François Maingret

Tag: business strategy (Page 1 of 4)

Get Rich Quick by Teaching People How to Get Rich Quick

May 25, 2024 /

Note: This is satire, if you’re looking for legitimate business advice, this isn’t the right article for you. This is more of a guide to help aspiring entrepreneurs avoid obvious scams.

In a world where everyone is chasing the next big thing, finding meaning in your work is very important for your well being. What better way to do this than by empowering others with the financial freedom to fulfill their dreams? Instead of just building a billion-dollar business for yourself, why not teach others how to achieve the same success?

It is more than just a job, it is a mission to make the world a better place, one success story at a time. And today, I will give you my secrets to become a business guru in no time.

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Etsy Q1 Earning Call Review – Interesting Initiatives but Poor Threat Assessment?

May 4, 2024 /

“Etsy? Who cares about Etsy Q1 earning call when we can review Amazon’s?” Believe it or not, the world of ecommerce is more than just Amazon. Etsy is a large marketplace that is much more relevant than Amazon for many small business owners. I found that Etsy is working on relevant projects over the last year. And as the competition from Chinese giants is threatening many companies, I thought it would be interesting to see if/how Etsy approaches it. 

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Ecommerce and Social Media are Fueling the Ultra-Fast-Fashion Machine – Can the Same Technologies Also Save Us From it?

April 5, 2024 /

In a previous article, I wrote about ultra-fast fashion, specifically on how France is trying to limit its impact on the environment with new regulations. We’ve seen how unsustainable fast fashion can be, with Americans tossing out a whopping 34 billion pounds of used clothes each year—that’s over 100 pounds per person!

What can be done about Shein? Let’s be realistic, Shein is the target of France’s proposed regulations. Bans or taxes sound good on paper, but they don’t completely eliminate the problem and tend to frustrate customers. Making local brands cheaper so they can compete with Shein (through new processes, innovation, or worse, lower taxes or subsidies) may help local economies, but this wouldn’t do much in terms of sustainability. Greenwashing and shaming customers isn’t ideal either, and won’t win any fans.

Are we stuck in a never-ending cycle of buying and trashing clothes, until we drown in used t-shirts? Thousands of new designs are released every day, and Shein sales are supercharged by influencers and social media. However, I believe we shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet. Ecommerce has come a long way in the last 20 years, and there are some impressive innovations that could help us shop smarter and more sustainably. So let’s see what our options are, and how some successful entrepreneurs are already addressing the fast-fashion problem by offering solid alternatives.

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Chewy is Losing Customers : Can the Ecommerce Giant Surprising Strategic Move Help Them?

March 29, 2024 /

When I moved to Texas from France, I was surprised to see this many dogs when walking around. I thought every other person had a dog. I wasn’t too far off: 66% of U.S. households (86.9 million homes) own a pet, with dogs being the most popular pet (65.1 million U.S. households own a dog).

As a result, the pet care market is huge, $246.66 billion worldwide in 2023 and is projected to grow to $259.37 billion in 2024. Of course, this market is very competitive, and even the largest companies have to constantly innovate to grow.

The e-commerce giant Chewy announced surprising plans to expand, and I’d like to discuss whether other retailers should emulate them.

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France Taxes Fast Fashion : Will We See Similar Regulations Expand to Other Countries and Industries?

March 25, 2024 /

Do you feel guilty ordering clothes from Shein? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of social media users are voicing their concerns about the impact on the environment and the labor practices of the Chinese giant, criticizing influencers’ “Shein hauls.”

Yet, Shein is more popular than ever, with over 250 million app downloads in 2023. The sheer volume of clothing sold and the resulting waste are reasons why some consumers are becoming concerned. But consumers are not the only ones worried: businesses and the government seem to be taking the threat seriously, with France’s parliament backing measures to make fast fashion less attractive to buyers.

Of course, governments say they want to support more sustainable practices. But is saving the environment the only reason behind these potential new regulations? Following the massive success of China-based shopping apps, could we see similar regulations expand to industries beyond just fast fashion?

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How Much Power Do Consumers Have Over Your Business?

February 10, 2024 /

Every company claims to be “Customer-centric”, and claims to make customer satisfaction their priority. Of course, everyone wants to keep their customers happy and maintain a good relationship with them. And in these brands-customers relationships, companies would rather see the power balance shifting towards them. It is easier said than done, even in the case of multi billion dollar businesses: customers as a whole sometimes have a lot of power over these massive companies. Some of us may remember Peloton, which was a massive success during Covid but faced customer backslash when they increased their prices and when alternatives became available again once the pandemic improved. 

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Who is Your Target Customer?

January 27, 2024 /

I see the value proposition as the cornerstone of a successful business, something I often go back to when I discuss important business and e-commerce concepts. Another key part is marketing and how to communicate this value proposition to the world. However, I believe an often overlooked aspect is addressing the right target demographic.

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Anecdotal Data on Amazon Pricing and Market Saturation

January 24, 2024 /

Below is one of my recent LinkedIn Post. I wanted to also share it here on my blog, as I think the data I collected and charts I built can be insightful to those of you selling on Amazon.

Is Amazon saturated? I don’t have the answer, but I do have some interesting anecdotal data (and some good news if you’re in the market for a massage gun).

I looked at a random product, massage guns. First, the evolution of the sale price for the current top 5 massage guns on Amazon. Most launched in 2020 (the first few months of data isn’t always available).

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The Fall of Zulily and Why Shifting Customers Expectations Can Kill Once Booming Businesses

January 6, 2024 /

Back in December, several Linkedin posts caught my eye: these were about Zulily laying off part of their workforce, updates by former employees. I have heard of the company and knew it was a significant player in the ecommerce space, but I did not know they were going through a rough time. My initial thought was that they were merely downsizing, like many other tech companies over the last couple of months. 

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