Marketplaces Outpace Dedicated Online Retailers in Popularity Stakes

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 - 10:14 by Graham Miller

Brits are more likely to order products via safe shopping online from marketplaces that play host to a variety of sellers rather than choosing to shop with specific retail brands.

This is according to the results of a report from Adobe which indicated that 57 per cent of consumers make use of marketplace sites, while just 13 per cent are solely dedicated to buying with particular e-commerce outlets.

The main reason for this is that marketplace services tend to offer the ultimate in terms of variety, easily outdoing what standalone retailers would be able to achieve in terms of stock and selection.

Analysts looked at spending habits over the past quarter and revealed that while a typical consumer from the UK completed 11 transactions on marketplace services, this dropped down to just three interactions where retail sites were concerned.

Report spokesperson Peter Bell told Internet Retailing that the dramatic uptick in online shopping brought about by COVID-19 has created challenges for traditional retailers to overcome while also boosting interest in marketplaces as consumers struggled to find the items they needed from standard outlets.

The fact that Amazon operates one of the largest online marketplaces no doubt helped to skew these figures significantly, and many people who use Amazon to order online may not even realise that they are buying from a third-party seller because it all occurs within the same ecosystem.

Bell went on to say that from a consumer perspective, the appeal of online shopping of all kinds has grown significantly in recent weeks, leading to the spike in spending and giving marketplaces a chance to shine. There are still opportunities for retailers to build momentum, but it seems that targeting customers on marketplaces may sometimes make more sense than focusing solely on a standalone e-commerce site.