Marketplace | Habefast
Many anglicisms are used in the business world and especially in the digital world and the word marketplace is no exception to the rule. What does this word mean? How does a marketplace work?
Marketplace: definition
Simply put, a marketplace is a platform on the Internet that connects buyers and sellers. Sellers can be freelancers, professionals or individuals and can sell both products and services.
The most common business model used for these marketplaces is the commission on each item sold. Note that that there are other models that exist.Â
Among the most famous marketplaces, we find the leader Amazon, Cdiscount or Ebay. They allow sellers to access their features and now includes a very large number of sellers.
Also, some of these marketplaces allow sellers to store products and manage their shipping. This is a way for Amazon to control the consumer experience and for the seller to offload this responsibility.
Originally, this term only refers to the connection of professionals between them.
À l’origine ce terme ne désigne que la mise en relation de professionnels entre eux: fournisseurs/acheteurs (BtoB), mais avec le temps la définition s’est élargie à la vente aux consommateurs (BtoC) et même entre particuliers (CtoC).
The different types of marketplace
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BtoC (Business to Consumer) marketplace
This is the most present type of marketplace, it concerns sellers and consumers and represents the most important number of transactions.
Example: Amazon, La Redoute, Spartoo…
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CtoC (Consumer to Consumer) marketplaces
These are platforms that allow individuals to sell or rent products and services to each other. This is the case, for example, of Airbnb or Blablacar, which will manage the relationship and the transaction between individuals. There are also platforms like Scout24.