Toward an Online Marketplace
Marketplaces, online marketplaces in Dutch, or websites on which multiple providers can post their products or services. More and more e-commerce companies are jumping on the trend and starting a marketplace. And no, you don't have to knock Amazon off its throne to be successful.
How much potential does such an online marketplace have, and should you open your shop to third parties as well? In our white paper we discuss, among other things, eight do's and don'ts about starting an online marketplace. Below you can read the first three.
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#1 Determine the right form
Starting an online marketplace begins with thinking about the desired form. Will you act purely as a platform that brings buyers and sellers together, or will you also sell products yourself? And which market are you targeting: consumers (B2C à la Bol.com), businesses (B2B such as hospitality platform Foodl) or a link for consumers to each other (C2C à la Marktplaats)?
#2 Determine your niche
From tea towels to laptops, players like Bol.com and Amazon offer a huge range of products. For a novice player, it is a virtually impossible task to compete with them. To be commercially successful, an online marketplace is therefore better off focusing on a niche market. Think of a platform for fishing supplies. Or a gym chain, which converts its website into an online marketplace where subscribers can buy all kinds of sports-related products. In short, determine the niche you want to focus on. That way, you create a clear scope for yourself and you will automatically become interesting to a certain target group.
#3 Invest in a good technical infrastructure
In the year 2020, there are now numerous software solutions for setting up an online shop relatively quickly and easily. In the case of an online marketplace, it's a little trickier. You will have to invest in a good search function and smart search filters so that customers can quickly find the right product in the individual assortments of the various vendors.
Getting started!
So starting a marketplace can pay off in a big way. But what all do you need to think about? How to set up your payment process optimally. Taking into account mixed baskets and the resulting need for split payments. Download the white paper today to learn about all the opportunities and challenges.