Introduction:

The American marketplaces, which literally drifted from a bustling shopping mall into dynamic online platforms where millions of transactions go on every day, is now dominated by e-commerce; it continues to offer sellers unprecedented opportunities to reach vast audiences with no geographical limitations. But that shifts over with a challenge on how to decide the right platform.

What is an Online Marketplaces?

An online marketplaces is a platform where multiple third-party sellers are permitted to list and sell their products to buyers. Unlike in the case of traditional e-commerce stores that own inventory, these marketplaces do not own inventory but instead facilitate buyers with opportunities to purchase from third-party sellers. Each marketplace has unique features that cater to specific types of products, customers, and sales models.

With millions of active users, it is one of the most important channels through which businesses, big or small, can reach their customers. From the seller’s point of view, online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart offer access to an enormous, readymade customer base. As a buyer, one enjoys all products in every category offered by different sellers at one place.

Active Users and Monthly Visitors of Major Marketplaces:

1. Amazon

Amazon is the greatest e-commerce marketplace within the United States and records for more than half of all online sales. The web retailer provides a very wide array of products, including books, electronics, groceries, and household items. The Seller receives the advantage of Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service, which includes storage, packaging, and shipping. With a clientele of more than 300 million active users around the world, one gets unmatched exposure but terrific competition as well.

Active Users: More than 300 million worldwide​(Intelligent Reach).

Monthly Visitors: 2.4 billion​(Oberlo).

Details: It’s very clear that Amazon dominates the online sales in the United States, nearly around 50% of them. More than that, it offers a vast variety of products, electronics, grocery, and many more.

2. eBay

eBay is a global online marketplace where people and businesses can buy as well as sell anything. Whether the items are new or used, eBay is there to help. Making a significant contribution to electronic commerce by its auction-style listings, eBay also has fixed prices. With a significant global presence, eBay is loved by resellers and collectors. It sells everything from electronics to antiques. It typically has around 800 million monthly visitors, making it the top place for sellers hoping to reach both American and international audiences.

Active Users: 182 million users worldwide​(Webinterpret).

Monthly Visitors: 800 million ​(Intelligent Reach).

Details: Originally an auction site, the auction site eBay has ended up embracing fixed-price listings in all its categories, featuring new as well as second-hand goods

3. Walmart

Walmart’s marketplace is growing rapidly because of its enormous retail infrastructure. The Walmart website permits third-party sellers to list products alongside that of Walmart’s inventory. Sellers get ample access to customers. Its capacity to integrate online sales with the fulfillment of physical stores gives it a competitive edge. Walmart’s marketplace is suitable for businesses targeting mainstream American consumers.

Active Users: According to (Marketplace Pulse) the active users were 240 million visitors across physical and online platforms.​

Monthly Visitors: 460 million​ (Intelligent Reach).

Details: Walmart’s marketplace is the fastest-growing marketplace because it gets combined with brick-and-mortar stores and offers low cost.

4. Etsy

Etsy tends to focus more on the handmade, vintage, or unique offerings. This marketplace lets creative entrepreneurs sell everything from crafts and artwork to jewelry. With about 96 million active buyers, Etsy is considered the marketplace of choice for artisans and small business owners.

Active Users: 96 million buyers​ (Webinterpret).

Monthly Visitors: 500 million​ (Intelligent Reach).

Details: A marketplace focused on handmade, vintage, and unique items, Etsy has become a go-to platform for creatives and small businesses.

Etsy began as a marketplace for homemade, vintage, and unique items but has grown into a platform for creatives and small businesses.

5. Temu

Temu is one of the relatively new entrants in the U.S. space of e-commerce. It is a marketplace offering discount-focused items of an extensive low-cost product portfolio. Coming from China, Temu has gained popularity in the U.S. very rapidly on the back of competitive pricing and aggressive marketing. It is a fit platform for those sellers who can survive on thin margins.

Active Users: Launched in 2022, with rapid growth in the U.S.​ (Marketplace Pulse).

Monthly Visitors: Around 10 million​ (eCommerce Insights).

Details: It is a discount marketplace that sells low-priced products, most shipped from overseas.

6. Target

Target Plus is an invite-only online marketplace for third-party sellers. Target integrates its massive in-store retail footprint with a strong e-commerce platform, which will help sellers reap the benefit of the brand recognition and loyal customer base. The Products hosted on the Target marketplace are judiciously curated to mirror the same product that appears in the Target stores.

Active Users: 60 million monthly visitors​ (eCommerce Insights).

Monthly Visitors: Around 200 million​ (eCommerce Insights).

Details: Target operates a marketplace called Target Plus, in which it aggregates third-party product offers with its in-store retail.

7. Lowe’s

Lowe’s operates in the home improvement and hardware sector. The company would offer a webstore where sellers could list products like DIY project, tools, and appliances. This would be a good site for companies targeting the homeowner, contractor, and or DIYer.

Active Users: Over 20 million shoppers per month ​(Intelligent Reach).

Details: It specializes in home improvement and tools, with an increasing online marketplace for third-party sellers.

8. The Home Depot

Like Lowe’s, The Home Depot is focused on a home improvement category. The marketplace that it offers is opening up access to third-party sellers of millions of contractors and DIYers. A strong brand presence plus in-store synergy is a good reason for suppliers of building materials and tools to sell there.

Active Users: Over 120 million visits monthly ​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: A leading home improvement company with a successful online marketplace for professionals and do-it-yourselfers.

9. Macy’s

Macy’s is among the top American department stores that is quite expanding its online marketplace. Merchants selling on Macy’s marketplace can sell anything from fashion and beauty products to home goods. Macy’s targets mid-range and high-end shoppers, which appeals premium brands​

Active Users: 34 million visitors monthly ​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: Macy’s is turning focus online, an e-commerce company now with a marketplace for everything from fashion to home goods.

