The pure players They are in this context, that business or company that to operate only needs an internet connection to sell, although not a physical store, that is why the adjective of "clean" or "pure" since the requirements to start selling are relatively few, which makes them more flexible and adaptable to changes.
Privalia or Groupon are two businesses with <strong>success</strong> All they do is sell other people's products online but with attractive offers and above all a variety of models and brands that would otherwise be impossible to find unless you visit store by store. Amazon, Asos or Alibaba They do not produce but handle huge quantities of goods that they store and distribute throughout the world, which makes them not only the internet wholesalers but also has a efficient platform and logistics system impressive to sell whatever, to anyone and wherever.
Other businesses like Instagram or Foursquare They offer virtual services so a physical store is not necessary, however that does not mean that they do not have an infrastructure and offices or Headquarters to operate from there.
This type of e-commerce is probably the most found on the internet and it is the best option to start an online business, however and although it is less complex than creating a company, full attention must be paid to the website and the way in which the product or service will be delivered in addition to the marketing strategies to attract an audience that has more and more internet shopping alternatives.
Characteristics of the pure players
Although the concept of pure players is not so well known, there is no doubt that this type of business has been around the world for a long time. It is easy to set up an online store, and only online, which already encompasses it within this term. But what other characteristics do they have? We tell you about them:
Presence only online
The true pure players, that is, the original ones, are those that are characterized by having only the Internet as a sales channel. That is, they are not present in physical stores, you can only buy through an online connection.
The fact that it is cheaper, than hardly requires investment, etc. it makes it very affordable, and also that there can be businesses that work very well.
Aggressive discounts and very tight offers
Another of the characteristics of the pure players has to do with their prices. And, because they do not require so much investment, what they are looking for is to put the products at very affordable prices, sometimes with offers or discounts that almost do not allow them to make a profit (large sales of few profits each are preferable to few high profit sales).
Thus, it seeks to compete with the competition for the price of the product. Because, if you were looking for something and you found two stores with the same product but at a different price, wouldn't you opt for the cheapest one? Everybody does it, which is why this type of business plays with it.
For example, in the case of Groupon, Groupalia…, they offer you services and products at knockdown discounts, and many of them are of good quality, but at prices that make you can't resist.
Exclusive online presence ... but also physical
Despite the fact that pure players are only online, the truth is that their evolution is reversing. In other words, we went from a business that was created exclusively over the Internet to starting to have a physical presence. The motives? Many say it is due to wanting to connect the digital world with the physical.
Other experts advocate for a closer and closer relationship with consumers, which is why physical establishments are established that give it more presence.
There are many examples, Amazon is one of them, with physical stores in America; or the case of Aliexpress, which has a physical store in Madrid and can easily be visited to find not the entire catalog they have, but a large number of products.
Examples of Pure Players in online and physical businesses
If the concept of pure players is still not clear to you, it is possible that with some more examples you can clarify the ideas you have. This type of business is not exclusive online, although it is the most predominant. What do we mean by that? Well, there are also options, especially variations based on this, which are in physical stores.
Let us begin:
Online fashion
Online fashion is the most characteristic and the one that focuses on the figure of pure players. What it is about is that there are platforms in which users can navigate, see the clothes and buy them in a single click.
Of course, it seeks to obtain the clothes at the best impossible price, Above all because costs are reduced (since there is no physical store, nor expenses derived from it, they help prices to be more competitive.
What stores could fit into this? Well, for example, Asos. It is one of the size stores for everyone that does not have a physical store, and that has not prevented it from being one of the most visited and where more people buy online. Its ease of returning garments that do not serve you, and the very reasonable prices they have, has made it very famous worldwide. Another example can be Shein.
Online supermarkets
Although in Spain that is still a long way off, the truth is that in recent years they are emerging. We are not referring to the web pages of supermarkets such as Carrefour, Lidl, Mercadona ... that have the option of selling online, because they have physical stores. They are supermarkets that are only available online.
An example of these could be Ulabox, which although it is not yet established in our country, it is heard more and more, especially because it has a wide catalog and the possibility of distributing what you ask in 24 hours.
Electronic or variety stores
Amazon, Aliexpress, Wish, Joomla ... do they sound familiar? They are pages or applications that allow you to buy a wide variety of products, many of them even that are not in Spain, and that you do with a few clicks.
They are based on the global online trading and they are among the most used, along with many others that we have not mentioned.
Actually, this category could include all the online stores that are created and do not have a physical backing; or even those that use dropshipping.
Brick & mortar
This form of pure players is actually an evolution. Although before we told you that they were characterized by having a unique and exclusively online presence, here we do they have a physical store. In fact, it is the only one they have.
This model will end up being lost, because online businesses are prevailing, hence having a physical store to offer services is not going to be profitable for anyone.
Pure Players: Click & Mortar
Finally, you have this option, which right now is the one that can be easily seen. We talk about companies that have both a physical store and an online store. And although we have said before that the future goes towards exclusive eCommerces, many businesses have these two figures.
In fact, it is known that Amazon wants to start setting up physical stores, even though its model was one of the closest to the concept of "pure players."
As you can see, pure players are very present today. Its evolution towards physical stores is a reality, although we do not know what will happen in the future.
What is clear is that they are a reality and more and more businesses are emerging on a digital level compared to the physical one due to the advantages they offer.