Marketplaces: A Global View of Brand’s Biggest Opportunities in 2020

Brands that opt to sell their wares on digital marketplaces gain access to literally millions of potential customers — particularly if they sell on the two marketplaces with the biggest global digital footprint, Amazon and Alibaba. With Amazon, there’s a chance to reach, among others, the e-Commerce giant’s 150 million+ Amazon Prime members. Alibaba boasts 711 million active annual consumers, and in December 2019 its tally of mobile MAUs (monthly active users) reached 824 million — 39 million more than in September 2019.

Marketplace selling appears to be a particularly sweet deal for SMB retailers and brands. According to a Euromonitor International survey commissioned by eBay, 44% of U.S. small business owners said that selling through marketplaces allows them to keep their physical stores open. Addi tionally, 69% of U.S. SMBs said their income improved after they started selling on marketplaces, with more than 50% reporting that online marketplace sales expand their reach enough that a majority of their sales come from outside their community.

This Special Report will explore the key elements that should go into a brand’s marketplace decision-making and its ongoing relationships, including:

• The range of services and capabilities that marketplaces can offer their sellers;
• Marketplaces’ efforts to address problem areas, including the presence of counterfeit products and pricing challenges; and
• The growth prospects of more niche and community-oriented marketplaces
  and the impact of sustainability on resale marketplaces.