot.com.

On July 22, 2015, Home Depot acquired Interline Brands from P2 Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs’ private equity arm, and the management of Interline Brands for $1.6 billion. Interline Brands became fully integrated with The Home Depot in August 2016 with the Interline Brands website merging with The Home Depot website. The subsidiaries of Interline Brands are now companies of The Home Depot.

In 2017, Home Depot acquired the online presence of The Company Store from Hanover Direct. The Company Store was founded in 1911, operating primarily as catalog and online sales, but with five physical locations. The five physical locations were not included in the deal.

In January 2022, The Home Depot announced Craig Menear would be stepping down as the CEO and president effective March 1, 2022 while continuing to serve as the chairman of the board. He was replaced by former executive vice president Ted Decker.

Finances

As of 2020, Home Depot is ranked #26 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

For the Q2 of 2020, the company reported sales of $38.1 billion, which represented a growth of 23.4% from the same period, the previous year. The net earnings for the period of three months (ending August 2) rose 27% up to $4.3 billion. The growth in the sales was a result of Americans staying at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Q3 for 2020, ending November 1, Home Depot reported a revenue of $33.5 billion; it represents a year-on-year increase of 24 per cent.

Carbon footprint

The Home Depot reported Total CO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for the twelve months ending 31 December 2020 at 1,821 Kt (-127 /-6.5% y-o-y).^[48] Reported emissions have been on a declining trend since 2016.

Lidl is the chief competitor of the similar German discount chain Aldi in several markets. There are Lidl stores in every member state of the European Union as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Lidl also announced that it will open its first store in Ukraine in the future in October 2021, but due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine there was no progress.\

History

In 1932, Josef Schwarz became a partner in Südfrüchte Großhandlung Lidl & Co., a fruit wholesaler, and he developed the company into a general food wholesaler.

In 1977, under his son Dieter Schwarz, the Schwarz-Gruppe began to focus on discount markets, larger supermarkets, and cash and carry wholesale markets. He did not want to use the name Schwarz-Markt (Schwarzmarkt means “black market”) and wanted to use the name of his father’s former business partner, A. Lidl, but legal reasons prevented him from using that name for his discount stores. When he discovered a newspaper article about a painter and retired schoolteacher Ludwig Lidl, he bought the rights to the name from him for 1,000 German marks.

Lidl is part of the Schwarz Group, the fifth-largest retailer in the world with sales of €104.3 billion (2018).

The first Lidl discount store was opened in 1973, copying the Aldi concept. Schwarz rigorously removed merchandise that did not sell from the shelves, and cut costs by keeping the size of the retail outlets as small as possible. By 1977, the Lidl chain comprised 33 discount stores.

Lidl opened its first UK store in 1994. Its grocery market share in the UK was 5.9% in 2019.

Sven Seidel was appointed CEO of the company in March 2014, after the previous CEO Karl-Heinz Holland stepped down.^[10] Holland had served as chief executive since 2008 but left due to undisclosed “unbridgeable” differences over future strategy. Seidel stepped down from his position in February 2017 after Manager Magazin reported he had fallen out of favour with Klaus Gehrig, who has headed the Schwarz Group since 2004. Seidel was succeeded as CEO by Dane Jesper Højer, previously head of Lidl’s international buying operation.^[11]

In June 2015, the company announced it would establish a United States headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.^[12] Lidl has major distribution centers in Mebane, North Carolina, and Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The company initially focused on opening locations in East Coast states, between Pennsylvania and Georgia, and as far west as Ohio. In June 2017, Lidl opened its first stores in the United States in Virginia Beach, Virginia and other mid-Atlantic cities. The company planned to open a total of one hundred U.S. stores by the summer of 2018. In November 2018, Lidl announced plans to acquire 27 Best Market stores in New York and New Jersey. In December 2018, Lidl opened its first location in New York City, in the Staten Island Mall. The company has continued to expand throughout the eastern U.S., with over 100 stores by the end of 2020. In August 2020, Lidl announced that it planned to open up another 50 stores in the U.S. by the end of 2021.

Business model

Like fellow German supermarket Aldi, Lidl has a zero waste,no-frills, “pass-the-savings-to-the-consumer” approach of displaying most products in their original delivery cartons, allowing the customers to take the product directly from the carton. When the carton is empty, it is simply replaced with a full one. Staffing is minimal

In contrast to Aldi, there are generally more branded products offered. Lidl distributes many low-priced gourmet foods by producing each of them in a single European Union country for its whole worldwide chain, but it also sources many local products from the country where the store is located. Like Aldi, Lidl has special weekly offers, and its stock of non-food items often changes with time. In contrast to Aldi, Lidl advertises extensively in its homeland of Germany.

Just as Aldi, Lidl does not play mood music in most countries, including Germany. Exceptions include stores in the United States, Croatia, Spain (not all), Poland and Lithuania. Additionally, in two stores in Denmark music is played as a test. Lidl stores have PA systems for important announcements but do not broadcast commercials.

The Lidl operation in the United Kingdom took a different approach than in Germany, with a focus on marketing and public relations, and providing employee benefits not required by law, including paying the independently verified living wage and offering a staff discount.^[21] Upmarket products were introduced, especially in the lead-up to Christmas. This required significant investment in marketing to produce sales growth but had an effect on Lidl’s logistical operation and pressure on profits. Ronny Gottschlich, who had run Lidl GB for the six years to 2016, was responsible for this approach, which led to friction with head office, due to the cost involved. In September 2016, Gottschlich unexpectedly left and was replaced by the Austrian sales and operations director, German-national Christian Härtnagel.^[22] Lidl continued to have ambitious investment plans in the United Kingdom, ultimately doubling the number of stores to 1,500. In the financial year of 2015, Lidl Great Britain’s revenue from its over 630 stores throughout Britain was £4.7 billion.

Criticism

In 2008, Lidl was accused by journalists of spying on their workers, listening to private phone calls, and sometimes even following them home or to doctor’s appointments.In one instance, an employee’s file was supposedly annotated to note that most of her friends were “drug users”. In another instance, a female worker at a Lidl store in the Czech Republic was allegedly forbidden from using the toilet during working hours. An internal company memo from the incident was made public as part of a court case, in which the company is alleged to have advised management “Female workers who have their periods may go to the toilet now and again, but to enjoy this privilege they should wear a visible headband”. Some trade union activists have compared this behavior to that of American companies which engage in union busting, drawing the comparison to surveillance techniques used to proactively detect and stop union organizing activity within a place of business. Lidl responded to these claims, stating that the surveillance was intended to prevent shoplifting, and to detect “abnormal behavior”.

Other services

In October 2009, Lidl Movies was launched in the United Kingdom, undercutting Tesco DVD Rental, which had previously been the United Kingdom’s cheapest online rental service for DVDs. The service was powered by OutNow DVD Rental. OutNow went into liquidation in October 2011, taking Lidl Movies with it.

In January 2012, Lidl launched bakeries in their stores across Europe. They consist of a small baking area with a number of ovens, together with an area where bread and pastries, such as croissants, are displayed for sale. The bakeries were initially trialed in a limited number of stores, to determine whether there was a demand for freshly baked products in-store.

As of 2019, Target operates 1,931 stores throughout the United States, and is ranked number 37 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. Their retail formats include the discount store Target, the hypermarket SuperTarget, and “small-format” stores previously named CityTarget and TargetExpress before being consolidated under the Target branding.

History of Target Corporation

The history of Target Corporation first began in 1902 by George Dayton. The company was originally named Goodfellow Dry Goods in June 1902 before being renamed the Dayton’s Dry Goods Company in 1903 and later the Dayton Company in 1910. The first Target store opened in Roseville, Minnesota in 1962 while the parent company was renamed the Dayton Corporation in 1967. It became the Dayton-Hudson Corporation after merging with the J.L. Hudson Company in 1969 and held ownership of several department store chains including Dayton’s, Hudson’s, Marshall Field’s, and Mervyn’s. In 2000, the Dayton-Hudson Corporation was renamed to Target Corporation.

