蘑菇AV

Last week, retail marketplaces Thrive Market and Faire joined the growing number of retail media.

Major retailers like IKEA, Walmart, and ThredUp are launching peer-to-peer resale marketplaces, aiming to capture a slice of the booming secondhand market. This trend comes as US marketplace ecommerce sales are projected to surpass $500 billion next year, according to our forecast.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why many retailers are choosing now to launch peer-to-peer marketplaces, why consumers might choose IKEA鈥檚 resale platform versus the already established players like Facebook Marketplace and eBay, and what they need to be successful. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sky Canaves and Sarah Marzano.

Walmart enhanced its online marketplace with new capabilities and seller solutions, the retailer announced at its annual Walmart Marketplace Seller Summit this week. Updates include the addition of premium beauty products, expanded fulfillment services, and revamped seller solutions.

Both retailers used generative AI to improve employee productivity in Q2鈥擶almart leveraged the tech to improve its product catalog and Target used it to enhance in-store employee tools. Target鈥檚 curbside pickup service helped it grow digital comparable sales 8.7% YoY, while Walmart鈥檚 marketplace and sales of GLP-1 drugs contributed to its 4.2% comp sales growth YoY.

Ikea鈥檚 business model evolves: In addition to experimenting with new store formats in new locations and bolstering its online presence, the furniture giant tests a peer-to-peer secondhand marketplace.

Gen Z shoppers embrace Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop: 1 in 4 makes a purchase at a Chinese online marketplace at least once a week, as their array of cheap, trendy goods proves impossible for the price-sensitive cohort to resist.

US B2B ecommerce growth is outpacing B2B product and electronic sales growth鈥攂ut at a slow rate. Buyers鈥� preference for third-party marketplaces (e.g., Amazon Business) is fueling growth, pushing sellers to consider ecommerce solutions and third-party platforms to reach buyers and meet their procurement expectations.

ThredUp tests peer-to-peer marketplace model as losses pile up: The resale platform is in need of a reset as it struggles to navigate an uncertain economic environment.

Fast shipping, the vast selection of products, and high-quality customer service add to consumers鈥� growing attraction to online retail marketplaces, our analyst Sky Canaves said. 鈥淚f there are any issues with the order, for example, there鈥檚 a trusted intermediary between the buyer and seller, which is why consumers may often feel that they have greater trust in 尘补谤办别迟辫濒补肠别蝉,鈥� she said.

By 2026, 30% of every $10 spent online in the region will occur on Mercado Libre鈥檚 digital marketplace, up from slightly less than a quarter in 2022. Mercado Env铆os serves as the logistics backbone behind Mercado Libre's marketplace success. Mercado Env铆os, the shipping arm of Mercado Libre, has been a key driver of the company鈥檚 ecommerce success since its 2013 launch.

Product safety issues could derail Chinese ecommerce platforms鈥� growth ambitions: Shein and Temu are struggling to keep products with high levels of toxic substances鈥攁s well as those hazardous to babies and children鈥攐ff their marketplaces.

Last but not least, Etsy鈥檚 Depop marketplace is poised to benefit from growing interest in resale for both environmental and financial reasons. While the company didn鈥檛 break out numbers, it noted that Depop recorded its best GMS performance since its 2021 acquisition in Q1, driven by healthy US growth.

Young people are on Marketplace and Groups: The challenge for Meta is to direct those users to more monetizable areas of the app.

The Commission鈥檚 decision represents the EU鈥檚 strongest effort yet to curb the market power of big tech companies and promote a more competitive digital marketplace. Given that Meta and Apple intend to appeal the decision, the actual payment of fines could be significantly delayed, and appeals could alter the final outcome.

Marketplaces exert a strong (and still growing) influence. The share of ecommerce taking place through third-party marketplace channels will increase from 38.5% in 2024 to 39.8% in 2028, when the total value of marketplace sales will approach $700 billion.

Ad revenues grew 18% in Q1, driven by strong demand for sponsored ads on its marketplace as well as growing interest in Prime Video ads. The headwinds: Amazon is trying to control the controllables, but little about the current situation is precedented or predictable.

Amazon misses sales expectations as shoppers trade down to cheaper products: The retailer is trying to win over price-conscious customers with more sales events and a soon-to-be-launched budget marketplace.

Under Steelman, Ulta is now focused on launching a new marketplace, upgrading both in-store and digital experiences, and entering new markets.

Ecommerce now accounts for 18% of Walmart鈥檚 global sales; the channel grew 20% YoY in the US alone in Q4, helped by its expanded marketplace assortment and investments in faster, more efficient delivery.

Tariffs on imported goods, especially from China, are squeezing marketplace sellers鈥� margins, pushing prices higher, and softening demand. With sellers unable to absorb the added costs or face inventory shortages, many are scaling back their retail media spending to protect profitability鈥攁dding another layer of strain to an already fragile ecosystem.