The Curator Economy: A Retail Revolution (Part II)

Today, Curators could set up their ecommerce operation without leaving their living room. They could source inventory through wholesale sites (Faire, Taobao, JD.com), dropship products to a fulfilment service (Shipbob, ShipHero), set up a digital storefront and handle payments (Shopify, Stripe), and even outsource their marketing and creative needs... See more

The indirect monetization models leverage the power of the Curator's brand and community, but are loosely coupled in its incentives, with most or none of the ad revenue going towards Curators. We are seeing glimmers of an increasing shift towards direct, more symbiotic business models between curator and commerce, starting with a trend that points ... See more

- Ways for big-brand retailers to launch wholesale supplier marketplaces

- An integrated stack for Curator-owned retail

Chinese social-commerce apps like Douyin (Tiktok in China) or Xiaohongshu are closer to what Curator-led retail experiences could be. Verified influencers are able to list or tag products sourced from wholesale sites like Taobao or JD.com, and followers can check out directly on the streamer's page. Douyin, which has about 300M daily active users, ... See more