In the webinar Thoughtful Thursday from Retailoutlook, Frank Quix (Q&A) and Ernst Jan Smids (JUMP! Retail) talked to Jesse Weltevreden (HvA lector Digital Commerce) about online marketplaces. The Centre for Market Insights (CMI) of the Hogeschool van Amsterdam does a lot of research into this growing phenomenon together with various partners and industry organizations. Online marketplaces come in all shapes and sizes. From very large players with a broad product range to smaller players who focus on niche markets. For example, there are classified sites, business comparison sites, meal ordering sites, online department stores or booking sites.

The topics covered include the studies conducted by CMI on marketplaces, tips on expected research results that will be published soon, the impact of corona on the marketplace landscape and many more insights. In addition, advice and tools are given to entrepreneurs to determine whether selling through a marketplace makes sense. For example, the entrepreneur must carefully consider what he wants from a marketplace, what a retailer adds to a marketplace (own products or third party products?) and what the risks are of such a marketplace.

In short, a webinar where many facets of the marketplace phenomenon are discussed. You can watch the webinar here!

“Marketplaces are HOT! More and more retailers are seeing the added value of online marketplaces. A growing phenomenon that is becoming increasingly dominant as an online channel. Enough reason for us to do extensive research on it and share knowledge and insights with the industry.”

Marketplace research different angles
The surveys conducted at CMI highlight different sides and target groups of marketplaces. For example, retailers’ experiences on marketplaces are examined. Which ones do they use? How much turnover do they generate? Are they satisfied with the services of marketplaces? But we also look at which sellers are actually active on Dutch marketplaces.

But the consumer perspective is also examined. For example, the CMI recently conducted a major consumer survey among 7,000 consumers about the use of marketplaces. The results of this research will be published in the spring of 2021.

In addition to consumer and seller surveys, a large-scale survey was also recently conducted on the online marketplaces landscape in Africa in collaboration with the International Trade Centre. It is expected that e-commerce in Africa can be a source of accelerated economic growth providing opportunities for small and large companies. This resulted in this interactive dashboard with a lot of data and this report where conclusions were drawn based on this data.