Online B2B Marketplace: How To Build A Scalable One In 2023?

By Haribabu | Posted on November 4, 2020

Scalable Online B2B Marketplace platform

How does one create a successful online B2B marketplace platform? Here are the precise steps you would like to create your B2B marketplace for businesses.

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How does one create an Online B2B marketplace platform?

B2B marketplace platform is often a profitable marketplace business model. Because all the transactions that are carried through the marketplace tend to be long-run and lucrative transactions, and today, you’ll learn even the tiny details about building an online B2B marketplace so that you’ll reap the rewards.

Scalable Online B2B Marketplace platform | Webnexs

Ready to learn more? Let’s dive right in.

What is online B2B marketplace?

First things first: what’s a online B2B marketplace platform? That’s what we’ll check out here below.

How does online B2B marketplace software work?

Unlike the B2C Marketplace, a online B2B marketplace connects businesses. The freelancing platform Upwork and the eCommerce vendor marketplace Alibaba are samples of B2B marketplaces.

However, now many marketplaces available in the online market are hybrids of B2B and B2C. Sellers on Etsy/Amazon or other marketplaces can target retailers to sell their products in bulk. Some even host on the holiday rental marketplace Airbnb, mainly targets consumers. At an equivalent time, they will offer accommodation for business travelers. 

The great thing about B2B platforms is this: you would like fewer users because B2B transactions tend to be long-term arrangements. 

On the opposite hand, if your marketplace is in a longtime industry, it is often hard to lure B2B users to use a replacement, competing platform. After all, businesses tend to stay in their existing systems. But as long as you’ve got an excellent offer, you’ll grow your marketplace with the proper marketing strategy.

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Wholesale Online B2B marketplace examples

What are some online B2B marketplace examples? Good question. Here are the most straightforward samples of B2B marketplaces. 

1. Alibaba: Connecting eCommerce vendors and makers

Alibaba may be a China-based B2B marketplace and one of the world’s biggest companies. It connects manufacturers with eCommerce vendors to sell down their products. 

2. Upwork: Connecting businesses and freelancers

Upwork is another leading B2B marketplace. This platform connects businesses with differing types of freelancers. 

3. Amazon Business: Connecting sellers and businesses

Amazon Business may be a marketplace for businesses. It’s an easier way for companies to shop from Amazon vendors. 

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What should your online B2B marketplace website look like? 

There are a couple of things that enter creating a thriving online B2B marketplace. Here are the foremost vital elements you would like to stay in mind. 

Your niche

Your B2B marketplace business needs a distinct segment. Why? Because that’s the only way your marketplace platform can stand out.

Think about it: If you’re trying to seek the audience’s attention with a general eCommerce B2B marketplace. What would be the outcome? It probably won’t get much attention. Why because there are well-known marketplaces like Alibaba out there that work similarly. Those are marketplaces people address for their more general needs.

But if your marketplace features a niche product of yours, then surely your marketplace will hit the online market soon because of the “go-to” source for that niche. For instance, you would possibly be the marketplace for businesses that require seeking out quality jewellery or a marketplace for the most straightforward business travel services.

To figure out your niche, check out the industry you would like to work in. What’s already out there? How are you able to offer a far better marketplace? Does one offer better quality or make B2B transactions more convenient or cheaper? 

Product/market fit

Any business, including yours, will work only if there’s a product/market fit. 

What does this mean? Simple: That there must be a market that’s hungry for your B2B platform. 

Usually, you’ll get to iterate to seek out that fit. You recognize people want your platform once they start signing up and paying for it. On the opposite hand, if they don’t see the worth of your platform, you would like to tweak it to seek out a far better product/market fit.

Business model

Your next step is to work out what business model you would like to use. After all, your business model is one of the foremost essential elements of your business.

With the proper business model, you’ll scale and build a profitable business. With the incorrect model, you’ll be stuck in growing a company that’s doomed from the beginning. 

The best way to price your business? It’s probably a commission model, where you get a slice of each transaction that’s made on your platform. 

