Analyses
153 analyses across 7 domains, publishedMay 2019 – Apr 2025.
The archive — 153 analyses, 2019–2025
The Farfetch Turnaround Strategy
Farfetch is back and this may only just be the beginning of the turnaround.
Connected Commerce & Retail Media’s Boom
The Retail Media Boom is the catalyst for the dawn of the Connected Commerce model.
The Live Shopping / Video Commerce Intersection
Arguably what is holding live shopping back is a lack of distribution.
Retail Media and The Future of Advertising
Retail Media is on the rise in a multitude of ways as the media business model merges with the retail business model.
Business Case for Video Commerce – D2C Brands
Video commerce is the perfect conduit to bridge the gap from where we are today in eCommerce – static images and text – towards a more dynamic future that incorporates multiple experiential layers in a seamless experience.
Product Design & Simplicity
Making something simple is anything but easy.
Generative AI Business Model
The overarching point is that by any objective standard, we are in a speculative frenzy.
Micropayments, Tipping & On-Chain Social
At the blockchain or digital currency level, there are fees (gas or transaction fees), but the continual innovation at the technology level will likely enable micropayments to work at scale.
What is Business Model Innovation?
Business Model Innovation is the process of unlocking new models on top of new or existing technologies.
Process
The Live Commerce Playbook
Category leaders will emerge from those who can successfully execute a Live Commerce strategy at scale in the mid-term.
Shoppable Video & Flipping the Funnel
Retail, Experiences & Social Selling
Luxury, CAC & The Next Farfetch
It is more likely that the innovation comes around ‘live commerce’ where exponential gains can be made for those who can execute in creative and efficient ways.
Live Commerce, Influencers & Conversion
It seems like the ability of Influencers and Creators to resonate with their respective audiences is more valuable than elaborate sets, or money invested into the props of a live event.
Social Proof, Reviews & Video Commerce
the point is there is more than reviews when it comes to selling online
Digital Banks, IPOs & Consumer Trust
Trust will win in the end.
Web 3, Wallets & Social Commerce
Consumer Startups, AI & Capital Flows
many new consumer companies will likely be launched in new and creative ways across platforms where they can access capital efficiently
Software, AI & Saas Business Model
The Saas business model is likely to be transformed significantly in the next 5 years.
Search, AI & Product Discovery
Humans can build trust in different ways, and so it’s no longer about trusting Google or other mainstream search platforms for product and service recommendations, but rather a more ‘Social Search’ on TikTok and other video-centric platforms.
Creatives, AI & Visual Media
Sales, AI & Business Writing
Livestreams, Community & Commerce
Commerce relies on trust, which is why building a community around a brand is becoming increasingly more important.
Brands, Digital Ads & Social Commerce
Fractional CMO Business Model
The Fractional CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) model has emerged as an alternative to the Digital Agency model.
Digital Agency Business Model
The Digital Agency business model is under pressure.
Qapital Business Model Analysis
The emergence of Qapital as a growing and relatively popular PFM app signals that the market for “budgeting apps” may be heating up.
Instacart Business Model Analysis
Instacart pioneered the model that is a hybrid B2C/B2B model with a reliance on technology and a partial gig-economy workforce.
Startup Financial Models
Selling Digital Goods / Business Model
Home Shopping Network (HSN) – Business Model Case Study
the business model of the Home Shopping Network was a hybrid eCommerce-Live Shopping model
Social Commerce Business Model Canvas
Social commerce is not social media, it is the next iteration of the eCommerce market due to demand for more immersive online experiences, along with the fusion between video technology and payments.
Social Commerce Agency
Dominate A Niche
For those without massive bankrolls or VC Dollars, it is important to maximize the odds of success at the earliest stages, and that’s why ‘finding a niche’ and trying to dominate it is the most common and likely effective strategy.
Is Social Commerce the next eCommerce?
there is strong evidence that, in terms of growth rates, Social Commerce is likely to be the next eCommerce, similar in vein to what we saw in the mid 2010s.
The Community Business Model
Customer Development – Cashflow Forecast
To oversimplify, we don’t want to raise capital without merit and so ‘bootstrapping’ is ideal through a Customer Discovery phase until at least the point of Customer Validation.
Customer Development Framework – BM Validation
Using the Customer Development framework to validate a new or emerging business model helps streamline the process.
Restaurant Business Model – 2023 Outlook
Retail Business Model – 2023 Outlook
Being scrappy and building bridges should create a more sustainable retail business model going into 2023 and beyond.
