Drop the 'Contact Me' to Transactable: Marketplace Bites #2

Microsoft has had marketplace for a while, but the strategy wasn't always clear.

Originally, the Marketplace acted like catalogs for partner solutions. Partners listed their solutions, but sales usually happened elsewhere, not on the marketplace. This type of listing was known as "Contact Me." It didn't work well and rarely generated leads.

In 2018 and 2019, Microsoft began to fill the marketplace with more offerings, introducing "Get It Now" options for things you could buy directly. By 2020, they developed a clear strategy. The focus shifted to these direct purchases, making them central to sales by partners. Now, Microsoft rewards its sellers for joint sales only if the products are available directly through the marketplace. The same goes for the 90K+ Microsoft resellers; they can resell items directly from the marketplace.

This change led to significant successes. Since the marketplace isn't the best place for generating leads, "Contact Me" listings don't make sense anymore. The marketplace's role is now to help with joint sales and build a reselling network.

To put it plainly, Microsoft wants to partner with companies that are ready to sell directly through the marketplace.

So, if you're serious about partnership, a simple "Contact Me" won't cut it. Microsoft has even removed the option for "Contact Me" listings to participate in joint selling 1^st of July 2023. It’s time to shift to a “Get It Now” Listing which is also labelled as a Transactable listing.

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