The marketplace platform, Mirakl, has just published its State Online Marketplace Adoption 2022. This is an international survey of 9,000 consumers, of which a thousand are in Spain. This is an in-depth analysis of user preferences in marketplaces and e-commerce.
The study highlights how the adoption of marketplaces among Spanish consumers has increased steadily since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic until this recently released year 2022. Thus, Mirakl’s research shows that the adoption of marketplaces by of consumers is anything but temporary.
And it is that, after the significant advances as a result of the pandemic, the use of marketplaces has maintained its growing position in the ecommerce landscape. If in 2019, 45% said they buy “exclusively” or “a lot” on marketplaces; that figure rose to 60% in 2020 reaching 61% at the end of 2021, exceeding the world average of 57%, as well as that of Germany (56%), the United Kingdom (52%) and France (43%).
This change in trend has its origin in the last decade, motivated by the boom in online shopping and the change in consumer behavior towards their favorite brands and retailers. Thus, ecommerce has evolved in response to the growing expectations of consumers regarding the speed of delivery times, the quality and variety of products and the reduction of prices. However, although e-commerce has experienced a notable increase in recent years, that growth has been surpassed by marketplaces, electronic commerce sites that offer products from multiple sellers.
In fact, according to the State of Online Marketplace Adoption of 2022, Spanish consumers make 39% of their online purchases in marketplaces, and almost half (43%) have increased their use in the last year. In addition, this trend is expected to continue, since 95% say that in the future they expect to use marketplaces at the same rate as to date or even increase it
Power shoppers are adopting marketplaces at a fast pace
The new report has also revealed similarities between the Spanish «power shoppers» and the world average «power shopper», that is, those who shop online once a week or more, and who represent the most important customers for retailers. And it is that, almost half (47%) of the Spanish “power shoppers” make their purchases online, compared to 39% of the average Spanish consumer and 42% of the world average.
This indicates that as people buy more, marketplaces cover more of their spending. Furthermore, three quarters of the “power shoppers” in Spain said they wish more of their favorite retailers had marketplaces.
The convenience offered by marketplaces compared to other options also turns out to be a key factor for consumers when choosing them. Thus, they consider that marketplaces are better positioned to satisfy their needs, since almost 60% of Spanish respondents recognize that they are the most convenient way to buy today.
Why consumers choose a marketplace
The study shows that the more consumers buy in marketplaces, the more they opt for them over conventional e-commerce websites. In this sense, up to 68% of consumers prefer e-commerce websites that have a marketplace compared to those that do not and, among the main reasons for their preference, they mention the best prices, the best shipping options and the Variety of products.
Likewise, the State of Online Marketplace Adoption 2022 found that buyers are willing to do their homework in search of high-quality products. Six out of 10 consumers in Spain investigate an outside vendor before making a purchase on a marketplace, and 69% of them check the reviews of the marketplace.
