In 2024, offering your products exclusively via your e-commerce site is by far the most profitable option. In a fast-changing digital landscape, the use of other sales-generating levers is opening up new commercial opportunities.
So selling your products or services on marketplaces such as Leboncoin, Vinted or Shein is an excellent way of staying competitive. What's the point of a marketplace for third-party sellers, BtoB or BtoC? Get the answers straight away.
1- Marketplace: increased visibility
According to the Fevad barometer for the second quarter of 2023, over 57% of the French population use Amazon every month, representing 36.6 million unique visitors. Whether in France or elsewhere, the reputation of this multinational is well established.
For example, a presence on a marketplace such as Alibaba.com or Cdiscount allows e-tailers to reach a wider audience. Every seller benefits from the popularity of these platforms to increase their online visibility and sales.
2- Targeted and broader offers
Marketplaces appeal to a wide range of players, from start-ups and SMEs to service providers and major brands. By creating a dynamic ecosystem, they are able to offer a wide range of products from a variety of merchants.
Each platform specialises in particular sectors of activity:
- Generalist: Amazon, Alibaba, eBay ;
- High-tech products and household appliances: Darty, Cdiscount, Boulanger ;
- Clothing and footwear: Zalando, Spartoo, Sarenza ;
- Home and furnishings: IKEA, Wayfair, ManoMano ;
- Books and Media: Rakuten France, Chapter.cometc.
3- Proven rapid growth
In 2017, more than 30% of e-retailers' sales volume was generated on marketplaces. In the 3ᵉ quarter of 2023, they generated sales of €38 billion, up 10% on the previous year (source: Fevad).
This gradual development can be explained by the fact that marketplaces are pooling their product offerings to attract a large number of consumers. These platforms are therefore a real growth driver for brands and independent sellers.
4- Higher margins thanks to marketplaces
Selling through marketplaces such as Fnac or Décathlon considerably reduces retailers' marketing expenditure. This reduction in costs contributes directly tohigher profit margins for sellers.
Rather than devoting significant resources to creating and promoting their own online shop, they take advantage of the reputation of these platforms. Each seller benefits from instant visibility and access to an established customer base.
5- A practical and comprehensive management interface
Marketplace platforms are easy to use and require no special IT knowledge. Sellers have an intuitive, unified interface designed to make it easy to put their products online in just a few clicks.
The entire transactional and logistical process is centralised withina single interface. This approach simplifies the management of stocks, orders and sales, particularly for players operating on several marketplaces.
Ready to get started?
As well as a well-honed marketing strategy, you need the right tools to sell via a marketplace. Odoo is one of the best business management software packages for an optimal user experience. This suite of open source applications makes it easy to manage your stocks, orders and other sales-related processes.