Finances

Carbon footprint

Target Corporation reported Total CO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for the twelve months ending 31 December 2020 at 2,192 Kt (−241 /-9.9% y-o-y).^[8] There has been a consistent declining trend in reported emissions since 2016.

Store formats

Target

The first Target discount store opened in Roseville, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, on May 1, 1962.^[12] Present-day properties are roughly 135,000 square feet (12,500 m²) and sell general merchandise, including hardlines and softlines. While many Target stores follow a standard big-box architectural style, the company has focused on “customizing each new store to ensure a locally relevant experience […] that best fit the surrounding neighborhood’s needs” since August 2006. Initially, only SuperTarget locations operated Starbucks Coffee counters, although they were integrated into general-merchandise stores through their expanded partnership beginning in 2003.

Target introduced the “PFresh” store prototype in 2006, which expanded its grocery selection in general-merchandise locations by upwards of 200%. Newly constructed stores that follow the PFresh format are roughly 1,500 square feet (140 m²) larger than properties without groceries, although retain the Target branding because their offerings are considerably more limited than SuperTarget. PFresh sells perishable and frozen foods, baked goods, meat, and dairy. The company remodeled 109 stores accordingly in 2006, and renovated another 350 stores the following year. The company’s decision to close their garden centers opened floor space for PFresh expansion and larger seasonal departments beginning in 2010.

CVS Health

On June 15, 2015, CVS Health announced an agreement with Target to acquire all of Target’s pharmacies and clinic businesses for around $1.9 billion. The Target pharmacies were rebranded as CVS Health pharmacies, which totaled 1,672 pharmacies in February 2016. The Target clinics were also rebranded as MinuteClinic. The acquisition of the Target pharmacies enabled CVS to expand its market into Seattle, Denver, Portland, and Salt Lake City.

SuperTarget

The first Target Greatland location opened in Apple Valley, Minnesota, in September 1990. They were about 50% larger than traditional Target stores, and pioneered company standards, including an increased number of checkout lanes and price scanners, larger aisles, expanded pharmacy and photography departments, and a food court. Target Greatland locations have since been converted to stores following the PFresh format beginning in 2009.

The first SuperTarget hypermarket opened in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995, and expanded upon the Target Greatland concept with the inclusion of a full grocery department. The company expanded their grocery assortment in 2003 and adopted the modified tagline “Eat Well. Pay Less.” (in reference to their tagline “Expect More. Pay Less.”) in 2004. In the early 2000s, 43 locations (of nearly 100) featured E-Trade trading stations, although they were all closed by June 2003 after E-Trade determined that “we were not able to make it into a profitable distribution channel.”

When comparing itself with rival Walmart Supercenter hypermarkets, then-chief executive Gregg Steinhafel opined that Walmart operates like “a grocer that happens to also sell general merchandise,” where in contrast, its less aggressive expansion of SuperTarget stores is indicative of their position that the grocery industry as a “high-impact, low-cost” side project. The company operated 239 SuperTarget locations as of September 2015; they each encompass an estimate of 174,000 square feet (16,200 m²).

In article written in August 2015, Target was quoted as saying “Big or small, our stores have one thing in common: they’re all Target.” Since then, newer stores have opened under the Target name.

Small-format Target

While typical Target locations are about 135,000 square feet (12,500 m²), the majority of “small-format” CityTarget stores are roughly 80,000 square feet (7,400 m²). The first stores were opened in July 2012, in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle; the 160,000 square feet (15,000 m²) location in Boston is the largest CityTarget and opened in July 2015. TargetExpress stores hover around 14,000 to 21,000 square feet (1,300 to 2,000 m²); the first opened in Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota in July 2014. Products in these flexible-format properties are typically sold in smaller packages geared towards customers using public transportation. Locations built in college communities often carry an extended home department of apartment and dormitory furnishings. In August 2015, Target announced that it would rename its nine CityTarget and five TargetExpress stores as Target beginning that October, deciding that “Big or small, our stores have one thing in common: they’re all Target.” The first small-format stores under the unified naming scheme opened later that month in Chicago, Rosslyn, San Diego, and San Francisco. The company opened a 45,000 square feet (4,200 m²) store in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York in October 2016. In that same month, three other similar-sized stores opened in Philadelphia, Cupertino, California, and the area around Pennsylvania State University. Target opened a 22,000 square feet (2,000 m²) store in Austin’s Dobie Twenty21, adjacent to the UT Austin campus.

Nearly all of its planned openings through 2019 are small formats, which are less than 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²). The goal of these smaller-format stores is to win over the business of millennial customers. The nearly 30 new locations were to be situated in college towns or densely populated areas.

Brands and subsidiaries

As of 2018, Target has four subsidiaries: Target Brands, Inc., Target Capital Corporation, Target Enterprise, Inc., and Target General Merchandise, Inc.

Financial and Retail Services

Financial and Retail Services (FRS), formerly Target Financial Services, issues Target’s credit cards, known as the Target REDcard (formerly the Target Guest Card), issued through Target National Bank (formerly Retailers National Bank) for consumers and through Target Bank for businesses. FRS also oversees GiftCard balances. Target launched its PIN-x debit card, the Target Check Card, which was later rebranded the Target Debit Card. The Target Debit Card withdraws funds from the customer’s existing checking account, and allows for up to $40 “cash back”. The debit card allows guests to save 5% off each purchase. In late 2017, Target replaced its REDcard slogan, “Save 5% Today, Tomorrow, & Everyday with Target REDcard”, when it rolled out new benefits for REDcard holders by offering exclusive products on Target.com and preorders with “Everyday Savings. Exclusive Extras.”

Target Sourcing Services

This global sourcing organization locates merchandise from around the world for Target and helps import the merchandise to the United States. Such merchandise includes garments, furniture, bedding, and towels. Target Sourcing Services (TSS) has 27 full-service offices, 48 quality-control offices, and seven concessionaires located throughout the world. TSS employs 1,200 people. Its engineers are responsible for evaluating the factories that do business with Target Corporation for quality, labor rights, and transshipment issues. TSS was acquired by Target Corporation in 1998, was founded in 1916 as the Associated Merchandising Corporation, and was previously owned by the clients it served. TSS ceased operations in its department-store group, the division of the former Associated Merchandising Corporation that acted as a buying office for Saks, Inc., Bloomingdale’s, Stage Stores Inc., T.J.Maxx, and Marshalls

Website

Target.com owns and oversees the company’s e-commerce initiatives, such as the Target.com domain. Founded in early 2000 as target.direct, it was formed by separating the company’s existing e-commerce operations from its retailing division and combining it with its Rivertown Trading direct-marketing unit into a stand-alone subsidiary. In 2002, target.direct and Amazon.com’s subsidiary Amazon Enterprise Solutions created a partnership in which Amazon.com would provide order fulfillment and guest services for Target.com in exchange for fixed and variable fees. After the company sold Marshall Field’s and Mervyn’s in 2004, target.direct became Target.com. The domain target.com attracted at least 288 million visitors annually by 2008, according to a Compete.com survey. In August 2009, Target announced that they would build and manage a new Target.com platform, independent of Amazon.com. This new platform was to launch in 2011, in advance of the holiday season. Prior to the announcement, Target and Amazon had extended their partnership until 2011.In January 2010, Target announced their vendor partners for the re-platforming project. These partners include Sapient, IBM, Oracle, Endeca, Autonomy, Sterling Commerce, and Huge, among others. The re-platformed Target.com officially launched on August 23, 2011, effectively ending the partnership with Amazon.com.

Wish is operated by ContextLogic Inc. in San Francisco, United States. The platform personalizes the shopping experience visually for each customer, rather than relying only on a search bar format. It allows sellers to list their products on Wish and sell directly to consumers. Wish works with payment service providers to handle payments and does not stock the products themselves or manage returns.

History

Wish was started by Piotr Szulczewski, a former Google engineer, as a software company called ContextLogic. In September 2010, ContextLogic received $1.7 million in investments and involved Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman.