Business Model Canvas – eCommerce DTC
The CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) is the core of the eCommerce business model.
The Digital Banking Business Model – 2023 Outlook
At this juncture in market history, an interchange-based payments model does not appear sustainable as a standalone model for Digital Banks.
Faire Business Model Canvas
Faire is a B2B wholesale marketplace that is shaking-up local retail to make it easier for brands and retailers to discover one another and transact.
Video Ads Business Model
Creators may end up being the big surprise in this market long-term, and tip the scales for the little guy.
Analytics – Sentiment Analysis for Brands
Podcast Business Model
Overall, Podcast is starting to take shape to become a ‘New Radio’ but with several key differences.
Search Engine Business Model
If one thing has become apparent over the course of this post, it is that despite Google’s absolute dominance in the market, they are unlikely to be able to hold onto it in its entirety long-term (ie. they will have less than 90% market share in the future).
Rule of 3s – Business Competition
Overall, there are many data points that suggest that being in the top tier of any market makes a huge difference, long-term, from both a market share and financial perspective.
Digital Art Business Model
As the market develops, the fragmentation will lead to consolidation and more simplistic models will emerge.
Design – How to Choose What to Choose
the behavioral science of ‘how we choose what we choose’ deals with a complex array of conscious value, beliefs, and motivations, mixed with a subconscious set of cognitive biases and emotional triggers
Analytics – Is Top SEO Positioning the New Prime Retail Space?
Photography Business Model
Overall, the concept of photography and art can be fused to explore future business models.
Avon Business Model + Social Selling
Social selling will likely intensify in the future, but not until brands like Avon emerge, as the model requires brand legitimacy and equity as a key component to driving sales under this type of model.
Thrive Market + Membership Business Model
Thrive Market has created a unique and scalable strategy in the grocery market.
Strategy – Revolut + ‘Pay With Crypto’
Strategy – Nubank + Nucoin Token
The strategy behind Nucoin is to rewards users, almost as a loyalty program.
Apple Search Ads Business Model
Analytics – Menus & Restaurants
‘87% of sales from 3 items’ was the original epiphany, a phenomena that can be explained by the paradox of choice and how in many instances, less is more in the restaurant industry.
Customer Validation Process
the Value Proposition Canvas is an indispensable tool for modelling a business
Digital Music Business Model
Micropayments may be one type of meta-innovation that helps change this market for the better!
Micropayments Business Model
Overall, Micropayments are the probable ‘game changer’ of the future media models that revolve around incentivizing the top creators and creating new, scalable revenue streams.
New Media Business Model
Bluesky Business Model
In sum, the vision here is nothing less than trying to reinvent the structure of the social internet
Twitter Business Model
Business Model Trends – Social Apps 3.0
Business Model Trends – Vintage Fashion Resale
Business Model Trends – Restaurant Wholesaler
The Business Model Trend is to rely less on centralized wholesale distribution hubs and more on decentralized warehouse-retail storefronts.
Analytics – Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
The CAC ultimately eats into the Gross Margin; if we end up with a thin Contribution Margin then the whole business model will be under duress.
Stripe Business Model
Future markets around Embedded Finance and B2B Payments will create new demand for elegant and simple solutions, for which Stripe is perfectly placed to execute on.
Community is the Next Business Model Thrust
Community is the next major Business Model Thrust in the next few years, similar to how social networks were about a decade ago.
Analytics: Fintech Customer Acquisition Cost
Customer Retention is equally as important as Customer Acquisition in Fintech.
Analytics: eCommerce Customer Acquisition Cost
the increase in Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) for retailers and brands on eCommerce platforms means that a greater emphasis will be required in the future on Customer Retention
Business Model Trends: Buyer’s Club
The key to the whole model is the Customer Relationships and the loyalty created compared to typical retailers who sell from the same product category
Business Model Trends: Dark Stores
The Future Trend is localization. Regional bifurcation (one region versus another) will mean that what works in one area will not work in another and the choices of suppliers/producers will likely dictate who will win in the mid/long-term
Business Model Trends: Logistics Hub
Automation is the obvious current Trend around Logistics Hubs, but decentralization is the Future Trend.
Business Model Trends: Co-Warehousing
The lesson from Coworking is that leverage can kill this business model before it has a chance to blossom.
Business Model Trends: Mid-term Rentals
Not everyone wants to sign a long-term lease and stay put, nor does everybody want to live as a digital nomad year round.
