Best Stocks To Invest In Right Now? 4 E-Commerce Stocks To Watch

May 14, 2021 6 min read

This story originally appeared on StockMarket

4 Top E-commerce Stocks To Watch In The Stock Market Today

Lately, investing in the stock market can be a challenging task. But if you have got to bet on something, e-commerce stocks could be a good option in the long run. Now, why is that so? E-commerce allows businesses to reach out to customers in more ways than before. As time goes by, we will continue to see consumers migrating towards purchasing online for the sake of convenience and the ability to research products in real-time. On top of that, having an online store relinquishes the restrictions of set business hours and allows consumers to access its products and services at any given time. So it is safe to assume that this trend is here to stay and still growing in popularity.

We need to look no further than Booking Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: BKNG) to show how e-commerce has impacted our lives. Being the world leader in online travel, it provides customers all over the world easier and better access to travel planning and other services. Imagine how it changed how we plan our travels compared to several decades ago.

Now, consumers could go on to websites such as booking.com and Agoda to book their hotels or tour packages without the need of going to an actual travel agency. Now if you believe e-commerce is the future of commerce, then here are some of the top e-commerce stocks to watch in the stock market right now. 

Top E-Commerce Stock To Watch In May

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 

To start the list, we have one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world, Alibaba. Just as we have Amazon in the U.S., some consider Alibaba as the Amazon of China. Both companies have one thing in common, they are both tech-driven companies that have expanded beyond their core e-commerce divisions. The company is also one of the biggest venture capital firms with one of the biggest investment corporations in the world. Today, Alibaba announced its much-anticipated earnings report for the quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2021.

It has been a historic fiscal year for the company as it reached a milestone of 1 billion annual active users globally. Revenue came in 64% higher year over year to $28.6 billion. However, the company recorded a net loss of $1.16 billion. This can be attributed to the $2.8 billion fine levied by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation according to China’s Anti-monopoly Law. That aside, the overall business delivered strong growth on a healthy foundation.

In other news, Alibaba’s Taobao Live also announced in April that it would supercharge its ecosystem to yield further success for merchants and brands on the platform. It aims to support 2,000 live stream channels and 200 partners to significantly boost its sales. All things considered, would you invest in BABA stock with its current dip?

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eBay Inc

Next up, we have the global commerce company, eBay. The company’s technology allows sellers worldwide to offer their inventory for sale, virtually anytime and anywhere. eBay’s platforms are accessible through a traditional online experience, mobile devices, and its application programming interfaces (APIs). Hence, consumers could easily access its platform as long as they have access to the internet. The company’s stock has been trading sideways since the start of the year. However, for those who invested a year ago, you would’ve seen a gain of over 40%. So could EBAY stock resume its upward trend moving forward?

Earlier this month, the company announced that there is a possibility of accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment in the future. In addition, it is also looking at ways to get non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on its platform. The company is always looking at relevant forms of payment so that it doesn’t get left behind in this fast-paced world.

Fast forward a week later, the company finally hops on the NFT bandwagon. Consumers can now purchase NFTs on its broad online marketplace. This reflects an expansion of eBay’s digital collectibles business, in line with the increasing popularity of NFTs this year. With that in mind, would EBAY stock be a good buy now?

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Shopify Inc 

Next up, we have Shopify. It is a multinational tech company with a focus on e-commerce. In detail, the company provides a cloud-based platform for small and medium-sized businesses to operate their digital storefronts. The Shopify platform provides merchants with a single view of their business and customers across all of their sales channels.

Hence allowing better management of their products and inventory, building customer relationships, and reporting all from one integrated back office. Late last month, the company announced its first-quarter earnings report and it crushed analyst’s expectations. 

Zooming in, the company posted revenue of $988.6 million, up by a whopping 110% compared with a year prior. On top of that, net income was boosted by a $1.3 billion unrealized gain on its investment in online payments company Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM), which went public in January. As of the end of March, Shopify has extended a cumulative $2 billion of funds to merchants through Shopify Capital. This is to help boost its fast-growing merchant base through the help of machine learning. Therefore, with such impressive financial figures and innovation, would you buy SHOP stock now?

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The last on this list requires no introduction. We have e-commerce giant Amazon. The company offers a range of products and services through its websites. This includes merchandise and content that it purchases for resale from vendors and those offered by third-party sellers. Also, it manufactures and sells electronic devices. AMZN stock has been on a dip since the start of the month after it reached an all-time high at the end of April. Well, this could be seen as a retracement and potentially a buying opportunity for investors who believe in the long-term success of the company. 

Despite being known for its e-commerce influence, the company has expanded its reach to other industries as well. For example, the company recently struck a multi-year deal with the Women’s National Basketball Association that will see several games streamed live on Prime Video. This is in addition to its earlier forays into streaming sports content like Thursday Night Football and the Premier League.

Financially, its first-quarter earnings report is as impressive as you would expect. Amazon posted revenues of $108.52 billion, an increase of 44% compared to the prior year. What is even more outstanding was its net income skyrocketing by 319%, up from $2.54 billion to $8.11 billion. So, with Amazon already being one of the biggest names in the market, coupled with its fantastic financial results, would this be a good time to bet on AMZN stock?

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/371953