Is 2022 The Year of Reckoning for Aggregators?

The aggregator space keeps expanding. Here are a few observations from my last 6 months of conversations.

1 - After taking a back seat for a minute, the "#Shopify/D2C aggregator" market continues heating up. I expect it to be at least as large as the #Amazon aggregator market in 2 years.

2 - 2022 will be the first year of reckoning for a number of Amazon aggregators.

Are you margin promises there? #Supplychain isn't getting too much easier this year - is it sorted yet? Can you actually keep your talent?

3 - The number of variants of aggregators out there seems to continue to multiply.

You have agencies who are aggregators. Aggregators who are agencies. Agencies who are lenders who are aggregators. You have those that are building technology and operations. Those who are outsourcing technology and operations.

Hurts my head.

4 - If you are a software and service provider who isn't watching the aggregator market, you are missing an enormous trend. These are not just investors. This is the new breed of agencies.

It used to be you had: - brands - agencies and consultants - software and service partners

Aggregators are an entirely new and different category which needs to be part of your GTM.

If I had to pick one historical player that aggregators in many ways are acting like?

Private equity: some are operators, some are just owners. The timelines on each individual holding are not long.