Your customers are on marketplaces – is your business?

Aussie shoppers are diving headfirst into the world of marketplaces, and small business retailers need to pay attention. Pattern Australia’s 2025 Marketplace Consumer Report reveals a massive shift in how we shop online with marketplaces like Amazon, Temu, and eBay now dominating online sales.

94 per cent of Australians have shopped on a marketplace in the past year, and that trend is growing. While once-upon-a-time shoppers started their search on Google or dropped into a brand’s website, now they’re increasingly heading straight to Amazon or Temu to browse, compare and buy—often discovering new brands in the process.

For small businesses, this signals a massive opportunity and a wake-up call. Being absent from key marketplaces might mean missing out on where customers are already searching and spending.

Marketplaces are where the action is

Amazon continues to dominate the Aussie marketplace scene. A whopping 63 per cent of shoppers plan to buy from Amazon in 2025, and it now attracts 7.9 million Aussies annually. Its success lies in its mix of fast delivery, variety, price visibility, and—thanks to Prime—sticky loyalty.

Temu and Shein are also nipping at the heels of more traditional players like eBay and Kogan, offering dirt-cheap deals and a wild range of products. But these marketplaces come with a caveat. It’s often a case of buyer beware. Many Aussies admit to trying Temu over the last year, but not all were thrilled with the experience, and intentions to return have slightly dropped.

That doesn’t mean small Aussie retailers on the platform should panic, but it does mean you need a plan.

Why you need to get on the marketplace train right now

While having a slick website is great for brand-building, more and more shoppers are starting, and ending, their purchase journey on marketplaces. In fact, 63 per cent of Amazon shoppers said they bought something they’d never even considered before. That’s discovery in action.

If you’re not listed on a marketplace, you could be invisible to a growing slice of your audience. Worse, if your competitors are there and you’re not, you’re handing them the customer on a silver platter.

But don’t just slap up a product listing and hope for the best. Shoppers are savvy. They expect competitive pricing, fast shipping, and a seamless returns process. If you can deliver on that, then marketplaces could become your biggest growth engine.

The silver lining for local legends

There’s still space for Aussie charm in a world dominated by global giants. Shoppers love brands they trust, and there’s a clear appetite for products with quality, story, and heart. In fact, 60 per cent of Aussies say Amazon is the most trusted platform for quality. So if your business  can combine authenticity with marketplace visibility on Amazon, you’re in a strong spot.

Plus, with eBay leaning into the “pre-loved” market and Amazon launching its low-cost ‘Haul’ section, there’s also room for niche players and price-savvy small businesses to find their tribe.

So if marketplaces aren’t part of your growth strategy yet—2025 might be the year to jump in. Aussie shoppers are changing their habits fast, with direct-to-retailer websites seeing a 13 per cent drop in product searches, while Amazon’s search traffic is soaring. If you’re not showing up where your customers are starting their shopping journey, you risk being completely overlooked.

This post first appeared on Business Builders. You can read it here.

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