There has been much speculation about how Ehandel.se will diversify its revenue streams. Now it is clear that the company is making an unexpected pivot into retail through the launch of the subscription service "E-boxen".
The business model is based on acquiring pallets of goods stuck in the supply chain and reselling them as mystery boxes to consumers.
We have been reporting on the industry's challenges with returns and unsold inventory for many years. Now we felt it was time to move from words to action and actually solve the problem. Through E-boxen, we are taking a long-awaited holistic approach to the circular economy, says Niclas Albäck, CEO of Ehandel.se.
To Sell "Hard-to-Sell Capital"
The service works by Ehandel.se integrating with third-party logistics providers and acquiring products whose specifications have made them difficult for the usual algorithms to sell. According to the company, it is about unlocking locked capital for the industry.
Building a business model on selling products that no one really wants, to customers who don't know what they are ordering, is the ultimate form of e-commerce 3.0. It is completely independent of customer satisfaction because expectations are zero from the start, says Niclas Albäck.
Three Different Subscription Levels
The new service is initially rolled out in three levels to match different customer segments:
Startup-boxen: The entry-level model that contains an unexpected mix of, for example, crushed solar cells and expired beard wax.
Logistics-luxury: For the more daring consumer. Here, heavier returns, random car parts and pallet collars are promised.
Unicorn-package: The premium segment that may contain defective drones (without remote control) and signed portraits of well-known e-commerce profiles.
The launch will be celebrated with a mingle in the company's newly created warehouse in the CEO's basement later this afternoon. Ehandel.se also announces that it is already looking at a possible IPO after lunch, provided today's first deliveries do not disappear with the courier.