Square (Block) Business Model
Overall, Block has a very complicated business model between merchant and P2P Payments, Banking Subscription and Services, Bitcoin, and BNPL.
Venmo Business Model
the business model for Venmo – now that they have a network of ~90 million users across the U.S. – is to begin to generate more merchant transactions where they make their payment processing margin
New Tech: Community Networks
The innovation in community networks is harnessing the balance between text, voice, and video to create that ‘vibe’ of trust, connection, and ultimately community.
Community CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
a ‘community’ is in no way a cheap way to acquire customers when looking at the aggregated expense in general
New Tech: Notion
Analytics – How Referrals Drive Growth
Overall, data shows that referrals are the best-performing Cohort across businesses over time.
Future Banking Business Model
Overall, the future banking business model likely looks much different than the current banking business model.
Business Model Analytics – Behavioural
Behavioural Analytics can help zone in on the behaviours and motivations of the most profitable customer Cohorts for a given business.
Business Model Analytics – Channels
Channel Analytics can help zone in on where the best customers originate and how to target more of them.
Business Model Analytics – Retention
In aggregate, the Customer Value associated with a business capable of driving a continuously-increasing rate of customer Retention is massive.
Analytics – Measuring Customer Value
Increasing revenues, boosting margins, or increasing operational efficiency are simplistic ways to assess a business model; whereas looking at it through the lens of Customer Value can lead to powerful insights that unlock the full potential of any business into the future.
New Tech: NLP (Natural Language Processing)
Business Model Innovation – Spotify Audio Ads
Now Spotify is the process of scaling-up its emerging Audio Ads business model.
New Tech: No Code
Business Model Innovation – Twitter Blue
New Tech: Starlink Internet
Value Proposition Process
Overall, we must look at value from the perspective of “Jobs to Be Done” and synthesize insights within the framework of the Value Proposition Canvas in order to avoid being in the 72% who typically fail to deliver on customer expectations when they come to market.
Strategy & Business Model – N26 Brazil
Brazil may be an optimal market for N26 to try honing both its brand messaging and new business model in order to bring back the rapid growth the company saw in its earlier years.
Strategy & Business Model – Afterpay Money
Afterpay is hoping to ride the demographic tailwinds of the younger generations and make a big splash in the retail banking sector with its Afterpay Money strategy and business model.
Strategy & Business Model – Revolut Super App
Revolut’s strategy shift towards a ‘financial super app’ will have significant impacts on their business model, and ultimately their success in the long-term.
Business Model Canvas – Nubank
Nubank’s primary revenue streams are built around the company’s credit card business.
Finance – IPO Democratization
IPO Democratization is not another trend, it is a new channel for retail investors to invest alongside institutional investors on promising IPOs.
Strategy – Platform Dynamics
The more that business models shift online, the more the underlying economy is affected by ‘platform dynamics’ and the business model innovation (BMi) associated with those dynamics.
Business Model Canvas – Brex
The fragmentation in the business banking world has created an opportunity to companies like Brex to become household names among startups and SMBs looking for corporate cards, B2B payments, and other expense-management solutions.
Business Model Canvas – Robinhood
Robinhood is using the PFOF revenue model to build its platform and expand into other areas of the market.
Business Model Canvas – SoFi
the principal way that SoFi makes money is by lending to its customers
Marqeta Business Model & IPO
New Retail – BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later)
Business Model Canvas – Klarna
Business Model Canvas – Affirm
As we will see in this Business Model Canvas post, the company’s ambitions go far beyond credit.
Business Model Canvas – Mint
All told, Mint is not only reinventing its product, but potentially also its business model.
Business Model Innovation (BMi) Process
Bmi is innovation using the Business Model as the main mechanism, rather than product or technological innovation.
Business Model Canvas – Bandcamp
Bandcamp has a simple business model in an industry that is notorious for ripping the artists off: music.
Business Model Innovation – BNPL (Buy-Now-Pay-Later)
The business model innovation in BNPL is part payment processing, part banking.
Business Model Innovation – Future Media Bundle
Layer 2 of the Rebundle is scaling the content onto platforms where there is a monetizable audience for it.
Business Model Canvas – Restaurant 2.0
Business Model Canvas – Payments
Payments is a complex, fragmented, multi-trillion dollar industry that is currently in the throes of disruption.
Business Model Canvas – Chime
Chime’s business model is different than virtually all of the other Neobanks.
