Image by Jenni Lydell
If you’re like me, then pie has been on your mind lately. With just a few days until Thanksgiving, I’ve now promised an unreasonable number of pie flavors to my 4-year-old. Here’s hoping he won’t remember by the time we sit down for turkey.
And beyond the usual pumpkin, apple, and pecan (who’s with me!?), there’s another pie that’s been gaining attention lately. Estimated to hit $100 billion by 2026, the cloud marketplace pie is looking pretty tasty for our three biggest hyperscalers—AWS, Microsoft, and Google. $100 billion is a ton of throughput (up from $15 billion in 2023) and with it will come continued investment to build out these cloud marketplaces so they’re THE place to spend. We already saw Microsoft consolidate its AppSource and Azure Marketplace into Microsoft Marketplace this year to streamline the process for partners and customers.
The cloud marketplace is where the $$ is
So, what does this mean for equally hungry channel partners? If you’re a systems integrator, managed service provider, or software vendor, the growth in marketplaces is a big signal to get your listing page(s) in order! For the foreseeable future, cloud marketplaces are where your buyers are transacting and it’s where hyperscalers want their partners to be.
Here are a few ingredients to make your marketplace page(s) unforgettable.
- Lead with the benefit. Your title and subhead should clearly communicate the outcome your solution delivers to customers so they know what business impact to expect. Elevating the benefit, rather than just product features, helps your listing resonate and capture attention.
- Keep it short and sweet. Most buyers are just skimming your page, so boil down your value prop into a few short sentences and recap the main ideas in bullets. Too much text dilutes your message and hides your key selling point from decision-makers and search algorithms alike.
- Sprinkle in some flare. Screenshots, demo videos, and customer success stories elevate your listing from just another product to a credible solution. A variety of assets keep prospects on your page longer and help marketplaces surface your listing.
- Offer different price points. Giving buyers flexible pricing tiers—such freemium, pay-as-you-go, and enterprise contracts—allows you to capture interest at multiple stages of maturity and budget. This also gives customers a way to try before they buy.
If you’re a partner working with Microsoft or AWS, now’s the time to make sure your slice of the cloud marketplace pie stands out—flaky crust, golden-brown finish, and all. We can help you revamp your marketplace presence so buyers stick around for seconds.