All the Tools You Need to Build a Marketplace
Build a marketplace faster and with less risk using Nautical's end-to-end multi-vendor marketplace building platform
Marketplace success stories
Learn how other companies used Nautical to build a marketplace
We focus on marketplace stability so you can focus on growth
Over 80% of operators face unanticipated costs when launching marketplaces. On top of the many moving pieces of a marketplace, there are complex technical requirements to launch, maintain, and scale the business. Use Nautical's multi-vendor marketplace building platform as a foundation to launch your marketplace.
Why Build a Marketplace with Nautical?
Handle marketplace operations on one platform
Nautical is a full multi-vendor online platform. We handle both commerce and vendor management workflows.
Build an online marketplace quickly
Build a marketplace and launch in less than 90 days. Focus on building supply and leave the tech to us.
Work with marketplace building experts
Traditional ecommerce platforms weren't built to handle the complexities of a multi-vendor ecosystem. Nautical was made to build marketplaces.
Stay agile with flexible infrastructure
Customize the entire buying and selling experience when building your marketplace with our headless architecture.
Scale your marketplace efficiently
Keep operational overhead low as you expand sellers and products on your marketplace.
Marketplace Features to Empower Your Sellers
Vendor Onboarding
Make it easy for sellers to get started on your marketplace. Nautical simplifies and streamlines the process to set up new vendors.
Contract Management
Contract with vendors directly inside Nautical. Create your own contract templates for different stakeholders and set granular commissions for each.
Bulk Product Upload
Equip vendors with a simple process to upload products in bulk, in a format they’re familiar with.
Multi-Vendor Order Management
Keep track of order status and delivery updates across multiple vendors in one unified dashboard.
Automatic Commission Calculation
Calculate commissions and settle payments on individual seller agreements with unique fee structures.
Event-Driven Architecture
Build a unique buying experience using Nautical’s event-driven architecture. Or take advantage of our low-code offering to build a marketplace quickly.
FAQs About How to Build a Marketplace
Not sure where to start when building a marketplace? We're here to answer the most common questions and point you in the right direction.
What's the difference between a marketplace website vs. online store?
A marketplace is a platform where many vendors sell their products. It connects buyers with different sellers in one place. Amazon is probably the most well-known example of a marketplace. An online store is where one vendor sells their goods directly to customers. In a marketplace, you get more variety, while an online store focuses on products from just one seller.
How to create a marketplace website
The best way to create a marketplace is with a marketplace platform like Nautical. With Nautical, entrepreneurs can build a marketplace in less than 90 days. It offers easy vendor onboarding, contract management, and payment management. Marketplace platforms help companies grow without heavy operational work.
What is a marketplace builder?
A marketplace builder is a platform that allows you to create, launch, and manage an online marketplace where multiple vendors can sell their products or services. It's also referred to as marketplace software. Nautical's marketplace builder helps entrepreneurs launch their multi-vendor marketplaces quickly. It provides a stable foundation that makes it easy to scale. The platform streamlines vendor onboarding and contract management. It also reduces operational overhead.
Marketplace builders vs. custom marketplace development
When building a marketplace, businesses must choose between using a marketplace builder, creating one from scratch, or a combination. What you choose depends on many factors, such as stage, funding, goals, and more. But, as you start your marketplace journey, a marketplace builder like Nautical offers many advantages, making it a smart choice over starting from scratch.
Accelerated time to market
Using a marketplace builder like Nautical lets companies launch their platforms much faster than custom development. We've built out all of the core marketplace infrastructure for you. You still get to customize everything you need to build a marketplace that's unique to your business.
Cost-effectiveness
Building a marketplace from scratch needs a lot of time and money. Hiring developers and dealing with technical issues can increase costs. Using a marketplace builder reduces these risks, letting companies focus resources on growth.
Robust and reliable infrastructure
Marketplace builders like Nautical offer reliable and secure systems for multi-vendor setups. Scalability is always top of mind. They handle high traffic and complex transactions, giving businesses a strong foundation to scale from.
Continual support and upgrades
With a marketplace platform like Nautical, you can feel confident that your back-end system is up-to-date and constantly improving. You can look forward to regular updates, new features, and complete support. When you custom build a marketplace from scratch, it can quickly become outdated unless you constantly invest more development resources.
Focus on core business activities
By choosing a marketplace builder, companies can focus on growth instead of tech issues. This lets you build strong seller relationships, improve customer satisfaction, and drive growth.
What are the steps to build a marketplace?
Building a marketplace can feel daunting. Here's a helpful framework to get started:
Define the problem
Understand what problem your marketplace will solve for both sellers and buyers. This focus helps avoid unnecessary features and ensures a good market fit.
For example, imagine a marketplace for pet services. Groomers and walkers might struggle to find clients, while pet owners have trouble finding reliable services nearby. These are the problems building a marketplace would solve.
Set goals
Decide what you want to achieve with the first version of your marketplace build. Whether it's validating your idea or attracting investors, clear goals will guide your marketplace's development and keep you on track.
Know your audience
Identify your ideal customers and understand their needs and motivations. This helps tailor your marketplace to attract and satisfy them.
Determine essential features for an MVP
Determine the must-have features for the first iteration of your marketplace (minimum viable product). The key word here is “must-have”. Focus on essential functions first and plan for additional features later.
Use a marketplace building platform
A marketplace building platform like Nautical will help you build your own marketplace quickly and cost-effectively. What's the best platform to build a marketplace? There are some great options out there on the market. It all comes down to your unique needs. We've built Nautical to be a smart choice for almost all marketplace entrepreneurs. You can build both B2B and B2C marketplaces using Nautical. We also support a variety of different marketplace business models.
Find buyers and sellers
Use networking, marketing, and incentives to bring in your first users. Focus on solving for the side of the marketplace that's harder to attract. For example, in the luxury goods industry, attracting sellers might be tough. High-end brands are picky about where they sell. In the freelance services industry, attracting buyers is harder.
Gather feedback
Collect user feedback through surveys and testing. Use this information to improve and refine your marketplace continuously.
Further reading: Learn more about how to build a marketplace MVP.