According to Eurostat, the percentage of Portuguese who bought online last year exceeded 60%, almost double what was seen in 2021, when the percentage of "e-shoppers" was just over 35%.
A Global E-commerce growth trendThis is reflected in Portugal, showing that consumers are increasingly digital, reinforcing the idea that businesses need to invest more and more in e-commerce.
Many already do and many more intend to do so, either through the website creation from scratch or through the very popular marketplaces that allow any of us to become a digital retailer with a low investment.
How to sell on Marketplace? Tips to start selling
Different sales channels necessarily require different business approaches and marketplaces are no exception.
Before we look specifically at how to sell on the Marketplace, it's worth explaining what it's all about.
In practice, a Marketplace is a kind of large market or shopping centre that allows entrepreneurs (individuals or companies) to "rent" space inside.
This kind of "digital rental" comes at a cost (fees, commissions, etc.), but it gives businesses (from the smallest to the largest) access to a huge number of consumers and greater visibility than they would get if they had their own website or physical shop.
To start selling on a Marketplace, the first thing you need to worry about is the choosing a Marketplace:
- In this respect, the most used marketplaces in Portugal are those on the social networks Facebook and Instagram, Amazon, Ebay and Wish.
- It's important that your choice is based on the products you have to sell.
For example, if your idea is to sell women's clothing, Instagram may be the most suitable solution, not only because it makes it easier to visualise the items, but also because it is the female audience that most looks for this type of product.
Once you've chosen your platform, you need to register and start "decorating" your sales space in the Marketplace.
- This requires you to post photos with excellent resolution and from various angles, as well as all the relevant information about the product, payment method and contact details.
- It's important that descriptions are accurate and attractive so that no misunderstandings arise and you attract more customers.
In order to increase the already high visibility of these platforms, you can also use paid adverts, sponsored posts (on social networks) and SEO services that will direct your products to the target audience.
For everything to be complete and for you to be able to start selling on a Marketplace, you need to pay special attention to payment solutions it offers.
As well as being simple and safe, the online payment methods must be in line with the habits and needs of consumers, as well as the specificity of online payments, in order for the check-out is secure and as smoothly as possible.
In Portugal, according to Marktest's E-Commere Barometer, the online payment methods The Portuguese people's favourites are the multibanco and MB WAY references, and there has also been a strong growth in digital walletssuch as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Being able to offer this kind of online payment methods Contrary to what you might think, it can be easier than you think.
In order to guarantee you the trust of your customers and earn more on your Marketplace, REDUNIQ has developed a turnkey solution called REDUNIQ@Payments.
Born out of the desire to simplify and diversify the work of those who sell online through marketplaces, the solution REDUNIQ@Payments will allow you to securely accept link payments via email, SMS, WhatsApp, Multibanco reference, MB WAY or Visa and Mastercard from all over the world.
With no membership costs, monthly fees or need for integration, by accessing a platform optimised for smartphones and tablets, your business will be able to receive payments by payment link, i.e. create a payment link that can be sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp to the customer who, in turn, will be redirected to a secure REDUNIQ page, thus guaranteeing the security of the entire operation.
For example, if you have a space on Instagram's Marketplace dedicated to selling clothes and shoes, the solution REDUNIQ@Payments will allow you, with a simple message via WhatsApp, for the customer to choose a pair of shoes in your sales space and pay for it via a link generated for this purpose, giving the business more agility and speed in satisfying the customer's wishes.
Advantages of the Marketplace
The advantages of selling through a Marketplace are immense, here are the main ones:
- Lower initial investmentYou don't have to worry about paying a graphic designer or a specialised company to create a website from scratch (creating a website from scratch costs incomparably more);
- Less investment in marketingWhen you choose a marketplace for a social network, for example, you will benefit directly from the marketing strategies and means made available by the platforms;
- Easier and simpler to start his business;
- Greater reach in terms of visibility and number of potential customers;
- Easier to receive paymentswith REDUNIQ@Payments you don't have to worry about integrations;
- Higher retention rate customers.
