Hong Kong Stock Concept Tracking | Shopify's stock price is showing strong growth, driving the promising development prospects of the AI e-commerce SaaS sector (concept stocks included)

Overnight, Shopify's stock price rose again, increasing by 32% in a week. As a leading global e-commerce SaaS company, Shopify has deeply cultivated the e-commerce ecosystem and expanded its boundaries. According to eMarketer data, driven by the catalyzing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid development of digital technology, global e-commerce retail sales are expected to increase by 17% in 2021. As consumers gradually return to shopping in physical stores, e-commerce growth will slow down and stabilize, with an estimated growth rate of around 9% from 2024-2027. Global e-commerce penetration rates are steadily increasing, expected to reach 20.3% by 2024, indicating an overall positive trend in the e-commerce environment. Looking at the data from the top 10 countries with the highest e-commerce penetration rates in 2023, there is still room for improvement for many countries compared to China. The rapid growth of the DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) sales model has led to an increase in demand for e-commerce SaaS services. The DTC model involves selling products or services directly to end consumers through owned channels, bypassing traditional intermediaries in the supply chain and retail. The main advantages of the DTC model compared to third-party platforms are lower sales costs, access to comprehensive consumer data to inform production and marketing strategies, establishment of a private traffic pool, and fostering customer loyalty. Institutions predict that the global e-commerce SaaS market will reach 473-609 billion US dollars by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 34% from 2024-2026. Related Hong Kong stocks in the e-commerce SaaS concept include WEIMOB INC (02013): Weimob is a leading retail e-commerce SaaS provider in China, offering precision marketing services. Despite the impact of macroeconomic environment on its SaaS business in 2023, Weimob's smart retail demand has high certainty and limited competition at the same level. The company is expected to gradually incorporate AI and big data into private domain operations, accelerate productivity, and further expand revenue growth opportunities by adjusting prices after forming high customer stickiness.