The well-known pornographic material subscription service OnlyFans might fetch up to $8 billion if it were to go up for sale. According to a media report, billionaire owner Leonid Radvinsky is in negotiations to sell the content creator website to a group of investors headed by the US investment firm Forest Road Co.
The article also noted that Forest Road Co. is not the only company in talks to sell OnlyFans and that it is unknown when a deal will be reached.
A media report claims that despite OnlyFans’ $8 billion valuation, Radvinsky has been trying to sell the company for between $1.46 billion and $2.42 billion after struggling to attract buyers because of the platform’s pornographic content.
OnlyFans and its Operations
Tim Stokely established OnlyFans in 2016 as a comparatively safer network that gave preference to adult content producers. In 2018, Radvinsky, who also started the cam website MyFreeCams, purchased OnlyFans from Stokely.
Due to its distinct business strategy that does not rely on advertising, unlike social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, OnlyFans has seen a 2000% increase in revenue since then. To create an account on the platform, individuals must go through a rigorous ID verification process.
In order to make its platform safe for creators, OnlyFans has also stated that it has taken specific actions, such as creating a purposefully difficult-to-use search function.
To read anything, whether explicit or not, posted by OnlyFans creators, registered users must pay a subscription fee. The creators of OnlyFans receive the remaining 80% of the price after the corporation deducts 20%.
Strong and Expanding Network of OnlyFans
At the close of its fiscal year 2023, OnlyFans had over 300 million registered members and 4.12 million producers. Its net sales increased by 20% to $1.31 billion, while its gross revenue reached $6.63 billion, up 19% from the same period last year.
According to regulatory filings, the company’s fiscal 2023 pre-tax profit was $658 million, with $5.32 billion in creator rewards. Radvinsky is listed as the sole shareholder of OnlyFans’ parent company, Fenix International, a London-based business.
When OnlyFans announced plans to outlaw pornography on the network in 2021, it provoked a fierce outcry from content publishers. With the statement that it had “secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community”, the business cancelled these intentions.
Since then, the business has been working to shift away from adult-orientated content by hiring a number of non-porn content producers and introducing OFTV, a free streaming service with original programming that is safe for work.
Reselling is considered as a new strong business model. Reselling has earned much reputation due to the advantages associated with it. Reselling is a simple business model that allows one to purchase products in a bulk quantity and then resell them according to the prices they want by adding up their margin.
Even though reselling is considered as one of the simplest businesses one can try for. The success rate depends upon the marketplace one decides to resell their products at. There are multiple options available to resell the products on the online platform. One can select from the vast options of the available platforms by keeping the pros and cons in mind and their own requirements.
Let us look at some of the best reselling apps in India:
Reselling is majorly famous because of Meesho. Even though reselling business was in work from much earlier, but online reselling got its popularity from a few applications and one of the majority participant applications in it Meesho.
Meesho was initiated by the IIT graduates named Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal in the year 2015. Meesho allows its resellers to purchase products from its application only to resell them again after adding up their prices through the same application only. Meesho is known to sell products such as fashion, handicrafts, and lifestyle.
Major Features of Meesho
Meesho allows the reselling work to be started with zero investment.
Easy to use Interface.
Available in more than one language, hence enabling a larger crowd for stepping in reselling business.
GlowRoad
GlowRoad Homepage
GlowRoad is a famous name when it comes to women’s reselling business. The fame attached with GlowRoad is mainly because of women participating in their reselling business. GlowRoad was founded in the year 2017 by the joint venture of Sonal Verma, Kunal Sinha, Nitesh Pant, Shekhar Sahu, and Nilesh Padariya. GlowRoad was initiated with the thought of providing women with the way to earn at the cost of minimal risk from the comfort of their homes.
GlowRoad enables its users to get directly connected with manufacturers and sell it online only. It allows the creation of an online store for reselling purposes by saving the time and effort required for inventory management. GlowRoad is known to provide a wide range of products, somewhat similar to the Meesho app. It has its products ranging from lifestyle, fashion, accessories, etc.
