In this second post of our 'one to watch' series I would tip the ASOS Marketplace as a key place for niche fashion retailers to grow online in what could be a difficult 2012 season. ASOS is the UK's largest independent online fashion retailer with a revenue of £340m and a staggering 13.6m million users a month. The Marketplace allows brands, boutiques and fashionista's to create their own online stores and tap into the growing 16-25 online fashion market.

According to ASOS 80% of users are currently using the Marketplace to resell their own clothes but it's staggering 690% growth rate last year means thats its not going to be long before we see a surge in interest from businesses. The ASOS Marketplace seems priced to compete with Amazon's Marketplace product, with businesses paying a £50 per month subscription on top of a 15% selling fee.

The Marketplace has a blog like feel and its social media features and regular editor's picks give it's users the feel that they are 'one step ahead' on the fashion community. I feel that this site does well in developing a shopping experience that although it won't be for everybody will appeal to young fashion savvi consumers.