I. Getting started with a marketplace business
An online marketplace is a platform that brings together sellers and customers – supply and demand. A marketplace lets them find each other, facilitates their transactions, and generates revenue through marketplace fees.
Examples of online marketplaces are Airbnb, Etsy, eBay, and Uber. If you have a business idea that works a bit like them – but don’t know how to get started – this chapter is for you. These articles help you understand how online marketplaces work, how to find a great marketplace idea, and how to turn your idea into a successful business.
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• 7 min read
What you need to know before starting a marketplace
An introduction to online marketplaces. What they are, why they are booming, and why you should build one.
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• 11 min read
How to find great online marketplace ideas
How to spot marketplace opportunities and transform them into great business ideas.
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• 9 min read
How to find the right marketplace business model
What different revenue models are available for online marketplaces? Which model is the best for your concept?
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• 9 min read
How to prevent platform leakage
People often try to take payments off the marketplace. Learn how to discourage people from going around your payment system.
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• 11 min read
How to set pricing on your marketplace
How much value should you capture from the transactions that happen on your platform? Learn different ways to approach pricing.
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• 11 min read
How to validate your online marketplace idea
Before building your website, you should validate your marketplace idea and business model. Learn the best ways to do this.
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II. Building a marketplace website
The trickiest part of building a marketplace business isn’t building the site. The biggest challenge is finding a business model that works for you, your supply, and your demand. That’s why it’s important not to spend too much time building the first version of your marketplace site.
This chapter guides you through building your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The goal is to help you launch your online marketplace fast and start learning about your audiences – while still offering them a lovable user experience from day one.
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• 12 min read
How to build a Minimum Viable Platform (MVP)
Launching early is critical. Learn how to build a marketplace website as quickly as possible.
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• 7 min read
How to communicate your value proposition
Your copywriting and design matter more than you might think. Learn how to convey you core message to your users.
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• 14 min read
How to help customers find what they’re looking for
One of the most important features of a marketplace website is discovery. How can you be sure your users find the most relevant results?
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• 13 min read
How to design your transaction flow
To be successful, your marketplace needs to facilitates transactions. Learn how to design a smooth transaction flow.
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III. Launching and growing your business
The best online marketplace businesses improve over time. Plan your launch in two steps, starting with a product launch that lets you collect initial feedback from your most important users. Then go for a bigger marketing launch with the help of concrete, low-budget strategies.
Tracking the right marketplace metrics and nurturing your user community should be a priority from early on. As you’ll see, this work will support your marketplace growth also in the long term.
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• 11 min read
How to build supply
Your marketplace platform is now ready. Before you can invite the customers in, you need to build the initial supply.
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• 13 min read
How to launch
It’s time to get your first customers on board. Learn how to find them and how to make their first experience on your site a success.
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• 12 min read
How to grow your marketplace
Your business idea is validated and you have an initial user base. The next step is to focus on marketing and growth.
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• 13 min read
How to measure your success: Key marketplace metrics
After you’ve launched, you need to be able to tell whether your business is healthy or not. Learn the metrics you should follow.
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• 16 min read
How to build trust
Trust is the foundation of successful marketplaces. Learn how to build trust between your providers and customers.
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• 12 min read
How to turn your marketplace into a community
A great way to keep your users engaged and committed to your platform is building a community around it.
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Authors
Juho Makkonen
has been building marketplace websites since 2008. He is a co-founder of Sharetribe and currently serves as the CEO of the company. He’s also a OuiShare connector in Helsinki and a long-time advocate of the sharing economy.
Cristóbal Gracia
built his first peer-to-peer marketplace in 2009. Today, he is a OuiShare connector in Barcelona and a partner at Consumo Colaborativo, the leading Spanish organization specialized in collaborative consumption. He facilitates lectures, conferences, and workshops related to innovation in the sharing economy, and works as an advisor for startups and other companies.
