When it comes to buying goods and services, shopping online has become the norm. Today buyers expect choice, speed, and ease of use. To meet this ever-increasing demand, online marketplaces like Amazon and Airbnb have become part of our everyday life.
Between 2016 and 2019, the top 20 marketplaces grew by over 50%. Not only that, but 96% of shoppers surveyed stated that they had made at least one purchase from an online marketplace.
Smaller providers have struggled to sell their services online and get up with changing customer expectations. Creating a website is an expensive project and does not guarantee new customers.
To bridge this gap, new marketplaces are emerging to help service providers establish an online presence and meet new customers. The SwiftQuote marketplace helps service providers reach business owners in their area.
What Is a Services Marketplace
Online marketplaces are websites or applications that provide customers with an online directory to find and service providers.
More and more buyers are using online marketplaces because they provide a safe environment for customers. The marketplace connects buyers and sellers and facilitates the buying process.
It doesn’t usually cost anything to get set up on a marketplace, but most will charge a commission on each service booked through the platform.
Benefits of Selling Through a Marketplace
Develop an Online Presence
When you run a small business, it can be challenging to stand out from larger competitors with more resources. Word of mouth is the best way to reach new customers, and shoppers are looking online to read reviews from their peers.
Online marketplaces provide you with a way to quickly brand your business and gather reviews that encourage new customers to make a booking.
Do More With Less
One of the main reasons for selling through a marketplace is its cost-effectiveness. It’s free to get set up on most marketplaces, which means you can get online and start booking new jobs immediately.
The marketplace you partner with provides all of the online infrastructures you need to start meeting new customers. And all of the traffic they generate ensure that you only need to focus on providing the best service and generating good reviews.
The marketplace will typically charge a small commission fee on each job booked through the platform. The system means that you only pay to use the platform when you are making money through it.
Meet New Customers
Marketplaces spend a lot of time and resources driving traffic to the website. Their goal is to reach a particular segment of customers that are looking to book your services.
These online marketplaces, especially ones that serve a specialized area, typically see significantly more traffic than independent sellers who operate their own website.
Take Bookings 24/7
Without an online presence, you are relying on customers ringing you during office hours. Listing your business in an online marketplace ensures that your business is open to bookings 24/7.
Customers will be able to access information about the services you offer and request a quote at any time. Once you are back online, you can view the details of the job and provide a quote, ensuring that you don’t miss out on any potential bookings.
Quickly Build Trust
These days whether we are buying a product or service, we all want to read reviews before we purchase. One study found that almost 90% of consumers trust service reviews from their peers. Naturally, the first place we look is online.
Marketplaces give you the infrastructure you need to provide information about the services you offer and allow previous customers to leave positive reviews. The system ensures that you can quickly build trust with online customers without having to spend a fortune building a website and buying digital ads.
Find New Customers on Swiftquote – for Free
We believe that with the right support, a small team of plumbers or grease haulers can compete online with more prominent companies based on reputation, price, and quality.
Having worked with regulators and small business owners across the country, we saw how difficult it was for business owners to book services essential to their business.
We want to bridge the gap by connecting service providers, local business owners, and regulators on one platform. See how it works!