Major Features of GlowRoad
Supports multiple languages.
Enables the reseller to open up their own online stores.
It is a women-centric application, specially made to support women.
Shop 101
Shop 101 Homepage
Shop 101 is another widely used reselling application in India. It was initiated by Abhinav Jain and Aditya Gupta in the year 2015. Shop 101 allows its customers to sell their products through its application by creating an online store. By the use of that online store, the resellers can advertise and resell their products with the help of social media sites such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.
Shop 101 allows easy access to the marketplace for purchasing products from manufacturers and a good facility for resellers to resell their products at their own price. Shop 101 is known to provide products specially categorized into fashion. Yet there are other products also available such as lifestyle and essentials.
Major Features of Shop 101
Allows the creation of an online store at the zero investment option.
Enables resellers to purchase, create online stores, sell through social media and its website all at the access of just one application.
Motivates young entrepreneurs to start work without worrying about setbacks.
Elanic
Elanic is another reselling application invented and widely used in India. It was invented in the year 2015 by the joint efforts of Abhilash Narahari and Palkush Rai. Elanic is an online web-based application allowing its users to sell and purchase from its application. Elanic is known to provide products such as fashion, lifestyle, home products, etc.
Elanic is a major selling platform allowing the selling of new as well as preowned products. Elanic allows its sellers with the facility of shipping products right from their door and also allows its buyers with the guaranteed real product.
Major Features of Elanic
Elanic has its services widely spread out across India.
Elanic allows the whole process of buying as well as selling with the addition of payment options all covered in a single application only.
Elanic has a propper communication system between buyers and sellers to avoid any confusion.
Yaari
Yaari Homepage
Yaari is said to be the new-age business model as it is also one of the most preferred applications used by resellers to sell their products within their group. Yaari.com was started in 2007 by two American-born Indians named Prerna Gupta and Parag Chordia.
Just like other reselling applications, Yaari was also initiated with the thought of providing a way to the young generation to make their own business without the need for investment. It also enables its users to share their dedicated products through the medium of social media. Yaari is known to have a vast range of products including clothing, home decor, fashion, lifestyle, and many more options also.
Major Features of Yaari
Strong as well as ethical supply chain and logistics centres.
Charges are applied only after the successful sale has been completed.
Enables its users to purchase and sell the products all in the same application with the addition of support from the team of Yaari.
Conclusion
Reselling has earned much acknowledgement in the last few years. There are multiple platforms out there enabling different people to step into the reselling business. Reselling business is counted under one of the most simple business models any newcomer can join for. Some of the best reselling platforms used in India are given above.
FAQ
Which is the best reselling app in India?
Meesho is one of the best reselling apps in India.
Is there another app like Meesho?
Yes, GlowRoad, Elanic, and Yaari are some of the similar apps like Meesho.
Middle-class people are looking to buy the best car at the cheapest price. Well, rarely these two combinations can be found in new cars. Droom’s platform provided an opportunity for second-hand car or bike buyers to buy the vehicle that people wanted at in much cheaper price than new ones.
Droom’s platform also became an opportunity for sellers because they are the ones posting images and pictures of their car and bikes so that they can find a buyer for them. Droom came into the market when there was already an existing application like OLX. But, how did they gain people’s attention and become one of the most reliable platforms when it came to buying and selling second- hand cars?
It was all about the marketing strategy that the company adopted. The company focussed on efficient marketing and made sure to reach out to as many people as possible.
Droom is an e-commerce company that was founded in 2014 by Sandeep Aggarwal. Droom is an online application platform where people can either buy or sell second-hand cars and bikes with a fresh perspective. The company has its headquarters located in Gurugram.
Droom’s business is primarily in creating a marketplace in India to help people buy and sell used cars (multi-category). Sellers on this platform are provided with useful tools to manage their listings. Droom became the 17thIndian startup to achieve the title of a unicorn as a high-profile investor.
Droom’s services were appreciated by most users because a deal could be done between a buyer and a seller within five days. This was pretty amazing and a new way of bringing a service to the people.
