Social networking site-turned-online marketplace Multiply announced it will be shutting down on May 6 and will cease all business operations by May 31, 2013.
"About a year ago, our local Multiply teams were given the mighty challenge of totally re-inventing the company," explained Multiply CEO, Stefan Magdalinski in a press statement. "After much effort, we are forced to admit that we were not able to pull it off. I'm proud of my team for their diligence and determination, despite the disappointing outcome."
"Multiply will maintain normal site operations through May 6. We will use the rest of May to make sure the all accounts are settled and that merchants receive full payment for all the transactions they completed on our platform," it said on its website.
"This will also provide our merchants with time to find and migrate to alternative ecommerce platforms, settle all payments on items bought and delivered, and to minimize disruption to their businesses," it added.
The company however failed to provide information on why it is closing down its website, but assured online shop owners that it will receive funds earned on the marketplace platform before the end of May.
It added merchants who have premium subscriptions "should contact our customer support and we will ensure that they receive a full refund for the un-used time on your subscription."
December last year when Multiply shifted from a social networking site to an online marketing site in an effort to regain market share lost to social network giant Facebook.
2 comments:
We’ve predicted this months ago when Multiply announced the shutting down of their social networking features. We’ve also tried to appeal to the new management, but they just wouldn’t listen.
They just couldn’t get it through their thick skulls that e-commerce in Multiply was actually started informally as an extended activity of online friendship. Sellers and buyers were online friends who were not only doing business but were sharing stories as well, as most sellers were actually bloggers (or at least started as bloggers). The business in Multiply back then relied on human touch. This human touch was actually the best attraction to shop, and eliminating this human touch means burning the shop. That’s what kills Multiply.
That, and the incompetence and arrogance of their personnel; their customer service in particular.
Anyway, I wouldn't trust them to refund the accounts. When they closed down the social networking features, they've promised to refund the previous Premium account and they failed to do it.
Felt bad to hear that.
MICH
Admin, News Bits Online
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