Perspectives on marketplace growth, assortment strategy, and decision intelligence.
"Less, but better" was the philosophy that guided industrial designer Dieter Rams. Marketplace teams could use more of that thinking.
More supply doesn't automatically mean more demand captured — the best teams are getting better at identifying the few things worth doing.
For years, marketplace growth followed a simple playbook: more sellers, more products, more categories. But adding more supply no longer guarantees more GMV.
Here are five steps marketplace teams can take to move from catalog growth to demand-led growth.
So what exactly is gap analysis?
A gap is simply something that's missing.
Most marketplaces do not suffer from a lack of data. They suffer from excess noise.
Dashboards multiply.
Reports accumulate.
Meetings extend.
If you want dashboards only focused on what you already sell, who already converts, and which categories already perform, Vigie is not for you.
Internal data answers operational questions: What is selling? Where are we losing margin? Which sellers are underperforming?
At Vigie, we observe that most teams believe competitive advantage comes from making better decisions.
👉 In reality, the platforms that win are often those that decide earlier. Speed compounds.
Marketplaces already have everything:
And most importantly: no real prioritization.
Erosion caused by misprioritization.
A lack of focus on the categories, sellers, and products that matter rarely has an immediate impact.
Most marketplace teams focus their optimization efforts on internal best-sellers.
It feels logical. These products already convert. They generate volume. Small improvements appear to deliver quick wins. Better ranking, sharper pricing, improved content. Incremental gains are measurable and reassuring.
Most marketplaces believe they have a traffic problem.
When growth slows, the default reaction is predictable: invest more in acquisition, optimize paid channels, renegotiate partnerships, push promotions. The assumption is simple — "If we had more traffic, we would sell more."
Back from the show.
Marketplace is no longer a side bet. It is becoming the core growth engine of retail.
Amazon just launched "Buy for Me" (in test).
And if you think this is about checkout convenience, you are missing the point.
2 years ago, a major marketplace told me:
"Vigie is interesting, but we will build it internally."