In May 2011, Szulczewski invited college friend Danny Zhang to relaunch the company as Wish. It was created as an application that allowed shoppers to create wish lists of their favorite products before matching them with merchants. They also earned revenue with a Pay-per-click model by advertising on Facebook.

In 2013, Szulczewski met with Hans Tung, an investor with GGV Capital in Menlo Park, California, and noted that a large number of sales were coming from Florida, Texas and the Midwest rather than New York or California. Wish became an e-commerce site after asking merchants to host their products directly on the Wish application, with Wish taking a portion of each sale.

The Wish marketplace is accessed by the Wish.com website or by a mobile application that is available for iOS and Android.

In 2017, Wish was the most downloaded e-commerce application in the United States. It signed a multi-year partnership with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Wish conducted a World Cup campaign in 2018, that featured Neymar, Paul Pogba, Tim Howard, Gareth Bale, Robin van Persie, Claudio Bravo and Gianluigi Buffon.

In 2018, Wish was the most-downloaded e-commerce application worldwide and the company doubled its revenue to $1.9 billion.

As of 2019, Wish was the third-biggest e-commerce marketplace in the United States by sales. In August 2019, ContextLogic received a Series H funding round, led by equity firm General Atlantic, taking the company’s valuation to $11.2 billion.JD.com is an investor in Wish. ContextLogic went public via an IPO in 2020.

In France in November 2021, the Wish e-commerce system, including the website and smartphone applications, were delisted from Google’s search results and from Google’s French app store, after French authorities claimed that many items sold on the platform do not comply with European regulations. The same authorities also accused the platform of selling counterfeit items In January 2022, Wish appointed Vijay Talwar as the new CEO.

Services

More than 1 million merchants list their products on Wish’s platform to sell directly to consumers. The bulk of the merchandise available through the app in the United States comes from China and other non-U.S. distributors. The products are usually smaller items that are cheaper to ship, aided by an agreement between China Post and the U.S. Postal Service that lowers costs of shipping for goods weighing less than 2 kg. Wish offers express shipping in 5 days, or 6–8 days in some cases, as well as standard shipping that takes 2–3 weeks, for customers who prioritize savings over speed of delivery.

Wish’s “Wheel of Fortune”-style game, Blitz Buy, integrates a layer of gamification to offer consumers additional discounts on top-selling items.

Criticism

Wish has been criticized for listing poor quality or counterfeit goods, a common concern among major e-commerce sites which feature independent sellers.^[22][23][24] Customers have complained about lack of communication from sellers and quality. In response to the criticism, Szulczewski hired an executive from Facebook to organize a community of about 10,000 Wish users to expose unsatisfactory dealers in exchange for free goods and discounts.

It is often possible to purchase items from Wish that are not legal in the purchaser’s country. In January 2020, a man from Nelson, Lancashire, United Kingdom, was sentenced to 11 months in prison for purchasing a stun gun using Wish.

Type of site	Public
Available in	English and other languages
Founded	July 4, 2010; 12 years ago
Headquarters	San Francisco , U.S.
Country of origin	United States
Area served	Worldwide
Founder(s)	Piotr Szulczewski Sheng Zhang
Key people	Vijay Talwar, CEO
Industry	Online shopping
Revenue	$2.1 Billion
Employees	1100
Parent	ContextLogic Inc. (Nasdaq: WISH)
Subsidiaries	Wish Outlet Wish Express Wish Local for Partner Stores
URL	www.wish.com
Advertising	Yes
Commercial	Yes
Registration	Required
Launched	May 2011
Current status	Active

Amazon.com is a vast Internet-based enterprise that sells books, music, movies, housewares, electronics, toys, and many other goods, either directly or as the middleman between other retailers and Amazon.com’s millions of customers. Its Web services business includes renting data storage and computing resources, so-called “cloud computing,” over the Internet. Its considerable online presence is such that, in 2012, 1 percent of all Internet traffic in North America traveled in and out of Amazon.com data centres.

The company also makes the market-leading Kindle e-book readers. Its promotion of these devices has led to dramatic growth in e-book publishing and turned Amazon.com into a major disruptive force in the book-publishing market.

Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos from his garage in Bellevue, Washington, on July 5, 1994. Initially an online marketplace for books, it has expanded into a multitude of product categories: a strategy that has earned it the moniker The Everything Store. It has multiple subsidiaries including Amazon Web Services (cloud computing), Zoox (autonomous vehicles), Kuiper Systems (satellite Internet), Amazon Lab126 (computer hardware R&D). Its other subsidiaries include Ring, Twitch, IMDb, MGM Holdings and Whole Foods Market.

“Get Big Fast”

In 1994 Jeff Bezos, a former Wall Street hedge fund executive, incorporated Amazon.com, choosing the name primarily because it began with the first letter of the alphabet and because of its association with the vast South American river. On the basis of research he had conducted, Bezos concluded that books would be the most logical product initially to sell online. Amazon.com was not the first company to do so; Computer Literacy, a Silicon Valley bookstore, began selling books from its inventory to its technically astute customers in 1991. However, the promise of Amazon.com was to deliver any book to any reader anywhere.

While Amazon.com famously started as a bookseller, Bezos contended from its start that the site was not merely a retailer of consumer products. He argued that Amazon.com was a technology company whose business was simplifying online transactions for consumers.

The Amazon.com business strategy was often met with skepticism. Financial journalists and analysts disparaged the company by referring to it as Amazon.bomb. Doubters claimed Amazon.com ultimately would lose in the marketplace to established bookselling chains, such as Borders and Barnes & Noble, once they had launched competing e-commerce sites. The lack of company profits until the final quarter of 2001 seemed to justify its critics.

However, Bezos dismissed naysayers as not understanding the massive growth potential of the Internet. He argued that to succeed as an online retailer, a company needed to “Get Big Fast,” a slogan he had printed on employee T-shirts. In fact, Amazon.com did grow fast, reaching 180,000 customer accounts by December 1996, after its first full year in operation, and less than a year later, in October 1997, it had 1,000,000 customer accounts. Its revenues jumped from $15.7 million in 1996 to $148 million in 1997, followed by $610 million in 1998. Amazon.com’s success propelled its founder to become Time magazine’s 1999 Person of the Year.

The company expanded rapidly in other areas. Its Associates program, where other Web sites could offer merchandise for sale and Amazon.com would fill the order and pay a commission, grew from one such site in 1996 to more than 350,000 by 1999. Following Bezos’s initial strategy, the company quickly began selling more than books. Music and video sales started in 1998. That same year it began international operations with the acquisition of online booksellers in the United Kingdom and Germany. By 1999 the company was also selling consumer electronics, video games, software, home-improvement items, toys and games, and much more.

To sustain that growth, Amazon.com needed more than private investors to underwrite the expansion. As a result, in May 1997, less than two years after opening its virtual doors to consumers and without ever having made a profit, Amazon.com became a public company, raising $54 million on the NASDAQ market. In addition to the cash, the company was able to use its high-flying stock to fund its aggressive growth and acquisition strategy.

Beyond retailing

As noted above, Bezos claimed that Amazon.com was not a retailer but a technology company. To underscore the point, in 2002 the company launched Amazon Web Services (AWS), which initially offered data on Internet traffic patterns, Web site popularity, and other statistics for developers and marketers. In 2006 the company expanded its AWS portfolio with its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), which rents out computer processing power in small or large increments. That same year, the Simple Storage Service (S3), which rents data storage over the Internet, became available.

S3 and EC2 quickly succeeded and helped popularize the idea that companies and individuals do not need to own computing resources; they can rent them as needed over the Internet, or “in the cloud.” For example, in 2007, soon after launch, the S3 service contained more than 10 billion objects, or files; five years later, it held more than 905 billion. AWS is even used by Amazon.com’s rivals, such as Netflix, which uses both S3 and EC2 for its competing video streaming service.

COVID-19

At the end of March 2020, some workers of the Staten Island warehouse staged a walkout in protest of the poor health situation at their workplace amidst the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. One of the organizers, Chris Smalls, was first put on quarantine without anyone else being quarantined, and soon afterwards fired from the company.

