How to launch a marketplace and what you need to create it

1. What is the purpose of creating a marketplace?
2. Types of marketplaces and how they differ
3. An example of the development of a marketplace from LighTech
4. How to launch your marketplace: creating the main functions
5. The stages of creating a turnkey marketplace
6. How much does it cost to develop a marketplace?
7. Advantages and disadvantages of creating marketplaces
8. How to make money on the marketplace?
9. How do I start creating a marketplace?

Now many people will respond to this: we often simply do not have time to go shopping and look for the right things, accessories or equipment. We are constantly busy, and spending a couple of hours shopping already seems superfluous.

It is much easier to open a convenient mobile marketplace application, enter the desired product, sort by price, read reviews and order everything in a couple of clicks. And then pick up the purchase when it is convenient for us, and even more so near the house.

E-commerce is growing rapidly. And this is confirmed by the sellers themselves. According to statistics, my schedule for 2025-2026:

20% of sellers plan to develop their own online store - launch a new one or actively develop the current one.
14% are going to enter new marketplaces, expanding their presence and assortment.

Large marketplaces have become too demanding: commissions are rising, rules are tightening, and competition within the site is becoming insane. More and more sellers are looking for alternatives — entering new platforms, niche marketplaces, or creating their own online store.

And this is where there is a demand for the development of marketplaces — modern, convenient, tailored to specific niches and needs. These can be platforms for certain categories of goods, local marketplaces for one city, or full-fledged universal platforms, but with more lenient conditions for sellers.

Why do I need to create a marketplace?

The market is ready for new players. If we consider launching our own marketplace, now is the right time to start.

A marketplace is a platform where dozens or hundreds of independent sellers sell goods at the same time, and the site itself acts as an intermediary and provides convenient search, sales and delivery. They remain on trend.

The most profitable sites belong to large Internet giants like WB, Ozon and AliExpress. But it's also possible to create your own marketplace. It's just important to go through several stages before launching: think through the concept, develop a platform, and decide on a strategy to attract sellers and buyers.

The difference between a marketplace and an online store

The online store belongs to one owner and offers an assortment to only one company. The marketplace benefits from the online store primarily in terms of scale and flexibility. Dozens of suppliers sell on one site, the assortment grows by itself, and it is easier for the buyer to find everything they need in one place.

Marketplaces are moving faster. Each product card has its own page, and the more of them there are, the higher it rises in the search.

Do you want to know how much it costs to develop a turnkey marketplace?

Let's figure out the tasks, assess the complexity of the project and suggest the best option for your budget.

Discuss the project

11 types of marketplaces and how they differ

There are many different marketplaces on the market, and it's not just about the types of large and well-known sites. Each platform has its own purpose and audience. We have included in the review even those formats that are just gaining momentum.

1. B2C marketplaces

One of the most common options. These are platforms where businesses sell goods or services to private clients, for example, Ozon, Wildberries, Lamoda. There are many sellers, a wide audience, high competition, and a huge selection.

2. Service marketplaces

They do not sell goods here, but services: cleaning, repairs, rent, training, delivery, beauty services. It is convenient for the buyer to find a trusted specialist and place an order without lengthy negotiations. Examples: YouDo, Profi.ru , A service store.

3. C2C marketplaces

Platforms where people sell to people. These are usually used items, handmade items, and collectibles. Examples: Avito, Yula, <url>. This format is suitable for private sellers and buyers who want to buy cheaper or sell unnecessary items.

4. B2B marketplaces

Business platforms: purchase of raw materials, equipment, wholesale, and services. They help companies find reliable suppliers, compare terms, and simplify corporate procurement. Example: OptList, B2B-Center.

5. Aggregator marketplaces

Services that collect offers from various sources. Typical examples are ticket aggregators, taxi companies, and food delivery companies. The marketplace itself doesn't sell anything, it just helps you choose the best deal. Examples: Tutu.ru (tickets), Yandex.Food, Compare It.roo.

6. Industry marketplaces

Highly specialized sites: only cosmetics, only pet products, only furniture, only handmade. Their advantage is an accurate focus on a specific audience, which reduces competition and makes the management system easier. Example: Petshop.ru .

7. Local marketplaces

They work within the same city or region. They are distinguished by fast delivery, convenience and proximity to the customer. They are often used for groceries, ready meals, local services, and small businesses. Example: Delivery Club (local restaurants), Gorod-Express.

