Startup Growth: Think of Marketplace as Acquisition Channels

Startup Growth - Think of Marketplace as Acquisition Channels

Lately, the concept of acquisitions for marketing has fascinated lots of people. What does it suggest? It refers to scenarios where corporations acquire other assets or businesses to enhance their marketing or grow their major products. 

Big companies utilize acquisitions for marketing all the time. However, did you know that startups can do that too? A good example of this is Perimeter 81. In 2018, the company decided to register as a seller on the AWS marketplace on Amazon. That allows them to acquire more clients. 

Perimeter 81 in the AWS Marketplace

In case you didn’t know, AWS Marketplace is an online store helping customers explore, buy, migrate, and begin using the services and software they need to create products and run their businesses. One of the major advantages of this marketplace is that it enables businesses to incorporate products into the AWS infrastructure. 

SaaS subscription enables AWS customers to have a single place to choose AWS third party integrated solutions. What’s more, it also allows it to be billed through its AWS account. The subscription streamlines the procedure of enhancing the AWS infrastructure.

Hence, it permits you to combine the billing of the SaaS products you incorporate along with your AWS infrastructure. Perimeter 81 is one of such products. 

AWS users can now secure their application access, network, and cloud, along with the company’s continuous connection with AWS as an advanced technology partner and the possibility to provide Perimeter 81 in the marketplace. 

The company guarantees policy-based and secure access to AWS resources through a cloud-based network hub using the Software-Defined Perimeter and zero-trust models

After a few years, Perimeter 81 surpasses 1,000 customer milestones. The company witnessed a massive 500% year-over-year growth and augmenting its customer base in less than a year. The key behind this is their registration in the AWS marketplace. 

When they launched their SaaS service, most of their preliminary customer base was SaaS and tech firms. Early adopters of mobile and cloud tech companies were on board, along with their advanced solutions from the beginning. The company rolled out its platform to relevant fields and sectors as the shift to remote and cloud work became more comprehensive across every industry. 

Today, they serve customers in a wide array of fields along with their clientele that includes:

  • six percent in consulting services
  • nine percent in the finance sector
  • ten percent in the healthcare industry
  • thirty-eight percent of tech companies and;
  • the remainder in government, education, media, retail and more 

Other Companies that Seen Massive Growth by Enlarging Their User Base by Being Compatible with More Marketplace

Apart from Perimeter 81, you will also find other companies that noticed substantial growth after expanding their user base. Two of them are Xero and SellerX. 

Xero

Xero is a startup company headquartered in New Zealand. They are cloud-based accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses. Like most other businesses, the company was founded when its founder was having problems with his current solution. 

Founder Rod Drury felt that standard desktop accounting software in 2006 had become out of date. That’s why he set out to make a cloud-based product. In 2018, the company had over 1.3 million subscribers and a market cap of roughly $6 billion. 

Did you know that Xero has a massive marketplace of apps, which users can connect with Xero? That has flowed into a major part of their backlinking profile. You can see why they have acquired backlinks from other high-value websites through such an approach.

Every SaaS platform they incorporate has a dedicated content page, which features their connection with Xero. It then links back to the core pages of their site. 

That has been a wonderful SEO approach. Nonetheless, it has also shaped a strong role in its growth. That’s because every page offers them exposure to other brand’s users and the chance to convert leads into trial users. Amazing, isn’t it? 

Throughout the past few years, the company has ramped up its strategy to backlinks. They go after inbound links from high domain authority news publications with powerful established audiences. They have achieved that with time-sensitive PR style link acquisition strategies.

Further, they’ve scaled the strategy by seeking opportunities to be thought leaders on certain subjects along with comprehensive audience reach. That enables them to get backlinks and create profiles on websites such as Business Insider. 

SellerX 

On the other hand, SellerX is a Berlin-based startup that creates a diversified portfolio of Amazon sellers. As Amazon’s marketplace continues to mature and grow, a new door has emerged in the realm of e-commerce for a new breed of startups to consolidate the most promising of the small businesses selling through the platform. 

SellerX is made for all types of online users. The product is a treasure for sellers seeking to launch a new eCommerce business or simply want to bring their offline goods online. The platform is ideal for sellers who have been selling on numerous marketplaces but still couldn’t maximize their revenues. 

Just recently, the platform was able to raise $118 million, which it plans to utilize to roll up smaller enterprises, which utilize Fulfillment by Amazon for logistics, delivery, and payments for their products. 

It’s worth mentioning that the $118 million is a seed round for SellerX. It is the real money it has raised so far. It comes in the form of some equity, but mostly debt. SellerX will utilize that for acquisitions to play out its campaign. 

The opportunity is very evident. The Amazon marketplace has quickly turned out to be a key player in the realm of eCommerce. That’s a position, which has become even more evident this year, particularly during the global health pandemic, leading people to turn away from in-person shopping or simply out of option or requirement. 

Now, are you considering the marketplace for your acquisition channel? Well, don’t throw everything. Do not try and get too creative. Do not give up on things only because you have not given them a shake. Instead, consider how your customers will purchase and organize your customer acquisition thoroughly.