ShopRunner doubles customer base in 2014

ShopRunner Inc, the e-commerce startup backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd that styles itself in some ways as the anti-Amazon, more than doubled its users over the past year and hopes to do so again in 2015, its chief executive said in an interview.

The five-year old online retailer's gains may allow it to gain more customers who prize convenience and experience over cost savings, while taking advantage of its Alibaba relationship to help American retailers sell to China's still-growing middle class.

ShopRunner borrows some of Amazon.com Inc's innovations: it charges $79 for two-day shipping to Amazon's $99. And it has an express checkout akin to its larger rival's one-click-buying feature.