An Introduction to Online Marketplaces

What is an online marketplace?

An online marketplace is a digital e-commerce platform, website, or app that connects multiple third-party sellers offering products or subscription services to buyers. The platform owner doesn’t necessarily store or sell physical inventory (though they can). Rather, they present various sellers’ products, including digital products and subscription services, to shoppers and handle the transactions. Like a farmer’s market or a bazaar, these online marketplaces allow sellers to gather in the same space to try to target as many shoppers as they can.

That, in a nutshell, is the simple definition of online marketplaces. But technology, buyer preferences, and purchasing habits have evolved dramatically over the past five years. While cloud marketplaces have transformed consumer shopping, their impact on the B2B sector has been even more profound. In 2026, the B2B marketplace stands as a dynamic, complex, and indispensable engine for growth, one that’s further redefined by the rise of AI as a vital procurement tool. In this article, we demystify all of these trends for you.

TL;DR

Online marketplaces are no longer just for consumers. They're indispensable for B2B growth in 2026. Buyers, heavily influenced by AI and demanding B2C-like experiences, are making most purchases through digital channels and partners. To thrive, businesses need future-proof marketplace platforms with robust catalogs, flexible composable commerce, and strong partner ecosystems. AppDirect provides the unified platform to meet these evolving demands, helping businesses get found, chosen, and paid in the new digital economy.

The old definition of marketplaces no longer applies

Three powerful trends are converging to reshape today's B2B marketplace: an explosion of digital channels, the shift in how buyers find solutions through AI, and the undeniable influence of trusted advisors. Understanding these forces is critical for any business navigating today's digital economy.

The marketplace: The key to the new B2B playbook

The evolving B2B landscape presents immense opportunities but also significant challenges that marketplaces are uniquely positioned to address. B2B buyers often grapple with procurement complexity and tedious vendor management. In fact, an AppDirect study revealed that 44% of IT decision-makers list complexity and inefficiency as major challenges in finding and buying technology. Additionally, 70% of respondents expressed frustration with the time wasted dealing with multiple SaaS suppliers.

Recent AppDirect market research identified several critical pain points that often drive business decisions:

• Managing multiple vendors: 51% of SMBs identify this as a primary challenge, creating administrative overhead and fragmented relationships.

• Centralizing payments: 39% cite this as a major barrier, complicating financial reconciliation.

• Fragmented billing cycles: 30% struggle with these, leading to reconciliation errors and unpredictable cash flow.

• The cost of wasted licenses: On average, companies use only 51% of their SaaS licenses (almost half are paid for but remain unused). Marketplaces help manage this with full visibility, preventing unnecessary expenditure.

Online marketplaces significantly enhance the customer experience by offering a wide range of first- and third-party solutions that integrate seamlessly. As businesses seek comprehensive solutions, an ecosystem of compatible add-ons becomes essential. This allows software companies to offer additional functionality without developing every feature in-house, driving innovation and creating "stickier" customers.

Your next growth spurt starts here

The B2B e-commerce market is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Marketplaces are the glue bringing together service vendors, advisors, and end customers into a single, central ecosystem that’s revolutionizing procurement and enabling unprecedented growth for all parties. The demand for procurement efficiency is driving businesses to transition manual workflows to integrated digital commerce platforms. These platforms streamline every aspect of procurement, from quote and price negotiations to ordering, contract management, and post-deployment support.

There are significant rewards for product developers, marketplace operators, and technology advisors who seize this opportunity to offer the simplicity and convenience that B2B buyers expect. Grandview Research projects the global business-to-business e-commerce market to surge at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.9% between 2026 and 2033, a direct result of digital transformation. And Gartner estimates that companies offering a buyer-centric, frictionless, unified commerce experience will see 20% or higher growth in total revenue. Marketplaces achieve this by streamlining procurement, reducing complexity, and providing the transparency and convenience B2B buyers expect today. They're the essential conduit for "meeting customers where they are," reorienting B2B commerce around the buyer to reduce friction in discovery, purchasing, and management.

The new B2B buying journey—With a B2C Twist

B2B buyers increasingly expect a purchasing experience that mirrors their B2C interactions. A significant 80% anticipate the same seamless, intuitive digital experiences they enjoy as consumers. This shift is driven by demographics, with Millennials comprising 51% of B2B buyers. This means that buyers are increasingly prioritizing experiences that deliver:

• Digital-first interactions: Buyers want to engage and transact online first, before or instead of traditional sales channels.

• Self-serve options: The ability to research, compare, and purchase solutions independently, without requiring direct sales interaction.

• Transparent processes: Clear pricing, product information, and terms are expected upfront, reducing negotiation friction.

• Speed and personalization: Fast, relevant experiences tailored to their specific business needs, reflecting consumer e-commerce.

• Instant access to inventory: Real-time visibility into product availability and delivery timelines.

• Clear pricing: No hidden costs or complex pricing structures; straightforward information to aid budgeting.

AI is the new gatekeeper of B2B solutions

One of the most profound shifts in marketplace-led procurement is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is fundamentally transforming how B2B customers discover and assess software on SaaS marketplaces. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are becoming key B2B procurement tools. They help customers easily:

• Build shortlists: AI aggregates information and user reviews from various sources to quickly present qualified options tailored to specific requirements.

• Request quotes: AI can automate the initial stages of RFQ processes, gathering preliminary pricing and solution details.

• Analyze data automatically: AI processes vast amounts of product data, specifications, and competitor information to help buyers make informed decisions rapidly.

This often happens before buyers ever speak to a sales representative, signaling a major shift towards automated pre-purchase research.

