The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Social commerce platform, Poshmark, is now available in India, entering a crowded e-commerce market vying for the country’s 622 million internet users.
“I am thrilled to launch Poshmark in India, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in the world and a country with a vibrant culture of thrifting and appreciation for sustainability,” said Poshmark founder and chief executive, Manish Chandra.
Though the online fashion retail sector in India is becoming increasingly competitive, with major players including Reliance’s Ajio and Walmart-owned Flipkart’s Myntra, it remains an overtly value driven sector.
This being said, the concept of social commerce is also quickly catching on.
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This year alone, Indian social commerce platform, Trell, raised $45 million in a series B round of funding led by H&M Group, among others, while Indian group buying social commerce platform, DealShare, raised $144 million in a new financing round and Flipkart rolled out Shopsy, a platform on which individuals and small businesses can share products from Flipkart sellers across their social media apps, place orders for other shoppers and earn a commission on transactions.
This step into India is part of Poshmark’s broader international expansion plans. After its January IPO, the company took its first steps outside of North America a month later by expanding to Australia.
Learn more:
How to Leverage Myntra to Expand in India
Partnering with the e-commerce giant is an increasingly popular way to tap the India opportunity but it comes with downsides like deep discounting.
Local streetwear brands, festivals and stores selling major global labels remain relatively small but the country’s community of hypebeasts and sneakerheads is growing fast.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Senegalese investors, an Indian menswear giant and workers’ rights in Myanmar.
Though e-commerce reshaped retailing in the US and Europe even before the pandemic, a confluence of economic, financial and logistical circumstances kept the South American nation insulated from the trend until later.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Korean shopping app Ably, Kenya’s second-hand clothing trade and the EU’s bid to curb forced labour in Chinese cotton.