Social Bella’s successful niche play; social commerce 2.0 in the US

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Hi there,

During my university days, I often had my fingers in too many pies.

Between a double major, freelance writing, online tutoring, and extracurricular commitments, I was spread too thinly. Sure, I was exposed to more opportunities compared to my peers, but trying to get everything right was difficult.

Things might have been less stressful if I’d taken a leaf out of Social Bella’s playbook. While ecommerce juggernauts like Shopee and Tokopedia are designed to be everyone’s online marketplace, Social Bella is doubling down on its primary focus: beauty products.

The Indonesian beauty startup’s roster of star investors include Jungle Ventures, East Ventures, and Temasek-owned Pavilion Capital. Social Bella is reportedly raising a US$150 million round that could catapult it into unicorn status.

The company isn’t the only niche ecommerce player in Indonesia that recently found success. Dekoruma, a homegrown furniture and home goods ecommerce platform, is confidently eyeing an IPO by 2023. Meanwhile, consumer electronics specialist Bhinneka got the green light for a public listing.

In this week’s big story, we uncover the secrets behind the rise of Social Bella and other niche ecommerce players in Southeast Asia. Will the next batch of unicorns in the region come from those with “super verticals” like Social Bella?

Revisiting history, our analysis this week looks at how US social networks, which have tried but failed to crack social ecommerce, are learning from the success of their Chinese peers. And unlike the last time, social commerce 2.0 may be here to stay.

— Tian Wen

THE BIG STORY

The next phase of SEA ecommerce: niche “super-verticals”

Image credit: Timmy Loen

While large marketplaces continue to be dominant, smaller niche players are making their mark.

THE HOT TAKE

China’s shoppertainment spills over to the US

FYI

NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW