Learn how to increase your international sales in 2025 thanks to marketplaces! This article reveals why and how you can use them to conquer new markets, reduce costs and improve delivery times, even internationally. Don’t miss these essential tips to boost your international growth!
Going international in 2025 is an ambitious goal, but one that is achievable thanks to marketplaces. These platforms offer increased visibility and a global audience, enabling you to reach potential customers anywhere in the world. To maximize your chances of success, it’s crucial to adopt a well-thought-out strategy and use appropriate tools like those offered by Shippingbo.
Marketplaces help you expand internationally
Marketplaces represent a major opportunity for e-tailers looking to expand internationally. Today, the e-commerce sector is experiencing constant growth, and marketplaces play a crucial role in this expansion. By 2027, it is estimated that 59% of e-commerce sales will be made via these platforms.
Marketplace 1P vs. 3P: understanding the difference
Marketplaces can be divided into two main models: 1P (First Party) and 3P (Third Party).
- Model 1P: you sell your stock directly to the marketplace, which then becomes the official seller. For example, when you see “Sold and shipped by Amazon”, this means that the product is sold under the 1P model.
- 3P model: you use the marketplace platform to sell your products while remaining the official seller. Products are displayed as “Sold by [Your Name]” on the platform.
The 3P model is booming and represents a huge opportunity for brands. Unlike the 1P model, it allows you to maintain control over pricing and customer relations, which is essential for controlling your brand image.
An unprecedented growth opportunity
Many consumers in France and around the world are already buying products from foreign websites. Around two-thirds of consumers worldwide have already purchased a product from a foreign site, and this figure also includes French consumers. At the same time, two-thirds of French retailers use Amazon to sell internationally.
This opening up of digital frontiers represents a powerful lever for developing business. Indeed, merchants who extend their Amazon presence to other countries report average growth of +30% compared to those who limit themselves to the French market. This dynamic is particularly accessible thanks to marketplaces, which facilitate this expansion by offering increased visibility on a global scale.
In fact, 47% of online product searches begin directly on a marketplace. Integrating these platforms not only enables you to sell internationally, but also to increase traffic to your own e-commerce site…
The logistical advantages of marketplaces
One of the main advantages of marketplaces is the simplification of logistics processes. With solutions like Shippingbo, you can connect over 200 marketplaces and automate your order management. This reduces errors, optimizes costs and guarantees fast delivery times, a crucial factor in customer satisfaction.
Marketplaces also offer a unique opportunity to diversify your income. By selling on several platforms and in several countries, you can balance the risks. For example, if one market or platform encounters difficulties, your sales on other channels can compensate for these losses.
What’s more, the flexibility of marketplaces means you can test new markets without a heavy financial commitment. You can evaluate the performance of your products in different countries and adjust your strategy accordingly. If a marketplace isn’t performing as expected, you can easily stop without having to invest large sums.
What’s your plan of action? 5 criteria to consider when going international
To succeed in your international expansion via marketplaces, it’s essential to follow a structured action plan. Here are five key criteria to consider in order to maximize your chances of success:
- Country specificities: some products may be accepted in one country and prohibited in another due to cultural, religious or health standards. Evaluate market size, proximity and local peculiarities to ensure the viability of your products.
- Language and localization: the language barrier is a major obstacle to international expansion. It’s essential to translate your product sheets and user manuals into the local language. What’s more, offering customer support in the language of the target country, such as Danish for Denmark, can greatly enhance the user experience and customer satisfaction.
- E-commerce market maturity: analyze the maturity of the e-commerce market in the target country. Northern European countries, for example, have a high penetration of e-commerce, unlike certain regions of Southern Europe or the Maghreb. This assessment will help you adapt your distribution strategy to local buying habits.
- Administrative and financial aspects: administrative and tax regulations vary from country to country. It’s important to understand the implications of VAT, customs duties and other regulations specific to each country, whether inside or outside the European Union. Good administrative preparation is essential to avoid legal and financial complications.
- Logistics strategy: it’s crucial to plan an effective logistics strategy that takes into account costs, delivery times and return options. Shippingbo offers solutions to optimize these aspects by connecting you to major carriers and automating the order management process.
What logistics strategy should you implement?
To maximize your international sales, it’s essential to develop a logistics strategy tailored to the specificities of each target market. Let’s take the example of a French e-tailer using Shopify to sell its products via its own site and various marketplaces, including Amazon Spain. The first step is to centralize your order management. Use an OMS (Order Management System) like the one offered by Shippingbo to retrieve and process orders from all your sales platforms. This allows you to synchronize stocks in real time and avoid picking errors.
Before fully entering a new market, identify the products that sell best. For example, if you find that certain items sell particularly well in Spain, consider stocking them locally to reduce shipping costs and delivery times. Rather than opening a new warehouse in Spain, a more cost-effective solution is to use a local logistician to store part of your products. Shippingbo facilitates multi-warehouse management, enabling you to automatically direct orders to the warehouse closest to the customer.
Flow management is essential for smooth logistics. Use Shippingbo’s advanced features to automate logistics processes and minimize manual handling. This includes inventory management, order picking and carrier selection. For products shipped from your warehouse in France, work with international carriers such as FedEx, DHL or Chronopost. For products stored locally in Spain, use local carriers such as Correos.
This enables you to offer short delivery times and competitive shipping costs, essential to remain competitive on marketplaces. Once your logistics strategy is well established in Spain, you can apply the same model to other markets such as Germany. Adapt your warehouses and carriers to local conditions. Shippingbo enables you to manage your logistics flexibly and scalably, ensuring a smooth transition to new markets.
Boost your international sales with Shippingbo
In conclusion, to succeed in your international expansion in 2025, it’s essential to implement an optimized logistics strategy. Marketplaces offer global visibility and reach, but they require rigorous and efficient logistics management. With Shippingbo, you can centralize, automate and optimize your logistics operations, enabling you to meet consumer expectations while reducing your costs and delivery times.
With Shippingbo, maximize your e-commerce performance and open up new markets with complete peace of mind. Discover how our solution can transform your logistics and boost your international sales.
