Dive Brief:
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Ambitious e-commerce retailer Jet Thursday launched in beta to 10,000 users.
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The company has promised to be the cheapest general-goods retailer on the web (if not anywhere) and has garnered loads of funding, some from unnamed sources, including, it was recently revealed, from Chinese e-retail giant Alibaba.
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Business Insider took the site for a spin Thursday and found prices to be genuinely cheaper, although it's still in need of product photos and other smoothing out, something founder-CEO Marc Lore acknowledges and says will happen.
Dive Insight:
Jet has had a hand in building up expectations for its launch, and, now in beta, it’s possible to see how close they might come to fulfilling them. Business Insider found that prices were indeed low, and took note of how Jet pointed out how further savings could be had through different shipping options or grouping items in their shopping carts, and let customers know each time they saved.
That “you saved” stamp on a sales receipt always feels good, and Jet has apparently brought that to the level of art. The site will launch fully out of beta in mid-June, when the real test begins.