10. Best Buy

Best Buy is a premier retailer of electronics, home appliances, and other tech-related gadgets. Its marketplace allows third-party sellers to list supplementary products such as accessories and refurbished electronics. Best Buy’s marketplace best suits sellers who specialize in pleasing the tech-savvy consumers​

Active Users: 135 million monthly visitors ​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: A top choice for electronics, Best Buy’s marketplace allows third-party sellers to expand their reach.

11. Wayfair

Wayfair is a big player in the online space of home furnishings and furniture, offering hundreds of millions of products online. Sellers of home decor, furniture, and renovation products like Wayfair for its niche focus and long customer base.

Active Users: Over 31 million active users annually ​(Webinterpret).

Monthly Visitors: 200 million ​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: Known for furniture and home goods, Wayfair has a growing third-party marketplace.

12. Kroger

Kroger is the largest grocer in the United States and allows customers to order groceries online and pick them up or have them delivered through its e-commerce platform. Kroger continues to expand its third-party marketplace, but this also provides some great opportunities for food manufacturers and sellers to enter the grocery market.

Active Users: 60 million shoppers weekly​ (eCommerce Insights).

Details: One of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., now expanding into e-commerce with online grocery shopping and delivery.

13. Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond primarily sells home products, kitchen utensils, and furniture. In its third-party marketplace, it allows third-party sellers to list their products in the above mentioned categories. Its primary target market is people who own a house and families looking for home products.

Active Users: 44 million visitors monthly​ (eCommerce Insights).

Details: Specializes in home goods, kitchenware, and furnishings with a growing online presence.

14. Rakuten

Rakuten is considered the “Japanese Amazon” and sells everything from electronics to clothes online. The company also continues to expand in the US, mostly targeting sellers who would want to sell both to American and international markets. It also offers cashback rewards, appealing to price-sensitive buyers.

Active Users: Over 20 million shoppers globally​ (eCommerce Insights).

Details: A popular international marketplace, Rakuten offers cashback deals, and focuses on electronics, fashion, and home goods.

15. Mercado Libre

Mercado Libre is actually the leading online marketplace in Latin America and also growing here in the U.S.  It specializes in electronics, fashion, and groceries, so it’s a great platform to sell to Hispanic consumers in this country and around the world.​

Active Users: 80 million in Latin America, expanding in the U.S.​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: Leading marketplace in Latin America, known for electronics, fashion, and groceries.

16. Newegg

Newegg is one of the well-known online shopping markets for electronics and computer parts, high-tech products, and gadgets. This channel generates interest from gamers and enthusiastic users of technology. The company, therefore, gives a platform to any of the vendors dealing with high-tech products.

Active Users: 40 million technology enthusiasts ​(Webinterpret).

Details: A niche marketplace for computer hardware and electronics, particularly popular among tech-savvy consumers.

17. Shopee

Shopee is the leading marketplace in Southeast Asia but slowly catching up in the U.S. with affordable prices and a wide range of products that have attracted price-conscious shoppers to this marketplace. A good choice for sellers targeting worldwide customers.

Active Users: Rapidly growing with a focus on Southeast Asia ​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: Though not a major player in the U.S., Shopee is expanding its international presence with a strong focus on affordable goods.

18. Flipkart

Flipkart is one of India’s largest e-commerce firms and is gradually penetrating even the U.S. marketplace. The users are primarily domestic but worldwide sellers targeting international buyers can take advantage of its increasing presence.

Active Users: 100 million in India​ (Oberlo).

Details: Flipkart’s focus on electronics and fashion, primarily in India, is gaining traction in the U.S.

19. Mercari

Mercari is among the top platforms for buying and selling second-hand goods. It works basically like eBay but is significantly focused on mobile-first transactions. This makes it well suited to be used by sellers of used or collectible goods.​

Active Users: Over 15 million​ (Oberlo).

Details: A marketplace for buying and selling second-hand goods, popular for clothing, electronics, and collectibles.

20. Wish

Wish allows low-priced goods to be sold. They are typically shipped from overseas suppliers, and so it turns out to be an attraction for bargain hunters and perfect for those selling mass volumes of inexpensive products.

Active Users: 100 millions​(eCommerce Insights).

Details: Wish is one of the popular websites when it comes to very cheap goods shipped from overseas and targeting bargain hunters around the world.

Why Are Online Marketplaces Important in the U.S.?

Online marketplaces have become the backbone of the U.S. retail industry as it offers millions of consumers the reach, convenience, and ability to make global connections between buyers and sellers. With these facts in mind, they are extremely important to the economy because:

• They provide businesses with direct access to millions of active buyers.

• Marketplaces allow small companies to sell their products or services to a wider clientele without having to set up expensive infrastructure.
• Customers get competitive pricing, plenty of varieties of goods, and even convenience all from the comfort of their homes.

Why Should You Use Marketplaces to Sell Online?

There are many reasons to sell on marketplaces:

1. Audience Reach: Millions of viewers are browsing these marketplaces every day.
2. Ease of Use: Marketplaces usually provide free templates and guided tools which make it easy to set up and sell products.
3. Built-in Trust: Trust factors such as established platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy carry users toward making a purchase from unknown sellers in the first place.
4. Lower Overhead: An online marketplace gives you an existing ready-to-go platform where it does not call for you to invest money into setting up your e-commerce store or platform.

By using these platforms, vendors will be able to benefit from having in-place traffic, marketing tools, and support services, whereas buyers will enjoy the convenience of having variety and competitive pricing.

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