Finance – SPAC, Direct Listing, IPO
Overall, SPACs add another layer of intrigue to public markets.
Business Model Innovation: Made-to-Order Fashion
The value lies in the garments themselves – the materials, the craftsmanship, the story – and not in the front-end brand that sells them.
ARPU, CAC, LTV
Unit Economics is at the absolute heart of this process.
Business Modelling Process
Overall, business modelling can help businesses – current and future – optimize and adapt with changing market conditions, and create less risk of being caught flat-footed as those conditions change.
Sustainable Fashion Marketplace Business Model
selling sustainable clothes is one thing, but building a sustainable business model is a whole other thing
Business Model Innovation – Grocery Delivery
The main point is that ‘going digital’ with the business model doesn’t suddenly make grocery a higher-margin business.
Business Model Canvas – Uber
On the back of Uber’s autonomous vehicle tech, the current Business Model split between ridesharing and food delivery paves the way for a company that recreates how we think about movement of goods and services.
Business Model Canvas – New Media
But for media to regain its credibility and trust with the public, it needs to take a Community-Centric approach and be transparent about both its business model and any funding it receives.
Business Model Canvas – Food Delivery Apps
the 1st version of the Food Delivery business model is broken.
Business Model Analytics
If there are data points that sit beneath the metrics, that data can be analyzed and repurposed to drive the metrics that ultimately affect top-line revenue and bottom-line profits.
Loyalty Metrics – Customer Retention and Valuation
customer loyalty is a future performance indicator
Retail Innovation & History – Woolworths
Born in 1852, Frank Winfield Woolworth (F. W. Woolworth) radically reinvented retail in the late 19th and early 20th century, becoming one of the most revered entrepreneurs in American history at the time of his death in 1919.
Business Model Innovation – Ghost Kitchens
the BMi (business model innovation) that underpins the ghost kitchen concept is essential to helping ‘futureproof’ the restaurant business model itself
Business Model Canvas – Right Move
As the UK’s leading property search portal, RightMove built a very profitable business model.
Business Model Innovation – Resale Fashion
Resale is, in effect, a major business model innovation (BMi) for the retail sector.
Business Model Innovation – Homeward
In a fragile economic environment, a blended strategy between technological automation and local human expertise is a good strategic move.
Business Model Canvas – Zillow
Zillow 2.0 (Homes) seeks to become the dominant growth and profit centre of the company going forward, effectively shifting the company’s business model away from advertising towards a full-service brokerage model.
Business Model Canvas – Shopify
Finance – CBCV
the CBCV valuation model is a relatively novel and innovative way to value publicly-traded companies
Business Model Innovation – Apple Pay
Apple Pay is a good example of Business Model Innovation (BMi).
Business Model Canvas – Banking
the banking business model is built around NIM (Net Interest Margin) and AUM (Assets Under Management).
Strategy – Game Theory
Business Model Canvas – Spotify
Houzz Business Model Canvas
Business Model Canvas – Equity Crowdfunding
Now, we see platforms and volumes expanding exponentially around the world, with equity crowdfunding becoming a core component of the new venture-capital infrastructure.
Business Model Canvas – Wise
Transferwise (Wise) is a borderless, digital-only currency exchange platform
Business Model Canvas – Farfetch
Farfetch is an online luxury fashion retailer, a company that pioneered a tech-driven model that doesn’t rely on owning inventory.
Strategy Defined in the Digital Economy
Strategy is an action to survive and profit in the new wave of disruption.
Business Model Canvas – Monzo
Monzo is a UK-based Digital Bank with a focus on customer experience and user-friendly design to help separate it from the über-competitive market.
Business Model Canvas – CoLiving
Coliving is a model that can help pass through savings among the renters to keep rent affordable, while creating a more enjoyable atmosphere for tenants to live
Business Model Canvas – Revolut
Revolut is a digital, branchless challenger bank based in the UK that offers frictionless low-fee banking and free intra-currency transfers to both consumers and businesses.
Business Model Canvas – N26
N26 is ‘the Mobile Bank,’ one of the world’s top challenger banks based out of Germany
Business Model Canvas – Finance 2.0
Business Model Canvas – Food
Business Model Canvas – Fashion 2.0
Business Model Innovation – Afterpay Touch
it’s clear that in the age of eCommerce and oversaturated consumers, AfterPay has a winning formula
Key Components of the Business Model Canvas