27 Companies Leveraging the Multi-Vendor Marketplace Model

More and more companies are realizing the opportunity for increased revenue and customer reach by leveraging the multi-vendor marketplace model. In fact, 9 out of the top 10 US retailers have a marketplace. Coincidence? We think not. 

By adding a multi-vendor marketplace alongside their existing business lines, retailers and brands can increase revenue and traffic to their site — generating new customers and enhancing SKU depth all in an asset-light way. 

It’s no wonder that forward-looking companies are adding the marketplace model to their ecommerce strategies. 

There are multiple ways you can leverage the multi-vendor marketplace model within your business. Some common applications are:

1. Catalog Enhancement: Adding to your catalog and SKU depth by enabling partners to add their products to your site 
2. Recommerce: Managing a resale, aka recommerce, marketplace for your brand
3. App Stores: Allowing partners or developers to take place in your ecosystem by offering complimentary products 

Catalog Enhancement 

Many large retailers are using the multi-vendor marketplace model to allow vendors to sell products on their site without having to hold the inventory themselves. This asset-light model enables retailers to increase SKU depth without the additional cost of warehousing or fulfillment support. 

Here are some examples of large retailers who are using the multi-vendor marketplace model on their site: 

Bed Bath & Beyond

Best Buy

Decathlon

Express

H&M

J. Crew 

Kroger

Macy’s 

Madewell

Target 

The Home Depot

Urban Outfitters 

Walmart

Recommerce

Brands are taking back their brand experience from resale marketplaces like Poshmark and eBay and joining the circular economy by creating their own resale, or recommerce, marketplaces. Benefits of a recommerce marketplace include owning the brand experience, reconnecting with customers, enhancing brand accessibility, increasing revenues. 

Here are some examples of brands who are leveraging a recommerce marketplace: 

Burberry

‍Coach

Et Tigre

Ikea 

Levis

Lululemon

Oscar De La Renta

Patagonia

REI

The North Face

App Stores 

The iPhone would not be what it is today without apps like Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, Google Maps, banking, and more. Companies are enabling developers and partners to build products and services to support their product and enhance their customer experience. 

Here are some examples of brands who are running an app store marketplace: 

Apple

Google

Roku

Samsung

More Ways To Leverage the Multi-Vendor Marketplace Model

These three examples aren’t the only ways you can leverage a multi-vendor marketplace for your business. As ecommerce becomes more connected, companies are tapping on their networks to create more value for customers, and, ultimately, keep them coming back. 

Additionally, there are lots of companies who were built as multi-vendor marketplaces from the start who have seen incredible growth. There are the large household-name marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, but every year there are more startup marketplaces coming onto the scene. A16z does a breakdown of the new multi-vendor marketplace players every year. You can see their Top 100 Marketplaces list here.

As you’re planning your ecommerce strategy, ensure you are planning for the multi-vendor future and not the single-tenant past by building with a multi-vendor marketplace platform.

Whichever way you choose to leverage the multi-vendor marketplace model for your business, Nautical has the tech covered! Reach out to a Nautical marketplace expert to learn how our multi-vendor marketplace platform can help you get to marketplace revenues faster.