Over the past two decencies it has become so much easier to reach customers directly, especially with the width and depth of products available on Amazon and other e-commerce platforms. The development of specific online marketplaces where vendors can push their products directly has become a major sales channel for almost every brand and type of product, whether B2C or B2B.

Online marketplaces are volatile with their recurrent or spontaneous promotions, special deals and bundles, not forgetting some hidden marketing or shipping costs. They follow their own intrinsic logic keeping a close eye on competing marketplaces. On the other hand you can quickly get price elasticity market feedback and move profitable volumes with well-orchestrated promotions.

Maybe you don’t sell directly to end-users but still uses some online marketplaces as a way of staying visible in the market. Not an optimal way of spending your marketing budget if you ask me.

– yet you want to communicate with and influence those who use your products / services.

Once you start selling on those online marketplaces, you need to adapt your company structure / partnerships to handle drop shipments, 24/7 technical support, return policies…. And selling online will definitely have an impact on all of your sales-channels. Customers can compare and they will.

Compare against competitors, against your other channels, partners against partners….

So, you should carefully evaluate the impact of selling via online marketplaces on your overall sales growth taking in to account your combined sales channels and subsequently your overall organizational costs.

I’ve been developing business internationally for almost 30 years, mainly within Europe being based in France without being French. I like cheese, beer and what IT can do for you.