What is an online marketplace for B2C
An online marketplace for B2C businesses lets customers buy retail products or services from various vendors on a single platform. In a B2C business set up, transactions are done directly between the brand and multiple end customers. In a marketplace set up, while buyers buy from different vendors, they still perceive the purchase to be done from the marketplace brand. The payment is made to the parent brand and is later paid out to vendors after deducting the commission of the marketplace platform brand. There are numerous real-life examples of business-to-consumer marketplace websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, Myntra, etc.
As more and more buyers are gravitating toward online buying, brands of every scale and size are setting up their B2C websites. An online marketplace helps brands unlock new growth opportunities, cater to new audience segments, and carve a niche for their brand in the ecommerce landscape. However, to build a successful marketplace, brands need the best B2C marketplace software.
How to build the best online marketplace for B2C
To build the best online marketplace for B2C, brands can take up one of the two ways:
- Build the marketplace from scratch with a team of highly trained professionals which requires a great deal of time, effort, and money
- Use a SaaS-based turnkey ecommerce platform that helps build the marketplace in just a few easy steps
Building a marketplace from scratch takes a longer time as compared to using a ready-made ecommerce platform to build a marketplace for B2C businesses. Brands can choose a SaaS-based ecommerce platform as it comes with a multitude of benefits
Here are a few reasons that make using a turnkey marketplace solution the right choice for B2C enterprise brands:
- Cost-effective solution that offers freedom from huge maintenance and upgradation costs
- Scalable infrastructure for rapid business growth without having to spend millions of dollars
- Build out-of-the-box ecommerce solutions with seamless integrations of third-party software
- Inherent flexibility to help brands customize their solution as per the market trends and demands
- Provides a technological edge as the software is up-to-date with various market trends
- Robust ecommerce platforms ensure faster and more efficient business operations with their automated processes
B2C websites that offer a smooth and seamless shopping experience are loved by customers. With a turnkey ecommerce solution provider like StoreHippo, brands can launch and grow their business using its fully hosted and managed platform.
How can enterprise brands grow their online marketplace for B2C
B2C brands can grow their online marketplace for B2C in multiple ways. Here are some ways to take the marketplace to the next level:
- Build an omnichannel presence to connect with audiences on different touchpoints
- Focus on mobile commerce that helps reach a wider audience and expand the reach to a wider customer base
- Create conversion-oriented website designs that engage with the audience
- Offer a personalized buyer journey and discounts that caters to diverse customer groups
- Make buying seamless and streamline buyer journeys across all channels
- Integrate the B2C website with best-in-breed third-party apps and software to get better insights
- Create a faster and seamless checkout solution by integrating with multiple payment gateways
- Offer a detailed product description to help buyers understand the product well before buying
- Be agile enough to adapt to the changing market conditions, dynamics, and trends
B2C brands can reach a wider audience as they power their brand with robust ecommerce solutions like StoreHippo to build the best B2C marketplaces. StoreHippo helps build the most engaging marketplace that can also execute growth strategies with its 300+ built-in features.
What are the must-have features of an online marketplace for B2C
With the right set of features and tools, brands can get their online marketplace for B2C business up and running in record time. They can sell more efficiently, handle orders smoothly, and offer a customized buyer journey to their customers.
Here are a few must-have features of an online marketplace for B2C:
- Advanced cutting-edge ecommerce solutions to create future-proof marketplaces
- Scalable and flexible solutions to build tailored B2C websites
- Multiple themes to create beautiful designs that attract and convert buyers
- Efficient product management to help handle bulk orders smoothly
- Real-time notifications feature to keep the customers engaged and hooked to the brand
- Security features to help build secure websites and frictionless transactions
- Built-in marketing solutions to take the B2C marketplace to a wider audience
- Support for different business models like B2B, D2C, B2B2C, hybrid, etc
- Multiple logistics solutions for streamlined delivery of orders
StoreHippo helps build the best marketplace for B2C businesses with its enterprise-grade features and advanced set of tools. Brands can seamlessly go to the market using StoreHippo built-in 300+ features to cater to all the needs of the business.
Why is StoreHippo the best platform to build online marketplace for B2C businesses
StoreHippo is a 360–degree ecommerce platform that helps build a B2C marketplace with its cutting-edge solutions. StoreHippo is built on a decoupled headless architecture that helps brands take the omnichannel route and build multiple customer touchpoints using the same backend logic and APIs. StoreHippo also helps brands manage multiple sales channels seamlessly and create a consistent buyer journey on all the channels.
Built on a mobile-first approach, StoreHippo comes with a built-in mobile app builder that helps B2C websites build Android and iOS mobile apps right from their admin dashboards at no additional costs and without any coding required. Marketplaces powered by StoreHippo are PWA websites that look, feel, and work like mobile apps even on entry level devices. It helps you reach tier II and tier III cities with poor internet connectivity. StoreHippo also offers built-in mobile apps for multiple users like delivery boys, admin, vendors, etc to handle business on the go.
The inherent flexibility and scalability of StoreHippo help brands offer a personalized buyer journey on their online marketplace for B2C businesses. Brands can seamlessly offer personalized content, offers, pricing, payment options, shipping solutions, etc. on their marketplaces. The built-in marketing features also help brands market their business to a wider audience. They can offer multi-level discounts to their customers with StoreHippo’s powerful built-in discount engine. The SEO tools help brands rank their business higher on SERPs and boost their organic traffic.
The 60+ pre-integrated payment methods help B2C websites create a seamless payment process for their customers. Brands can also integrate with multiple payment gateways to offer the freedom to choose from various payment options like COD, net banking, debit/credit cards, digital wallets etc. StoreHippo also comes with 30+ logistics partners for brands to choose from. Brands can also manage their fleet of delivery boys with their built-in delivery boy management solutions.
Are you all set to build an online marketplace for B2C with StoreHippo? Explore the wide range of features by starting your 14-day free trial now.
