Empire Flippers — Buy, Sell & Invest In Online Businesses

📢 Spotlight listing of the week goes to… Listing #71505. A subscription business created in April 2018 in the business and technology niches. The business has an average net profit of $5,303 and a 49x multiple. This business made the spotlight this week because of these strengths: ▪️ The business has experienced strong year-on-year growth ▪️ Relatively passive, requiring little work from the Seller ▪️ All sales are organic, with no marketing or advertising currently carried out Sound like this could be a good business for you? You can learn more about this listing here: https://bit.ly/3A1J2vV

Etsy, known for its handmade and vintage items, is updating its product categories to maintain its unique appeal and compete with giants like Amazon, Temu, and Shein. The platform will now classify items into four categories: “made by,” “designed by,” “handpicked by,” and “sourced by.” This change means: ▪️Vintage items will be labeled as “handpicked by” with a special vintage tag. ▪️Craft supplies like beads or clay will be under “sourced by.” ▪️Handmade items such as a ceramic vase will be “made by.” ▪️Digital illustrations will be “designed by” the seller. With fast fashion and cheap, mass-produced products flooding the eCommerce market, Etsy wants to make sure buyers know they're getting something special and not just another generic product. In 2013, Etsy allowed sellers to use outside help to make products, which broadened the range of items available on the platform but also led to some concerns. Some sellers took advantage of this to sell mass-produced goods as handmade, which was a significant issue during the 2022 Etsy seller strike. To combat this, Etsy is enhancing its site features and launched a high-profile Super Bowl ad to reinforce its commitment to genuine craftsmanship. The new categories are designed to reassure shoppers that they are buying authentic, artisan-involved products and address complaints from true artisans about being overshadowed by mass-produced goods and AI-generated content. The new policy is all about keeping the human touch that has always made Etsy special. This move comes at a critical time as Etsy aims to differentiate itself from competitors and retain market share over increasing competition from Amazon, Shein, and Temu. Click this link to learn more: https://bit.ly/3W5eO2u

Cybercrime is on the rise. Malicious cyberattacks have more than doubled since 2020, leading to a staggering $2.5 billion in financial losses, quadrupling since 2017. As we pass the halfway mark of 2024, we have already witnessed some of the most damaging data breaches in recent history. Over 1 billion records have been stolen, including vast amounts of personal and medical data. On July 4th, a file containing nearly 10 billion individual passwords was posted on an online hacking forum. This could be the largest compilation of leaked passwords ever seen, including passwords from both recent and older breaches worldwide. The availability of so many passwords increases the risk of credential-stuffing attacks, where hackers use compromised passwords from one account to break into another. WordPress has also been particularly hard-hit by cyberattacks. Hackers are targeting WordPress plugins, using stolen credentials similar to those mentioned above to infiltrate plugin code. In response, WordPress temporarily halted plugin updates and enforced password resets for plugin authors to combat these threats. Earlier this week, Apple issued threat notifications to iPhone users in 98 countries, warning of potential spyware attacks. This follows a similar alert sent to users in 92 countries in April. With cybercrime on the rise, protecting customer data is more crucial than ever. About 40% of U.S. consumers rank data protection as their top concern when shopping online. Additionally, 58% of consumers are likely to switch to merchants offering secure payments and credentials vaults. You can boost the security of your website or eCommerce store by investing in secure payment systems and credentials vaults to protect customer data, as well as enabling multi-factor authentication on your site. Inform customers about common scams and how to avoid them, and keep your security software up to date to protect against the latest threats. More details here: https://bit.ly/3WoEus3

📢 Spotlight listing of the week goes to… Listing #73174. An Amazon FBM and eCommerce business created in March 2012 in the beauty and apparel & accessories niches. The business has an average net profit of $18,106 and a 37x multiple. This business made the spotlight this week because of these strengths: ▪️ Profitability: strong profit margins consistently above 40% ▪️ Popular Products: the innovative product line has received extensive coverage in numerous media within the beauty space ▪️ Scalability: room to expand to national retail outlets, transition to Amazon Prime, implement auto-shipments, offer case packs, and grow online and retail sales to international markets ▪️ Diversified Revenue: revenue base consisting of Amazon (72%), eCommerce (10%), and sales to retailers (18%)in Sound like this could be a good business for you? You can learn more about this listing here: https://bit.ly/3Y96NMq

