How to get started with Google AdWords for your marketplace
Getting the first traffic is harder than you think. Learn how to use paid traffic to get a fast start.
Inspiration 5 min read
Adapt to the local context – An interview with Joel Serra
Quality over quantity—an essential part of EatWith's success.
Marketing & Growth 12 min read
How to turn your marketplace into a community
Turning your marketplace into a community will increase user engagement, commitment, and sales. Learn how to go about doing that.
Marketing & Growth 16 min read
How to build trust in your marketplace
Fear is one of the main factors that may be preventing transactions from happening in your marketplace. Learn how to deal with it by fostering trust.
Marketing & Growth 13 min read
How to measure your success: The key marketplace metrics
Now that your business is growing nicely, it is time to look at marketplace metrics to see how you are actually doing.
Marketing & Growth 12 min read
How to grow your marketplace
Growth tactics to grow your marketplace beyond the initial group of users.
Marketing & Growth 13 min read
How to launch your marketplace
You've built your initial supply and are now ready for your first customers. How should you launch?
Inspiration 4 min read
Create commons – An interview with Michel Bauwens
Peer-to-peer sharing platforms should give more power to their community.
Marketing & Growth 11 min read
How to build supply for your marketplace
When launching a marketplace, you should solve the chicken and egg problem by first focusing on supply. In this chapter, we explain why.
Inspiration 4 min read
Make your members happy – An interview with Jim Pickell
Member satisfaction is the ultimate marketplace key performance indicator.
Building the platform 13 min read
How to design your marketplace’s transaction flow
The purpose of any marketplace is to facilitate transactions between users. Learn how to build a smooth transaction flow.
Inspiration 3 min read
Vacate the VCs – An interview with Jeremiah Owyang
Advice on alternative ways to fund your marketplace startup.
Building the platform 14 min read
How to help your customers find the right product or service
How to design your search, categories, sorting, filtering and browsing views.
Inspiration 4 min read
Understand your community – An interview with Jennifer Billock
Your marketplace needs to be tended like a garden.
Building the platform 7 min read
How to communicate your value proposition to your users
When building your minimum viable platform, you need to be crystal clear in communicating the core value proposition of your marketplace.
Inspiration 3 min read
Evolve with the community – An interview with Antonin Léonard
A community is built through offline interaction and online experience.
Building the platform 11 min read
How to build a Minimum Viable Platform
Learn what to focus on when building your Minimum Viable Platform.
Inspiration 4 min read
Rinse and repeat – An interview with Daan Weddepohl
Apply the lean startup methodology, iteratively creating your marketplace.
Business model 11 min read
How to validate your marketplace idea before building the platform
Don't focus on the wrong things—validate your idea before building anything.
Inspiration 6 min read
Make the right trade-offs for your marketplace – An interview with Arun Sundararajan
It is better to grow slow in order to preserve the unique aspects of your marketplace.
Business model 11 min read
How to set pricing in your marketplace
Pricing is one of the most important decisions you need to make.
Inspiration 5 min read
Solve the supply – An interview with Alex Stephany
A clear and compelling value proposition is the simplest way of acquiring supply.
Business model 9 min read
How to discourage people from going around your payment system
What to do if users try to bypass your transaction fees.
Business model 9 min read
How to choose the right business model for your marketplace
Finding the right business model for your marketplace can be tricky, but is crucial for long-term success.
Inspiration 4 min read
Design transformational experiences – An interview with Neal Gorenflo
Neal Gorenflo thinks you should start small and replicate grassroot movements.
Inspiration 5 min read
Empower your providers – An interview with Shelby Clark
Shelby Clark advises marketplace entrepreneurs to focus on high-quality supply from the very beginning.
Getting started 11 min read
How to come up with a great marketplace idea
Perhaps you already have a business idea that you can't get out of your mind. Or maybe you're excited about the promise of the collaborative economy, and are currently exploring different ideas.
Getting started 7 min read
What you need to know before starting your marketplace business
An introduction to online marketplaces. What marketplace platforms are, why they are booming, and why you should think about starting your own a marketplace business.
Inspiration 5 min read
How to find the next big marketplace idea – An interview with Robin Chase
From the stage at Cabaret Sauvage in Paris, Robin is telling the vivid story about how she likes to stay at friends’ houses when she travels.
Getting started 6 min read
Why you should launch your marketplace early
You should strive to launch your marketplace as early as possible. This way you can quickly validate your concept and see whether it really solves a problem for your users.
