Bonobos started out with a simple mission to make a better pair of pants, and has since grown to be one of the most popular and respected menswear brands online.
2. Girlfriend.com - Athleisure with ethical manufacturing
Girlfriend collective offers ethically-made activewear made from recycled water bottles.
In 2016, they caused a stir by launching with an incredible offer: free leggings for word of mouth. Anyone who posted about Girlfriend Collective's launch received a pair of leggings for free, launching the brand with a bang (and coverage in multiple media outlets)
3. Lunya - Confidently Comfortable Sleepwear for the Modern Woman
Lunya follows in the footsteps of Thinx and Girlfriend Collective empowering and celebrating women. They made waves with a full-page ad in the New York Times ("I come first") and supporting mentorship organisation Girls Inc.
6. Beardbrand - Shaving & Accessories for the Bearded Gentleman
Beardbrand is a 'bottom-up' brand, built by a founder and team who were thoroughly immersed in the online beardsman community long before they came up with products to sell.
Fashion-as-a-Service startup Rent the Runway allows customers to rent designer outfits (and now athleisure and ski apparel) for a period of time, and return the outfits for a new look.
Rent the Runway Flashship store in New York | Photo: Rent The Runway
Birchbox isn't just a beauty subscription box: founder Katie Beauchamp described it as 'discovery commerce'. Birchbox subscribers are delighted to discover the surprises in each box each month. Birchbox also offers the clever twist of mailing sample-sized products for subscribers, allowing them to sample and try out new products to test for irritability and effectiveness, without committing to full purchases.
Birchbox is now in 6 countries with over 2 million subscribers, launching a men's grooming box as well.
10. Endy Sleep - Direct-Sales Mattress from Canada
The largest online-only direct selling mattress company in Canada, Endy Sleep sells a mattress that is perfectly designed for a good night's sleep.
NOTE: Endy Sleep uses ReferralCandy as their referral program!
12. Made - Direct-to-Consumer Furniture (with a Referral Program!)
Made.com sells furniture made in the UK, cutting out the middleman to pass on cost savings to their customers. They also have a really snazzy referral program!
13. ModCloth - Fun, social media-savvy Fashion Brand
Fashion ecommerce is hard – and yet ModCloth has persisted successfully with its fun and cheerful brand. They're known for engaging their community of shoppers with their strong social media presence.
19. Cheeky Wipes - Washable Cloth to replace Disposable Nappies
Cheeky Wipes sells a washable cloth that means the ends of throwing away nappies all the time!
NOTE: eJuices uses ReferralCandy as their referral program!
20. Misty Robotics - Programmable Robots for Students and Entrepreneurs
Misty is a company that develops easily-programmable robots for students, entrepreneurs and programmers so that they can create skills that make her useful at work or at home.
Warby Parker is a modern eyewear brand that's both stylish and affordable. They also are known to have one of the cleverest marketing teams around today.
TOMS made its mark with a unique and compelling mission – that every pair of shoes sold would be matched with a gift of a pair of shoes to people who need them.
Bellroy has one of the nicest landing pages we've ever seen, with an extremely compelling value proposition. They sell stylish wallets that have a ton of storage, yet look simple and minimalist.
The Best eCommerce Startups of 2021 to Watch
That's our list of the most exciting eCommerce brands to watch in 2021. Tell us your suggestions in the comments!
Si Quan is ReferralCandy's Content Marketing Manager. He is also the co-founder of BreakDance Decoded, an online breakdance training company. He loves standup comedy, and has a dream to visit at least 100 countries in his lifetime.
From a tiny dream in a small room, the Atmoph team is slowly reaching more people and sharing more views, generating word-of-mouth through a compelling product and a successful referral program.