14 graus

: fighting for the survival of its online marketplace

Abstract

This Case Study addresses the early days of a small online marketplace that sells other brands'sustainable products, from personal hygiene items to clothing and home decoration. ThePortuguese company was founded a year and a half earlier, and from the beginning it facedseveral difficulties in acquiring sales and customers. The company was created with thefounders’ own investment and based on the success of its informative sustainability communityon Instagram. Several operational changes were made, and additional sources of revenue were developed, although none of them generated a significant increase in the marketplace sales. The strategies followed by 14 Graus can be an interesting topic for discussion, including the sustainability market in Portugal, the challenges in launching a business, the influence of socialnetworks, and the problems related to product diversification and differentiation in an online marketplace. This Master's Thesis includes a Literature Review, on relevant topics related to the Case Study, and a Teaching Note in order to assist instructors to prepare the Case discussion.

Date of Award	29 Jun 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Magalhães Guedes (Supervisor)