The progress of the markets has been exceptional in recent years fueled by an ever-increasing number of online shoppers. This has encouraged a number of eCommerce entrepreneurs to build their own marketplaces and start their eCommerce business by listing multiple vendors on their platform.
Marketplaces are beneficial for both online retailers and customers. Entrepreneurs can start their business with zero inventory and also earn commissions from listed vendors. Customers are often attracted when they get a variety of products in the same store. A multi-vendor e-commerce platform makes this possible in an easy and efficient way.
However, a marketplace doesn’t work like a normal eCommerce store. So, here is a set of features that you need to consider when choosing the most suitable platform to create your marketplace.
Flexibility– To meet the requirements of horizontal and vertical markets, the platform must be extremely flexible. Along with this, various customizations may also be required from time to time. Therefore, a solution that allows non-tech savvy users to easily modify their multi-vendor eCommerce platform is a must-have feature. A complete marketplace is all about user-friendly interface, customization, performance, and flexibility, so make sure the eCommerce solution you choose provides these features.
Easy search and navigation– Some of the main reasons why customers choose to buy in a market is the variety offered, the availability of various brands and products at a wide range of prices. Customers often visit a market looking for a particular product or brand. So making it easy for customers to search is a factor that any multi-vendor eCommerce platform needs to consider. In the same way, once the customer has found the desired product, the navigation must be easy so that the payment process is carried out quickly.
SEO and marketing benefits– One of the factors that can take an eCommerce business to new heights is SEO and marketing techniques. Therefore, an eCommerce solution that has built-in features to facilitate SEO and marketing is essential. SEO and marketing can help improve conversion rates and get more organic traffic. Thus, a multi-vendor eCommerce platform can gain a quick brand presence with various offers, social media integration, discounts, etc.
Mobile-ready platform– Mobile commerce can be considered as the main online sales channel, with online shoppers spending two-thirds of their time shopping online on mobile devices. Google considers mobile-friendly sites for high volumes of traffic and helps secure top rankings in Google. Therefore, your multi-vendor eCommerce platform needs to be mobile-ready in order to attract more traffic through the mobile channel.
Now that you know what features a marketplace should have, you can choose your eCommerce solution accordingly. You can choose from various eCommerce platforms available in the market with unique features.