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View Full Version : So what's Alice up to?



Watchdog
11-13-2008, 08:10 PM
A new start up called www.Alice.com is still a secret...so for now I sit and wonder what they offer that is pulling in angle investments woth 4 million dollars:)

OK maybe it's just that they did this three other times and recently sold their jellyfish.com to Microsoft?

Any ideas or off the wall guesses of what they are up to?

:)

orion_joel
11-13-2008, 11:55 PM
I would imagine that if you have successfully created three different web sites, that have all succeeded and been sold on at decent prices. You would absolutely have a few contact's in the industry and even if they did have any number of failed ventures prior, three successful sales gets people's attention, because obviously they have something that works.

vangogh
11-14-2008, 01:43 AM
Here's what it says in a press release (http://www.alice.com/pr.php) I found on the site.


Alice.com is developing a new online retail platform that better connects manufacturers and customers in the giant consumer packaged goods market. Complete details on Alice are not being disclosed until the company's public launch in the Spring of 2009. The company's offer will focus on non-food related household essentials with a business model that is inspired by two key themes: 1) consumers lack a convenient, cost effective way to buy household essentials online today; and, 2) consumer packaged goods companies need a fresh alternative to the big brand, bricks and mortar retailer model that is supported by traditional mass market advertising.

Sounds like they want to build something like a Costco (or similar) or even Wal-Mart online. I guess the question is what they consider a household essential. Other than food there's only a few essential things I buy consistently for my home and Alice seems to not be planning on offering food.

I'm guessing they're looking to be Amazon for whatever essential non-food household goods are. Umm? Toilet paper? Light bulbs? Soap? Seriously how many essential household products are there? Obviously there are some, but I wonder if there are enough to build what sounds like a large website around. I'm perfectly happy buying most of those things from one store or another. Most supermarkets sell them so it's not like it's inconvenient to get them.

Maybe there are enough things to offer though and Alice is planning on offering them at better prices somehow. No reason you couldn't order all your toothpaste online if it was cheaper or more convenient.

orion_joel
11-15-2008, 01:26 AM
I think the biggest issue with offering this sort of product online is making it cheap enough to entice consumers to change their habits and purchase online, but also somehow either including or offsetting the price of delivery as well.

I do agree that there will always be people that will go to whatever lengths are possible to save even a few cents. However is this really a large enough market to make this a 4th profitable online venture for them.

vangogh
11-15-2008, 09:37 PM
Hard to say. I'm sure there are more products that they could carry, but so many you can get in the supermarket, which you're still going to. Unless the price is right why not pick up the extras at the market while you're there.

It'll be interesting to see what Alice offers and at what price. They make it sound like they're going to revolutionize the way certain products are bought and sold, but it's hard to think how revolutionary that would be or would really need to be.

orion_joel
11-16-2008, 12:03 AM
I think it will need to be very revolutionary to gain a fair chunk of the market. However it is not something that is impossible to do, although not easy by any means.

Watchdog
11-16-2008, 12:16 PM
I think it will need to be very revolutionary to gain a fair chunk of the market. However it is not something that is impossible to do, although not easy by any means.

Yeah, but I'm betting it makes it much easier with several million dollars backing you up and hto help blow your horn:)

vangogh
11-16-2008, 09:29 PM
Several million dollars backing you helps with a lot of things :)