Marketplace Readiness Audit
Decision support for brands considering selling on marketplaces
Marketplaces can be a profitable channel for some brands and an expensive one for others, depending on the products, the competition and how well your own operations are set up for it. The Marketplace Readiness Audit is a focused first assessment of your product potential, your digital visibility and your readiness to sell on marketplaces. You get clear recommendations and a basis for deciding your next step, whether that is a deeper analysis or a concrete launch.
What an audit covers
Three areas, from product potential to how ready your operations are to sell on marketplaces.
Product and category potential
We analyse demand, competition and price levels for your three to five most important products or categories, based on keyword data and trends from the last three to six months. You get a matrix of the two to three categories with the best growth conditions on marketplaces, a potential score and a short comment for each, and an estimate of potential annual sales.
Digital visibility and traffic
We map where your brand is visible today, on marketplaces such as Amazon, Zalando and CDON as well as in organic search, and where your competitors appear but you do not. You get three to five concrete observations about traffic and visibility, screenshots from the marketplaces and Google, and a short gap analysis.
Marketplace Readiness Score
We assess your current readiness in five areas: logistics, technology, product content and data, brand, and organisation. Each area is scored from 1 to 5 and presented in a visual scorecard, together with an estimate of sales and costs and two to three concrete recommendations, such as adapting your product data for Amazon or building reviews before launch.
How it works
The audit starts with a 30-minute interview about your key products, the markets and channels you sell through today, your logistics setup, your product data and your brand positioning. We then carry out the analysis and present the results in a delivery meeting, followed by a follow-up session to discuss the next step.
When an audit is most useful
- A marketplace presence has been discussed internally without the question reaching a decision.
- Management wants a marketplace strategy, but there is no basis to build it on.
- There is a preliminary list of possible marketplaces, but no clear logic behind the selection.
- A first launch is on the agenda and you want to know where you stand before committing.
What you get
A prioritised view of the categories with the best potential, based on actual search behaviour, competition and price levels. A picture of your digital visibility and where the gaps are. A scorecard that shows how ready your operations are, with concrete recommendations and an estimate of sales and costs. Together, they give management, e-commerce, purchasing and marketing a shared basis for deciding the next step.
Example of a Marketplace Readiness Score. Each area is scored from 1 to 5.
Brands we have taken to marketplaces
Ellos and MQ Marqet grew on Zalando with our marketplace team, and Sandqvist started with a Marketplace Assessment.
Ellos
- Role
- Marketplace Merchandiser, Marketing Planner.
- Focus
- Marketplace Zalando.
MQ Marqet
- Role
- E-commerce Manager, Web Editor, Digital Marketing Manager, CRM Manager, Email Marketing Manager, Digital Visual Merchandiser, Product Owner, Digital AD, Analytical Manager, Marketplace Manager.
- Focus
- E-commerce, UX, digital analytics, digital marketing, CRM, merchandising, reporting.
Sandqvist
- Role
- Business Development, E-commerce Manager, Marketplace Lead.
- Focus
- Digital Assessment, E-commerce growth, Procurement and implementation of CRM and MA, Procurement of performance marketing agency, KPI framework, Marketplace Assessment.
Book a Marketplace Readiness Audit
Get a basis for deciding whether marketplaces are the right path for your business, before you commit resources to a launch. Leave your details and we will get back to you with a proposed approach and timeline.