Marketplace: dobrý sluha, ale zlý pán

Marketplaces are driving the e-commerce world and for many companies operating in the online world, marketplaces open up new opportunities to internationalise their business. The aim of this paper is to identify the key factors that play a crucial role in the success of firms in expanding across borders using marketplaces. These factors point out what needs to be considered, they facilitate evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of marketplaces, determine which marketplace is suitable and whether it is even a appropriate route of internationalization for a given firm. At the same time, the internationalization process using marketplaces is likened to two well-known ways of expanding across borders. These are the Uppsala model and Born Global (depending on the type of firm) and the differences between the form of internationalization without marketplaces and with marketplaces are also compared. The research for this thesis is in the form of in-depth interviews with representatives of firms that operate on foreign marketplaces. The firms are divided into two groups: marathoners (own-brand firms) and sprinters (resellers). The findings highlight the key role of marketplaces in overcoming barriers to internationalization, such as high entry costs, lack of market knowledge, and distrubution complexity. They also point to the fundamental differences between resellers and private label firms, with differences in the importance of marketing strategies, the need for localised content and the effectiveness of cross-border logistics to maximise international market potential. It also sheds light on the challenges of cultural adaptation, language barriers and differing consumer behaviour that businesses in different markets have to manage. However, it also highlights the problems and disadvantages that arise from selling on marketplaces, and therefore points out what to watch out for and what not to underestimate. Thus, the research and findings underline the title of this paper: Marketplace: a good servant but a bad master.