It seems that it was a (bad) dream that time when it was not possible to hold face-to-face events and, if they did, they had multiple restrictions that omitted the human factor. Perhaps this is the reason why I take advantage of and enjoy each of them as much as possible.
On October 26 and 27, the Madrid Tech Show was held at IFEMA, Madrid, where a space was reserved exclusively for the Marketplaces ecosystem: the FBAShow. After the first FBAShow in Barcelona, which I was able to experience together with Década and which was undoubtedly a huge success, we could not miss the opportunity to be present at the event in the Madrid capital.
Without a doubt, we are lucky to be able to share a very healthy and enriching environment within the Marketplaces sector and that shows once again. They were very intense days, full of reunions, enriching conversations and very interesting conferences. It is always an honor to see how we are being part of the unstoppable growth of the Marketplaces and its professionalization.
It was a pleasure to be able to participate again as a speaker at the FBAShow twice. First of all, I was able to talk about diversification in marketplaces with Ramon Lopez-Lax and Chen Yue in a very interesting round table where debates arose such as the importance of diversifying the risk of your business in various marketplaces and how these platforms are growing at double digits. what ecommerce does.
I think it could be said that the word “diversify” was one of the most repeated throughout the event. It is not surprising considering that the days when Amazon seemed the only Marketplace are long gone, now the range is much wider.
On the other hand, in my presentation on how to move from a B2B channel to a B2C channel with Amazon without dying in the attempt, I talked about the importance of finding the formula for coexistence and convenience of both channels and business models so as not to blow up the existing one. You have to know how to get the most out of these platforms that represent a new world full of opportunities. For all those people who could not attend the FBAShow, I would like to share the presentation of that day here.
Beyond the FBAShow, during these last weeks and following the same line as in recent months, there has been a whole avalanche of novelties and news about the marketplace sector.
Keep reading to discover them!
The headlines that the unBoxed conference left us
UnBoxed is Amazon’s annual conference in which all the news related to the platform’s advertising solutions are presented, aimed at the different companies that sell (or not) within the marketplace. Some of the headlines that the unBoxed conference left us and that will surely be very useful features and tools for sellers were the following:
- Manage advertising in all countries from a single sponsored ads account? It seems like a dream but it is closer than we think. In unBoxed it was announced that this will soon be possible. In this way, it will be easier and more intuitive to navigate between the different countries and not depend on the currently selected account.
- Expanded product targeting in Sponsored Products. Advertisers can now access extended SP targeting through the Amazon Ads API and advertising console. Thus, advertisers will be able to automatically target similar or complementary products to their individual target product. For example, if you advertise a printer, you’ll also be able to appear alongside complementary products like ink cartridges.
- Video ads that lead to your Store. Soon it will be possible to connect shoppers with Amazon Stores through video ads. When you go to select the video format when creating a Sponsored Brands ad, you will have the option to choose your Store on Amazon as the landing page for your ad. In addition, during the creation of the creative material, you will be able to add brand modules such as logo and headline, next to your video ad and the selected product.
Speaking of video advertising, Sponsored Display has launched creative video features for advertisers to better showcase their brand and product. Creative can be personalized with a title, logo, image or video through Sponsored Display’s self-service display solution. It supports videos of up to 45 seconds that can be used to show tutorials, demos, unboxing, testimonials…
- Sponsored Products campaigns created in just a few clicks? Yes, but for now only in the United States. It is now possible to launch SP campaigns with presets automatically through the Ads console. This means that they will already come with the budget configuration, bid strategy, segmentation… In addition, advertisers receive a list of eligible products that are a good choice for advertising based on their sales potential. The “automatic” configuration is possible thanks to the fact that Amazon stores data from campaigns of similar products that have performed well and adapts to the new product that is going to be announced. It can also be a good tool for beginner sellers to learn how to set up their own campaigns. What is available in all markets are the SP rebirth recommendations.
- Last but not least, we have one of the jewels in the crown, the improvements made to AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud), whose active customers quadrupled last year, which focus on four areas: signal coverage, ease of of use, practical information and partner programs. I recently published a post about this, I strongly encourage you to visit it because you will find very interesting information.
These are just some of the features announced at the unBoxed conference, I recommend you visit this article to get much more information about the event. You’ll tell me what you think! Without a doubt, Amazon is focusing on this business area and is increasingly refining its technology. I am sure that many of its possibilities are infinite and unimaginable for us today.
What is Alibaba.com Select?
Amazon is not the only one launching new tools and functionalities, the Asian giant has presented Alibaba.com Select, the new tool with which it intends to facilitate B2B purchases for those sellers who import products from China or are interested in doing so. As reported by Alibaba, this launch is a reflection of the marketplace’s support for the B2B form of commerce.
The phases that Alibaba.com Select follows are the following: budget request, quote analysis, product and documentation analysis, contract signing and agreement. This system will work with some of the most prominent categories such as home, textiles, bedding, fashion, small appliances, DIY, garden furniture, technology, solar related products and E-mobility devices.
Black Friday just around the corner
Black Friday has always been the starting signal for Christmas shopping, but it is a reality that these are getting further ahead in time. On October 11 and 12, Amazon carried out a second Prime Day precisely with this objective, to advance Christmas shopping and thus avoid (even if only a little) saturation in its stores during the following months.
We don’t know if Amazon has met its goal, but surely Black Friday will mean an increase in traffic and a great avalanche of purchases both on Amazon and in the rest of the Marketplaces. Write it down on the calendar, Friday, November 28 (although from the 18th you will already be able to find the first offers).
UK's DIY giant: ManoMano
ManoMano, the French marketplace focused on the sale of DIY and gardening products, is positioned as one of the leaders in this category in the UK. This country has become one of the most successful and fastest growing for the marketplace, as stated by the director of ManoaMano’s Business Development area in the United Kingdom.
One of the key actions for ManoMano is supporting sellers through international expansion with ManoFufillment, as well as advertising and marketing services that aim to increase the visibility of products on the platform.
Looking ahead to 2023, the marketplace hopes to strengthen its B2B offer hand in hand, never better said, with ManoManoPro, guaranteeing better deliveries and options for customers.
Venca also focuses on furniture and decoration in its new section
Venca has a clear objective: to expand its business. With this as a focus, it has announced that it will launch a section dedicated to furniture, decoration and rest in its marketplace, thus adding 86 new brands and more than 3,200 references to its portfolio.
Walmart Creator, interesting but still in beta
The final version is expected to be ready by 2023, but Walmart Creator is still in beta for now. This platform is focused on encouraging content creators to share links to products for sale at Walmart on any social network or user group. This social commerce strategy aims to bring your products closer to customers through content creators.
We are experiencing an unprecedented boom in the online sales sector. Marketplaces do not stop developing, offering new tools, creating new platforms… all with the aim of facilitating the union between the consumer and the seller. Undoubtedly, the different companies have a great opportunity within these platforms and we will be there to help them. What will be next?
