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MenuIs Clarity a Marketplace or a Platform or Both, and why?
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Hello I am Veerendra Kooshna from Mauritius and has been writing articles on Facebook for some years now. My writing passion is appreciated by those who read my posts.
Now, what is Clarity really about? As its name points out, it aims to clarify any doubts you may have on a subject. It's a platform where experts in various subject areas meet those with questions to answer them. With its wide variety of experts, you can expect someone to answer you and clear your doubts. It's more about giving than taking; this is what makes it beautiful. This is also a means for experts to get to know people with questions and select the most serious ones for further discussion.
This is where it becomes a marketplace. Experts would be more inclined to go deeper into the subject matter only when they believe you are serious. In today's world, time is a really precious commodity and we need to respect each other's time tables. Experts shall find time to help those serious seekers and charge for that. This is quite normal; investing time and knowledge deserves to be remunerated. In this win-win formula, the seeker is given due attention and advice for the betterment of his or her venture.
I really hope this has helped you. By the way, am an adviser in presenting more investor-friendly business plans and an exam coach by experience. You may contact me for more information. Thank you.
It's a 2-sided marketplace. Experts (supply) and answer-seekers (demand).
Platforms are a type of technology which other people can build services or products upon. (Eg: Salesforce)
All marketplaces are platforms. Hence, Clarity is a marketplace and a platform.
A platform can be defined as a place of interaction where users with freedom of decision making power interact with each other, and the platform owner defines the rules of conduct and governance.
On the flip side, not all platforms need to have marketplaces operating on it. As an example, Microsoft developed its Windows operating system for 2 decades as a platform without a marketplace. It was a platform because app developers created many software applications for Windows OS users to install and use. It wasn't a marketplace because Microsoft didn't operate any kind of a medium for app developers and users to meet and transact with each other.
Compared to Windows OS, Apple's iOS is a platform with a marketplace built on top: app developers and OS users meet on App Store to interact and transact.
Related Questions
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What support software do most marketplace startups use? Is it custom, or a SaaS product like Zendesk, Desk.com or Uservoice
Your support software should cater to your needs, depending on how your business operates. Fiver uses Vanilla forum and Zendesk. Thumbtack uses Zendesk. Not sure about AirBNB, their help center seems to be custom. Depending on how well funded your are, I would recommend starting with a free plan with one of the help desk SaaS products, or even using open source ticketing platform. Then, as your needs grow and you need integration with your marketplace, there's no reason you can't scale and migrate.VN
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When recording income for a marketplace startup, is it typical to use the gross transaction or just the fees collected per payment?
You usually only recognize the commissions as revenues and use the term "Gross Merchandise Value" (GMV) to describe the size of the marketplace (value of all transactions going through the site)BW
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Holding funds in a 2-sided marketplace?
Check out https://www.balancedpayments.com/ They are made for marketplaces. Airbnb CEO among others invested in them and they have some of the best pricing/payout fees. Also some good info on http://www.collaborativeconsumption.com/2013/10/08/online-marketplaces-are-hard/ One of Balanced Payments co-founders is writing this blog series on marketplaces.MA
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When creating a marketplace, does it make more sense to focus on stimulating demand first or supply?
Focus on the more difficult side of the marketplace. For instance, if you think it'll be easier to get suppliers, then focus first on getting buyers - always be working on your toughest problem (aka your biggest risk). You'll find some great blogging on Marketplace and Platform topics here http://platformed.info (read the ebook too!)CM
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How to solve a chicken and egg problems for a marketplace like Uber? What is the best way to acquire demand side?
The best way to solve chicken and egg problems for marketplaces is to prove market need on each side independently first with a low-cost MVP-type test. Once you've proven the market on both sides with metrics it is much easier to leg in supply and demand with a strategic or enough funding to match a market on a local or niche level to ensure liquidity. For a deeper analysis, here is a post on medium that I wrote... http://bit.ly/1k2vYbY Also, feel free to schedule a call with me if you'd like to dig deeper.DK
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