# Morhipo (2011 – 2023)

- URL: https://girisimcikafasi.com/en/startup-graveyard/morhipo/
- Sector: E-commerce
- Country: Turkey
- Total funding: unknown
- Cause of closure: Business model failed

## What did it do?

Morhipo was an online shopping site founded in 2011 under Boyner Holding, the Turkish retail group. It brought new-season products and good-value promotions together on a single site. It started with clothing and then expanded into homeware, cosmetics and other categories.

## Why did it shut down?

No official reason for the closure was given; users were simply told that from 17 October 2023 operations would continue on boyner.com.tr. According to Webrazzi, the Turkish tech news site, Fırsat Elektronik, which ran Morhipo, had merged with Boyner Büyük Mağazacılık in 2020, and its contractual rights and permits had been transferred to that company. In the three years after the merger there was no visible change in operations; then the separate brand was closed altogether. These developments suggest that the group no longer saw the need to reach the same customer through two separate online stores; this is an interpretation.

## The story

When Boyner Holding, the Turkish retail group, decided in 2011 to enter e-commerce with a separate brand, the result was Morhipo. The site set out with an approach that brought new-season products and good-value promotions together under one roof. Private shopping sites were multiplying fast in Turkey at the time; a 2011 market review published on Webrazzi, the Turkish tech news site, cited delivery speed as Morhipo's standout advantage.

Starting with a clothing store concept, Morhipo gradually expanded into homeware, cosmetics and other categories. In 2015 it partnered with 1V1Y, a site set up by fashion brands, and the two began selling each other's exclusive brands; the deal covered more than 60 brands, including Beymen, Diesel, İpekyol and Koton. According to the Karar newspaper, Morhipo had been named Europe's fastest-growing e-commerce site in the Europe500 study, with growth of around 117 per cent in 2014.

Behind the scenes, however, the structure was changing. According to Webrazzi, Fırsat Elektronik, which ran the site, merged with Boyner Büyük Mağazacılık in 2020, and its contractual rights and permits passed to that company. For three years little changed for users. Then, in October 2023, a short message sent by email and text made everything clear: Morhipo would close on 17 October, and shopping would continue on boyner.com.tr from then on.

No detailed reason was given for the closure. Even so, the picture was familiar: a big retail group chose to consolidate into a single brand rather than reach the same customer through two separate online shop windows. Webrazzi described the news as the end of an era in Turkish e-commerce. Morhipo's story is a reminder that, however fast a corporate venture grows, it can easily fall victim to its parent company's channel choices when they change.

## Lessons

- A digital brand inside a big group can be among the first to be sacrificed when the parent company's channel strategy changes.
- Fast-growth awards are no guarantee of a lasting position; the brand needs a clear role distinct from the parent company.
- Explain channel consolidation decisions to users early and openly; trust must be protected even as a brand closes.

## Sources

- [Morhipo.com is closing](https://webrazzi.com/2023/10/11/morhipo-kapaniyor/)
- [Morhipo, Turkey's giant shopping site, is closing](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/turkiyenin-dev-alisveris-sitesi-morhipo-kapaniyor-2129670)
- [Bad news from Morhipo for its subscribers: it is being shut down](https://www.karar.com/teknoloji-haberleri/morhipodan-kotu-haber-kapatiliyor-1796224)
- [Morhipo and 1V1Y announce a brand-specific partnership](https://webrazzi.com/2015/10/08/morhipo-ve-1v1y-ozel-markalari-icin-is-birligini-duyurdu/)
- [What State Is Turkey's Private Shopping Market In?](https://webrazzi.com/2011/10/13/turkiye-ozel-alisveris-pazari-ne-durumda/)