New study “The Marketplace World 2022” is online

👉 Status update of Online Marketplaces 2022
👉 Drivers and trends of the marketplace boom
👉Marketplace Landscapes 2022 and study results
👉 Marketplace Ecosystem: Services & Solution Providers
👉 Expert contributions on success factors
👉 Deep dive on internationalisation, logistics and cross-border

Within just two years, the number of active marketplace players in the German-speaking region in the B2C sector has risen by 40% to 214. Compared to 2015, the number has roughly tripled.

A closer look at the figures shows: In the consumer world alone, which includes all formats excluding B2B, around 100 additional online marketplaces have  been launched by new and established (retail) providers in the past two years.

In the same period, around 30 marketplaces disappeared from the market again, including big names such as Rewe or Rakuten, but also various niche players and start-ups.

The reasons for this are varied: In numerous cases, companies were taken over, merged or renamed (Kleiderkreisel / Vinted, Uvinum / drinks & Co., etc.). In others, the marketplace model was discarded again (Rewe) or the decision was made to withdraw from the DACH region (Rakuten).

Dividing the online marketplaces by category, the study authors counted more than 200 online marketplaces that can be assigned to the B2C sector. In terms of product range, around one-fifth of the B2C marketplaces follow the Amazon strategy and position themselves as full-range providers, and just under another fifth (17%) are multicategory providers.

The vast majority, however, seek their salvation in specializing in one category or product group. “There are now numerous more or less strong competitors for almost every industry and every niche,” sums up study co-author Christian Driehaus of gominga. “But hundreds of B2C marketplaces in Germany and Europe don’t make it easy for newcomers to grab market share, and marketplace sellers are also facing ever greater challenges in managing the various channels.”

The development of B2B marketplaces is deliberately only touched on in passing in this study, but is seen by the study authors as “the next big thing“. “Within Europe, there are already over 300 online marketplaces in the B2B segment,” states study co-author Ralph Hübner of ecom consulting. “By 2025, the number will explode to well over 1,000 B2B marketplaces – that’s not just the experts’ forecast, major investors are also betting on it.”

The enormous number of marketplaces, the constant new start-ups, and the permanent differentiation of marketplace offerings are also an ideal breeding ground for start-ups and agile companies. In the past few years, this marketplace supply industry has created tens of thousands of jobs, made billions in sales and attracted billions in investments. That is why the new “Marketplace World” dedicates a separate chapter to this “Marketplace Ecosystem” and also graphically depicts this Business Enabler Universe.

Another new feature is a comprehensive practical section in which well-known experts and brand manufacturers such as Kärcher and Samsung describe their growth strategies and learnings in the marketplace business in a very transparent manner. “After our first study, we were often asked how to solve the challenges outlined,” says co-author Ralph Hübner. “That’s why we’ve added a lot of practical tips and advice to the Marketplace World this time.” The editors also venture a look into the (near) future. According to the forecasts, live shopping and other entertainment factors will increase significantly, payment providers will develop into shopping portals and the B2B marketplace world will explode. It is also already apparent today that the topic of secondhand is becoming standard in the vast majority of marketplaces. However, the marketplace experts also expect a noticeable consolidation of the market in the next two years.

The new edition of “The Marketplace World 2022 – Online marketplaces and their success factors”, powered by top partners Arvato Supply Chain Solutions and Lengow, is now available for download free of charge.

Find out how to tap into Europe’s strongest e-commerce market in terms of turnover with practical cases!