Marketplaces are continuing to take over ecommerce, and the rise of multi-vendor marketplace platforms is only accelerating the trend.
Historically, companies looking to launch a marketplace only had one option— to build their back-end from scratch. Luckily, the emergence of new marketplace software is making launching a marketplace more turnkey than ever before.
There are several routes you can take when it comes to your multi-vendor marketplace platform. And with choice comes decisions. This article will review how to decide on the best marketplace platform for your business. We’ll answer questions like:
Before we dive into marketplace platforms, let’s get clear about what a multivendor marketplace website entails.
A multivendor marketplace is a platform that offers products/services from multiple vendors on a single website. Some of the most popular multivendor websites include:
But to be a marketplace, you don’t need to be a behemoth like the ones listed above. There are countless smaller, vertical marketplaces that are extremely successful. Take Minted, for example. Minted is a design marketplace that crowdsources designs from artists and sells them online. While the idea is niche, it’s been incredibly successful, with revenue increasing nearly 40% year-over-year into the low hundreds of millions.
With the advent of multivendor marketplace technology, launching a multivendor marketplace website is becoming increasingly accessible to founders everywhere. Which brings us to our next point — multivendor marketplace platforms.
Put simply, a multi-vendor marketplace platform is the technology behind an online marketplace.
Just as there are platforms for single-vendor ecommerce stores, there are emerging platforms, with multi-vendor capabilities, to create marketplaces.
You may be wondering, why does a multivendor marketplace platform look different than a single-vendor ecommerce platform?
The backend of a multivendor marketplace is a lot more complex than that of first-party ecommerce. For example, there are two sides to a marketplace: the buyer side and the vendor side. That means a customer making a purchase is only the tip of the iceberg. Marketplace platforms also need to be able to handle a myriad of logistics like giving vendors access to respective order details, keeping tabs on whether orders have been fulfilled, paying out vendors, and so much more.
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The features of a multi-vendor marketplace platform need to consider the experiences of three main stakeholders:
Let's dive into what features to consider for each to ensure an optimal marketplace experience.
The marketplace operator is the facilitator. They are orchestrating both sides of the marketplace to help remove friction for sellers to sell and buyers to buy. Here are some examples of key marketplace features for operators:
Your vendors are the heart of your marketplace. The right features can make or break their experience. The most important features are the ones that remove friction and build trust.
You’ve probably been a marketplace buyer, but are you aware of the specific capabilities that lead to a positive customer experience? These things are normally invisible to the customer but have become table stakes for every marketplace.
Below are some more general, but important, feature considerations to take into account for long-term success.
When it comes to choosing the best multivendor marketplace platform for your ecommerce business, there are several options.
Some companies build their marketplace infrastructure in-house or hire an outside developer to handle the heavy lifting. At first blush, undertaking a custom build may be tempting. After all, doing so can give you complete control over every single element of your marketplace. However, the downsides can quickly outweigh those positives:
In an interview about their experience building Minted, a popular design marketplace, Mariam Naficy, Founder and Executive Chairman shared:
“We hand-coded the site at first because the problem was the customization app was not available from anyone[...]And now we're replacing pieces of it piece by piece, painfully going through all of that[...]I just wish you'd [Nautical] been there a long time ago because that would have been a lot easier.”
Other companies take an ecommerce platform that’s intended for a single-vendor online store and bolt on plugins to try to achieve the necessary marketplace functionalities, such as being able to process transactions involving more than one vendor. A faster (and theoretically much cheaper) option than a custom build, bolt-on solutions also have their drawbacks:
Companies that choose an end-to-end multi-vendor marketplace platform sidestep the issues associated with the other two approaches. A multi-vendor marketplace platform has many benefits, including:
To help assess what option is best for you— and how to choose the right technology tools– we’ve compiled a list of questions to consider before making your decision.
You don’t need to (and shouldn’t) wait until you have the perfect version of your marketplace to launch.
Matt Holder, Founder of Loop Golf, shares:
“What often happens is there's a failure to start somewhere. And I get it, it's high risk.[...] you’re investing a lot of time and emotion into it. [...]what didn't exist in these previous marketplaces when they started were tools that you could employ out of the box to accomplish some of the initial things that just make it easier to get started. Once you get started, it's a lot easier to keep going despite the negative feedback or things not working.”
The marketplace platform you choose for the first iteration of your marketplace doesn’t need to be your forever solution. That being said, having a clear understanding of what your business needs vs. wants will allow you to weigh your options, taking into account both your MVP and long-term vision.
Or are you launching one from scratch? Your current circumstances play a role in deciding the best marketplace platform for your business.
For example, if you’re not interested in re-platforming your existing first-party commerce business, you might consider bolt-on options in the short term. On the other hand, if you’re launching from scratch, we recommend considering a platform purpose-built for multi-vendor commerce.
Different marketplace platforms require different levels of technical know-how. Thinking about the technical expertise you have access to — whether that be in-house or outsourced— is a critical consideration in your marketplace platform decision. Otherwise, you risk a lot of unanticipated costs.
No matter what multivendor marketplace platform you choose, it costs money. Knowing your budget is valuable to plan for scalability, and helps ensure costs align with marketplace growth. It also helps prioritize essential features without overspending and considers the total cost of ownership over time.
Always be clear on the goals and mission of your marketplace business. If you’re struggling to decide the best multi-vendor marketplace platform for you, return to your founding goals and what you’re trying to achieve. Starting here can bring a lot of clarity!
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The founders of older marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, didn’t have a multi-vendor marketplace platform at their fingertips — but they probably wish they did. It could have saved them time and money.
After all, opting to go with a multi-vendor marketplace platform lets companies launch and scale marketplaces much more quickly than they’d be able to with a painstaking, years-long custom-build project. They’ll also avoid the limitations of a bolt-on solution; when the marketplace gains momentum, the operator won’t be scrambling to increase headcount or MacGyver an ecommerce band-aid solution.
🔵 Get a free trial of Nautical’s multivendor marketplace platform 🔵
