It’s a Mirakl: The Future of eCommerce Looks a Lot Like B&Q

And listing to the online marketplace doesn’t require any DIY skills

B&Q recently celebrated the first anniversary of its online marketplace business – and the DIY store has plenty to celebrate.
Launched in March 2022 in partnership with Mirakl, B&Q has attracted more than 400 verified third-party sellers to the online marketplace, adding 340,000 new products to its DIY.com store. As a result, marketplace sales now account for an incredible 24% of B&Q’s online sales contribution.

Seller Benefits

B&Q offers its sellers the opportunity to sell across 18 high-traffic categories, including Lighting, Power Tools, Wallpaper, Small Domestic Appliances, Kitchen Sinks & Taps, Cookware & Tableware, Decorative, Bathroom, Furniture, Storage, Wall & Floor Coverings, Christmas, Garden Structures & Leisure, Paint, Painting Tools & Cleaning, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Greens, and Electrical. As an omnichannel retailer (in-store, online, in-app), B&Q is recognised as a market leader in the DIY and home and garden retail sectors.
As such, online sellers will enjoy many benefits from partnering with a prominent retail brand like B&Q when compared to a traditional online marketplaces.
With more than 300 stores across the UK, sellers and buyers, particularly of bulky items, will be reassured that consumers can return any items purchased on the marketplace to the retailer’s high street stores.

A Growing Retail Phenomenon

Speaking to journalists at the time of B&Q’s online marketplace launch, Graham Bell, chief executive of B&Q, said, “Marketplaces are a rapidly growing retail phenomenon around the world, and we’re excited by the potential this model brings in combination with the convenience of our fulfilment capabilities. The unique multi-channel combination of this online marketplace, along with our network of 300 stores, means we can offer customers a level of choice, speed, and convenience that pure-play retailers cannot match.”

How to Become a Verified B&Q Seller

B&Q has a strict verification programme for all of its sellers. This process guarantees that sellers meet the exacting standards of performance expected by their customers. It also means, unlike other online marketplaces, sellers are not competing with less-than-professional organisations or overseas sellers that can drive costs down in a race to the bottom.
To initiate the verification process, please contact us at Ad-lister and we can register you with Mirakl Connect – the technology platform that powers the B&Q marketplace.

Who Are Mirakl?

Mirakl manages over 350 third-party marketplaces for major brands in the UK, including Superdrug, Debenhams, and Decathlon.
Globally, the Mirakl roster includes incredible brands, including BestBuy, MediaMarkt, Macy’s, and Carrefour.
As well as traditional online marketplace sellers, Mirakl provides an excellent route to market for brands to list more product lines with high-profile retailers than would typically be available via a conventional retail listing.

Multi-Channel Retail: New Opportunities/Same Old Problems

While new online marketplaces like B&Q represent a fantastic opportunity for sellers to harness the marketing pull of major high-street brands, many online sellers still need help with the same old challenges they’ve always struggled with when selling across multiple channels.
These challenges include:

• Incompatible Feeds: One size does not fit all. Sometimes just listing a product on an online marketplace can be problematic.
  This challenge is particularly true when selling items with multiple variants. Every marketplace, from eBay and Amazon to more recent platforms like OnBuy and Mirakl-powered marketplaces, including B&Q, all have their individual listing requirements.
  Setting up your feeds isn’t just about getting your products online. It’s about making sure your listings are optimised for the individual marketplaces to ensure your products are found and primed for conversion.
• Stock Management: Listing products across multiple online marketplaces not only increases your opportunity to sell more items.It also increases the opportunity to oversell your items and ultimately let your customers down. On a marketplace like eBay, this will impact your seller reputation, resulting in negative feedback and, eventually, restrictions on your selling activities. On platforms like Amazon and B&Q, the tolerance level is even more demanding. Therefore, having the right technology to distribute your products as widely as possible while reducing your risk of overselling is essential.
• eCommerce Integrations: Then there is the question about connecting your multi-channel online marketplace operation into your broader eCommerce MarTech stack. This will include warehouse management systems, shipping software, CRM platforms, and accounting software. The moment systems stop communicating with each other, or you have to factor in a work-a-round on a spreadsheet, is the moment you lose any efficiency in your business.

Ad-Lister: A Professional Solution for a DIY Problem

At Ad-Lister, we believe that the rise of third-party marketplaces like B&Q is a much-needed boost to the online marketplace ecosystem. Not only will more choice benefit the seller and consumer, forcing legacy marketplaces like eBay and Amazon to be more competitive. In addition, brands like B&Q will also introduce a more traditional retail customer base to online sellers.
Ad-Lister’s integration with the Mirakl online marketplace ecosystem provides sellers access to all the professional tools they need to add B&Q to their multi-channel eCommerce arsenal.
To learn more about how Ad-Lister can help you increase your sales with its seamless integration with B&Q and other Mirakl online marketplaces, click here to book a demo or start your free 14-day free trial.