Marketplace & Platform Economy Strategy

Online marketplaces and platforms have become the primary trading infrastructure in e-commerce – in B2C as well as B2B. In B2C, generalists such as Amazon, OTTO and Zalando set the standard for reach and purchase decision, while specialised platforms such as AboutYou, Decathlon or Galaxus are gaining relevance in their segments. In B2B, platforms such as Unite and Amazon Business increasingly define how procurement processes are mapped digitally – driven by the growing expectation among B2B buyers of a seamless, B2C-comparable purchasing experience. For brand manufacturers, this development represents a fundamental shift: platform operators control the online street price, customer access via digital visibility and data sovereignty. Companies without a systematic platform strategy cede these levers to the competition.

Context and relevance

The strategic questions in the platform business extend far beyond channel selection. In the B2C segment, the large marketplaces bundle the predominant share of online purchase decisions and determine, via algorithms, advertising and fulfilment models, which brands are visible. In the B2B segment, the channel shift from offline to online is accelerating – with the still low degree of digitalisation of many procurement processes, this gives rise to considerable positioning potential for manufacturers and retailers that set up a structured platform strategy early. What is decisive in both segments is the integrated answering of central questions: market potential per platform, optimal business model, platform-specific marketing mix, commercial viability, organisational requirements, governance structures and a robust business case. Companies that answer these questions in isolation or reactively risk suboptimal channel allocation, margin erosion and strategic dependency.

Our approach

FOSTEC & Company structures the Marketplace & Platform Economy Strategy on the basis of experience from over 200 platform strategies developed for brand manufacturers from a wide range of industries in B2B and B2C. The strategy development follows a structured seven-phase model that is transferred into a robust platform strategy playbook (Figure 1: 7 phases of an online marketplace strategy):

1. Market potential analysis: data-driven determination of the revenue potential per platform on the basis of market intelligence with actual transaction data. The evaluation covers market volume, growth dynamics, category and competitive intensity. In B2C, the focus is on reach, conversion potential and category market shares. In B2B, range fit, procurement integration and the question of which product categories are suitable for transaction-driven platforms are decisive. The marketplace prioritisation prioritises platforms on a fact-based footing by strategic and economic potential – across generalists, B2B platforms and specialised niche providers.
2. Business model strategy: for each prioritised platform, the optimal business model is defined. In B2C, this covers the decision between the vendor model (1P), seller model (3P) or hybrid approach – each with specific implications for margin potential, controllability and data access. In B2B, the focus is on catalogue integration, procurement integration, individual terms models and the question of fulfilment architecture. The evaluation takes into account strategic dependency, scalability and the long-term value-creation perspective for each model variant.
3. Marketing mix strategy (5Ps): definition of a platform-specific strategy along product (range architecture, exclusive products, bundling), price (price positioning, MAP strategies, dynamic pricing), place (listing architecture, content quality, A+ content), promotion (retail media, sponsored ads, deal mechanics) and people (internal competence holders, target group analysis). In B2B, specific elements are added, such as tiered prices, customer-specific ranges and procurement-compatible product data. Each platform requires an independently calibrated marketing mix.
4. Negotiation of terms and contracts (terms & conditions): preparation and support of terms negotiations with platform operators. This covers the design of vendor contracts and seller agreements, the definition of SLAs and performance parameters, MAP strategies to safeguard margins, cross-border requirements (customs, taxes, product approvals) and the logic of ongoing contract optimisation. Our experience shows that the quality of the initial negotiation has a decisive influence on the long-term profitability of the platform relationship.
5. Organisational build-up: definition of roles, responsibilities and decision-making structures for the platform business. The central question: internal build-up, cooperation with external partners or a hybrid operating model? The analysis covers competence requirements, interfaces to existing sales structures, recruiting needs and the organisational anchoring of the platform business within the overall organisation. In B2B, integration into existing key-account and field-sales structures is a central field of design here.
6. Governance and management logic: build-up of a seller economics model with full P&L transparency per platform – from commissions through advertising costs to net margin. Complemented by a KPI framework with dashboards and performance-review processes, as well as an ecosystem map that makes actors, dependencies and value-creation flows in the platform ecosystem transparent. The governance structure defines escalation paths, review cycles and decision rules for operational platform management.
7. Business plan: consolidation of all analysis results into a complete economic business case. Comparison of revenue potential and cost structure on the basis of terms, marketing mix, organisation and governance. Our experience shows that the systematic build-up of all seven strategy dimensions has a decisive influence on the long-term evolution of revenue and margins – both compared with a purely opportunistic platform presence and compared with a delayed market entry. The result is a robust basis for decision-making with a quantified opportunity-risk assessment and a strategic recommendation.

Figure 1: 7 phases of an online marketplace strategy

Results and impact

The result is a complete, investment-proof platform strategy: fact-based prioritised marketplaces, a fully calculated revenue and margin picture per platform and business model, and a clear assessment of the structural dependencies and value-creation logic in the relevant platform environment. Afterwards, clients know not only where they should be present – but under what conditions, in which model and with what organisational toolkit a marketplace presence is profitable in the long term. The Marketplace & Platform Economy Strategy closes the most common gap in the platform business: the leap from opportunistic channel activity to a managed, margin-oriented platform architecture. This strategy thereby creates the basis for all downstream channel decisions and forms the foundation for operational Marketplace Management & Optimisation.

Position within the service portfolio

The Marketplace & Platform Economy Strategy is part of FOSTEC & Company’s overarching Commerce & Growth Strategy portfolio. This comprises services of varying scope and focus along the entire commerce value chain:

• Marketplace & Platform Strategy
• Omnichannel Growth & D2C-Strategy
• Channel Strategy & Distribution Architecture
• Commerce Media & Performance Strategy
• Revenue Architecture & Value Optimization
• Commerce Technology & Operations Infrastructure
• AI-Native Commerce & Business Model Innovation

Let us assess in an introductory conversation which platform potential exists for your company – data-driven, pragmatic and with clear, actionable recommendations.