The pandemic caused a surge in online shopping and resulted in shortages of household staples both online and some brick-and-mortar stores. From March 17 to April 10, 2020, Amazon warehouses stopped accepting non-essential items from third-party sellers. The company hired approximately 175,000 additional warehouse workers and delivery contractors to deal with the surge, and temporarily raised wages by $2/hour.

Acquisition of MGM

After months of speculation due to MGM’s poor financial performance from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the movie industry, Amazon entered negotiations to acquire MGM at an estimated $9 billion on May 17, 2021. The companies agreed to the merger deal on May 26, 2021 for a total value of $8.45 billion, subject to regulatory approval. The deal would allow Amazon to add the MGM library to the Amazon Prime Video catalog, with the studio continuing to operate as a label under the new parent company. The merger was finalized on March 17, 2022 following the expiration of the FTC’s review deadlineand having cleared the European Commission two days earlier on March 15th.^{[57][58][59][60][61][62][63]} Later that day, Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins revealed that Amazon will continue to partner with United Artists Releasing (MGM and Annapurna Pictures’ joint distribution venture), which will remain in operation to release all future MGM titles theatrically on a “case-by-case basis,” while “all MGM employees will join my organization.” It was also revealed that Amazon had no plans to make changes to the studio’s production slate and release schedules nor make all MGM content exclusive to Prime Video, providing some hope that the studio would operate autonomously from Amazon Studios. These plans are expected to not impact the future of the James Bond franchise and its creative team. Two town halls further detailing MGM’s future post-merger took place on March 18, 2022, which included one for MGM employees and one for Amazon Studios/Prime Video employees.Both revealed the new interim reporting structure as part of Amazon’s “phased integration plan,” which would involve De Luca, Mark Burnett (Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television) and COO Chris Brearton reporting to Hopkins on behalf of the studio.^[65] On April 27, 2022, it was announced that De Luca and Abdy would leave the studio.

List of 90% OFF Amazon Promo Codes, Coupons, and Deals for August 2022

Amazon India Online Shopping – Promo Codes & Offers

Amazon India is a great place to shop for products from the best brands. You can find everything from clothing and accessories to home furnishings and electronics. There are also a variety of latest offers that you won’t find anywhere else. One of the coolest things about this eCommerce major giant is the fact that you can shop from the comfort of your home. You don’t have to leave your house to find the best deals. You can also use an Amazon Prime membership to get free two-day shipping on most items. Plus, you can enjoy exclusive offers and discount codes that are only available to Prime members. Furthermore, use GrabOn coupons to get up to 90% off on select products and brands. So, what are you waiting for? Start shopping today.

About Amazon

Amazon, one of the biggest shareholders of the e-commerce market in India was formed in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in a garage. Everybody knows this story. But did you know that this platform was first a bookselling portal that delivered books within a month of its launch that making it a huge hit? Today, the company provides a platform for millions of sellers to sell everything from fruits and vegetables to movies and books, and even items you didn’t know existed online.

The company never stops making people’s life easy with newer solutions. The company operates in over 200 countries and employs over a million people worldwide. It’s not only a haven for sellers and buyers but also for job seekers, entrepreneurs, and anybody who would like to do something different.

Top Categories On Amazon

Electronics dominates the top three Amazon India categories, followed by fashion and then home & kitchen. These are likely indicative of the fast-paced lifestyle that a majority of Indians live today. Electronics features products related to smartphones, cameras, laptops, and others. Fashion includes items such as women’s clothing, footwear, cosmetics, etc., while home & kitchen showcases goods such as furniture, cookware sets, dining, storage, etc.

How To Save On Amazon – Tips & Tricks

There are a number of ways to save, and the best way to find out is to start searching for deals today! Some of the most popular ways to save include using promo codes, coupons, and shopping during sales. Check out the website for daily deals, or use the mobile application to find cashback and free shipping on your favorite products.

Additionally, Amazon Prime members can take advantage of Prime Day, which is the biggest two-day sale of the year for massive savings. During this sale period, the company offers exclusive deals on a wide range of items, including electronics, home goods, and more. You can also find the best offers on the Kindle Store and AmazonBasics. The leading online shopping platform constantly updates its deals page, so be sure to check back often or stay connected to GrabOn for coupon codes, clearance sale updates, and much more!

Amazon Sales & Discounts

Amazon conducts various sales throughout the year. A renowned sale by Amazon, The Amazon Great Indian Festival, happens every year where users can bag products at never seen before rates. This sale is one of the best times for shopping on Amazon as you can enjoy heavy discounts on mobile phones, large appliances, clothing, furniture, and more. Other than that, Amazon has sales at all festivals and occasions that you must look out for. Let that be Father’s Day, Independence Day, or even Rakhsha Bandhan, you can expect some really good savings when you shop from Amazon during these times.

AmazonBasic – Raining Discounts Like Never Before

AmazonBasics is a private label that offers office supplies, home goods, and tech accessories at discounted prices. It offers competitive prices and a wide range of products that can be found nowhere else. The products are of high quality and often have superior design and function to branded products.

Some of the most popular products include electronics, home goods, and office supplies. Electronics include items such as smartphones, drones, and televisions. Home goods include items such as mattresses, curtains, and flooring. Office supplies include items such as printers, copiers, and scanners. All these products on do have a discount code or be it a voucher code that will surely leave a smile on your face.

Amazon Gift Cards

Amazon gift cards are an awesome way to wish someone a birthday, a wedding anniversary, and so on. You can buy a gift card that is worth up to Rs 10,000 from the gift card store. All cards can be customized with artwork and even a personal message. Gift cards are easy to redeem and are valid for 1 year. Receivers can use the gift card on all products, except the app, a few global store products, and for the purchase of other gift cards. Buying gift cards can also unlock special discounts on other brands like Ola, Chumbak, and more.

Amazon First Purchase Offers

On the first purchase on the Amazon eCommerce platform, new users will get offers worth Rs 4,450. The coupon codes will be sent to the email addresses of eligible consumers. In addition, this offer is available to consumers without having to make a minimum purchase.

Check Amazon Lightning Deals Every Day

At Amazon, you’ll never miss a chance to get instant bargains while shopping and saving on the items you buy. When you subscribe to Prime, you’ll get early access to lightning deals. In addition to exclusive deals of the day.

Amazon Prime Student Discount

Students can get Prime membership for half the price for six months straight. All you have to do is signup with your student’s identity details to avail of the offer. Once you become a member, you will get free shipping on all eligible items, and massive discounts on college essential items like bags, headphones, phone cases, video games, and even health and personal items. Students can also get discounts on Amazon music, and prime video channels and can enjoy Kindle reading free for two months.

Amazon Youth Offer – 50% Off

Customers between ages 18 to 24 can join Amazon Prime at 50% off when their signup for monthly, quarterly or annual membership. All you have to do is verify your age to avail of discounts on your plan or get Amazon Pay cashback up to Rs 750. Please make note that this offer can be availed using the mobile app. Please check the website for more details.

Amazon Prime Membership Benefits & Pricing

Amazon’s Prime membership entitles you to a plethora of exciting benefits that include the following:

• Free Delivery: With the membership, you get free one day, two days, and even scheduled delivery as per your address. Moreover, there is no minimum order value required for standard deliveries.
• Discounted Deliveries: Get discounted morning and express deliveries for just Rs 50 and Rs 49, respectively.
• Cashback: Get Rs 25 cashback with No Rush shipping, which is absolutely free.
• Special discounts on baby items: Get 15% off on diaper subscriptions and on other eligible baby products.
• Free access to entertainment: Enjoy free and unlimited access to hundreds of movies in various languages, and music, and get access to the Kindle app.
• Airtel Recharge: Win Amazon Prime Free Trial for 1 month when you recharge with Airtel.

Pricing Details:

Here’s the list of new Amazon Prime membership plans:

• Monthly Membership Fee: Costs Rs 179; Validity: 1 Month.
• Quarterly Membership Fee: Costs Rs 459; Validity: 3 Months.
• Annual Membership Fee: Costs Rs 1,499; Validity: 1 Year.

