Marketplaces

Marketplaces mean more sales – not more work

As an e-commerce trader you know all too well how increasingly difficult it is to attract visitors to your online store, and how resource draining it can be to be heard in all the noise. You know that brand visibility is key and that it takes endless hours in front of the computer to become searchable and find new customers. Our advice is to mix sales channels with marketplaces that have a stable customer base and good reach. They are an excellent complement to your own e-commerce, and you get the opportunity to reach much further ahead of a potential campaign, stock clearance or realization.

More clicks on the purchase button

There are many reasons why it’s a good idea to sell on existing marketplaces. But the biggest one is that marketplaces attract a large number of visitors. This is partly because of the vast range of products, but above all because they are good at purchasing traffic. Simply put, you “borrow” traffic from the marketplace, which significantly enhances your ability to reach new customers that might otherwise be difficult and costly to attract on your own. So take the chance and expand your sales channels in a relevant context, to increase sales and get more customers.

Super easy onboarding – but keep this in mind

If you’re not a planner who can juggle a thousand balls simultaneously, you don’t need to worry. The marketplaces we are affiliated with all have a smooth onboarding process, so that you can list your products quick and easy. But keep in mind that you need to be well prepared, and know your products well – have for example GTIN number, images and product descriptions ready. The more work you’ve done before you begin, the faster your sales will get going.

Choose the Right Marketplace

The most important question you should ask yourself is whether the marketplace is relevant to your products. What kind of products are sold on the marketplace? What’s the target audience? Are there any competing products? And what requirements does the marketplace have for product data? The more relevant a marketplace is to your products – the greater your chance of success. This is not rocket science – but a simple way to ensure that you expand your sales channels to the right target audience in a relevant setting.

Plan ahead

Getting started with selling on marketplaces is easy. The marketplaces themselves are very thorough when it comes to making the onboarding process as smooth as possible. But remember to get started well ahead of time, to plan ahead and to prepare as much as you can before going live. It’s also important to ensure that you have the right system support to manage another sales channel. Here at Sharespine this is not a problem – our integrations are adapted to create a workflow between e-commerce platforms and various marketplaces. Just double check that your platform is among those in our ecosystem, and that we have an integration for the marketplace you wish to sell on. If we do, you can sit back and relax.

Great product images

Great product images are key when selling on any marketplace. Because the range of products is bigger and other sellers are competing with you, great product images are an excellent way to separate yourself from the crowd and build a brand. Take some time to photograph your products from different angles so that the design and advantages of the product are prominently displayed. Good images drive sales – so start thinking about how you can create better looking images today. It will boost your brand and build trustworthiness.

Spend time on product data

Like images, product data is crucial to increase your chances of being seen and promote the key advantages of your products. Marketplaces often have requirements in place regarding how to present your products and what data to include in the system. Thus, it’s important that you structure your product data and adapt to the demands of the marketplace regarding product categories. You will have a lot to gain if you do this well. Specifically, you will become more searchable in the marketplace.

Take the following into consideration:

• Calculate your gross margin – and add all costs for sales to ensure the numbers add up.
• Check out the competition on the marketplace. Are there any holes to fill with new products? What can you compete with?
• Consider the price. It’s crucial to take into account any competing sellers who sell the same things you do on the marketplace.
• Product data – EAN/GTIN is an important type of product data in order to let the marketplace list your products on external marketing channels, for example Pricerunner and Google Shopping.
• Campaigns – Try to participate in the campaigns run by the marketplace to get additional exposure. It’s always free to ask.
• Reach new customers & expand your sales channels.
• A stable customer base & good reach.
• Cost efficiency to market a campaign, stock clearance or realization.
• Expose your brand in well-known marketplaces.

We help you get started quickly!

Selling on marketplaces is not difficult. It’s super easy to get started and most marketplaces have a provision-based compensation model, which means that you only pay for exposure if someone ends up buying your products. Sharespine even offers free integration with Sweden’s biggest online marketplace, CDON Marketplace.

What do you need to do?

Do you want to sell on marketplaces and automate your work flows? Then get in touch with us at Sharespine! We help you get started with the technical side of selling on marketplaces.