Marketing marketplace: Must have a different strategy to win

On May 13, 2025, during a meeting with representatives of the "Business Russia" organization, President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s strong commitment to supporting the e-commerce sector. He emphasized that e-commerce is a thriving and independent part of the economy, one that provides tangible benefits to citizens across the country, from large cities to remote towns.

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This statement underscores a global reality: e-commerce and marketplace are no longer a passing trend. They are becoming essential infrastructure for modern consumption nationally and globally.

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But here’s the challenge: succeeding in marketing marketplace isn't easy. With hundreds of platforms fiercely competing, only those with a unique and intelligent marketing strategy can truly stand out. This article explores why generic strategies often fail, what mindset shift is required for success, and how Journeyhorizon can be your strategic partner in building a sustainable marketplace marketing edge.

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Why generic marketing marketplace strategies fail

Many marketplace operators rely on traditional marketing strategies—paid ads, social media channels, KOL collaborations—but still fall short. Here’s why:

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Lack of clear differentiation

A marketplace is a two-sided business model. You must attract and retain both supply (sellers or service providers) and demand (buyers or users). Most generic marketing strategy playbooks are designed for one-sided funnels and fail to create resonance across this dynamic. If you can't clearly answer: "Why should both sides choose you over others?" — your strategy is already too shallow.

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Poor understanding of behavioral segmentation

Unlike conventional e-commerce where targeting buyers is the main game, marketing marketplace requires segmenting, activating, and nurturing two groups with distinct motivations and pain points. What convinces a seller to join is often completely different from what keeps a buyer coming back. Yet many campaigns still broadcast the same value proposition to both, resulting in missed connections and low engagement.

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Beepi case study: The Copycat Marketplace Failure

According to Harvard Business Review (2023), over 70% of marketplaces that copied existing models without establishing a unique marketing marketplace identity failed within two years. They lacked tailored messaging, ignored cultural context, and recycled visuals or growth tactics irrelevant to their users.

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One real-world example is the case of Beepi, a peer-to-peer used car marketplace in the US. Beepi attempted to replicate the marketplace model popularized by companies like Uber and Airbnb, offering an end-to-end digital experience to buy and sell used cars. However, without a clearly differentiated marketing marketplace strategy or localized messaging, it struggled to build trust with either buyers or sellers.

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Beepi spent heavily on growth tactics and tech development but failed to articulate a brand identity that addressed users’ emotional and practical concerns—like trust in car quality, transaction security, and post-sale support. As a result, despite raising nearly $150M, Beepi shut down within three years. The insight? Marketplaces are hyper-contextual — success belongs to those who localize both product and message with precision and relevance.

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The insight? Marketplaces are hyper-contextual — success belongs to those who localize both product and message with precision.

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Explore more the reason to fail with generic marketplace marketing strategy!

A unique marketing marketplace mindset leads you to success

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Building a personalized brand foundation – The prerequisite for real differentiation

Success in marketing marketplace doesn't begin with AI, automation, or even budget. It begins with identity. Your brand must clearly articulate who you serve, what value you uniquely offer, and how you emotionally connect with your users.

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Three essential elements that define your brand position:

• A sharply defined audience: Who are your primary buyers and sellers?
• A compelling USP: What pain point do you solve better than anyone else?
• A coherent brand character: What tone, personality, and values guide your communication?

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This foundation is what ensures your marketing strategy is not just noticed, but remembered. A marketplace helping small-scale farmers reach urban consumers should embody trust, authenticity, and a connection to nature. In contrast, a high-tech talent platform might require a brand identity rooted in speed, clarity, and authority.

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Without this grounding, even the best tools and tactics will produce noise, not traction. That’s why personalization at the brand level is the first strategic step before deploying any of the mindsets below.

Three strategic mindsets to amplify your brand identity

Once your brand foundation is clear, these mindsets will help scale your impact:

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Customer-centric: Prioritizing loyalty and emotional connection

In any successful marketplace, retention matters more than reach. The most iconic platforms—like Etsy and Airbnb—excel not because they reach the most people, but because they deeply understand and serve their core users. They treat customers as relationships to be nurtured, not just transactions to optimize. This customer-centric ethos is what builds real communities and network effects over time.

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According to internal benchmarks from leading marketplaces, brands that invest in user-centered experiences see up to 85% higher retention and significantly lower acquisition costs due to organic growth.

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How to apply in your marketing strategy:

• Build frictionless, personalized onboarding journeys
• Create tiered loyalty programs based on real engagement
• Foster online/offline events that build emotional connection
• Empower power users as brand ambassadors to co-create trust

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Digital-first: Smart tech integration at the core

McKinsey (2024) reports that marketplaces applying AI, big data, and automation not only streamline operations but respond more agilely to market shifts. AI helps predict demand spikes, big data uncovers trends before they go mainstream, and automation reduces manual workload and accelerates execution. The result? An average annual growth rate of 27%—double that of non-digital-first competitors.

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How to apply in your marketing strategy:

• Use AI chatbots to guide and retain users
• Automate email marketing based on behavioral data
• Integrate big data analytics into your marketing dashboards
• Apply predictive tech for seasonal campaign optimization
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Data-driven: Decisions rooted in real user behavior

It has been reported that marketing marketplace campaigns employing behavioral data for personalized content can achieve notably higher click-through rates (CTRs) and a significantly improved return on investment (ROI) compared to generic approaches (Nguyen et al., 2023). Data not only illuminates what users want—it transforms how you invest.

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How to apply in your marketing strategy:

• Auto-segment users based on site behavior
• Continuously A/B test copy and design
• Use heatmaps and session replays for UX insight
• Personalize landing pages based on traffic source (Google, social, email)

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A sustainable marketing marketplace strategy isn’t built from tools or trends, it’s built from inside out. When your brand is clear, focused, and emotionally resonant, the three mindsets above become growth accelerators, not generic tactics.

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To translate strategy into real execution, you need a partner who sees the bigger picture.

Journeyhorizon – Your strategic partner in marketing marketplace

At Journeyhorizon, we don’t offer templated marketplace marketing services. We co-create full-spectrum strategies where brand, data, and technology fuel long-term growth.

• Sustainable growth across both supply and demand
• Data-informed campaigns grounded in real user behavior
• Communities that thrive on trust and engagement

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Why Journeyhorizon stands out:

• Official end-to-end strategic partner of Sharetribe – the world’s leading marketplace platform
• Proven success with over 30 marketplace projects across 8 countries
• A specialized team of two-sided market strategists and data engineers
• Custom-built tools for user journey measurement, optimization, and personalization
• A cross-border network of advisors and ecosystem enablers

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We don’t just sell services. We build your marketplace marketing capability from the inside out—with data, experience, and unmatched marketplace insight. Working with us may teach you how to market a marketplace with zero-cost!

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Final thought

In a world where marketplaces dominate, only those with a differentiated marketing strategy will lead. Don’t fall into the trap of generic campaigns. Embrace strategic thinking—digitally-enabled, data-empowered, and deeply human.

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Are you ready to learn how to market a marketplace the right way? Journeyhorizon is here to guide you whether you're figuring out how to do marketing marketplace or scaling a proven strategy to new heights.