Managing Marketplaces

Marketplaces can be fine-tuned to a vendor's preferences and target market through comprehensive configuration management that enables administrators to customize marketplace functionality, user experience, and business processes. Managers can configure many marketplace aspects including review processes, browsing filters, listing collections, lead generation workflows, and analytical reporting to create tailored marketplace experiences that align with organizational objectives and user expectations.

Managers can configure layouts in listing details, customize call-to-action processes, and manage quicklists, metadata tags, and sorting options to optimize marketplace usability and engagement. Marketplace listings can be grouped together into collections which can be used to highlight featured listings, while custom filtering and search capabilities enable users to efficiently discover relevant products and services within large marketplace catalogs.

Marketplace management encompasses comprehensive administrative oversight including content organization, user experience optimization, lead generation configuration, analytical reporting setup, and ongoing performance monitoring to ensure marketplace effectiveness and business value delivery across diverse organizational implementations.

Requirements

To manage marketplaces, users must have one of the following permissions:

Administrator System Role
Marketplace Manager

Accessing Marketplace Management

Navigation to Marketplace Configuration

In the Setup Home page, click Create > Marketplace
Click the marketplace name for which you want to manage
Access the comprehensive marketplace management interface with multiple configuration tabs

Core Marketplace Settings Configuration

Basic Marketplace Information

Name Management:

Configure the marketplace name that appears throughout the platform
Name updates affect all user-facing marketplace references and navigation elements
Consider SEO and user recognition factors when modifying established marketplace names
Ensure name consistency across related organizational communications and marketing materials

Path Configuration:

Manage the link path for users to access your marketplace
Path appears in URL structure and affects bookmarking and external linking
Note: Changing a path value after a marketplace is published will break all links containing the original path value
Plan path changes carefully and communicate updates to stakeholders and external partners

Description Management:

Update marketplace descriptions to reflect current purpose and value proposition
Descriptions appear in marketplace headers and help users understand marketplace focus
Support rich text formatting for enhanced visual presentation and information hierarchy
Regular description updates maintain relevance and user engagement

Advanced Integration Settings

Custom Hub Association:

Configure Custom Hub relationships to optimize navigation and user experience
Custom Hub integration ensures appropriate link delivery and portal navigation consistency
Update associations based on organizational structure changes and user access patterns
Select from available Custom Hubs or remove associations for standard navigation behavior

Marketplace Type Configuration:

Manage marketplace type settings to align with evolving business objectives
Partner Listing: Focus on vendor/partner showcase and relationship highlighting
Product Listing: Emphasize individual product catalog and service presentation
Type changes affect marketplace layout, functionality, and user interaction patterns

Marketplace Features and Functionality Management

Core Feature Configuration

Active Status Management:

Control marketplace accessibility through active status configuration
Enabled: Marketplace is visible to users with appropriate permissions
Disabled: Marketplace is hidden while allowing continued administrative configuration
Use status controls for maintenance, content updates, and phased deployment strategies

Pricing Display Configuration:

Manage Enable Pricing settings to control pricing information visibility
Pricing display affects user decision-making processes and marketplace positioning
Consider marketplace purpose and business model when configuring pricing visibility
Coordinate pricing display with partner agreements and competitive positioning

Client Logo Display Management:

Configure Enable Client Logos Display to manage social proof and credibility features
Client logos provide trust indicators and partner validation for marketplace visitors
Logo display affects page layout and loading performance considerations
Coordinate with partners regarding logo usage rights and brand guidelines

User Engagement Feature Management

Review System Configuration:

Manage Reviews Enabled settings to control user feedback and community engagement
Review systems affect user decision-making and partner performance visibility
Consider moderation capacity and content quality standards when enabling reviews
Monitor review quality and user engagement patterns for optimization opportunities

Review Moderation Workflow:

Configure Reviews Moderation to balance content quality with user experience
Disabled: Reviews appear immediately, supporting rapid user feedback and engagement
Enabled: Reviews require approval, ensuring content quality and brand protection
Moderation configuration affects administrative workload and user satisfaction timing

Geographic and Reporting Features

Geographical Focus Management:

Configure Enable Geographical Focus based on business scope and user needs
Geographic features enable location-based filtering and regional marketplace segmentation
Consider user base distribution and regional business requirements
Geographic configuration affects marketplace complexity and user interface elements

Partner Reporting Access Control:

Manage Enable Partner Reporting to control partner access to listing analytics
Partner reporting access supports partnership engagement and performance optimization
Consider data sensitivity and competitive positioning when configuring partner access
Monitor partner usage of reporting features for engagement insights and support needs

Listing Options and Display Configuration

Social and Contact Features

Social Sharing Management:

Configure Disable Social Sharing to control social media integration and external sharing
Social sharing affects marketplace reach and viral marketing potential
Consider brand control and message consistency when configuring sharing options
Monitor social sharing analytics to measure external engagement and reach

Contact Information Display:

Manage Display Support Details to control support contact visibility in listings
Support contact display affects user service expectations and partner workload
Coordinate with partners regarding support capacity and contact preferences
Monitor contact usage patterns to optimize support resource allocation

Sales Contact Configuration:

Configure Display Sales Details to manage sales contact information visibility
Sales contact display affects lead generation and business development opportunities
Balance user convenience with partner sales process preferences and capacity
Track sales contact engagement to measure marketplace business impact

Email and Communication Management

Listing Email Template Configuration:

Select moderation email templates that align with organizational communication standards
Email templates affect user experience and administrative workflow efficiency
Customize templates to support brand consistency and clear communication expectations
Regular template review ensures continued relevance and effectiveness

Browsing and User Experience Configuration

Filter and Search Management

Filter Configuration:

Select and arrange sidebar filters to optimize user browsing and discovery experience
Filter options appear on marketplace sidebar for listing refinement and navigation
Consider user behavior patterns and listing categorization when configuring filters
Regular filter optimization improves user satisfaction and engagement metrics

Sort Options Management:

Configure and arrange sorting options available to marketplace users
Sort options affect user ability to prioritize and evaluate listings effectively
Balance comprehensive sorting with interface simplicity and user comprehension
Monitor user sorting preferences to optimize default configurations and option priorities

Quick Lists Configuration:

Select and arrange lists or collections for display on marketplace landing pages
Quick lists provide curated content access and featured listing promotion
Consider business objectives and user preferences when selecting quick list content
Regular quick list updates maintain marketplace freshness and engagement

Lead Generation and Action Configuration

Call-to-Action Management

Action Button Configuration:

Configure Call to Action Options that occur when users click action buttons on listings
Action options affect lead generation workflow and business development processes
Consider user experience flow and partner preferences when configuring actions
Monitor action button usage and conversion rates for optimization opportunities

Terms and Conditions Management:

Configure Marketplace Terms and Conditions that users agree to after clicking action buttons
Terms provide legal protection and usage guidelines for marketplace interactions
Regular legal review ensures continued compliance and risk management
Consider user experience impact of terms complexity and presentation

Advanced Marketplace Organization

Lists and Collections Management

Lists Configuration: Lists are filtered listings with custom sorting that can be used in the Featured Listing section of the marketplace. See Filters and Filter Logic.

To create a new list:

Navigate to the Lists tab
Click New List
In the Label field, enter a name for the list (the Name field will automatically be populated)
Configure filtering criteria and sorting parameters
Click Save

Collections Management: Collections are hand-picked listings that can be used in the Featured Listing section of the marketplace.

To create a new collection:

Navigate to the Collections tab
Click New Collection
In the Title field, enter a name for the collection
Check the Published checkbox to enable the collection
Click Save

To manage listings in a collection:

Locate the collection and under Actions, click Manage
To add new listings, click Add New Listing, search for a listing, and click the listing
To reorder listings, drag and drop the listings
To remove listings, hover over a listing and click Remove

Listing Settings and Field Management

Custom Fields Configuration

Field Management: Fields are metadata details that are added to listings (e.g., app version, language, industry).

Note: Only administrators can configure Listing Settings.

To create a field:

Navigate to the Listing Settings tab
Click Fields sub-tab
Click New and select a field type
Configure the field properties
Click Add

To edit or delete fields:

Locate the field in the listing
Click the dropdown arrow
Select Edit to modify or Delete to remove

Overview Fields Configuration

Overview Field Selection:

Navigate to Overview Fields sub-tab under Listing Settings
Drag and drop up to 6 fields to the listing template
Configure field display order and presentation
Click Save Changes to apply configuration

Details Layout Design

Layout Customization:

Navigate to Details Layout sub-tab under Listing Settings
Click Edit Layout to access the layout designer
Drag and drop fields using the Layout Designer interface
Configure page layout for listing detail pages
Click Save to apply layout changes

Browsing Options and Regional Configuration

Advanced Filtering Configuration

Country and Region Filters:

Configure country and region filtering options for geographical marketplace segmentation
Select regions to be shown as filter options in marketplace sidebar
Consider user base distribution and business scope when configuring regional options
Regional configuration affects marketplace complexity and user targeting capabilities

Category and Classification Filters:

Configure category filtering options based on listing classification needs
Set up quick lists for featured content and promoted listing sections
Balance comprehensive categorization with user interface simplicity
Regular category review ensures continued relevance and user utility

Sort Options Configuration

Sorting Strategy Management:

Configure available sorting options for marketplace listing presentation
Consider user preferences and business objectives when defining sort priorities
Monitor user sorting behavior to optimize default configurations
Balance comprehensive sorting with interface usability and performance

Analytics and Performance Management

Marketplace Analytics Configuration

Comprehensive analytics are available for marketplace performance tracking and optimization. Managers can access detailed reporting on:

Views: Marketplace and listing view metrics with trend analysis
Requests: User interaction and lead generation tracking
Resources Engagement: Document download and asset interaction metrics
Banners Engagement: Banner click-through and interaction analytics

Export and Reporting Capabilities

Excel Export Functionality:

Analytics reports can be exported via Excel worksheets for external analysis
Export capabilities support business reporting and performance measurement
Regular export and analysis enables trend identification and optimization planning
Integration with business intelligence systems for comprehensive reporting

Partner Analytics Access

When Enable Partner Reporting is configured, partners can access analytics for their listings including:

Individual listing performance metrics
View and engagement tracking
Lead generation and conversion data
Performance comparison and trend analysis

Best Practices for Marketplace Management

Strategic Configuration Management

Regular Review Cycles: Establish regular marketplace configuration review to ensure continued alignment with business objectives and user needs.

User Feedback Integration: Incorporate user feedback and behavior analytics into configuration decisions for continuous improvement.

Performance Monitoring: Monitor marketplace performance metrics to identify optimization opportunities and user experience improvements.

Content and Organization Strategy

Collection Curation: Regularly update collections and featured listings to maintain marketplace freshness and user engagement.

Filter Optimization: Analyze user filtering behavior to optimize filter options and improve content discoverability.

Layout Testing: Test layout changes and field configurations to ensure optimal user experience and conversion rates.

Administrative Efficiency

Permission Management: Coordinate marketplace management permissions with organizational roles and responsibilities.

Documentation Maintenance: Maintain documentation of marketplace configuration changes and optimization strategies.

Stakeholder Communication: Communicate marketplace changes and updates to partners, users, and internal stakeholders.

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