It was way back in the heady days of summer - up here in the Northern Hemisphere that is - that we launched Marketplace Platform Advisor. We hoped the tool would help all kinds of marketplace entrepreneurs to find the best platform for their current and future needs - and we've been thrilled to see projects large and small benefiting from the tool's guidance.
But the world of online marketplaces doesn't sit still - and nor do we at Roobykon. Barely a week goes by without a developer somewhere in the world releasing a new marketplace theme or plugin, or even a whole new platform - whether in a bid to improve user experience, offer greater flexibility and customization possibilities, or cater to some hitherto-neglected niche.
And of course, as new marketplace-building options appear, we add these to the Marketplace Platform Advisor - to make sure that you always get the most up-to-date recommendations. So without further ado, here's our pick of the recent additions!
1. Romanian developers SiteMile make some bold promises for theirPricerr Micro Jobs WordPress theme, and they've indeed created a compelling offering for anyone wanting to create a place for individuals to market their skills.
Marketplaces made with this theme let anyone with a skill to offer post a listing; anyone looking for skilled people can then search those listings, filtering and organizing results according to various criteria. There's a range of monetization options for the marketplace owner, from taking a cut from completed jobs to charging for special listing features.
WordPress is an incredibly strong and well-established CMS
Simple, comprehensible site design
Great dashboard
The documentation supplied is not quite up to the high standard we expect from SiteMile
There's a limit to the number of job categories that can be added to the home page
2.> PrestaShop is a widely-used, low-cost, open source solution for creating regular e-commerce sites.
But what if you've created a site with PrestaShop, but now want to expand your horizons by allowing third-party sellers to come on board? Well, simply put, you download the neat Prestashop Multi-Vendor Marketplace module, which, you'll be surprised to hear, lets you bring in a whole host of additional vendors - and, of course, to charge them for the business opportunities they'll be gaining.
A straightforward route into the marketplace business for existing Prestashop users
Dropshipper functionality makes for easier management of shipping
No ability to sell downloadable products (such as CMS themes and plugins, 3D models, etc.)
You can't create individual, custom-built storefronts for each seller
Lacks built-in support for coupon codes
3. OpenCart is an e-commerce solution that's found favour with small traders and big corporates alike. If you're working with the Joomla! content management system and would like to take advantage of OpenCart's great flexibility and features, you'll probably have come across JooCart, which lets you do just that.
And if you'd like to turn your JooCart e-com site into a marketplace, JooCart Multivendor is the extension for you.
Very modest price
Fully open source
There's No documentation available ahead of purchase
Doesn't support the mediation of funds using Escrow
4.Prestashop Advanced Marketplace might, on the face of it, look rather similar to the Prestashop Multi-Vendor Marketplace module we've discussed above. But as ever, the devil's in the detail, and this solution offers some features that more advanced Prestashop users are likely to find really handy - particularly when it comes to admin controls.
Powerful and well-thought-out range of admin controls - for example, the ability to choose whether or not to display seller details on product pages
Advanced SEO features
Ability to adjust distribution of sales tax burden between buyer and seller
Sellers can't create their own customized storefront
No geolocation functionality for sellers
No subscription-based monetization option
5.Further adding to the rich array of options available to users of the Prestashop e-commerce platform,Knowband Prestashop Marketplace is a simple and straightforward solution for anyone who wants to add a rich array of marketplace functionality.
Quick and easy setup process
Option of a free, open source version
Compatible with all Prestashop payment gateway options
Sellers can't create their own customized storefront
No geolocation functionality for sellers
No built-in support for coupon codes
The world of online marketplaces is ever-growing, both in sophistication and scope. At Roobykon, we're constantly working to maintain and expand our understanding of this exciting technological and commercial landscape.
Perhaps you're a marketplace owner with your own perspective on one of the solutions we've mentioned? Maybe you're a developer who has created a new theme or plugin you think we should know about - or a shopper whose needs are not yet being met by the marketplaces on offer?
In any of these scenarios, we'd love to hear from you! Contact us
Start working with the improved Marketplace Platform Advisor: https://roobykon.com/marketplace-advisor
