Ecommerce is the best option for B2C and B2B customers these days. In fact, e-commerce is estimated to cross $1 trillion in 2022 owing to this popularity. With flexible, simple, and convenient buying options that ecommerce startups offer, Nasdaq predicts that within the next 30 years, 95% of shopping will occur online.
You’d also be surprised to know that 78% of brands have already implemented artificial intelligence or virtual reality in their e-commerce stores. This stands as a testament to the importance of technology in ecommerce startups.
Many say that if they had the option to try out the items virtually, they would completely switch to e-commerce.
Let’s understand this role of technology in ecommerce startups better and look at the top ten e-commerce startups. Read on!
The top ecommerce startups in 2022
To understand the role of technology in e-commerce startups, it is a good idea to examine the features of the top 10 e-commerce startups. You’ll get a picture of the size of the startups and the innovation they have used to succeed in the competitive sphere.
The top ten e-commerce startups are as follows:
1). Amazon
Founded in 1944, this e-commerce startup is currently the most popular website. Currently, it has entered the $1 trillion club in terms of valuation and is owned by Jeff Bezos. Starting out as an online bookstore, it has become the largest online marketplace selling electronics, home appliances, furniture, stationery, and much more.
Additionally, Amazon is into video-on-demand, streaming services, wholesale, and several other segments. Essentially, Amazon uses a host of technology to ensure its success in the e-commerce startup field:
- 1-click checkout
- Fast shipping
- Automated warehouses
- E-ink display
2). 1st Dibs
1st Dibs is a New York-based brand started by Laurence Forcione and Michael Bruno in 2001. They are a marketplace for desirable and rare products in fashion, fine art, furniture, and jewelry. They connect dealers and makers with collectors.
The unique feature of 1st Dibs is that their inventory is not available anywhere else as they are well-curated. You might be able to get your hands on vintage goods at this e-commerce store. You can even buy and sell NFTs too at this e-commerce startup.
The technology they use include:
- NFTs
- Auction based
- Delivery logistics
- Purchase with one click
3). Bellroy
Bellroy is an ecommerce startup founded by Andy Fallshaw in 2010 in Australia. Starting as an e-commerce site for slim wallets, they have expanded into selling backpacks, phone covers, and much more using high-quality materials.
They use plant-based materials for their products and ensure eco-friendliness. Using a range of technology to ensure flawlessness, they have created an ecommerce website for designs that live on.
They have used a healthy dose of the following technology to ensure ecommerce success:
- Email marketing
- Find in-store options
- Video marketing
- Worldwide shipping technology
4). Bloom and Wild
Bloom and Wild is a London Based e-commerce startup started by Aron Gelbard and Ben Stanway. They specialize in selling a variety of flowers and bouquets, all packaged to fit the standard letterbox. They also sell a variety of chocolates, houseplants, and candles.
They also provide customers with scope for new gifting ideas. Moreover, they deliver pan Europe and ensure 100% customer satisfaction. Having mastered its market since 2013, Bloom and Wild use the following tools to ensure its success:
- Applications
- Fast shipping
- Secure payment options
- Testing and analytics
5). Boxed
Boxed is a bulk buying experience on an e-commerce platform. Started in 2013 by Cheh Huang, Jared Yaman, William Fong, and Christopher Cheung, it is a New York-based company. It offers a wholesale shopping experience to customers for a wide variety of products.
This e-commerce startup also uses a seamless website and mobile application technology without any membership fees. They also ensure you get a free sample in every order you place.
Following are the technology that has contributed to its popularity:
- 2-day delivery
- Simplicity
- Accessible UI
- Core programming components
6). Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh is a German-based e-commerce startup that began in 2011. It is a food subscription service that helps people eat healthy, fresh, and nutritious meals. Founded by Bryan Ciambella, Luca Ranaldi, Thomas Griesel, and Dominik Richter, this e-commerce brand is committed to delivering pre-portioned ingredients to customers. The brand enables customers to cook food without wasting ingredients.
It helps customers save time and energy. It is also affordable, and you can choose to skip or cancel on some weeks.