In a recent interview, Google's Gary Illyes revealed that signals controlled directly by site owners and SEOs, such as authorship details, aren't typically trusted by Google's algorithms. Authorship, once seen as crucial for SEO due to its potential alignment with Google's quality guidelines, has lost favor. Illyes noted that attempts to manipulate authorship data often resulted in spammy practices, which made Google less reliant on it for ranking. Illyes clarified that SEO-controlled data, including rel-canonical tags and meta descriptions, are viewed more as suggestions than directives by Google. This means they have less impact on search results compared to factors determined by Google's algorithms. When discussing algorithmically determined authorship signals, Illyes suggested they might be more accurate but questioned their overall usefulness. This cautious approach shows Google's wariness of relying too much on metrics that SEOs can easily manipulate. Understanding that SEO-controlled data isn't a reliable signal is crucial because search marketers often attempt to manipulate Google by using fake author profiles, misleading reviews, and metadata tailored specifically to rank for keywords. Illyes advises SEO professionals to focus less on metadata controlled by site owners and more on things like content quality and user experience as these are the factors Google values most when ranking websites. This interview with Illyes provides valuable insights into optimizing websites effectively. You can view the full interview here: https://bit.ly/4d0dmoQ

TikTok is incentivizing UK merchants to use its platform through a new initiative called the '£1 Million Club’. The program is aimed at helping new UK-based merchants achieve £1 million in revenue through a series of special incentives and support, all at no extra cost. The '£1 Million Club' provides five key benefits for new businesses of all sizes: ▪️Commission-Free Sales: Up to 90 days of 0% commission on sales from June 23 to September 30. ▪️Free Storage and Fulfillment: Free storage and fulfillment services to streamline inventory management and logistics. ▪️Dedicated Seller Support: Receive help with onboarding, product listing, and after-sales services to ensure a smooth start. ▪️Seller Training: Access the TikTok Shop Seller Academy to learn about market trends, operational skills, and success stories. ▪️Marketing Assistance: TikTok Shop will help plan and execute marketing activities to effectively reach your target audience. This program follows the success of British beauty brand Made By Mitchell, which became the first UK brand to achieve $1 million in sales in a single day on TikTok Shop, thanks to a 12-hour live marathon where one product sold every second. Meanwhile, in the U.S... Major advertisers have started cutting back on their TikTok ad spending in response to the looming TikTok ban. Overall TikTok ad spend declined in both April and May, with big brands like Target, DoorDash, Bayer, and Procter & Gamble significantly reducing their ad spend by up to 30%. Despite these cutbacks, TikTok still has a large audience that can be leveraged in the short term. The platform remains popular, meaning less competition and more opportunities for smaller advertisers. For now, advertisers must make a judgment call. TikTok offers excellent reach and engagement, but diversifying your advertising strategies is wise given the platform's uncertain future in the U.S. Check this out for more information: https://bit.ly/3zGI8oy

Google is trying to reduce its reliance on Apple’s Safari browser for iPhone search traffic due to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into its search engine dominance. A key issue is Google's revenue-sharing agreement with Apple, which makes Google the default search engine on iPhones. Google pays Apple over $20 billion each year for this deal, which the DOJ says limits competition. If the judge rules against Google, this partnership could end, significantly impacting Google’s search traffic on iPhones. To prepare for this, Google is encouraging iPhone users to switch to its Google Search or Chrome apps. Over the past five years, Google has increased iPhone search usage through its apps from 25% to around 30%, but this is far below its goal of 50% by 2030. Despite marketing efforts showcasing features like Lens image search and improvements to the Discover feed, the preinstalled Safari browser remains a big hurdle. The antitrust lawsuit is a major threat to Google’s business. If Google loses, it could lose access to about 70% of searches on iPhones, which make up roughly half of the U.S. smartphone market. This could seriously hurt Google’s mobile search advertising revenue, which was worth over $207 billion in 2023. It will also have a big impact on advertisers using the Google Ad network. To tackle these challenges, Google has hired new talent, like former Instagram and Yahoo product executive Robby Stein, who is leading efforts to make Google’s mobile apps more attractive, possibly with generative AI. Another idea was to make the AI Overviews feature exclusive to Google and Chrome apps, but Google decided against this. As Google struggles to shift iPhone search traffic away from Safari, the outcome of the DOJ investigation is critical. A decision in the antitrust case is expected in the next few months and will have significant implications for both Google and independent advertisers. More details here: https://bit.ly/4bOq9d3

This Week in M&A Issue #141: Google's Fight for iPhone Search Traffic Today we have for you: ▪ Google struggles to boost iPhone search traffic ▪ TikTok Shop launches "£1 Million Club" to support UK merchants And: ▪ Authorship is not a good signal says Google ▪ 2024- a record-breaking year for cybercrime ▪ Etsy updates its product categories to return to its artisanal roots Alright, let’s dive in.

For website owners, creating a relationship of trust with customers is vital for building a positive brand reputation and maintaining a sustainable consumer base. One of the best ways to achieve this is by posting a comprehensive privacy policy on your site.

📢 Spotlight listing of the week goes to… Listing #73757. An Amazon KDP business created in October 2017 in the books and romance niches. The business has an average net profit of $7,322 and a 35x multiple. This business made the spotlight this week because of these strengths: ▪️ This business has seen strong revenue month-to-month ▪️ It has diversified traffic channels ▪️ Requires minimal time to maintain Sound like this could be a good business for you? You can learn more about this listing here: https://bit.ly/3Li2d78