The Biggest Marketplaces for E-commerce by Country (or Region)

 

Many shops and brands decide to sell their products online because of the increasing popularity of doing shopping on the Internet. E-commerce is definitely the right direction for them but it’s also a huge challenge. It’s not a piece of cake to encourage customers to buy certain products while being new in the e-commerce industry.

 

 

Of course, a perfectly prepared website, a good product and a well-run advertising campaign are essential elements of an e-commerce store and can help build a brand. However, there is something else to make use of, namely marketplaces. Almost every online store can greatly benefit from presenting their products in the online marketplace and we especially recommend it to new and small brands.

 

What are online marketplaces?

Online marketplaces are platforms or websites where shops present their products or services and sell them through the marketplace. On a marketplace website, customers can search through different products, compare their features and prices and buy them using the marketplace’s transaction services. Those products are still owned by brands and producers. The marketplace only displays them and facilitates the purchase process.

The concept of a marketplace is convenient and beneficial for all sites: customers, providers and intermediaries themselves (marketplaces), so it became extremely popular over the last few years.

 

The advantages of marketplaces include:

For brands:

✓ Additional channel to display products

✓ Using a well-known shopping platform with huge traffic

✓ Lower marketing costs

✓ Increased scope of operations

✓ Possibility to benefit from marketplaces’ back office

For customers:

✓ Possibility to compare different brands and products

✓ Safe transaction process

✓ Transparency in terms of products and policies

 

The Biggest Marketplaces for E-Commerce

Here are the most popular marketplaces for e-commerce stores by country or region.

 

Global

Amazon

Amazon is one of the most significant marketplaces worldwide. With millions of users and products, it’s the leading space for online shopping. Amazon operates in 14 different countries and is a highly developed platform providing its users with high-quality services. From food and furniture to clothes and electronics – one can buy whatever they wish on Amazon.

Google Shopping

The industry constantly observes competition between Amazon and Google waiting for a move from one side or another. These two powerful companies try to win over shopping customers all the time. For a long time Google has been the leading search platform, but Amazon the leading shopping platform. However, recently Google decided to create a new space for shoppers. A new Google Shopping marketplace may soon become the strongest one in the e-commerce world.

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eBay

While Google and Amazon compete, let’s not forget about another global potentate which is eBay. It’s the most popular in the US, UK and Australia, but its worldwide presence is even broader than Amazon’s. Similarly to Amazon, it’s possible to sell and buy all kinds of products on eBay and the website has huge traffic which online stores can benefit from.

Facebook Dynamic Ads

With almost 2.5 billion users, Facebook cannot be ignored as a platform to display products. This is a huge audience which brands from all over the world can benefit from. Facebook gives this opportunity mostly thanks to Facebook Dynamic Ads. They allow users to create a template ad which automatically displays different products and images from the provided products data. Facebook Dynamic Ads are presented to potential customers who already showed their interest in a certain product.

 

North America

Walmart

Walmart is, without a doubt, one of the biggest marketplaces in the United States. In fact, until not so long ago it was only available in the US, however, now it’s slowly opening to new markets. Walmart is well-known for cooperation with established brands and high-quality service which is probably the main reason so many Americans placed their trust in this marketplace. It’s also characterized by wide range of products and competitive prices.

Sears

This is another marketplace extremely popular in the US. It’s a good alternative for Walmart or Amazon, with its wide variety of products and high-quality service. What’s more they offer analytics and reporting as well as rewards program for members.

 

Europe

Allegro

Established in Poland, it’s one of the biggest marketplaces in Central and Eastern Europe and a dominant one in Poland. Allegro has over 14 million active users and is a perfect space for online stores to display their products. The platform provides marketing and transaction support and enjoys a good reputation among customers.

FNAC

Extremely popular in France, less popular in Belgium with an average of 15 million unique visitors every month. FNAC allows to sell different types of products including electronics, clothes, sports equipment and home décor. This is the place to sell stuff in France.

OTTO

Amazon is the most popular platform in Germany, but there is also a local marketplace which is the second biggest in this country. OTTO is specialized in fashion and lifestyle products and focuses on German and French market, however, they are present in many different countries as well.

 

Asia

Alibaba

Alibaba is a huge conglomerate based in China with many subsidiaries and merchants. The e-commerce part of the company is created mostly by three huge marketplaces AliExpress, TMall and Lazada. The first two are the biggest in China and displaying products on any of them is a great way to start selling on this market. AliExpress specializes in the retail market while TMall is a place to sell international brands. Of course both operate outside of China as well.  Lazada is the leading platform for Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).

GittiGidiyor

If a brand wants to start selling products in another huge country, which is Turkey, GittiGidiyor is a marketplace to do it. With 60 million monthly visits and close to 19 million registered users, it’s the most important e-commerce medium in the country.

Rakuten

Rakuten is in the Top 5 biggest e-commerce platforms in the world and the most popular one in Japan (however, operating worldwide). 80% of Japanese buy products via Rakuten which makes this marketplace perfect to expand a business in this country. The policy of the platform is quite Japanese as well. They value high-quality and personalized products and services and provide merchants with their own shopping space which can be tailored to their needs.

Souq

Finally, here’s a space to be if one wants to sell products in the Middle East and North Africa. Souq is the top marketplace in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar. The variety of products is wide and diverse. Since 2017 it’s owned by Amazon and since 2019 it’s known as Amazon.ae

 

Latin America

Mercado Libre

Mercado Libre is a leading e-commerce platform in Central and South America, with the biggest number of users in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. It has an option to join a cross-border program and sell products in a few different countries with one account, which is extremely convenient.

 

 

As you can see, there are many marketplaces in the world which differ in size, range of operations or types of products. However, one thing is common for all of them – they give e-commerce stores a great opportunity to reach new customers, benefit from the well-developed platform and possibly expand their business to new markets.

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