Insights from marketplace experts

As a multi-vendor marketplace operator, your job isn't to design, manufacture, or, in many cases, even hold inventory. You probably don’t store any goods. You likely don't own warehouses. And you don't manage your sellers’ workforce. ‍Beyond building a beautiful marketplace website, what does a marketplace operator really do? If we had to boil it down to one word, it would be: communicate.

Bhavin Shah, Nautical COO/CTO, shares what you should know before joining a startup.

Nautical Commerce was named the Judge’s Choice winner of the Shoptalk 2022 pitch competition! The Shoptalk “Shark Reef” pitch brought 15 retail-technology innovators up on stage to give a three minute presentation followed by Q&A. Our pitch was delivered by Nautical Founder & CEO, Ryan Lee.

More and more companies are realizing the opportunity for increased revenue and customer reach by leveraging the multi-vendor marketplace model. In fact, 9 out of the top 10 US retailers have a marketplace. Coincidence? We think not.

What company do you think of when you hear the word marketplace? Let me guess - was it Amazon? A lot of people default to an Amazon experience when they think of a marketplace, but there are so many different kinds of marketplaces. You have marketplaces for booking, digital goods, professional services, physical goods, resale or recommerce, B2B, the list goes on and on and on.

The largest, fastest-growing companies in the world leverage the marketplace model. In fact, nine out of ten of the top U.S. retailers are marketplaces. And more are hopping on board.So, why are companies that leverage the marketplace model doing so well? How are they growing so fast? And most importantly, how can you get in on the goods?

Your marketplace doesn’t have to fall prey to coding glitches, tech bankruptcy, or painful user experiences. With a multi-vendor marketplace platform that empowers sellers, simplifies buying, and frees you from administrative burdens, you have the power to create an online marketplace experience that both buyers and sellers love.

At Nautical, we wanted to make marketplace technology accessible to large and small businesses alike. We don’t believe marketplaces need to be technology companies in order to compete. Your marketplace technology should enable your business model, not be a hurdle.

A lot of people look at marketplaces as simply another form of ecommerce, but there are so many nuances to marketplace building and management that single-vendor ecommerce platforms were not built to handle.