Alternatively, if you’ve got fewer but bigger transactions, you would consider pricing per every lead you help your users get. 

Users

Finally, believe who your users are. Are they small businesses? Mid-sized businesses or enterprise businesses? Or are you offering services to different types of companies?

Be clear on that first:

  • What motivates your users to use your platform is that an enterprise business has different needs and budgets than a little, one-man business.
  • How to attract them to your platform – You would possibly be ready to get smaller businesses by advertising on social media. Bigger companies have bigger competitions, so they usually require more in-person marketing efforts. 
  • What price index your marketplace should have – After all, it’d be easier to draw in smaller businesses to your platform. But they won’t be ready to spend like enterprise businesses. 

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How to find the proper B2B marketplace software?

Once you’ve got your B2B marketplace platform fundamentals, it’s time to create your platform.

The easiest way? You’ll develop your platform from scratch. However, the fastest and most cost-effective way is to use B2B marketplace software. 

These are SaaS tools with drag-and-drop features that you can use to line up your online B2B platform in but each day. If you would like more advanced features, you’ll usually customize your platform.

Your B2B marketplace builder must include the subsequent.

The features

These should include a minimum of essential items like listings, user profiles, payment methods, and how users can speak with one another.

Security 

Anything will start with trust and security factors. They are essential for a marketplace business, so your B2B marketplace software must have proper security measures. For instance, it must offer secure transactions and communication methods.

Customizability

If you want to be treated better than your peer, you must offer something unique in customizing your platform. 

At Webnexs, we provide a B2B marketplace builder. Our interface is straightforward to use, but you get access to tons of powerful features.

How to grow your B2B with marketplace builder?

Once you’ve got created your B2B marketplace, it’s time to grow and scale it.

When you first start growing your B2B marketplace, you should first specialize in getting users organically. It is often especially the case if you’re working with more prominent companies. 

In the beginning, you’ll get to overcome the classic “chicken or egg” problem. What does this mean? A marketplace needs both sellers and buyers, but it’s not always clear which user group you ought to prioritize. 

A good approach is first to get a variety of sellers to your marketplace. They need an incentive to hitch, and once you show that your marketplace has something to supply, you’ll grow it with buyers.

To get your first users (both sellers and buyers), you would possibly try:

  • Tapping into your network.
  • Cold emailing and cold calling.
  • Attending the conferences, sector events, and any trade show of your niche
  • Partnering with companies that aren’t direct competitors.

But what does one do once you’ve got a variety of sellers and buyers on your B2B eCommerce platform? You can start scaling it.

Now, you employ more scalable marketing methods to draw in users. You continue that specialize in the strategies you’ve used previously to draw in users, but now, you begin adding strategies that attract even more people to your site. 

These include strategies like:

  • Search engine optimization – Get your users to seek out your marketplace on search engines. 
  • Content marketing – Together with your blog content, you build an audience of loyal fans who see your brand as the leading expert in your niche.
  • Guest posting – Guest posting helps you grow your audience base and build more self-brand awareness by getting your company featured in publications.
  • Social media marketing – Counting on the companies you target, social media marketing could be how for you to draw in new users. You’ll use platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook to urge users to your marketplace.

Want to start out building your online B2B marketplace today?

There you’ve got it. Now you recognize the way to create a B2B marketplace platform. It comes right down to finding the proper niche, market fit, business model, and user base. 

Once you’ve got your basics nailed down, it’s time to start out building your B2B marketplace. For that, you would like the proper marketplace software.

At Webnexs, we provide different options, counting on your marketplace needs. 

You’ll use our drag-and-drop tool to make your marketplace platform or customize it. 

So, by the way, your B2B online marketplace platform will have all the powerful features to need to grow fast as much as you can.

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Comments

One response

  1. Martin lee
    Martin lee

    Very informative post! This post gives truly quality information. I find that this post is really amazing. Thank you for this brief explanation and very nice information.

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