8. D2C marketplaces (Direct to Consumer)

When a brand sells directly to a customer without intermediaries, but through its own mini-platform, where there may be other brands, but only trusted and partner ones. Example: marketplaces of cosmetics, clothing, and electronics manufacturers. This is a growing segment — brands want to be less dependent on the giants.

9. P2P marketplaces (Peer to Peer)

Sometimes they are confused with C2C, but P2P is a format of exchange or rental between individuals: things, transport, tools, housing, skills. Example: Airbnb started out as a P2P, tool rental, car rental platform. The trend is growing because people are moving towards a sharing economy.

10. Subscription Marketplaces

A platform where sellers offer products or services based on a subscription model. Example: subscription services for products, cosmetics, and software. The topic is developing due to stable repeat sales.

11. Corporate marketplace (internal CMM)

Closed platforms that are created within the same company or group of companies. Their main goal is to automate internal procurement and simplify supply, from office supplies to materials for production units. All counterparties are checked and work in a closed catalog with fixed prices and conditions. Examples: X5 Group internal catalog, SIBUR internal procurement, Lenta corporate marketplace.

Модель взаимодействия маркетплейсы | LighTech

An example of the development of a marketplace from LighTech

In each industry, you can create a marketplace that will make trading more convenient, more efficient, and bring together all market participants. We have implemented such a project in agribusiness, the AfriCash marketplace for Bayer, to simplify the work of farmers in Zambia and connect them with buyers of agricultural products.

The platform allows farmers to purchase equipment, chemicals and other goods to increase yields, as well as sell their crops through traders and agricultural workers with the possibility of prepayment or lending.

AfriCash

webmobile

Маркетплейс для торговли сельскохозяйственной продукцией

The web application provides convenient product navigation, order and logistics management, integration with payment systems, and analytics collection to optimize agribusiness. This approach helps to diversify Bayer's revenues, speeds up trading processes and contributes to the sustainable development of the agricultural sector in the region.

How to open your marketplace: creating the main functions

Function	What does
Personal account	Allows sellers to manage orders, items, balances, refunds, and see basic analytics.
Product cards	They show photos, specifications, price, reviews and help the product to be in search.
Seller's showcase	The supplier's personal page with its assortment and design.
Support and communication with sellers/buyers	Solves issues related to orders, delivery, and product quality.
Personalization and platform settings	Branding, language selection, currencies, interface, and key roles on the platform.
Integrations	Synchronization with ERP, logistics, payment, EDI and other business software.
Registration and verification	Checking suppliers, uploading documents, and verifying identity and banking details.
Catalog of goods and services	Structures products, supports filters, categories, and different types of display.
Making orders	Create, edit, route orders, and offer a price or select a warehouse.
Documents and agreements	Generates invoices, contracts, invoices and supports electronic document management.
Logistics and tracking	Monitoring shipments, managing returns and balances, and distributing between warehouses.
Analytics and reports	It shows sales, supplier efficiency, order dynamics, and other metrics.

The stages of creating a turnkey marketplace

1

Project planning

We analyze the niche, audience and competitors, determine the business model (C2C, B2C, B2B). We create technical requirements: integrations, payment modules, chat, logistics, seller rating. We choose a native (iOS/Android) or cross—platform (Flutter, React Native) development approach based on budget and deadlines.

2

Architecture design

We are building the application architecture and thinking over scenarios for buyers, sellers and administrators. We create UX prototypes in Figma. Defining the structure of the API and the backend.

3

Design development

We are working on interfaces, product cards, catalog, shopping cart, chat, seller's page. We are testing prototypes for convenience.

4

Functional development

We implement the client side and the server (backend). We set up secure payments, push notifications, search, filters, recommendations, and multilingualism. We are optimizing the application — image download speed, offline operation/caching, stability with poor Internet.

5

Testing the application

We conduct functional, integration, and load tests. We check the correctness of the payment, the stability of the chats, the accuracy of the search, and the security of the data. We are testing on different devices, screens, and OS versions. We optimize performance and eliminate bugs.

6

Release and support

We are preparing the application for publication. After the release, we enable analytics, monitor user behavior, and improve conversions. We provide technical support, updates and functional development.

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How much does it cost to develop a marketplace?

The cost of creating a marketplace can vary greatly — it all depends on which project you want to launch. The price is influenced by several factors:

The type of solution. A ready-made platform will be cheaper because some of the functionality is already built in. Custom development is more expensive, but it gives you more freedom and opportunities.
The scope of functions. The more complex the mechanics and the more roles there are on the platform (sellers, buyers, admin panel, promotion, analytics), the higher the budget.
Integration. Connecting payment services, logistics, loyalty programs, and external systems also increases the cost.
Support and development. It is important to take into account not only the start, but also the life of the project after launch — updates, improvements and technical support require separate costs.

