ShopRunner - Alibaba's 'anti-Amazon'- eyes China's middle class
US start-up hopes links with Chinese giant will pay off in mainland sales
ShopRunner, the e-commerce start-up backed by Alibaba Group that styles itself in some ways as the anti-Amazon, more than doubled its users over the past year and hopes to do so again in 2015, according to ShopRunner's chief executive.
The five-year-old online retailer's gains might allow it to win over more customers who prize convenience and experience over cost savings, while taking advantage of its Alibaba relationship to help American retailers sell to China's middle class.
But CEO Scott Thompson said ShopRunner aimed to be more like an online shopping mall that showcased brands than an Amazon or eBay marketplace where the focus was on lowest price.
It also gives partners - ranging from Cole Haan to Neiman Marcus - ownership of customer data and relationships.
Over the longer term, Thompson hopes to take greater advantage of ties to Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce titan that paid US$202 million for 39 per cent of the company in 2013.