Online Marketplaces Started in Australia
Is Australia the per capita leader in online marketplaces? There is a massive quantity of Australian B2B and B2C marketplaces across products and services. Retailers expanding from vertical categories ... Marketplace roll out is growing so fast it's hard to keep track of.
Australia may be the land down under, but we're also the land of the online marketplace. Many people know Kogan, Catch, OZSale, and MyDeal, but did you know that Australia also spawned a plethora of other employment, outsourcing, job & task, digital content, and artist marketplaces as well?
Literally, everything under the sun. Even Prezzee, a gift card marketplace was envisioned in Bondi. You might have also heard of Tradesquare, a marketplace where retailers can order stock from wholesalers.
One reason for some of these marketplaces started with BikeExchange. BikeExchange was founded in 2007 by Sam Salter and Jason Wyatt who were on a mission to create an online hub for cycling. At the time, this was much like an online Trading Post. This was pioneering since bike shops did not sell online as they are largely prohibited by their multinational brands. This was a way that you could browse and shop your local bike shop or sell your own.
BikeExchange - "World's leading bike marketplace" (2007)
BikeExchange later spawned Marketplacer which eventually divided into a separate company with the two founders largely in leading roles at each of the branches.
Marketplacer is a cloud-based platform that enables a retailer to implement a marketplace as a standalone site or more often than not, connected to a headless or traditional transactional website such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud which is how SurfStitch have integrated their marketplace. Key to a successful marketplace is the backend administration. Marketplacer provides this in all the tools and functionality needed to build, manage and maintain an online marketplace.
Another mention here would be the market leader of marketplace software, Mirakl that runs many of Australia's leading marketplaces such as Catch, Tradesquare and WestfieldDirect, another marketplace that I must add to my ever growing list.
Another interesting pandemic launched marketplace is Shane Delia's PROVIDOOR. Providoor is a marketplace designed to deliver food from the best restaurants to your door. All meals are chef-prepared, restaurant quality and finished by you. At Afterpay, I was fortunate to join in a cooking class with Shane and Providoor and this was fantastic. I did somehow manage to use the wrong spice before Shane mentioned not to and the meal was likened to eating a raw ghost pepper.
There are also a massive quantity of Australian eCommerce marketplaces. Some have expanded from pure play and vertical brands to be marketplaces such as the Mosaic Brands sites. Marketplace roll out is growing so fast - I know of at least a couple national retailers currently in project stages.
Australian Online Marketplaces Guide
There are a massive quantity of Australian B2B and B2C marketplaces. Many retailers have expanded from pure play and vertical brands to be marketplaces such as the Mosaic Brands sites. This concept is just starting to takeoff across retailers who see range extension a commercial necessity, but also a reflection of changing customer demand. Marketplace roll out is growing so fast it's hard to keep track of. I know of at least a couple national retailers currently in project stages.
This is a complete list of (most) Australian online marketplaces across both B2B and B2C categories. Many are cont ent and service related with fast emerging players being national omnichannel retailers.
Leading Online Marketplaces in Australia and New Zealand (2021)
About Mike Fowler
Mike is an eCommerce veteran, senior leader & growth strategist for some of Australia's best retailers. Formerly at Afterpay as Director of Merchant Services APAC, General Manager and founder of the growth team at Mosaic Brands (Noni B Group) developing and launching 9 iconic multi-category online marketplaces, including: Noni B, Rockmans, Millers, and Rivers, as well as Head of Digital at Blue Illusion. Member of the Australia Post Customer Advisory Group with more than 15 years experience in helping retailers leverage eCommerce, CX, payments, & logistics opportunities to maximise growth.