Amazon App Download

The app is the best way to shop for millions of products and find what you’re looking for. You can browse by categories, view everything that shoppers have bought, and even read customer reviews. It features items from thousands of sellers so that you don’t have to go anywhere else to find something great. Whether you have android or iPhone devices, having an Amazon app makes your shopping experience enjoyable. Download it today to start making the best purchases you ever did.

Check out the following benefits associated with the mobile application:

• Track your purchased items in real-time.
• Set up notifications to know the delivery status.
• Chat with customer support to know about offers, deals, and new product launches.
• Pay bills and transfer money using Amazon pay.
• Interactive voice assistance with the Alexa feature.
• Make safe and secure payments online.
• Barcode scanner to know the product pricing details.

Renewed Products On Amazon – Daily Deals

Amazon is a great place to get refurbished and renewed items. Not only are they affordable, but you can be sure that the products are of high quality. You can save up to 70% when you buy renewed products here. Browse through their extensive selection of refurbished items like laptops, headphones, mobile phones, fans, cameras, smartwatches, tablets, monitors, and more. All these products are inspected and tested by professionals before they are sold on the platform. In addition, Amazon offers a 6-month warranty on all products, so you can be confident in your decision to buy from them.

Gaming with Prime – Free Content

All Prime users can avail of free in-game content on the latest and top mobile games that are refreshed on a daily basis. You can get free in-game content such as characters, themes, in-game currencies, power-ups, and more. Just log in with your Amazon account to claim the benefits and in-game content deals. Furthermore, you can subscribe to the company’s newsletter for free and exclusive in-game content drops.

Amazon Return Policy

• In order to avail of the return benefits, you need to check the return window on your product page before placing the order.
• The items are returnable in either 7 days or 10 days depending on what you order.
• Some items like jewelry and luggage bags have a 30-day return day window.
• If you receive a non-returnable product in a damaged condition, you can contact the support team within 10 days. You may get your order replaced.
• If the exact same product is not available with the seller during an exchange, the total amount would get refunded.
• In case of some damaged items, you do not even need to return them, but you could still enjoy a refund.

Amazon Shipping Policy

The delivery of your order changes as per the type of product, your location, and the seller. Some orders qualify for free shipping as well. In order to know your exact shipping charges and the delivery time, simply place the product in the cart and proceed to checkout.

Amazon India – Latest News

Amazon creates 1.6 million jobs in India

eCommerce giant, Amazon has said that it has created a total of 1.16 million (11.6 lakh) direct and indirect jobs in India. According to a release, the company has enabled about $5 billion in exports and has digitized 4 million MSMEs in the country, so far. By 2025, the company aims to digitize 10 million MSMEs, creating 2 million jobs and enabling $10 billion in exports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Amazon Offer Discounts?

Yes, Amazon does offer discounts on a variety of products, including essentials, groceries, and many more.

How to get Amazon promo codes?

There are a few ways to get Amazon coupon codes. One way is to sign up for the company’s promotional email list.

Can I earn reward points on all purchases on Amazon?

Yes. Earn unlimited 5% reward points when you shop on Amazon.

Are there any Amazon Kindle books coupons available?

Yes. You can save more on Kindle books using codes available on our platform or check Amazon for the latest offers.

How can I find a hidden Amazon promo code?

Get up to 70% by clicking on Today’s Deals section on Amazon’s coupon page. You can find it under the search bar on the homepage.

What is the Amazon voucher code today?

Using the latest code, you can save up to 80% on fashion, electronics, home, kitchen products, and other categories.

Can I apply multiple coupons on Amazon items?

No. Amazon does not allow using multiple coupons on a single product. You can choose the best deal from the available options to maximize saving and use it for further purchases.

What is the eligibility for free shipping?

Free Shipping is applicable on subscription purchases, on select products, or for Prime users.

discount code

Foundation Story
Founded by three partners of French origin in 1988, LC Waikiki started its commercial life as a wholesale brand. Established and registered in Paris, LC Waikiki attracted attention with its t-shirt and sweatshirt designs in the first place. With the separation of the two founding partners of the brand in time, LC Waikiki was passed to George Amouyal as the sole shareholder. Tema Tekstil, which is connected to Taha Group and is the producer as well as licensor of LC Waikiki in Turkey, bought the worldwide rights of the LC Waikiki brand in 1997.

After the purchase of all the rights of the brand, the name of Tema Tekstil, belonging to Taha Group, was changed to “LC Waikiki Retailing Services”. The 7 percent share of the group was transferred to George Amouyal, from whom LC Waikiki’s royalties were purchased. Although George Amouyal, of French origin, has not been actively involved in the management of LC Waikiki after the brand name transfer, he still holds 7 percent of our company.

Taha Group, founded in 1988, bought LC Waikiki, which was born in Paris but grew in Istanbul, and brought it to its current level. The adventure of our brand has started with the capital support of the shareholders of Taha Dış Ticaret, which carried out import and export operations in the iron and steel sector of the period, and Taha Tekstil, a start-up in which Mustafa Küçük took responsibility as a founder/managing partner. Taha Tekstil, located in Zeytinburnu, on a small area of approximately 150 square meters on the ground floor of an apartment building, was established as a sample sewing and cutting workshop. Taha Tekstil, which exports clothing based on contract manufacturing, met with LC Waikiki via an intermediary marketer.

Upon receipt of an order of approximately ten thousand pieces of monkey t-shirts of LC Waikiki which were very popular at that time and mostly produced in countries such as India, Korea and Greece, Taha Tekstil began to organize the contract manufacturing of the brand in Turkey. Taha Tekstil has verged to production investments over time in order to meet LC Waikiki’s increasing order, printing, embroidery, label, quality and short-term production demands. These investments were made by establishing separate profit-centered companies managed by different founding/managing partners as start-ups.

The companies, which were established as printing, embroidery, label, knitted fabric, knitted dyehouse and different clothing workshops between 1990-1994, were gathered under the roof of Taha Holding, whose General Coordinator was Mustafa Küçük in 1994. Taha Tekstil, and later Taha Holding, was established by Şefik Yılmaz Dizdar as the shareholder partner and Mustafa Küçük, the founder/managing partner, with a 50 percent partnership each. In the following period, 10 percent of the share of Taha Tekstil, the parent company, was transferred to İsmail Hakkı Kısacık, the production manager at that time, and the number of shareholders of Taha Tekstil and Taha Holding increased to three.

Even though the founding/managing partners responsible for the management of each company established within Taha Holding are not shareholders in the parent company, they have joined the Taha Group family due to the partnership shares of the companies under their management. After Taha Tekstil started production of LC Waikiki for export, as the famous monkey t-shirt models of that period were in great demand in the domestic market, Turkey license of LC Waikiki was acquired by Taha Holding via Tema Tekstil which was established in 1991. Then, Turkey’s domestic market was penetrated via wholesale trading and corner dealers.

Mustafa Küçük’s brother, Vahap Küçük was appointed as the founder / managing partner of Tema Tekstil, which was established by Taha Holding to manage the wholesale organization of LC Waikiki in the domestic market. Our first retail LC Waikiki store was opened on Şişli Halaskargazi Street. Despite other retail stores were opened in different cities later on, our retail stores could not achieve the intended profitability and growth due to the financial crisis in 2000. During the financial crisis in 2000, in Taha Group companies which had difficulties in maintaining the cash flow balance and had to sell some production companies to meet their cash needs, the challenges brought by the experienced crisis prompted the management of the corporation to take radical decisions.

During this period, it was decided to separate the production group and the retail group from each other completely and to leave the wholesale dealership system and focus entirely on retailing. In line with these radical decisions, it was determined that the production companies shall focus on export under the roof of Taha Holding and under the Group Coordinator, İsmail Kısacık, who was responsible for production whereas Tema Holding and its affiliated Tema Mağazacılık, under the Chairmanship of Vahap Küçük and the CEO/Group Coordinator Mustafa Küçük, shall focus entirely on the retail sector.

