Study Swiss marketplace landscape 2021
For more than 20 years, online retail has been gaining market share while the retail sector overall has stagnated. In recent years, online retail revenues have shifted significantly towards marketplaces. As such, products and retailers that are not present on marketplaces lose out when it comes to both revenue and visibility.
Retailers and manufacturers have no option but to engage with the idea of marketplaces. Marketplaces offer many advantages, but they also present challenges for companies. This study aims to provide an overview of the Swiss marketplace landscape.
Overview of the marketplace landscape
Together with the University of Fribourg and GS1, the Digital Commerce Team at Swiss Post analysed the marketplace landscape in Switzerland and compiled the results in a clear study. This involved consulting multiple businesses and creating a market overview of relevant marketplaces in Switzerland.
Study highlights
- 6 of the 10 online shops in Switzerland with the highest revenue operate either wholly or partially as a marketplace. More and more online retailers are also evolving into marketplaces.
- It’s important for retailers to think carefully about selling on marketplaces. Many of the advantages are countered by disadvantages or challenges.
- As well as B2C and B2B marketplaces, there are also C2C marketplaces. Platforms can be divided into vertical marketplaces (specialized product ranges) and horizontal marketplaces (broad product ranges) depending on their level of specialization.
- The primary sources of income for marketplaces are the commission on sold items and initial or listing fees. Additional income is generated by selling marketing activities and logistics services.
- Extensive preparation is essential for a successful entry into a marketplace. Generating a business plan is therefore an urgent priority.
- Structured and up-to-date data is the cornerstone for trading on marketplaces. Retailers need to ensure that they meet the requirements of the marketplace and that they provide their product data in the most standardized format possible.
- For both traders and marketplace operators, logistics is now the key factor for success in online retail.
The results of the study are available on digital-commerce.post.ch/en or can be downloaded as a white paper.
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