Droom’s Marketing Strategy
Droom logo
Droom’s marketing strategy is quite simple yet effective one which is being able to attract new users to its website every day. There are four to five strategies that the company uses to market and brand its company. Some of them are as the following.
Facebook (Meta) Community Advertising
India’s most trusted motor place i.e. Droom created a community page on Facebook where the company is carrying on with its marketing. This is one of the simplest methods of marketing to attract a large number of customers at a single time.
Impressions
Also known as ‘ad view’ impressions means a metric system that is used to quantify digital views in a piece of content. To put it in simple words, impressions are all about online advertising.
Targeted Mailers
Also known as email marketing is what Droom uses as one of their marketing strategies. Once a user becomes a subscriber then the user receives emails from the company regarding deals and offers. A targeted mailing list is important for the profitability of the business. This is why Droom focussed on such marketing techniques.
Banner Advertisements
Banner advertisements again are one of the common methods of marketing not only for other businesses but for Droom too. It is the simplest way to reach out to the audience directly. Droom captured the attention of the audience through such advertisements.
All in all, it can be said that the company uses the use of social media primarily for its advertisement. The advertisement methods might be common but they have proved to be effective ones.
Droom, also recently rolled out their TV advertisement and started new campaigns. ‘Droom Hai, Toh Fir Test Drive Kyu?’ advertisement campaign created a buzz on several platforms. The ad campaign urged customers to buy used cars rather than testing them first.
Droom Advertisement
Droom’s Growth Over The Years
With effective marketing techniques used by the company, it was obvious that Droom’s future was all about growth and flourishing in the market. Back in 2014, when the company was just stepping into the Indian market its inception took place in Singapore. It was in the same year that the company had raised its 1st and 2nd rounds of capital funding.
By the year 2015, the company sold its first vehicle of Droom and in the same year, its several applications were launched like the mobile application, website, etc. By the time July came in 2015, the company had already raised its 3rd round of funding. By this time the company had already sold more than 100 orders.
Droom received several awards for its contribution to the online automobile platform. Some of the prestigious awards were the Coolest start-ups award, Consumer Durable and Integrated advertising campaign awards, and more.
Conclusion
A company like Droom has proved that competition does not matter if marketing is done efficiently. Droom’s current growth rate is 100% every year which is quite surprising because it is something that does not happen with every business. Altogether, the company had 6 rounds of funding and by the end of its 6th round, Droom had already raised more than $125 million.
FAQs
When was Droom founded?
Droom was founded in 2014 by Sandeep Aggarwal.
What does Droom company do?
Droom is India’s online marketplace for buying and selling new and used cars. Droom is India’s largest auto portal.
How to contact a seller at Droom?
There are support assistance provided to the customers who want to engage business with Droom. However, other than that there is also a Whatsapp number that people can use to contact them.
Which vehicles can people buy and sell on Droom?
Vehicles to buy and sell on Droom are:
Car
Bike
Scooter
Bus
Bicycle
Plane
Truck
Tractor
What are the popular brands of used cars on Droom?
Some of the popular brands of used cars on Droom are:
We are in the era of Digital Marketing which is going to rule the world. This is due to the surge in online technologies and internet in the past two decades. Their simplicity and ease of access pulls more users towards them. They have attained more than 10% growth between 2016-21.
Digital Distribution and Marketing becomes unavoidable even to traditional businesses. This is because, 57% of businesses are getting customers through this medium. More than 77% of customers use digital platforms to search for products. The Covid-19 pandemic has created an additional advantage for their growth.
In this article, we’ll see about one of the many such platforms, Gumroad. We’ll also flow through some of the best alternatives available for them.
Alternatives for selling digital Products and services
About Gumroad
Gumroad is a digital distribution and self-publishing site, that establishes an online platform for creators and sellers. They allow the sellers directly to showcase their digital products before their audiences. They deal in digital goods such as e-books, films, software, codes etc.
Gumroad was established in the year 2011 by Sahil Lavingia and Sachin Khanna. Lavingia was only 19 years old, when he created Gumroad. Earlier, he used to be a designer at Pinterest.