Through Tema Holding and Tema Mağazacılık, merged under LC Waikiki, we act in line with our vision of becoming one of Europe’s three most successful clothing brands until 2023. With our mission “everyone deserves to dress well”, we continue to grow with our own stores domestic and abroad, and with our franchise partners in countries with legal obligations. With the factories established in various cities of Anatolia, we continue to work on the production and export of the world’s leading brands. As of 2020, we are proud to reach 22.6 billion TL net sales, approximately 50 thousand employees, 845 million USD export and more than 1000 stores.

The history of LC Waikiki

The LC Waikiki brand was first introduced in 1988 by three French partners in Paris, where it was famous for its T-shirts and ready-to-wear brands.

In 1997, the Turkish company Tema, a subsidiary of the Taha Group, bought the rights of the LC Waikiki brand entirely from the French partner George Amoyal, leaving him with 7% of the company’s shares, and LC Waikiki became a Turkish brand.

Taobao Marketplace facilitates consumer-to-consumer (C2C) retail by providing a platform for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs to open online stores that mainly cater to consumers in Chinese-speaking regions (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) and abroad,^] which is made payable by online accounts. Its stores usually offer an express delivery service.

Sellers are able to post goods for sale either through a fixed price or an auction. Auctions make up a small percentage of transactions, whereas the majority of the products are new merchandise sold at fixed prices. Buyers can assess seller backgrounds on the site, using ratings, comments, and complaints. Taobao’s popular payment platform is Alibaba’s Alipay.

History

Taobao Marketplace (formerly “Taobao”) was launched in May 2003 by Alibaba after eBay acquired Eachnet, China’s online auction leader at the time, for US$180 million. It became a major contender in the Chinese consumer e-commerce market. To counter eBay’s expansion, Taobao offered free listings to sellers. It introduced instant messaging for facilitating buyer-seller communication and an escrow-based payment tool: Alipay. Taobao became mainland China’s market leader within two years. Its market share grew from 8% to 59% between 2003 and 2005, while eBay China dropped from 79% to 36%. eBay shut down its Chinese site in 2006.

In April 2008, Taobao introduced a newly dedicated B2C platform called Taobao Mall to complement its C2C marketplace. Taobao Mall established itself as the destination for quality brand-name goods for Chinese consumers. Taobao Mall launched an independent web domain, Tmall.com, and enhanced its focus on product verticals and improvements in the shopping experience in November 2010. It became an independent business in June 2011 and changed its Chinese name to Tian Mao (Tmall) in January 2012.

In 2008, Taobao fueled the overall growth of the Chinese online shopping industry through the execution of its “Big Taobao” strategy with the aim of becoming a provider of e-commerce infrastructure services for all e-commerce market participants.

In October 2010, Taobao beta-launched eTao as an independent search engine for online shopping to provide and merchant information from a number of major consumer e-commerce websites in China. Online shoppers would be able to use the site to compare prices across sellers. According to the Alibaba Group web site, eTao offers products from Amazon China, Dangdang, Gome, Yihaodian, Nike China and Vancl, as well as Taobao and Tmall.

In May 2011, Alibaba Group opened a retail store in Beijing under the Taobao Mall brand. The five-story 25,000sqm Taobao Mall iFengChao Furniture Showroom served as a complement to their online stores.

In June 2011, Alibaba Group Executive Chairman and former CEO Jack Ma announced that Taobao would split into three different companies: Taobao Marketplace (a C2C platform), Tmall.com (a B2C platform; then called Taobao Mall), and eTao (a search engine for online shopping). The move was said to be necessary for Taobao to “meet competitive threats that emerged in the past two years during which the Internet and e-commerce landscape has changed dramatically.”

In 2012 Taobao began to accept international Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards.

On 29 April 2013, Alibaba announced an investment of US$586 million in Sina Weibo. According to Reuters, the deal “should drive more web traffic to Alibaba’s Taobao Marketplace”. On August 1, 2013, Alibaba launched Weibo for Taobao, which allows users to link Sina Weibo accounts with Taobao accounts.

Technology

Adaptive Agent

Taobao applies a search tool named ‘adaptive agents’. An adaptive agent picks up signals from consumers’ purchase records, including categories, brands, functions and colors etc.; The search engine involves the scanning of a particular bar code. Taobao tracks customers’ purchasing history and reorganizes it into selections that the buyer is likely to be attracted to.

An adaptive agent works by updating prior models using new data via Bayes’ theorem (Laplace’s method). The possibility of the occurrence of a certain event can be estimated through the frequency of its occurrence in the past. The ranking of a product or a page can be determined by the combination of its prior information plus its posterior data of click transaction.

The popularity of Taobao’s searching model is based on the calculation of correlation rate and quality scores:

• Static score of a product’s title (correlation rate).
• Matching score of the title and query of a product (correlation rate).
• Category model of a product (correlation rate).
• Transaction model of the commodity (quality score).
• Sellers model (quality score).
• Feedback (quality score).

Semantic Search

Taobao automatically classifies product text and images and uses tags to match. Semantic search solves the correlation problem that keyword texts cannot solve, such as images, complex texts, and ambiguous texts. Semantic search is a recommendation system that presents customers with similar items that consumers might not find when searching one keyword. Entity tagging and other classifications are used.

More about Taobao:

Everything under one roof

Are you tired of visiting countless numbers of stores when you need to do some shopping? You’re forced to buy fashion in one place and toys for your kids at another, while your new kitchen utensils are available in yet another store. Wouldn’t it be better to find everything under one roof, pay only once for the delivery and not worry about anything? Yes, it would and it is possible with Taobao, Asia’s most popular online store.

This is all about convenience so instead of looking for deals elsewhere, just come  and grab what’s yours. Subscribe to be sure you get everything you need, from free delivery to massive discount vouchers. All you need is your email address and a minute to subscribe!

About

Taobao offers you a wealth of products from many categories. You can furnish your house and fill your wardrobe with incredibly low priced items that are of fantastic quality. What’s more? It’s incredibly easy because the categories at the store are intuitive and easy to navigate. Need some clothing? No problem – there’s popular women’s clothes and fashion men’s clothes. When you scroll on one of those you will see more sub-categories to choose from which makes the whole process much easier and faster.

Women who are expecting or have small children can go for maternal and child supplies, including clothing, toys and some baby essentials. You will not have to spend a fortune on things that normally cost a lot of money, which is a great start in your baby’s life.

Home life will be a much more pleasant one with furnishings and appliances available at Taobao. What exactly is available there? Tableware/kitchenware will make dinners and all the other meals much more pleasant. Bedding will help you get more rest when you sleep. And if you’re in need of some other decorations for your home, you can check wall stickers, towel sets and photo frames.

But that’s not all. Prices at Taobao are already affordable but more can be achieved with amazing sales available on the website. You will find them easily by clicking on a cost-effective tab on the top of the page. The products listed on this web page are just as good in quality, but they are discounted due to the introduction of newer models or warehouse restocking. This is your best opportunity to save even more.

If you completely lack the ideas on what to buy, simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see inspirations regarding each category. Perhaps you will get some ideas on how to mix and match certain products or you will find a true gem of a bargain. For example, there is always good time to start practicing outdoor sport. If you don’t have any proper clothing and you want to be active, Taobao has got you covered with its large catalog of garments, accessories, small exercise objects and accessories. So easy and fun!

People, who run their own businesses, know well that every cent counts in a company. For this reason, you should strive to always find the best opportunities to save money. Office supplies and appliances can get very costly if you’re not responsible with your spending. To avoid this, you should check the range carried by the online store.

