If your fashion brand has established a strong presence in its home market, expanding internationally through e-commerce marketplaces can unlock significant growth opportunities. Platforms like Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, ASOS and Zalando can connect your products with new customers, increasing brand visibility across global markets.
However, many assume that marketplace access is limited to large, well-established companies. This is no longer the case. Whether you’re a fast-growing startup or a mid-sized fashion brand, e-commerce marketplaces have never been more accessible for brands of all sizes. Read on to learn how these platforms can drive your global expansion.
What is an e-commerce marketplace?
An e-commerce marketplace is an online platform that sells products from multiple brands, giving shoppers a convenient one-stop shop instead of visiting separate websites for each of their favourite brands. In the fashion industry, these platforms act as ‘digital department stores’, offering a wide selection of apparel, accessories and other goods.
“As well as being convenient for online shoppers, marketplaces give brands a platform to showcase their products to a wider audience,” says Maxim Sion, Global Sales and Business Development Manager at Bleckmann. “Once dominated by large fashion companies, there are now scalable solutions that unlock these platforms for a much wider range of brands. This can provide a powerful lever to drive international growth.”
A key tool for building trust with international shoppers
One of the main benefits of selling through e-commerce marketplaces is that your brand gains credibility in regions where it may still be relatively unknown. Most marketplaces vet brands and their products carefully before allowing them to be featured, ensuring that only reputable, high-quality brands are showcased.
“For consumers unfamiliar with your brand, seeing your products featured on a marketplace signals reliability and quality,” explains Maxim. “In this way, marketplaces can not only extend your reach but also enhance your brand’s reputation in new markets, helping convert shoppers who are new to your brand into loyal customers.”
Faster entry into new international fashion markets
One major benefit of joining e-commerce marketplaces is their ability to streamline international expansion without the need to set up physical entities in new regions. For instance, if a European brand wanted to sell in the US, it would typically need to establish a legal entity and rent warehouse space – alongside handling customs, shipping and other costs. However, selling through marketplaces with the support of a third-party logistics (3PL) provider means that you can leave all the heavy lifting to the professionals.
“As well as being a significant investment, setting up operations in a new country is time-consuming,” continues Maxim. “However, the right fashion logistics provider can make international expansion smoother, faster, and more cost-effective by offering bulk shipping rates and streamlining customs management, for example. This accessibility is allowing many more brands to expand globally and reach much broader audiences without the high costs and long timelines typically associated with international growth.”
Success story: Swift expansion with e-commerce marketplaces
A great example of quick marketplace integration is Bright Swimwear, a European fashion brand that used e-commerce platforms to enter the US market. Onboarding with just one premium marketplace is typically a lengthy process, with IT integration alone often taking up to six months. However, thanks to Bleckmann’s partnership with cross-border B2B specialist Global Bridge, Bright Swimwear launched on five major US e-commerce marketplaces – including Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s – in just four months.
How can e-commerce marketplaces improve brand awareness?
E-commerce marketplaces often attract millions of visitors per day, offering your brand increased exposure without the hefty cost of traditional advertising campaigns. As soon as your products are listed, they can be seen by a wider audience. Even if you don’t convert every visitor into a paying customer, the enhanced visibility helps to build brand recognition in new markets, boosting brand awareness. This increased familiarity with your brand is a crucial step in driving international growth – so it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Scaling your brand with Bleckmann and Global Bridge
As we’ve seen, e-commerce marketplaces are a powerful driver of international growth for brands. However, smaller apparel brands have traditionally struggled to access these platforms due to high costs and logistical barriers. Thanks to Bleckmann’s partnership with Global Bridge, more small- and medium-sized fashion labels can now unlock the potential of regional and international fashion e-commerce marketplaces.
This unique collaboration provides a streamlined, plug-and-play solution that simplifies marketplace integration for brands. By removing common barriers such as legal complexities, IT integration and other logistical challenges, international expansion becomes much more attainable. As a result, entering new markets is no longer an unachievable task, but an affordable, accessible and realistic growth opportunity.
Want to find out more about how e-commerce marketplaces could fuel your brand’s international expansion? Read more about Bleckmann’s partnership with Global Bridge here, or get in contact today for a free consultation with one of our logistics experts!
