{"id":61039,"date":"2022-11-27T22:51:20","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T22:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/pure-players\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T20:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T20:58:01","slug":"pure-players","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/pure-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Pure players"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A pure player is a business that sells its products or services only online, with no physical stores.<\/strong> All of its sales activity happens on its website, its app, marketplaces or social media.<\/p>\n\n

It is also known as a 100% online business, a digitally native company or a pure e-commerce business. The plural is pure players<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

What does pure player mean?<\/h2>\n\n

Pure<\/em> means \u201cexclusive\u201d or \u201conly\u201d, and a player<\/em> is a participant in a game. In business, a player<\/strong> is any company that competes in a market: \u201cthe big players in the industry\u201d are the most important companies.<\/p>\n\n

So a pure player is a \u201cpure\u201d competitor: it competes only in the online channel. The term is also used in the media to describe newspapers born on the internet that have no print edition.<\/p>\n\n

Pure player, brick and mortar and click and mortar<\/h2>\n\n

Depending on where they sell, businesses fall into three models:<\/p>\n\n

Model<\/th>Where it sells<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Pure player<\/td>Online only<\/td>A store that sells only on its website and on marketplaces<\/td><\/tr>
Brick and mortar<\/a><\/td>Physical stores only<\/td>A local hardware store with no website<\/td><\/tr>
Click and mortar<\/td>Online and in physical stores<\/td>A fashion chain with stores and an ecommerce site<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Many businesses change models over time. Some pure players open stores so customers can see the product, and some physical stores make the leap to ecommerce<\/a>. When they combine channels in a coordinated way, it is called omnichannel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\"Infographic<\/figure>\n\n

Examples of pure players<\/h2>\n\n

Here are some well-known examples:<\/p>\n\n

Company<\/th>Industry<\/th>What makes it a pure player<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Amazon<\/td>Ecommerce<\/td>Founded in 1995 as an online bookstore, with no stores<\/td><\/tr>
Zalando<\/td>Fashion<\/td>Founded in 2008 as an online clothing and footwear store<\/td><\/tr>
Booking.com<\/td>Travel<\/td>Sells accommodation only through its website and app<\/td><\/tr>
Netflix<\/td>Entertainment<\/td>Its streaming service exists only on the internet<\/td><\/tr>
El Confidencial<\/td>Media<\/td>A newspaper born on the internet, with no daily print edition<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Some, like Amazon, later opened physical stores. They are still the most cited example of how a pure player is born and grows.<\/p>\n\n

Types of pure players<\/h2>\n\n

Not all of them sell the same way. These are the most common models:<\/p>\n\n

Type<\/th>How it sells<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Own online store<\/td>On its own website, with its own catalog and brand<\/td>A cosmetics brand that sells only on its website<\/td><\/tr>
Marketplace<\/td>Brings many sellers together on one platform<\/td>A second-hand goods marketplace<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Subscription<\/td>Charges a recurring fee<\/td>A monthly coffee box or a streaming service<\/td><\/tr>
Digital services<\/td>Sells something that is used online<\/td>Software or an online course platform<\/td><\/tr>
Dropshipping<\/a><\/td>Sells without stock: the supplier ships the order<\/td>A store with no warehouse of its own<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Brands that are born online and sell directly to consumers, without intermediaries, are also known as DNVBs (digitally native vertical brands<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n

Advantages and challenges of a pure player<\/h2>\n\n

Selling only online has its strengths, but also its challenges:<\/p>\n\n

Advantages<\/th>Challenges<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Lower initial investment: no need to rent premises<\/td>Lots of competition and increasingly expensive advertising<\/td><\/tr>
Can sell anywhere it can ship to<\/td>Customers can’t touch or try the product<\/td><\/tr>
Data on every visit and every purchase<\/td>Returns and shipping costs<\/td><\/tr>
Adapts quickly to market changes<\/td>Depends on search engines, social media and marketplaces<\/td><\/tr>
Competitive prices thanks to its lean structure<\/td>Harder to build trust at first<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
\n

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Email marketing for a pure player<\/h2>\n\n

A pure player has no shop assistant to greet customers and no shop window to remind them of the brand. Email does a good part of that work.<\/p>\n\n

These are the most useful emails:<\/p>\n\n

Welcome.<\/strong> The first message after someone subscribes or buys. It introduces the brand and builds trust. Learn more in welcome email<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Abandoned cart.<\/strong> Recovers purchases that are left unfinished. Learn more in abandoned cart email<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Transactional.<\/strong> Order, shipping and delivery confirmation. Learn more in transactional email<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Newsletter and offers.<\/strong> News, discounts and useful content, with segmentation<\/a> so each customer receives what interests them.<\/p>\n\n

Loyalty.<\/strong> Post-purchase recommendations, reviews and perks for repeat customers.<\/p>\n\n

On top of that, the subscriber list is a channel you own: it doesn’t depend on search engine or social media algorithms. For a business that lives on the internet, that brings stability.<\/p>\n\n

\"Infographic<\/figure>\n\n

You’ll find more ideas in our guide to email marketing for ecommerce<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

How Mailrelay helps you<\/h2>\n\n

With Mailrelay you can capture subscribers with forms and pop-ups, send the welcome email automatically and segment your customers based on what they buy. You can also send transactional emails via API or SMTP.<\/p>\n\n

The free account includes up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts, with human support by chat, ticket and phone.<\/p>\n\n

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Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n

These are the most common questions about pure players.<\/p>\n\n

What is a pure player in a nutshell?<\/h3>\n\n

It’s a business that sells only online and has no physical stores.<\/p>\n\n

What is a player in marketing or advertising?<\/h3>\n\n

It’s any company that competes in a market. For example, people say that the big players in an industry take most of the sales.<\/p>\n\n

What is the difference between a pure player and ecommerce?<\/h3>\n\n

Ecommerce is commerce over the internet. A pure player is a business that only does ecommerce; a store with physical locations that also sells online is not one.<\/p>\n\n

Is Amazon a pure player?<\/h3>\n\n

It was founded as a pure player in 1995. Today it also has some physical stores, although the vast majority of its sales are online.<\/p>\n\n

What is the opposite of a pure player?<\/h3>\n\n

A brick and mortar business, which sells only in physical stores.<\/p>\n\n

Related entries<\/h2>\n\n