Questions

I have experience with creating a marketplace that sells intangible products (software, media, etc.) but have wondered about what pitfalls might exist for a similar marketplace where vendors could sell their own tangible/shippable products. Could it be as simple as having them create an account and start selling and then fulfilling the products themselves? I suppose that is how Amazon does it? Various vendors end up fulfilling their own products, but Amazon just takes care of the order process? Any other issues I should think about with this model?

Prospective buyers are generally forced to depend on surrogates to assess what they are likely to get. They can consult current users to see how well a software program performs and how well the investment banker or the oil well drilling contractor performs. Or they can ask experienced customers regarding engineering firms, trust companies, lobbyists, professors, surgeons, prep schools, hair stylists, consultants, repair shops, industrial maintenance firms, shippers, franchisers, general contractors, funeral directors, caterers, environmental management firms, construction companies, and on and on. In practice, though, even the most tangible of products cannot be reliably tested or experienced in advance. To inspect a vendor’s steam-generating plant or computer installation in advance at another location and to have thoroughly studied detailed proposals and designs are not enough. A great deal more is involved than product features and physical installation alone. Such intangibles can make or break the product’s success, even with mature consumer goods like dishwashers, shampoos, and frozen pizza. To make buyers more comfortable and confident about tangibles that cannot be pretested, companies go beyond the literal promises of specifications, advertisements, and labels to provide reassurance.
You can read more here: https://hbr.org/1981/05/marketing-intangible-products-and-product-intangibles
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

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