Their success is phenomenal due to the following technology that they use:
- Weekly delivery
- Customizable options
- Application and website based
- Updating preference option- user-friendly design
7). Hungry Panda
Hungry Panda is a specialist e-commerce startup founded by Kelu Liu in London, the UK, in 2016. It is a dedicated platform for providing authentic Chinese groceries and food to students abroad. They also sell to Chinese compatriots and are a one-stop solution for overseas Chinese.
It is a customer-centric brand focused on delivering authentic Chinese food and groceries overseas. They are a platform with over 3.5 million registered customers.
Their success is phenomenal because:
- Proprietary technology
- User-friendly interface
- Operational efficiency
- Efficient distribution system
8). Nykaa
Nykaa is an e-commerce startup founded in 2012 by Falguni Nayar in India. It has quickly become a $13 billion company as of 2021. They sell fashion, cosmetics, beauty, and personal care products.
Not only do they sell products online, but they also offer comprehensive content that has contributed to its success. Currently, they ship in the Indian Subcontinent and Nepal. But they are soon likely to expand given their brilliant technology like:
- Shipping policy
- Omnichannel strategy
- Ease of payment
- Friendly interface
9). Your Super
Your Super is an ecommerce startup founded by Michael Kuech and Kristel de Groot in 2015 in Venice, California. They use plant-based ingredients to make healthy blends. Specializing in healthy foods, they sell protein and superfood products in bars and in powdered form.
They pride themselves on offering you food blends without artificial flavors, fillers, additives, or preservatives.
Their success is due to the following technology:
- User-friendly interface
- Mobile applications
- Loyalty programs
- Analytics
10). Winc
Winc is a Los Angeles, California-based e-commerce startup founded by Geoff McFarlane and Brian Smith in 2011. They pride themselves on using data to create new wine blends.
Winc promises to deliver wine to you at your doorstep. Winc’s success story is due to the following technological adaptation:
- Monthly delivery
- Curated and personalized choice
- User-friendly site
- Analytics and fracking
Role of technology in fostering ecommerce growth
Technology plays an unequivocal role in fostering the growth of ecommerce startups. Here are the ways in which technology is redefining the e-commerce shopping experience:
i). Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence and e-commerce have been going hand in hand for a while now. It enables e-commerce startups to analyze customer preferences and gain marketing insights to strive for success through AI-powered chatbots and customer support. You can also use artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality to product trials on your website or application.
ii). Personalized user experience
With cutting-edge technology, you can create a personalized user experience. You merely need to know how to use programming language and understand website design to curate a personalized webpage for your customers.
You can use analytical tools to understand browsing behavior. This will enable you to recommend blogs and products to your customer. Additionally, it will help you improve your customer retention rate and eliminate the bounce rate due to personalization.
iii). Cloud technology
Cloud technology is prevalent in e-commerce startups to enhance their business. It also ensures operations efficiency. Moreover, managing and processing data on a cloud is easier. It helps improve delivery speeds, makes the e-commerce site adaptable and creates stability and growth.
FAQs
1). What are the key technologies used in ecommerce?
Ecommerce uses technology like chatbots, mobile commerce, online transaction processing, inventory management systems, and much more. Ecommerce startups rely on technology heavily to propel its growth and retain customers.
2). How to promote ecommerce business?
You can promote your ecommerce startups by using technology like ERP for ecommerce, social media marketing, pricing tools, retention pop-ups, recommendation systems, omnichannel platforms, and more.
3). Benefits of technology for ecommerce
The benefits of using technology for ecommerce include ease of setting up, cost-effectiveness, more government subsidies, flexibility, and no geographic boundaries.
Wrapping Up
Without technology, ecommerce startups would probably not exist as they need hosting servers, artificial intelligence, chatbots, invoice automation, security and more. Today sites like Amazon, 1st Dibs, Bellroy, Bloom and Wild, Boxed, Hello Fresh, Hungry Panda, and similar sites have mastered the technology to run their sites. Updated and modernized technology is driving the growth of these startups.
Given that cloud computing, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and biometrics are the wheels that run the technological world today, you can expect ecommerce startups to boom and grow tremendously.