Customers trust advisors, indirect channels, and third-party content review

In a hyper-competitive landscape fueled by a proliferation of solutions through marketplaces, making the right choice has never been more complex. That's why many business buyers overwhelmed by options are now relying on trusted advisors for support. Forrester research indicates that 70% of global B2B purchasing influencers bought their offering through an ecosystem partner, not directly from the supplier. This trend is set to intensify: by 2030, channel partners are expected to drive 59% of marketplace spend, causing a fundamental shift in how marketplaces operate.

Distribution is the new competitive edge

Getting found online is the prize

Third-party content is emerging as the most influential factor in getting found. Buyers form opinions long before they speak to a sales rep, or even an advisor. In fact, 81% of B2B buyers already have a preferred vendor before they ever talk to sales. They consult peers, partners, advisors, marketplaces, review sites, and increasingly, AI tools, to narrow the field. By the time they engage a vendor, their shortlist is often already decided.

This means the simpler days, when a strong product, a polished website, and direct sales were all that was needed to land a sale, are gone. Today’s market is far more complex. The implication for business leaders, technology providers, and advisors is significant. Growth isn't just about the best product or the sharpest campaign; it's about being discoverable, trusted, and easy to buy from in the places where buyers already are.

In short, distribution has become the new battleground for B2B growth. So the question isn't 'Is my product good enough?' It's 'Can buyers find me where they're already looking?'

Why managing advisor relationships is make-or-break

The advisor ecosystem has become central to success. Omdia projects that 59% of all marketplace spend over the next four years will be driven by channel partners. Gartner predicts that by 2028, 75% of B2B organizations will close their highest-revenue deals through digital channels. How technology providers manage these relationships can truly make or break their growth strategy. While the advisor ecosystem is central, managing these relationships effectively presents specific challenges::

• Retention: Advisors have access to solutions from countless providers, making retention more demanding for businesses.

• Experience: Advisors expect the same high-quality, B2C-like experiences that B2B customers demand, with 80% looking for seamless engagement across channels.

• Logistical bottlenecks: Without effective Partner Relationship Management (PRM) tools and a marketplace platform, supporting a growing network of advisors can quickly become a logistical bottleneck.

Marketplaces: Fundamentally redefining B2B commerce

The shift we're witnessing isn't just an evolution of online marketplaces; it's a fundamental redefinition of how B2B commerce operates. The complexities of buyer expectations, AI-driven discovery, and the critical role of advisors demand a unified approach. Businesses that embrace this new reality—and leverage platforms designed for this interconnected ecosystem—will not only survive but thrive, getting found, chosen, and paid in the digital economy.

Related readings

Want to dive deeper into the forces shaping today's B2B marketplace? Explore these related articles for more insights into procurement, channel strategy, and platform selection.

How to Choose a B2B Marketplace Platform The Top Forrester Criteria, and How AppDirect Measures Up—What makes a B2B marketplace provider great? And how can you choose the marketplace platform that best meets our needs? Forrester evaluated and scored providers in The Forrester Wave™ Marketplace Development Platform, Q4 2024—The Nine Providers That Matter Most And How They Stack Up.

Scale & Optimize your Channel Sales: How a Streamlined Marketplace Strategy Fuels Growth—Learn why partner experience and omnichannel engagement are key to channel sales growth. Discover how a streamlined marketplace strategy and centralized operations help retain resellers, reduce friction, and drive scale—tips you can use now.

How to Build a Marketplace Quickly and On Budget—Discover how to overcome the challenges of creating a marketplace, while accelerating time-to-market, streamlining monetization, and enhancing partner and customer management. Learn from the success of analytics software provider Alteryx in this starter’s guide.

How to Win in an AI-Driven Marketplace Economy—Top Lessons from 2025—This curated recap of 2025’s top insights provides guidance and strategies about how leading companies are simplifying marketplace experiences, scaling ecosystems, accelerating AI impacts, and unlocking the full potential of unified lifecycle management. Read on to confidently lead and thrive.

Driving Provider Success, Marketplace Expansion, and the Everything Store—AppDirect’s new Director of Provider Management is driving growth and innovation for technology vendors. Learn how this leadership hire strengthens technology vendor success and expands multi-channel opportunities across the ecommerce marketplace.

Steps to Create an Online Marketplace

Creating an online marketplace can seem overwhelming but today it's easier than ever. Creating an online marketplace typically includes:

• Refining your idea and finding a market opportunity
• Choosing business and monetization models
• Finding an online marketplace platform and marketplace software to support it
• Building an online marketplace website
• Focusing on a minimum viable product
• Establishing a budget to start your marketplace
• Integrating online services to maximize customer experience
• Creating long-term goals for the marketplace

AppDirect makes it easy

The AppDirect platform is the industry's most powerful platform for subscription commerce and ecosystem management. Get a marketplace up and running quickly with a 30-day free trial. It’s a risk-free way to see how it works and what you can do.

Launch an app store of third party software that complements your own. Create a partner directory for your business. Showcase solutions and services, side by side. Whatever your goal, you can get to market fast and scale at your own pace.

How it works:

• Sign up now: It takes 30 seconds to start a 30-day free trial. Just fill out the form, validate your email, and you're in. No credit card required.

• Try it out: Follow the tips, in-app guides, and documentation to start building your store. Create product profiles and add your branding in no time.

• Invite users: Launching a marketplace is a team effort. Give access to cross-functional stakeholders and collaborate in one free trial.

• Choose your plan: Subscribe to a paid plan, bring your digital storefront to market, and soak up the applause.

Fill out the form to start your free trial today. Or request a demo at the same link.

Last update: April 2026