The report identified marketplaces as one of the hottest areas of e-commerce growth and investment with strong natural barriers to entry and scale advantages. The report provides an overview of C2C, B2C, and B2B marketplaces and showcases the largest European marketplace funding rounds since 2016
The report concludes that Europe has a diverse set of proven marketplaces across a wide range of industries, representing an attractive investment opportunity for financial as well as strategic investors. It identified notable financial and strategic investors in the sector
Some of the key trends highlighted in the report include:
- European marketplaces received €448m in investment in 2016
- Investors are showing a growing preference to invest in marketplaces (no-stock risk) instead of e-Commerce (inventory risk)
- Similar to online companies, there is a shift from web to mobile
- Marketplaces continue to experience M&A activity by strategic and financial investors
- US investors remain the main source of capital for European marketplaces