If you want to develop a turnkey marketplace and get an accurate cost calculation, leave a request. We will contact you, clarify the details of the project and prepare a commercial offer.

Advantages and disadvantages of creating marketplaces

Marketplaces work for the whole country at once, and some work internationally. This gives sellers access to a huge customer base and reduces the cost of attracting traffic.

The platforms bring together a wide variety of sellers, from local manufacturers to major brands. Due to the variety of products, the price range is also growing, which attracts additional users and creates high competitiveness.

Multiple suppliers in each category reduces dependence on a single seller. If one participant temporarily stops selling or raises prices, their products can easily be replaced with analogues, which maintains turnover stability.

A successful marketplace is growing rapidly: the number of sellers, buyers, and transactions is increasing. This requires investments in server infrastructure, speed optimization, and high load support.

What should you pay attention to when developing a marketplace?

A marketplace is not just a website, but an ecosystem that often includes a mobile application. It requires a well-thought-out multi-role architecture (buyer, seller, administrator), complex interaction scenarios, moderation, logistics, analytics, and payment modules. Any miscalculations at the design stage are expensive and often lead to the reworking of key parts of the system.

The functionality of marketplaces is really wide — catalog, shopping cart, filters, payments, ratings, chats, personal accounts and integrations. But you can start by developing an MVP: launching a project will be faster and the budget for creating an app and website will be significantly reduced. Then you gradually need to increase the functionality as the site grows.

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The marketplace is growing rapidly, so the project needs to be built immediately, taking into account possible workloads. Failure to do so leads to crashes, long server responses, and expensive improvements.

How to make money on the marketplace?

Marketplaces have several revenue models, each working in its own way. Their reasonable combination allows you to make profits more stable. Below are the main monetization methods and additional options that use modern platforms.

1. Sales commission

The most common model. The platform charges a percentage or a fixed amount from each transaction. The amount of the commission may depend on the product category, the popularity of the seller, or the season. For example, sellers pay a percentage of each transaction. If the product costs 1,000 ₽ and the commission is 10%, the marketplace receives 100 ₽, and the seller receives 900 ₽.

2. Subscriptions

They can be for sellers and buyers.

For sellers, there is access to analytics, personal support, improved product cards, and participation in promotions.
For customers — fast delivery, closed discounts, special offers. The subscription must be commensurate with the benefits in order to pay off.

3. Paid product promotion

Sellers can pay for the promotion of products in the search, the allocation of cards, placement on the main page or personal advertising. For example, the marketplace highlights cards with a color/banner, which increases sales by 20-50%.

4. Entrance fee or registration fee

A small registration fee helps to generate income immediately and cut off inactive sellers. It is more often used in niche marketplaces with a professional audience.

5. Service fees

In addition to the commission, you can charge a fee for processing payments — fixed or percentage. These funds cover acquiring, fraud protection, and technical infrastructure.

6. Affiliate programs and advertising integrations

The marketplace can collaborate with brands and services: advertise, hold joint promotions, issue coupons, and create special projects. Partners receive coverage and sales, and the site receives revenue.

For example, the AliExpress marketplace launches joint promotions with brands like Nike or Xiaomi. They pay for banners, special offers, and coupons, and the marketplace receives revenue from advertising.

7. Additional services for sellers

Modern platforms earn money on services:

fulfillment (storage, packaging, delivery);
branded storefronts of the seller and card design;
content creation (photos, videos, descriptions);
advanced analytics and recommendations;
review management.

How do I start creating a marketplace?

Creating a marketplace requires preparation: it is important to determine the audience, its objectives and the value of the product in advance. The more accurate the understanding of the needs of buyers and sellers, the easier it is to assemble a working model.

Think about the difference between your site and competitors and formulate an understandable offer for users. Determine the business model — commission, subscription, or paid tools. An early strategy will save you from renegotiating conditions after launch.

The interface should be simple.: quick search, convenient ordering, clear structure. At the same time, collect feedback — it helps to quickly identify weaknesses and improve the product.

It is better to solve the issue of monetization and marketing before entering the market. Post-launch changes often lead to conflicts.

Marketplace development is always an individual story. The composition of features, the complexity of integrations, the need for custom design or analytics, working with multiple types of users — all this makes each project unique and affects the time and cost. Therefore, the final assessment is formed only after working out the concept and key scenarios.