When you already have an online store, it’s legitimate to wonder whether selling on marketplaces can also be a profitable strategy. After all, do they attract the same types of customers? Are the chances of conversions comparable? Find out below.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Old proverbs are often full of wisdom, so let’s not forget this one, because selling through several channels has the effect of limiting risk. Selling on marketplaces is the best way to avoid betting on the same horse, but you need to know which horse to bet on, and to do that, you need to test them out. It’s a form of diversification like any other, and for the same reason that your catalog isn’t limited to a single product, selling on marketplaces enables you to reach a new audience.
… But don’t spread yourself too thin
Selling on marketplaces is a good strategy for reaching different customers who might never have come to your site in the first place. But you have to be careful not to want to be everywhere if you don’t have the means to do so. If you try to do too many things at once, you run the risk of doing them badly, so be realistic in your diversification strategy: analyze the amount of work required, the potential returns on investment, and then sort it out to concentrate your efforts where it’s really worthwhile.
How to sell effectively on marketplaces?
To be effective and make the right choices, ask yourself at least the following questions:
- Do I have enough stock?
- Will selling through several channels enable me to achieve economies of scale?
- Will I have access to a different clientele?
- Does this new clientele have more or less purchasing power than my regular customers?
- Do I have to put all my products on marketplaces?
This last question alone would undoubtedly merit a dedicated article, because to sell effectively on marketplaces, you need to showcase the right products. To cut a long story short, you can consider selling on marketplaces to stock up, or to advertise your store with a loss-leader product. You can also consider selling in other ways, but the most important thing is to remain consistent in your strategy.
Beware of content duplication!
Another thing to bear in mind before selling on the most popular marketplaces is SEO. If you simply copy and paste your catalog, you’re shooting yourself in the foot, as your site’s SEO will quickly be penalized. Google likes unique content, never forget that! What’s more, when someone does a keyword search, you want Google to display your site, not a marketplace, so keep the SEO-optimized content for yourself and rework the product sheets transmitted to the marketplace, which can just as easily be generic. On a marketplace, you’re fighting over price, not over the quality of your prose! We usually do a little development work for our clients, enabling them to send marketplaces a different description from the one used on their site. Contact me to find out more In short, why not sell on marketplaces, but be careful not to penalize your site in the process. Having a clearly defined strategy is essential if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises.
