In this post we introduce a marketplace network you might not have heard of, but which gives you easy access to a potential audience of some 230 million souls.
While the plus points of selling on multiple marketplaces include resilience against uncertainly and the freedom of options, it is also true that each marketplace is different, with its own rules, operating procedures and seller performance algorithms. One organisation trying to make it easier to expand the number of marketplaces you sell on while removing the traditional barriers to entry is the International Marketplace Network.
Not heard of it? Well, it currently features marketplaces from ‘landmass’ Europe, which might explain it if you only sell from the UK. The IMN went live in September 2019 and now has over 2,000 sellers selling in multiple countries where before they only sold domestically. Currently, 4 marketplaces make up the IMN, all of them growing between 12% and 38% year-on-year:
The advantages of any network are generally increased reach and the opportunity to increase sales at a lower cost. For UK-based sellers, however, there are also 3 hurdles to consider. First, the customs and tax demands of selling outside the UK. Second, the translation aspects of listing in the local language, and third, the effort involved adding a new marketplace. Let’s take each of these in turn.
Firstly, with Cdiscount as your anchor marketplace, you can take advanatge of Cdscount’s 3PL fulfilment solution and use it as your springboard to more than 20 countries. You ship your stock to their warehouse in France and they’ll get it to your international buyers. To get started selling on Cdiscount, click here, which will let them know that you came from us (your web browser should be able to translate the page for you).
Secondly, you don’t need to do any translations. IMN will transfer your listings from one marketplace to another with automatic translations if the product pages exist across both markets, and there are dedicated teams on hand with product creation and translations.
Thirdly, you get quick, easy accesses to all marketplaces in the network via a single registration process. What’s more, there’s no technical connection needed. You simply enter the API credentials of your marketplace accounts into the IMN and manage your updates (things like prices, shipping times, stock levels and orders) via a single back office system.
It’s important to note that there are no additional monthly subscription fees for joining the Network. You only pay the monthly fee for the ‘home’ marketplace within the Network where you’re registered. An English-speaking Account Manager will guide you through adding your new marketplaces.
The IMN describes itself as the One Click Solution, and easier to add new marketplaces than you might be used to. You register once to access the 4 marketplaces, you enter your API credentials, you define your seller rules and then you start selling. Once you’re successful and your first orders come in, IMN consolidates your orders across the different marketplaces, ready for you to download them as a .csv file and upload them into your ERP or your multichannel ecommerce system like Volo Origin.
These 4 founding marketplaces are all major players in their domestic markets. And, through the International Marketplace Network, they’re joining forces to increase your reach and reduce the barriers to expansion.
To discuss your requirements for selling on multiple marketplaces, including those that are part of the IMN, please get in touch here.
