How can you increase your visibility on a marketplace?

In the world of e-commerce, marketplaces have become indispensable, offering sellers considerable visibility and audience reach. However, with thousands of competing sellers, it’s essential to stand out and increase your visibility to attract the attention of potential buyers.

Whether you’re an established seller looking to improve your performance or a newcomer to the market, these tips will help you increase your presence and generate more sales. However, they also raise a pertinent question for businesses : the choice between a marketplace presence and an independent online business.

Why is it so important to be visible on marketplaces?

1/ Increased sales opportunities

Increased visibility means more potential buyers will have access to your products. The more visible your product is, the more likely it is to be considered and purchased by customers. This opens up new sales opportunities and enables you to reach a wider audience.

2/ Credibility and trust

High visibility on a marketplace boosts your brand’s credibility and inspires confidence in buyers. When they see your products appear regularly in search results and popular category pages, customers tend to regard you as a reliable and worthy seller.

3/ Access to a wider audience

Marketplaces offer an already large and established audience. By increasing your visibility, you can reach potential customers you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. This enables you to extend your reach and reach specific geographic markets or customer segments.

4/ Competitive advantage

In a competitive environment, good visibility enables you to stand out and outperform your rivals. By being more easily found by buyers, you increase your chances of generating sales and gaining market share over other sellers present on the marketplace.

5/ Feedback and brand awareness

Increased visibility can also mean more feedback and ratings from your customers. These positive reviews help build the confidence of future buyers and enhance your online reputation. A good reputation on a marketplace can help you attract new customers and retain existing ones

How can you optimize your store’s presence on marketplaces?

1/ Create an attractive profile:

Start by creating a complete and attractive store profile. Use quality images, a clear and concrete description of your business and highlight your strengths and competitive advantages. A professional, attractive profile inspires confidence and encourages buyers to explore your store further.

On Rakuten, for example, you can create an E-boutique: a space entirely dedicated to your offers, allowing visitors to discover the world of your brand. From customized banners and the organization of your shop window to the highlighting of offers and products according to the year’s highlights, you’re in control of your brand.

2/ Efficient inventory management:

Keep your inventory up-to-date and accurate. Keep an eye on stock levels, update available quantities and remove products that are no longer available. In this way, you’ll avoid disappointing your customers and maintain a solid reputation as a reliable seller.

3/ Offer quality customer service:

Responsive, quality customer service is essential to building customer loyalty and generating positive referrals. Respond quickly to customer questions and requests, handle returns and refunds professionally, and resolve problems quickly. Good customer service strengthens your reputation and encourages customers to return to you for future purchases.

Find out how to build buyer loyalty through good customer service.

4/ Take care of your product sheets

See below ↓

Our 5 tips to improve your product’s SEO and increase its visibility

Improving the SEO of your products is one of our 7 tips for selling better on marketplaces.

To optimize your product listings, you need to :

1/ Conduct keyword research:

Identify relevant keywords for your products using keyword research tools. Select popular and specific terms that are often used by buyers in their searches. Integrate these keywords naturally into your product titles, descriptions and tags.

2/ Optimize your product titles:

Product titles are essential for SEO. Use clear, concise and descriptive titles that include your target keywords. Highlight the unique features of your products and avoid generic titles. Be sure to comply with marketplace guidelines in terms of title length and format

3/ Write detailed descriptions:

Product descriptions should be informative, detailed and convincing. Describe the product’s main features, benefits and possible uses. Use short paragraphs, bullets and well-structured sections to facilitate reading.

4/ Add quality images:

Images play a crucial role in customers’ purchasing decisions. Use high-quality images that highlight the important features and details of your products. Opt for multiple angles, close-up views and situational images to give buyers a better idea of the product.

5/ Use tags and attributes:

Tags and attributes are additional information you can add to your products to make them easier to find in search results. Use appropriate tags to describe specific attributes of your products, such as color, size, material, and so on. This allows buyers to filter search results according to their preferences.

Use marketlace promotional tools for greater visibility

On most marketplaces, you’ll find several ways to promote your products:

1/ Sponsored ads:

Sponsored ads are an effective way of increasing the visibility of your products by placing them at the top of search results. You can choose the keywords on which you want your ads to appear and set a budget for your advertising campaigns. Make sure you select relevant keywords and optimize the content of your ads to achieve a good return on investment.

At Rakuten, we offer a tool, Rakuten ADS, to maximize the prominence of your ads in 1st position thanks to an algorithm that suggests products at the most propitious moments in the customer journey. If a potential buyer types in a predefined keyword, your product appears first in the search results. You can set up a cost-per-click configuration, allowing you to define a daily budget!

2/ Special offers and discounts :

Marketplaces often offer options for creating special offers and applying discounts to your products. You can create temporary promotional offers, such as group discounts, seasonal promotions or discounts for new customers. These special offers can attract buyers’ attention and encourage them to buy your products rather than those of your competitors.

With Rakuten Coupons, you can set a minimum purchase amount at which customers can use a discount coupon. On Rakuten, offers with coupons are relayed and visible on our Rakuten Deals page, one of the most frequented pages on our site.

3/ Loyalty programs and benefits :

Some marketplaces offer loyalty programs or benefits to salespeople who reach certain sales or customer satisfaction targets. These programs may give you access to additional features, special highlights on the site or reduced rates on selling fees. Make sure you explore these options and actively participate in programs that match your business objectives.

On Rakuten, there are Rakuten points that allow you to offer discounts in points to set yourself apart from the competition and build customer loyalty. Our loyalty program, Club R, is the most generous in France, with 12 million members. Club members earn points with every purchase and can redeem them on their next purchase thanks to our cashback system on all platforms in our ecosystem