Zulily, a Flash Sales IPO Cooking?

According to comScore, during the quarter ended December 2012, overall e-commerce sales in the US grew 14% over the year. Researcher IBISWorld estimates that during the same period, flash sales site Zulily saw revenues double over the year. It is this rapid growth that has spurred the high valuations for the company, along with speculation of a possible IPO coming soon.

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HomeShop18 of India: Looking for an IPO on Nasdaq?

According to a Boston Consulting Group report, the consumer market in India is projected to grow to $3.6 trillion by the year 2020, from an estimated $1 trillion in 2010. Within the market, increased Internet penetration is also spurring the growth of e-commerce. But as I have said, there are few sectors within consumer retail that are seeing strong growth in the market. Within retail, though, there are several others besides Flipkart that are making it big.

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Tablets a Boon for LeapFrog’s Revenues

According to a recently released report by Research and Markets, worldwide sales of toys grew from $78.1 billion in 2007 to $83.3 billion in 2011, translating to a meager 1.6% annual growth rate. Closer to home, NPD’s report released earlier this year suggests that the U.S. toy market has flattened out. Last year, toy sales in the U.S. fell marginally from $16.6 billion a year ago to $16.5 billion. With the growing consumption of tablet and smartphone-like devices, traditional toy sales have fallen. To continue to retain interest in toys, toy manufacturers are expanding their digital offerings.

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Groupon Still Searching for Its Best Deal

Earlier this year, daily deals market leader Groupon (Nasdaq:GRPN) fired its founder and CEO, Andrew Mason. Since then, the company’s stock price has doubled in value as the market regains some confidence in Groupon. The stock further strengthened when the company announced their second quarter results along with the appointment of a new CEO. Groupon appointed co-founder and acting CEO Eric Lefkosky as the full-time CEO.

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Babyoye’s Booming Growth in India’s Niche e-Commerce Sector

According to market research by Rajesh Thambala, India’s child-oriented retail sector was estimated to be worth Rs 23,000 crores (~$3.8 billion) last year. The sector is projected to grow 20% annually to Rs 80,000 crores (~$13.1 billion) by 2016, translating to a 20% annual growth rate. There is potentially an immense opportunity for growth for online retailers. Last year, a mere Rs 200 crores (~$32.7 million) was currently contributed through e-tailing channels [sm: what kind of english is this? what are you trying to say?]. The children’s e-tailing segment is projected to be worth Rs. 1,500 crores (~$246 million) by the year 2016.

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Myntra Leads in Online Clothes Shopping in India

According to market reports, the global fashion industry is estimated to be a $1.5 trillion market. But most of the trading in the segment is still conducted through brick-and-mortar stores. Even in the U.S., of the $300 billion fashion market, only a mere 10% is conducted online. It follows that in emerging markets like that of India, online sales have a far smaller footprint for the fashion industry.
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Electronic Design Automation (EDA): Failure of Capitalism?

EDA is a funny industry. It takes enormous intellectual horsepower to build software that can help design the chips that power today’s devices. It creates tremendous value. And yet, that value doesn’t translate into wealth these days.

Failure of capitalism? Let’s examine.

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Snapdeal Leading India’s Online Marketplace

The recent $200 million investment in India’s e-commerce player Flipkart has sparked big interest in the country’s online retail trade. According to market research, India’s e-commerce market grew from $2.5 billion in 2009 to $14 billion last year. The country has more than 10 million online shoppers, and that number is growing 30% annually. Online giants, including Amazon and eBay, have taken several steps to enter the country’s fast-growing market. For now though, the indigenous players are the ones enjoying the first mover’s advantage.

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