Why not sell services or items with close competitors under one roof if you’re having trouble selling them in a crowded niche? Although it may appear contentious, the notion of an online eCommerce aggregator is just that.
What is an aggregator model in eCommerce?
An eCommerce aggregator is a site or app that collects (hence the name) or arranges various offers from competing businesses and sells them to customers in a single location. The aggregator forms a partnership with the selected firms and enters into a contract with them to run a consolidated service under a single brand.
The top amazon aggregators make money by bringing new consumers to their platform to access such services at uniform prices. They frequently incorporate subject expertise in areas like corporate infrastructure and advertising. Additionally, when partners acquire clients, the aggregator platform receives a percentage of the sale of their goods and services.
How is the business model of an aggregator implemented? Generally, partners specify a minimal price for their items. After that, the aggregator offers the final cost to the platform’s end user. As a consequence, end consumers have access to a diverse range of high-quality offerings in one location and can easily choose the best deal.
What is the value for each party?
- For buyers or end-users:
In other categories, there is just no solution without eCommerce aggregators, as there are too many identical items on the marketplace and an individual cannot gather and assess offers individually. Consider the countless options for childcare, education, carrier services, and taxis, to name a few. As a result, the consumer must pick from comparable offerings and evaluate pricing, ratings, and reviews.
Rather than that, customers may rely on a handy provider which has already done the legwork and aggregated pertinent items at competitive pricing. The design is intuitive and familiar, and the aggregator site is concerned with the major quality selection, which is rather easy for the end-user.
- For partners:
Since company partners deliver products and services under a united brand, they avoid the costs associated with advertising and business growth. Rather than that, they assign this responsibility to a brand value accelerator, which has a higher volume of relevant visitors and paying consumers than a single online retailer. To begin, it invests vast sums of money in brand advertising. Second, eCommerce aggregators have historically been favoured by search engines.
Partners can lower their expenses in this business strategy by paying a portion of their sales only when they sell a product on this platform. This and other characteristics resemble the marketplace business model of an eCommerce aggregator. These are, however, two distinct platforms with unique boundaries. Without further ado, let us discuss their common characteristics and distinctions.
Aggregator vs. marketplace: What unites them?
- Both services enhance interactions between consumers and sellers by bringing them together in a familiar atmosphere.
- They have no obligation for the phase of the company offers’ manufacturing. They also lack a production framework and a warehouse.
- Sales, marketing, and consumer experience are all areas of responsibility.
Marketplace model vs aggregator model: What sets them apart?
- Brand
As previously said, aggregators amass a portfolio of small firms or people providing a variety of goods or services and group them under a single brand. The aggregator is responsible for brand development and commercial growth in this situation. Consider Airbnb in the case of hotels and Uber in the case of cabs. These eCommerce aggregators pool the offerings of several business providers and include just their own.
While marketplaces allow for the representation of items and services under numerous brands that are not owned by the marketplace. Amazon, for example, has a strong brand, yet different firms may sell their products under their name.
2. Partnership model:
In eCommerce, an aggregator establishes a framework in which each participant has the liberty and flexibility to accept or reject a service offer. Additionally, these firms are not hired by the aggregator. Rather than that, they sign a contract outlining the parameters of their collaboration, commission, and quality criteria, among other things.
A marketplace acts as a go-between for buyers and sellers, earning a commission on each transaction conducted on the site. Its partnership approach posits that each of numerous firms is accountable for the product’s or service’s quality and delivery.
- Quality:
Aggregators aim to eliminate gaps in their offering’s quality to build trust in their business. As a result, they often invest inadequate quality assurance and staff devoted to maintaining a uniform product range.
The quality of comparable items or services may differ according to a marketplace, as this is not within its purview. Every seller on the platform is responsible for adhering to the platform’s terms of service and ensuring the quality of their service.
- Pricing
When surfing through eCommerce aggregators, it is uncommon to see big pricing discrepancies. As with excellence, these platforms attempt to maintain consistent values across their offering. Such phrases are precisely stated before the two parties sign a contract.
You’ve undoubtedly guessed by now that markets provide a broad range of prices for their items. Different vendors use different price tags because they have greater flexibility under the contract.
Popular industries for aggregators
Food delivery aggregators
This business model is centred on the on-demand supply of meals from various eateries. In brief, a consumer may order the required food and save time by not having to look for the greatest deal. In turn, an aggregator operates as a go-between for consumers and restaurants, allowing customers to compare pricing, ratings, and dishes on a single platform.
What are food aggregators and how do they work? The website or mobile application collects and matches submitted orders with pre-arranged service providers. As a result, food delivery aggregators must cater to two distinct user segments: customers and eateries. The majority of aggregators can show a local restaurant to customers in their region and charge a fee for each order that travels through their system.
Several of the largest meal-delivery aggregators have achieved global notoriety and expanded their offerings into other nations and continents. They include GrubHub, Zomato, FoodPanda, Just Eat, and Doordash, among others.
Hotel aggregators
Hotel aggregators collaborate with various hotels to get accessibility to and handle their hotels’ administrative and advertising features. They provide a defined set of consumer options, which helps to ease the booking process and ensures property owners receive a predictable monthly income stream. These platforms include features for guests and landlords, as well as an administration interface with apartment management modules.
Here are the major players in this area:
- Agoda
- OYO
- Airbnb
- Goibibo
Shipping aggregators for eCommerce stores
These systems enable online merchants to collaborate with a variety of courier partners to meet rapid delivery demands. Whether it’s a sudden surge in Cyber Monday sales or a desire to cut transportation expenses, eCom shipping aggregators may meet those objectives while also providing the ease and effectiveness that technology-enabled services give.
Taxi booking aggregators
These platforms aggregate private drivers, independent entrepreneurs, and taxi companies to supply consumers with on-demand taxi options. When a user places an order, the system assists in determining the most efficient route and appropriate cab, tracking its progress, and charging for the service, less the driver’s fee.
A taxi aggregator, such as Uber or Lyft, is comprised of driver, passenger, and supervisor panels. Additionally, these market leaders provide additional features such as various payment channels and in-app analytics.
No eCommerce aggregator is the same in terms of a collection of behind-the-scenes functions. However, if you want to get started and come into the marketplace, you need to understand the architecture and characteristics of the prospective solution.
Conclusion
Consider developing an aggregator site or app if you want to establish an eCommerce firm and create impact. It is most effective when it attracts a big customer group to a simple, user-friendly, and easy shopping environment that offers a diverse selection of products and services.