The UK eCommerce industry is booming. It has literally changed the face of retail. More customers than ever are buying online, and the UK is one of the top nations worldwide for online shopping. Part of this is as a result of online marketplaces. So, which online marketplaces are leading this revolution, and what are their secrets to success? In this article, we are going to take a look at 5 of the top online marketplaces in the UK.
However, let’s first take a quick look at the definition of an online marketplace, so that we know exactly what we are talking about.
An eCommerce website must fulfil the following two criteria in order to be defined as an online marketplace:
- It must have a large number of buyers and sellers who trade through the same website.
- Customers must be able to purchase products on the website itself, without being redirected to a different site.
Online marketplaces are extremely convenient for customers, as they can find a huge range of products from several different stores, all in one place. These platforms have seen huge growth in the last few years, and are likely to continue to expand even more in the future.
Zalando
Zalando is one of the leading marketplaces in Europe for fashion. According to Statista, clothing is the most purchased product online, and Zalando has a significant share of that. Based in Germany, sellers on Zalando offer shoes, clothes, accessories and beauty products. In the UK, it receives around 6.27 million visits every month, and is popular in many other European countries.
OnBuy
OnBuy is a UK-based marketplace that was set up in 2016, and it claims to be the fastest-growing online marketplace in the world. It aims to provide a fairer, more transparent marketplace that puts buyers and sellers first, and it offers electronic goods, sports equipment, beauty products, toys, books, food and more. Now boasting 9.9 million monthly visits, it looks well on its way to fulfilling its dream of becoming a UK alternative to Amazon.
Etsy
Etsy is a global eCommerce platform that focuses on handcrafted and vintage items. In the UK, it receives around 48 million visits a month. It’s reasonably priced listing fees and the collaborative community attract creative sellers from all over the world.
Ebay
Ebay is an American multinational eCommerce company and operates in around 32 countries, and in the UK, it receives 279 million monthly visits, making it one of the most popular online marketplaces.
Amazon
Amazon hardly needs an introduction, as it is one of the most well-known marketplaces in the world. It has a staggering 474 million visits every single month in the UK, an impressive figure if you bear in mind that the UK population is 67 million. Its global presence, fast delivery times, wide range of products and affordable prices have made it one of the most trusted online marketplaces globally.
Online marketplaces are definitely expanding, and we may even see new ones appear in the next few years. Online shopping in the United Kingdom has grown steadily over the past decade. In 2021, around 29% of retail sales in the UK were carried out online.
