What is an Online Marketplace?

An online marketplace is also known as online e-commerce marketplace and as the name suggests, it is not tangible but found on an online platform.

This is a type of an e-commerce site that multiple third parties provide information on products and services with the transactions being processed by the market place operator.

According to Wikipedia, an online marketplace is a primary type of multi-channel e-commerce and can be described as a simple and convenient portal to streamline the production process.

In Kenya, most of the online marketplaces that are available are those that deal with products and few in services. a common one is Jumia which allows users to order products mostly electronics via there platforms which are in turn delivered by the same. The platform, however, does not allow individuals to sell via it.

Another example is OLX, which is common in allowing people to post and sell their secondhand items with the buyer and the seller being the ones who dictate terms with the platform being just an intermediary.

In Kenya, there are very few online marketplaces that major in offering services and skills where people are allowed to post their skills for other people to hire. Currently, the only ones that are known as two, Gebeya and FiveSok. Gebeya deals only with tech issues where people, upon being trained in computer related matters, are exposed to potential buyers on their platform.

Of the two, FiveSok is unique in that people are at liberty of posting any skill without limiting to a particular one. What makes it more unique is that with FiveSok, any kind of talent that one can use to earn a living by hiring it out can be marketed through the platform. According to the CEO and founder Mr. Soroba Emmanuel, the platform is to make sure that people use what they love such as talent to earn a living by hiring their skills to those who need them.