The scale of Udaan’s funding-fuelled growth is unmatched in the B2B space. We dive into the concerns and a potential path to profit.
While online retail companies—Flipkart-Myntra, Amazon, BigBasket, JioMart, etc.—fight flashy battles over the relatively small consumer e-commerce market, the past few years have seen investor interest surge in B2B, or business-to-business, e-commerce. The market size touted is huge—usually upwards of $600 billion in trade between brands, wholesalers and retailers. And the biggest bet by far in B2B e-commerce is Udaan.
When three ex-Flipkart executives launched the B2B e-commerce marketplace Udaan four years ago, they wanted to go beyond the listings/classifieds model, where the marketplace earns revenue only for generating leads. Say, like an Indiamart.
There were four key operational and business …
Saif is a writer and co-founder at The Morning Context. He has worked across technology, strategy and business functions during his career. Saif has extensive experience in e-commerce, working with companies such as Snapdeal and LG Electronics in India. He currently works at an edtech startup in Canada. At The Morning Context, he focuses on e-commerce and retail and writes the stories that matter.
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