Selling on Marketplaces in 2025: 5 Expert Tips to Grow Your E-Business

Introduction

In 2025, marketplaces like Amazon, Cdiscount, eBay, ManoMano, and Zalando dominate e-commerce sales across Europe. In France alone, online sales reached over €175 billion in 2024, marking nearly a 10% year-on-year increase. To succeed in this competitive space, brands need a clear, data-backed strategy tailored for marketplace commerce.

This guide presents 5 essential tips to help you start or scale your business on marketplaces in 2025.

marketplace selling tips
audit et stratégie

1 – Conduct Market Analysis Before Selling

Before launching on any marketplace, assess:

  • Market trends and your industry’s buying habits
  • Your product’s positioning and profitability
  • Buyer expectations and competitors’ strategies

Also, identify your marketplace model:

  • Wholesale (1P): The marketplace buys your product in bulk and resells it (e.g., Amazon Retail)
  • Marketplace model (3P): You list products and handle orders and customer service (e.g., Amazon Seller Central)

Decide whether you fit better on generalist platforms (Amazon, eBay) or specialist ones (Zalando for fashion, ManoMano for DIY).

marketplace selling tips strategy

2 – Optimize Your Product Listings

A properly optimized listing is essential for conversion and ranking in search results.

Best Practices:

  • Use high-resolution images showing all angles
  • Write keyword-rich titles and bullet points
  • Provide clear product specs and benefits
  • Add video or A+ content where available
  • Adapt format per platform (e.g., bullet points for Amazon, structured tech data for Cdiscount)

Each marketplace has different formatting rules and ranking factors—read and follow their guidelines closely.

Differentiate Your Marketplace Offering

3 – Differentiate Your Marketplace Offering

Standing out in 2025 means offering something unique.

Recommended strategies:

  • Sell exclusive or bundled products only available on marketplaces
  • Create marketplace-specific SKUs
  • Consider launching Strategic Market Units (SMUs) with dedicated teams, pricing, and communication plans for marketplaces

Also, avoid low-margin individual SKUs under €20—sell in multipacks to protect your profit margins after commissions and logistics costs.

Customer evaluation feed

4 – Leverage Customer Reviews for Social Proof

Customer feedback is key to building trust and driving sales on marketplaces. Platforms rank your products higher when reviews are:

  • Numerous
  • Verified
  • Recent
  • 4 stars or more

Tips to maximize reviews:

  • Use post-purchase emails to politely request feedback (in line with Amazon’s and other T&C)
  • Avoid fake review tactics—these are increasingly penalized
  • Respond to negative reviews to show proactive service

Customer reviews influence click-through rates and conversions, forming a positive loop of visibility and sales.

Diversify Your Marketplace Presence

5 – Diversify Your Marketplace Presence

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Relying solely on one platform (e.g., Amazon) creates risk exposure to:

  • Algorithm changes
  • Suspensions
  • Rising fees
  • Shifting priorities

Mitigation plan:

  • Expand to other platforms like Cdiscount, Rakuten, Fnac, Back Market, or Allegro
  • Use tools like feed managers or multi-channel ERPs to centralize listings
  • Gather and compare performance data to improve your offering

The more you diversify, the more resilient and scalable your marketplace strategy becomes.

Conclusion

Selling on marketplaces in 2025 is no longer optional—it’s strategic. These platforms offer unmatched visibility, but they come with their own rules. By understanding the landscape, tailoring your offers, and leveraging trust signals like reviews, you’ll create a scalable and resilient e-commerce business.

Invest time upfront in your product listings, marketing mix, and logistics plans. And never stop iterating—marketplaces are dynamic, and so must be your strategy.

Tailored strategies designed for your brands

Contact us today for a personalized consultation tailored to your brand’s unique needs. Let’s discuss how we can help you succeed — book a meeting!