Marketplaces
Editorial coverage, analysis and commerce intelligence on marketplaces across global markets.
The Platform Tollbooth: How Marketplace Fee Hikes Are Reshaping American E-Commerce
As distribution giants from Amazon to Walmart convert third-party merchant services into high-margin profit centers, independent sellers face a structural squeeze that challenges the economic model of open digital storefronts.
The Merchant Toll: How Platform Advertising Broke the Economics of Third-Party Selling
As retail media networks absorb an ever-larger share of gross merchandise value, independent vendors across major platforms face a structural shift from distribution partner to captive advertiser.
The Curated Bastion: How British Retailers Are Repurposing the Marketplace Model
Confronted by cross-border discounters and rising fulfilment costs, Britain’s legacy merchants are turning their digital storefronts into tightly vetted exchanges backed by brick-and-mortar networks.
The Fortress of Domestic Moats: Why Europe's Marketplace Fragmentation Endures
Despite decades of single-market harmonisation and aggressive foreign expansion, national payment habits and bespoke fulfilment networks continue to protect continental champions against pan-European consolidation.
The Continental Fortress: European Marketplaces Pivot to Infrastructure as Borderless Ambitions Stall
Confronted by persistent national borders and aggressive low-cost foreign imports, the continent’s leading digital commerce platforms are abandoning rapid cross-border expansion in favour of logistics mutualisation and retail media.
TikTok Shop, Temu and Shein Have Permanently Changed What an American Marketplace Looks Like
The fastest-growing marketplaces in the United States are barely two years old — and they are quietly forcing Amazon, Walmart and the broader retail ecosystem to respond.
Europe's Marketplaces Are Quietly the Most Interesting Operators in Global Retail
Zalando, Allegro, Bol and a cohort of national champions are running disciplined, profitable marketplaces in markets that Amazon has spent a decade trying to dominate.
The Quiet Resurgence of Second-Hand and Specialty Marketplaces
Vinted, Depop, eBay and a generation of focused marketplaces are growing faster than anyone expected — and reshaping how younger consumers shop.
Amazon's Third-Party Seller Math Has Broken — and the Marketplace Is Adjusting
All-in fees on Amazon now exceed half of revenue for the average mid-sized seller. The result is a quiet but meaningful shift in where independent sellers spend their time.
Why TikTok Shop Is Exploding in the United States — and What Could Slow It Down
In under three years, TikTok Shop has gone from experiment to one of the fastest-growing commerce surfaces in U.S. history. The growth is real — and so are the risks.
Walmart Marketplace vs Amazon Marketplace: The Real Comparison for Sellers in 2026
Both promise scale and demand. The differences in fees, fulfilment, advertising and competitive intensity make them very different businesses for third-party sellers.