Taobao discount codes

Saving online is not a difficult thing but it requires a bit time to learn the skill.  it’s easier than ever and you will always find the best possible deals for yourself, your family members and friends. Just:

• Check which promotions are available on the website. There are different kinds: free delivery, codes, vouchers, Black Friday promos, Cyber Monday offers, and newsletter deals. Pick whichever you like the most and click on it. If there is a discount code, it will need to be copied but if there isn’t, you will be transferred to the store’s own website.
• Start shopping by first browsing around the site. Use the categories and sub-categories to help you find the right product. If you have found it, click on it to learn more.
• Choose its size, color and properties as appropriate. When you have done it, add it to your basket. Continue shopping if you want.
• When you’re finished with shopping on the site, go to your basket and review your order. Add any discount code you may have. Confirm with your payment by leaving your card details, name and delivery address.

eBay Inc.

is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995, and became a notable success story of the dot-com bubble. eBay is a multibillion-dollar business with operations in about 32 countries, as of 2019. The company manages the eBay website, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a wide variety of goods and services worldwide. The website is free to use for buyers, but sellers are charged fees for listing items after a limited number of free listings, and an additional or separate fee when those items are sold.

In addition to eBay’s original auction-style sales, the website has evolved and expanded to include: instant “Buy It Now” shopping; shopping by Universal Product Code, ISBN, or other kind of SKU number (via Half.com, which was shut down in 2017); and other services. eBay previously offered online money transfers as part of its services (via PayPal, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay from 2002 to 2015); online classified advertisements (via Kijiji, or eBay Classifieds Group); and online event ticket trading (via StubHub).

eBay has built an online person-to-person trading community on the Internet, using the World Wide Web. Buyers and sellers are brought together in a manner where sellers are permitted to list items for sale, buyers to bid on items of interest and all eBay users to browse through listed items in a fully automated way. The items are arranged by topics, where each type of auction has its own category.

eBay has both streamlined and globalized traditional person-to-person trading, which has traditionally been conducted through such forms as garage sales, collectibles shows, flea markets and more, with their web interface. This facilitates easy exploration for buyers and enables the sellers to immediately list an item for sale within minutes of registering.

Browsing and bidding on auctions is free of charge, but sellers are charged two kinds of charges:

• When an item is listed on eBay a nonrefundable Insertion Fee is charged, which ranges between 30 cents and $3.30, depending on the seller’s opening bid on the item.
• A fee is charged for additional listing options to promote the item, such as highlighted or bold listing.
• A Final Value (final sale price) fee is charged at the end of the seller’s auction. This fee generally ranges from 1.25% to 5% of the final sale price.

eBay notifies the buyer and seller via e-mail at the end of the auction if a bid exceeds the seller’s minimum price, and the seller and buyer finish the transaction independently of eBay. The binding contract of the auction is between the winning bidder and the seller only. At eBay, we create pathways to connect millions of sellers and buyers in more than 190 markets around the world. Our technology empowers our customers, providing everyone the opportunity to grow and thrive — no matter who they are or where they are in the world. And the ripple effect of our work creates waves of change for our customers, our company, our communities and our planet.

The History of eBay

eBay was founded in Pierre Omidyar’s San Jose living room back in September 1995. It was from the start meant to be a marketplace for the sale of goods and services for individuals.

In 1998, Pierre and his cofounder Jeff Skoll brought in Meg Whitman to sustain the success. Meg had studied at the Harvard Business School and had learned the importance of branding at companies such as Hasbro.

Meg culled her senior staff from companies such as Pepsico and Disney, created an experienced management team with an average of 20 years of business experience and built a strong vision for the company — that eBay is a company that’s in the business of connecting people, not selling them things.

They quickly shed the image of only auctioning collectibles and moved into an array of upscale markets where the average sale price (ASP) is higher. ASP is a key metric in determining eBay’s transaction fees, so increasing the ASP became an important item. By forging partnerships with namebrands such as GM, Disney and Sun, eBay has managed to do exactly that. Sun has sold
$10 million worth of equipment and it now lists between 20 and 150 items per day.

The leader in the toy category quickly became Beanie Babies manufactured by Ty, Inc., the most difficult toys to find in retail stores. As collectors internationally were trying to complete their collection of Beanie Babies, Ty set up the first business-to-consumer Web site, a secondary-market online trading post where people could trade their Beanie Babies. However, it was overwhelmed with unsortable listings, creating an urgent demand for a more efficient online trading system. Beanie Babies quickly became the dominant product on eBay, accounting for 10% of all listings in 1997, as collectors thronged eBay’s user-friendly interface to search for specific Beanie Babies.

Meg Whitman was hired by the board as eBay president and CEO in March 1998. At the time, the company had 30 employees,half a million users and revenues of $4.7 million in the United States.

On September 21, 1998, eBay went public. In the risk factors section of the annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 1998, Omidyar notes eBay’s dependence on the continued strength of the Beanie Babies market. After eBay went public, both Omidyar and Skoll became instant billionaires: eBay’s target of $18 per share was all but ignored as the price went to $53.50 on the first day of trading.

2000s

As the company expanded product categories beyond collectibles into almost any saleable item, business grew quickly. In 2000, eBay had 12 million registered users and a cyberinventory of more than 4.5 million items on sale on any given day. In 2001, eBay had the largest userbase of any e-commerce site. In February 2002 the company purchased iBazar, a similar European auction web site founded in 1998, and then bought PayPal on October 3, 2002.

By early 2008 the company had expanded worldwide, counting hundreds of millions of registered users as well as 15,000 employees and revenues of almost $7.7 billion. After nearly ten years at eBay, Whitman decided to enter politics. On January 23, 2008, the company announced that Whitman would step down on March 31, 2008, and John Donahoe was selected to become president and CEO. Whitman remained on the board of directors and continued to advise Donahoe through 2008. In late 2009 eBay completed the sale of Skype for $2.75 billion, but still owned 30% equity in the company.

2010s

In 2012, eBay was charged by the United States Department of Justice with entering into non-solicitation agreements with other technology companies involving their highly skilled employees.

On September 30, 2014, eBay announced it would spin off PayPal into a separate publicly traded company, a demand made nine months prior by activist hedge fund magnate Carl Icahn. The spinoff completed on July 18, 2015. eBay’s then chief executive, John Donahoe, stepped down from that role. Flipkart and eBay entered into a strategic partnership in 2017 under which eBay Inc acquired a 5.44% stake in Flipkart in exchange for its eBay India business for $211 Mn and a $514 Mn cash investment. As part of the partnership, Flipkart decided to use the eBay platform for global outsourcing.

On January 31, 2018, eBay announced that they would replace PayPal as its primary payments provider with Netherlands-based start-up Adyen. The transition was set to be completed by 2021, but PayPal would remain an acceptable payment option on the site until further notice.

On September 21, 2018, it was reported that eBay would install a security fence around the perimeter of its San Jose headquarters in response to the YouTube headquarters shooting earlier that year.

On July 31, 2019, the company acquired a 5.59 percent stake in Paytm Mall.

On September 25, 2019, it was announced that Devin Wenig would be stepping down as eBay’s CEO, and that Scott Schenkel, senior vice president and chief financial officer since 2015, had been appointed as the interim CEO.

2020s

On April 13, 2020, it was announced that Jamie Iannone would become the CEO on April 27. On June 15, 2020, eBay stated that five employees were terminated in September after a law enforcement notification in August because of a possibly criminal case of harassment of journalists perpetrated by some of the terminated employees. Six former employees were charged with Aggressive Cyberstalking.

In July 2020, Adevinta announced to acquire eBay Classifieds Group.The deal closed on June 25. In May of 2022, eBay announced the launch of its first collection of NFTs, in partnership with the NFT platform OneOf. Following this, in June 2022, eBay announced the acquisition of the Manchester-based NFT Marketplace KnownOrigin for an undisclosed sum.

Profit and transactions

eBay generates revenue by a complex system of fees for services, listing product features, and a final value fee for sales proceeds by sellers. As of 2019 the US-based eBay.com charges $0.35 as an insertion fee for a basic listing without any adornments. The final value fee is 10-12% of the total amount of the sale, which is the price of the item plus shipping charges.Reduced final value fees are available to business registered customers. Other eBay websites follow a similar fee structure, but with different cost charges.

