Steal The Style: Research Into Primark vs Etsy - Offline vs Online

Talking about Primark doing well because they re not online and also the opposing side of etsy being just online
Primark :
Primark does not sell online because they cannot keep their low prices and sell online at the same time. While some of their products are of a normal price they do stock a substantial amount of items that are £2 or £3 meaning selling online is not possible.

This is because delivery charges back and forth and possible returns would cost too much. Also, hiring someone to refold the item is not possible at such a small price. They would also have to factor in the costs of maintaining an online database which would take a lot of staff because of the size of the brand.

They said they cannot justify losing money on smaller ticket items because in a lot of cases shipping the item is as much as the item is itself. And when you are trying to create a competitive online store in a modern economy, you will want to have free shipping on items.

Simply put: The reason they better offline is that their items are so cheap, selling online would actually be more expensive than buying in store.

Primark's website is just a way for you to browse the products and see what they have in stock and also see what is trending. As talked about, you cannot buy anything from their site but you can save your favourite items so that you can come back to them after you have located a store using that feature on the website.

They are active on Social media and have a strong following, this serves the purpose of informing customers and also posting updates about new items.

Primark Revenue 2016: £5.949 Billion

Sources: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion-news/why-primark-dont-sell-online-525940


Etsy:
Esty sellers, on the other hand, need to sell online otherwise they would not have enough of a market for their items. In a way like eBay, it is giving your items a massive audience from the outset. People who want to find an item like yours are more likely to find it as there is already such a big userbase.

Etsy sellers are also at less of an obligation to include free shipping as they are small, independent owners. Unlike Primark which prides itself on being cheap, Etsy is more about being individual and owning something more personal.

People also like the "feel" of etsy. It has a simple interface where competitors like eBay are more cluttered and harder to use. It is also more specific than eBay, focusing more on Crafts, Toys and Clothes and Accessories.

People also like Etsy because of its sense of quality, something that you will not get from eBay.

Simply put: Etsy works much better online as there is more of an audience for the sellers to pitch for. Most likely the majority of people on Etsy could not afford to work out of a shop because of costs. As the sellers are mostly independent it means there is less of an issue around pricing and posting costs.

Etsy also has a large social media following, however, the audience is not very active. The social media outlets are used in a similar way to Primark's. It is used to promote products and inspire ideas from the viewers who may then want to buy something from the website.

Etsy Revenue 2016: £364.97 Million

Sources: https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Etsy-succeed-despite-eBays-existence