Successful retailers in the world of both B2C and B2B eCommerce need to be available to their customers through as many avenues as possible. Obviously, that means operating an online store as well as a brick-and-mortar location, but a multichannel business model extends to even the most obscure of sales avenues as well (such as mail-order catalogs or television shopping networks).

Marketplaces fall under the online arm of sales. Marketplaces such as Amazon enable merchants to piggyback on the popularity of other retail sites to reach new audiences and drive more sales. If retailers are just starting out or if their business model consists of selling niche products, they may not have a large, built-in audience. By using marketplaces, however, they can start building that customer base and selling items to a wider audience.

Marketplaces for every niche

There are numerous marketplaces that retailers can use if they so desire and that number is going up all the time. For example, the popular consumer electronics site Newegg has offered a place for consumer electronics sellers to offer their wares for a while now.

More recently, the company revealed Newegg Business, a marketplace for B2B eCommerce sellers. Merchants can list any number of B2B products on the marketplace, including household appliances, auto parts, computer hardware and software, medical equipment and office supplies. Selling on the Newegg Business marketplace offers B2B eCommerce merchants other distinct advantages as well, such as reimbursement of up to $1,000 in the case of damaged or undelivered goods.

“The launch of Marketplace expands our assortment of complementary business products for our customers,” said Merle McIntosh, Newegg Head of B2B North America. “With one of the lowest commission rates of any major online marketplace, Newegg Business Marketplace is an attractive proposition for sellers seeking access to over 150,000 registered business customers at Newegg Business.”

Capitalizing on marketplaces

Whether merchants are involved with the B2C or B2B eCommerce categories, including marketplaces in the retail business model offers a number of new opportunities. At the same time, it’s crucial that retailers can manage all of their different sales channels and eCommerce operations.

Product information management tools can help them quickly list products across a variety of channels, including numerous marketplaces. For retailers, this can help them save a lot of time and energy, particularly if their business model includes a broad spectrum of products.

With more options such as Newegg’s B2B eCommerce marketplace becoming available to merchants, they should consider all of these different options to maximize their reach.

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