Over the past few years, and even more so since the health crisis, online sales have grown in popularity. To meet consumer expectations and boost sales for retailers, marketplaces have been created and are proving highly successful. DOOD invites you to discover what a marketplace is, and how the DOOD offer adapts it to the foodservice sector.
What is a marketplace?
Marketplaces have become an important part of the retail world in recent years, and even more so after the confinements. Let’s find out what these marketplaces really are, and how they work.
Marketplace: definition
A marketplace is an e-commerce site that brings buyers and sellers together. This multi-vendor platform is visited by a huge number of Internet users, who can buy a multitude of products or services online. The marketplace represents an interesting channel for sellers, who can address a large number of potential buyers, both professional and private.
The best-known generalist marketplaces are platforms such as Ebay, Amazon or Cdiscount, but more and more professionals are offering sector-specific marketplaces, as in the catering sector.
In order to become more independent, retailers and brands are creating their own marketplaces for their various establishments. This is the case for sports giant Décathlon, and even catering chains such as Vapiano. They then own all their group’s online stores.
How a marketplace works
For a long time reserved for BtoB (business-to-business) sales, the marketplace is becoming more democratic and is now also available to private customers. Every year, millions of transactions take place on these huge online shopping malls. It’s a powerful acquisition channel, as easy as it is fast.
The platform enables professionals and individuals to take advantage of an online distribution channel, and all the traffic it generates, to sell their services and products. The multitude of sellers on the platform attracts many visitors, and therefore generates a maximum number of sales.
Such a system is generally remunerated by taking a commission on each sale made via the platform. However, having your own marketplace for your multiple establishments allows you to dispense with this commission-on-sale model and take control of your customers’ entire online purchasing journey.
The foodservice marketplace
For a number of years now, restaurant and catering businesses have been using the marketplace as a practical and simple tool to increase their customer base.
The marketplace principle in foodservice
With new technologies, consumption patterns have evolved, and many people are now turning to Click & Collect to order their takeaway meals online. Simply visit the platform or app to discover nearby restaurants, consult the map and order.
You can then place and pay for your order from your smartphone, tablet or computer, then collect it from the restaurant. And to make life even easier for consumers, the marketplace also offers online ordering and home delivery, so you can enjoy menus from your favorite restaurant without leaving home.
A solution with multiple benefits
Food entrepreneurs and consumers alike see many advantages in setting up a marketplace:
– The restaurant or catering business is free to manage the products offered for sale and the price charged;
– The application is attracting new customers, who can now search for a restaurant based on a specific product, service or dish;
– The restaurant gains in visibility and diversifies its sources of income;
– The marketplace dedicated to restaurants offers functionalities to facilitate the management of orders, payments, deliveries… ;
– The platform builds customer loyalty by creating a privileged, personalized relationship…
The marketplace by DOOD
DOOD digitalizes local shops and restaurants by offering digital tools for online sales. The DOOD offer includes a marketplace solution, enabling you to create a platform perfectly optimized for your business.
A solution for every company
The DOOD marketplace is aimed not only at “classic” restaurants that have their own premises and would like to develop Click & Collect, but also at all businesses involved in the catering sector.
– Franchises and networks: the marketplace provides easy access to all offers, thanks to centralized management of sales outlets;
– Dark kitchens: the marketplace helps you increase your online visibility, manage and organize online sales, and build customer loyalty;
– Food court: the marketplace is a digital solution that facilitates online ordering and the management of a multi-corner business;
– Les halles gourmandes: the marketplace solution offers customers an omnichannel shopping path, enabling them to shop online at all the retailers present in the same hall.
A made-to-measure marketplace
The DOOD marketplace is fully customizable and connects to numerous third-party services (CRM, POS, ERP, etc.). You can imagine a platform that reflects your image, where the customer experience will be unique. The shopping path can then be optimized for multi-site and multi-brand navigation, while meeting your needs and those of your customers.
The turnkey marketplace makes management easy, allowing you to select the options that interest you, such as distribution modes, geolocation, or a common basket with single payment.
Centralize the management of your online business
The DOOD marketplace centralizes the various sales channels and offers, offering customers an omnichannel experience. You can choose between central and local management, and have access to a dashboard that enables you to optimize your decisions, thanks to the display of statistics by order, by product, or by profile.
As a restaurant or retailer, you can increase your sales and choose the price of each product, without having to pay a percentage to the platform.
A white-label marketplace
With DOOD, the restaurateur uses the marketplace without having to mention the publisher’s brand. DOOD makes its technology available, which is an asset in the highly competitive foodservice sector. Professionals save time by taking advantage of the publisher’s technical expertise, and can concentrate on their core business.
Looking for a way to diversify your income and increase your customer base? DOOD’s marketplace offer opens the doors to online sales with simplicity and efficiency.