Gumroad – Features
Gumroad Digital product selling platform
Here are some reasons for the success of Gumroad:
Simplicity – They have designed this tool in such a way that, even people with less technological expertise find it easy to buy and sell products.
Affordable Cost – They have a good pricing structure that attracts creators to sell their products on Gumroad. Sellers will be charged based on their earnings. The higher they earn, lower they pay. This encourages them to sell more.
Sell anything – Earlier, it was restricted to selling digital products like codes and e-books. Now, Gumroad allows one to sell anything they created. You can even sell physical goods.
User friendly – They help the seller add their Gumroad product link to their own website. This helps buyers to easily access their purchase.
Tax Management – There are tools embedded in their site to handle various tax rates of countries. They ensure proper compliance of all related tax laws.
5 Best Alternatives for Gumroad
There is always something better than the other. Though Gumroad operates efficiently, there are few other sites that stands worthy considering, before reaching Gumroad. Here are those five alternatives:
Sellfy
Gumroad Alternative- Sellfy
Sellfy was established in the year 2011 and has supported nearly 3,00,000 creators globally. It is considered as the best alternative for Gumroad. Here are the reasons why:
Sellfy has one of the best subscription plans. Their plans start at $19 per month upfront. They don’t charge for the transactions made by seller.
They provide an option to customers called ‘Pay what you want’. The sellers have to set a minimum payment acceptable for their products. This helps to obtain a fair deal of pricing for both parties.
Mobile users, willing to go online, can have a flawless experience in Sellfy.
It is easy to do storefront sales without any coding. You can embed the link on your website, if you have one.
ThriveCart
Gumroad Alternative- Thrivecart
ThriveCart is known for its advanced features. No other Gumroad alternative could provide such facilities for their users. They are:
It has an in-built sales tax calculator. It helps the users to save their time and cost.
ThriveCart has an advanced A/B split testing tool. It helps to self-analyze and improve your work by comparing it with various available resources.
They provide you templates, that can be customized in any way as per the requirement. They are compatible in all devices including mobile phones and tablets.
There’s a subscription offer for lifetime with just a single payment.
One disadvantage of this tool is, they don’t support PDFs and video files.
SendOwl
Gumroad Alternative- SendOwl
SendOwl is considered to be the next best alternative after Sellfy. Though they have higher subscription cost, their unique features and facilities keep them popular. They are:
Drag & Drop editor helps new sellers to create online store and customize their products easily
They provide Live chat support throughout the week.
They issue SSL Certification for your page, thus making the platform safe and secure.
Podia
Gumroad Alternative- Podia
Podia has a unique feature of ‘All-in-one platform’ selling. Their main motto is to sell everything under one roof. Here are some of theirs best:
One of the best is their migration plan. They offer easy and free migration to their clients coming from other platforms. They assure smooth transition.
Affiliate program launched by Podia helps the creators to promote their products through their customers. This earns them reward.
The in-built email marketing tool helps the creators to gain advantage over potential customers.
You can run your own online shop through Podia.
This platform allows you to create articles and blogs on your own to have wider audience reach.
Common Features
Almost all the alternatives of Gumroad have some common features. They are:
Minimum 14 day of free trial
1-Click upsells
User-friendly interface
No transaction charges
Affiliate centers
Supports multiple languages and currencies
Conclusion
All the platforms have one or more common features. But still, they have their own uniqueness. This is where they stand ahead from their competitors. Gumroad is not the only choice for those who wish to sell digitally. Users can choose their platform based on the requirement they needed the most. I hope, the information shared above helped you choose the right tool for your products. Happy selling.
FAQs
What is Gumroad?
Gumroad is a digital market place to sell digital services like e-books, films, music, software, and tutorials.
What are the alternatives of Gumroad?
5 Best Alternatives for Gumroad are:
Sellfy
ThriveCart
SendOwl
SamCart
Podia
What is Gumroad library?
Gumroad library is the your collection of videos, music, books, and more service that is now with you.