Under US law before 2018, a state could not require sellers located outside the state to collect a sales tax, which made making purchases on eBay more attractive to US buyers. Sellers that operate as a business do follow state tax regulations on eBay transactions. Since 2018, changes to tax law in the United States force eBay (and other large marketplaces) to collect sales tax on any eBay purchase shipped to certain states.

The company’s business strategy includes increasing international trade. eBay has already expanded to over two dozen countries, including China and India. Strategic international expansion has failed in Taiwan and Japan, where Yahoo! had a head start, and New Zealand, where Trade Me is the dominant online auction website. eBay also notably failed in China due to competition from local rival Taobao. eBay entered the Chinese market in 2002 and shut down its Chinese site in 2007. In India, eBay’s operations came to a halt after it sold off its India operations to country’s largest ecommerce company Flipkart, in the latter’s $1.4Bn fundraise, where eBay was a participant.

In its Q1 2008 results, total payment volume via PayPal increased 17%, but of the eBay auction site it was up 61%.

For most listing categories, eBay sellers are permitted to offer a variety of payment systems such as Escrow.com,PayPal, Paymate, Propay, and Skrill. Propay and Skrill were banned effective September 27, 2015, citing low usage.

Escrow.com is eBay’s approved escrow site. The transactions processed through Escrow.com largely are in relation to eBay Motors; however, they are not restricted to this type of listing.

eBay runs an affiliate program under the name eBay Partner Network. eBay affiliate marketers were originally paid a percentage of the eBay seller’s transaction fees, with commissions ranging from 50% to 75% of the fees paid for an item purchased. In October 2009, eBay changed to an affiliate payout system that it calls Quality Click Pricing, in which affiliates are paid an amount determined by an undisclosed algorithm. The total earnings amount is then divided by the number of clicks the affiliate sent to eBay and is reported as Earnings Per Click, or EPC. In October 2013, ePN launched a new pricing model. The new model is more transparent and is based on category-level base commission rates with bonuses available for referring new and reactivated buyers.

On April 18, 2012, eBay reported a 29% Q1 revenue increase to $3.3 billion compared to their Q1 in 2011. Net income was reported to be at $570 million for the quarter.

For the fiscal year 2017, eBay reported losses of US$1.016 billion, with annual revenue of US$9.567 billion, an increase of 6.6% over the previous fiscal cycle. eBay’s shares traded at over $35 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at over US$27.2 billion in October 2018.

FAQs from eBay

Can I buy used cars on eBay Motors?

Yes! eBay Motors is a marketplace that allows you to buy and sell used vehicles, tires, parts, and accessories. Download the eBay Motors app to have everything right at your fingertips.

How do I contact eBay Customer Service?

Use eBay’s Help page to contact customer service and get answers to frequently asked questions.

What is the eBay customer service number?

The eBay customer service number is no longer in service, but you can report any fraud on your account to this dedicated number: 1-866-961-9523.

How do I redeem an eBay gift card?

To redeem your eBay gift card, simply log into your account and enter the redemption code at checkout.

Where can I find eBay coupons?

You can bookmark this page to stay up to date with eBay coupons and offers, or head over to eBay’s homepage where they frequently list sitewide promo codes.

How do I sign up for the eBay Credit Card?

Log into your account and click ‘eBay Mastercard’ to sign up for the eBay Credit Card. This card earns you points every time you shop. In order to be approved, you’ll need a credit score of about 700 or above.

Where can I find eBay tracking information?

When you log into your account, you can find the status and any tracking information for your orders in your order history.

What is the eBay return policy?

That depends! If you’re buying from eBay’s Certified Refurbished shop, everything is covered with a 90-Day Warranty, 30-Day Return Policy, and 100% Money-Back Guarantee. If you’re buying from a seller, it’s completely up to their discretion.

Does eBay have a student discount?

There is no eBay student discount. However, eBay curates collections specifically for students—including textbooks and laptops—so be sure to check there to save on back-to-school shopping.

How to Use an eBay Coupon

CHECKING OUT AS A GUEST

1. Click on the eBay promo code you want and hit “Copy”
2. Click “Shop Now” or return to your shopping cart
3. Click the “Go to checkout” button and select Continue as guest
4. Type in your shipping information
5. Enter your eBay promo code in the Add Coupons box at the bottom of the page
6. Click Apply
7. If you see “Promotional code applied”, your code works!

CHECKING OUT WITH YOUR ACCOUNT

1. Click on the eBay promo code you want and hit “Copy”
2. Click “Shop Now” or return to your shopping cart
3. Click the Go to checkout button and select Continue to sign in
4. Enter your eBay promo code in the Gift cards, coupons, eBay Bucks field on the Checkout page
5. Click Apply
6. If you see “Promotional code applied”, your code works!

Why We Love eBay

Before 1995, auctions were mostly reserved for art collectors and uncles looking for dirt-cheap prices on impounded cars. eBay set up shop somewhere in the middle, letting average folks toss literally anything into the open waters of the free market to see what they could reel in (like, literally, anything). Overnight, buying something in an auction became nearly as easy as grabbing a frozen pizza from the corner store.

Today, eBay is transforming the way folks think about buying high-end electronics with its innovative Certified Refurbished Shop. If the auction side of the site is the world’s largest garage sale, the Refurbished Shop is a relaxing, well-stocked department store. There you’ll find deep discounts and deals on everything from Dyson and Bose to KitchenAid Stand Mixers and Microsoft Surface Pro tablets.

eBay Auctions

eBay offers its customers the opportunity to bid on certain items for a chance to purchase them at a lower price. Not only that, but you also have the option to buy the item now if you don’t want to wait for the auction to end. As a bonus, you can set up automatic bidding on the item you wish to purchase. Just specify the maximum amount you’d like to pay and eBay will place bids in increments for you. That way, you won’t have to live on the website to outbid the competition. Because of the massive savings potential, we definitely recommend checking out more information and tips on bidding from eBay’s website before you get started.

eBay Daily Deals

If you’re a person who likes to search online every day for the best deals, then you’ll definitely want to check out eBay’s daily deals. Here, you will find massive savings—sometimes up to 80%—on items in categories such as electronics, jewelry, health and beauty, fashion, kitchen, home, tools, and more.

eBay Black Friday Promo Codes

When Black Friday lands on November 25, 2022, you won’t find many eBay Black Friday promo codes to use across the site. What will you find, however, are enticing deals on apparel, toys, electronics, kitchen appliances, vacuums, and more. Check out the eBay homepage on Black Friday to see all the latest offers.

More eBay Savings Tips

Email Signup: If you shop at eBay all the time, then don’t forget to sign up for their email list. Whenever they have coupons and discounts available, they’ll send out an email to let you know about it.

eBay Coupons: Don’t want to wait for an email about available coupon codes? Then head over to their coupon page to find codes and shop items for which the codes apply.

eBay Sales: eBay’s homepage will always greet you with tons of sales that are happening at the moment. Make sure to check out any holiday sales available as well as sales in the Brand Outlet.

eBay Best Price Guarantee: Did you purchase an item on eBay in the last 48 hours but found a better price? eBay will let you turn that loss into a shiny new promo code! Just let their customer service team know (you can do that here!). Once they verify that your item qualifies for the Best Price Guarantee, you’ll receive a coupon for the difference to use on future eBay.com purchases.

eBay Shipping Options, Delivery & Return Policy

• eBay free shipping: free shipping is available on thousands of items in the online marketplace. Some items even have a delivery time within 3 – 4 days with “Fast ‘N Free” shipping.
• eBay free local pickup: many sellers offer free local pickup on items, especially items that are large and difficult to ship. Click here to learn more.
• International shipping: depending on the seller’s location, they might ship orders using regular international shipping services or use eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP). Read more about international shipping.
• Where’s My Order?: eBay offers the option to track your order via your purchase history or order details if the seller uses a tracked shipping service. Find out more information about tracking your eBay orders here.
• Return Policy: eBay always encourages customers to contact the seller if an item didn’t arrive, the item received doesn’t match the listing, or the item is damaged or faulty. In the event that a solution cannot be agreed upon between seller and buyer, eBay has a Money Back Guarantee policy that kicks in for these types of situations.