Friday 15th August | Join Free
Hello, this is your Beyond the Basket daily brief.
In today’s issue:
🌏 Asia’s ecommerce giants surge sales
🎉 Card Factory seals £24m Funky Pigeon acquisition
👗 Topshop relaunches standalone site ahead of runway return
🇫🇷 Kaufland launches French marketplace, eyes 140m-customer reach
🏃♂️ Björn Borg Leans Into Sportswear as Online Sales Surge in Q2
+ plus five deep reads and analysis, along with two tools to help you streamline checkout and automate your social media presence.
🌏 Asia’s ecommerce giants surge sales, eye expansion despite headwinds LINK
TL;DR: Shein’s UK sales jumped 32.3% to £2.05bn in 2024, while JD.com posted its fastest revenue growth since 2021, up 22.4% in Q2, both signalling strong consumer demand amid shifting market pressures.
Why It Matters: Shein continues to dominate fast fashion with ultra-low pricing, expanded product lines, and aggressive UK marketing (pop-ups, tours, new offices), even as it faces regulatory challenges over low-value import duty exemptions. It is pushing ahead with a Hong Kong IPO after abandoning a London listing, highlighting its global capital ambitions. Meanwhile, JD.com’s growth is being powered by both core retail and new ventures like food delivery, supported by Chinese government subsidies to boost spending. JD’s strong traffic and order frequency gains contrast with a 49% YoY drop in adjusted profit, as heavy investment in delivery squeezes margins. Together, these results underline Asia’s ecommerce heavyweights’ ability to grow share in key markets despite regulatory, cost, and profitability headwinds.
Your Move: Keep a close eye on Asian ecommerce entrants in your market, low-cost strategies, rapid category expansion, and cross-border logistics capabilities are eroding domestic players’ pricing power. Benchmark your delivery speeds, assortment breadth, and promotional agility against these challengers to protect share.
🎉 Card Factory seals £24m Funky Pigeon acquisition LINK
TL;DR: Card Factory has completed its £24m acquisition of Funkypigeon.com from WH Smith, aiming to accelerate its digital and omnichannel growth in the £13.4bn UK celebrations market.
Why It Matters: WH Smith is exiting non-travel retail, selling Funky Pigeon to focus on its travel stores. For Card Factory, the deal combines its 1,000+ UK & Ireland store network with Funky Pigeon’s established digital platform, bolstering its direct-to-recipient gifting and card delivery capabilities. Card Factory’s recent push includes improved online performance, click & collect orders with 55% higher AOV than online-only, and upcoming omnichannel upgrades such as same-day collection and “endless aisle” POS features. This acquisition positions Card Factory to challenge online competitors like Moonpig while deepening integration between stores and ecommerce.
Your Move: If you operate in the gifting or occasions space, now’s the time to strengthen your digital fulfilment speed and omnichannel experience. Explore “endless aisle” capabilities to merge in-store and online inventory, so customers can access your full range anywhere, closing the gap between physical retail’s immediacy and ecommerce’s breadth.
👗 Topshop relaunches standalone site ahead of runway return LINK
TL;DR: Topshop has reactivated its own ecommerce site after four years, teaming up with Cara Delevingne for its Autumn/Winter 2025 collection and hosting its first runway show since 2018.
Why It Matters: The relaunch signals a major revival under joint venture owners Asos and Heartland, with Topshop moving beyond its Asos-only sales channel. The brand is leaning on high-profile marketing, Cara Delevingne’s curated 40-piece edit and a Trafalgar Square “See Now, Buy Now” runway show, to re-establish direct consumer relationships. The site adds flexible delivery options, including “Instant AM” pre-noon service, while a physical retail comeback is planned, starting with a semi-permanent high street presence this month and permanent stores later this year. This hybrid approach mirrors a broader trend in fashion where digital-first brands re-enter brick-and-mortar to deepen engagement and boost brand equity.
Your Move: If you’re in fashion or DTC retail, assess whether your sales channel mix is helping or limiting brand control. Direct ecommerce combined with selective physical retail, especially tied to live, shoppable events, can strengthen margins and loyalty while reducing reliance on third-party platforms.