Amazon Aggregators: One Player’s View on the Shifting Space

In the pandemic era, Amazon aggregators, companies raising capital to acquire and grow successful Amazon brands, have been investment and media darlings. From Thrasio to Berlin Brands, Perch, Heyday and Razor Group, these companies have proliferated and thrived, attracting over $15 billion in capital, according to Marketplace Pulse. 2020 was a breakout year, due to the huge success of Thrasio, the ecommerce explosion and Amazon native brand Anker going public. Then in the fall of 2021, Thrasio put off a planned SPAC deal to resolve issues with financial audits, and suddenly Amazon aggregators were seen as vulnerable, and there was talk they had proliferated and grown too fast.

Now they’ve become much more selective in terms of brand acquisition, are consolidating and watching the bottom line more closely, while forming alliances with other marketplaces not named Amazon, according to Modern Retail. Like everyone else, they’re affected by inflation and the hit to consumer spending, and deal flow has decreased. Max Firsau, co-founder of aggregator Accel Club, shares his thoughts on the space and the more measured acquisition and growth approach his company is taking.