The Added Value of Marketplaces for Online Retailers

By now everyone is familiar with online marketplaces such as bol.com and Amazon. The all-round shopping websites with so many products that you can pretty much buy anything there. But not every business is aware that it’s possible to sell their own products via these marketplaces. The number online purchases is expected to continue to grow for years to come, so this is a great time for you as an online retailer to discover the advantages of online marketplaces!

Selling online successfully

Before we take the step of selling through marketplaces, it’s a good idea to be familiarise yourself with the basic principles to selling online successfully. When it comes to the online market, one thing is paramount: your customers.

If you want to be successful online, your activities have to be aimed at satisfying your customers. In order to achieve that, you have to follow three easy steps:

1. Reach the right audience (potential customers)
   The right customers are the ones who actually suit your company, brand, or products. Know where you can reach them and what they are looking for. Take advantage of that and make sure they come across your shopping website and products.
2. Link your potential customer’s needs to your product(s)
   Once you’ve reached the right customers, it’s important to create a connection; show that you understand their needs. If you do this right, they will come to you to satisfy their needs with your products or services.
3. Optimise customer experience
   The final step is creating a pleasant experience for customers with your company, shopping website, brand, or products. Everything is about offering a smooth process from the first touchpoint to the follow-up after they have placed their order. Satisfied customers are more likely to come back to your online shop.

In this article we look at the options to reach the right target audience. Common methods are advertising with Google Ads, social media, and search engine optimisation, but online marketplaces such as bol.com & Amazon have a lot to offer as well!

Why selling through online marketplaces is so appealing

As the owner of a shopping website, you’re always looking for new ways to achieve the growth you want for your business. There are plenty of ways to go about it, but those often require significant investments. Financially sure, but they take up a lot of your time as well. Because you don’t have enough time as it is, this usually leads to plans being postponed and, eventually, forgotten.

Marketplaces offer a different way!

-No major investments up front required

A marketplace like bol.com in the Netherlands has spent years building enormous brand recognition. Almost all Dutch consumers have bought something from them at one time or another. If you opt to sell your products through this or one or more of the many other online marketplaces, you’ll benefit from the brand recognition they’ve worked so hard to build. This gives you access to a bigger market and a better way to reach your potential customers.

-Take advantage of their brand name

A marketplace like bol.com in the Netherlands has spent years building enormous brand recognition. Almost all Dutch consumers have bought something from them at one time or another. If you opt to sell your products through this or one or more of the many other online marketplaces, you’ll benefit from the brand recognition they’ve worked so hard to build. This gives you access to a bigger market and a better way to reach your potential customers.

-Start selling immediately (new online shops)

Another advantage of the enormous brand recognition of these online marketplaces is that you can start selling immediately. This is a great way for new online shops – still working on their online brand and findability via Google – to earn some cash instead of having to wait.