What is a reverse marketplace?

A reverse marketplace, also known as a demand-driven marketplace, inverts the traditional marketplace model by focusing on the buyer’s needs first.

Instead of sellers listing products or services for buyers to browse and purchase, buyers in a reverse marketplace post their needs or projects, and sellers then bid or propose solutions to meet these needs.

ey characteristics of a reverse marketplace include:

1. Seller-initiated transactions: The most defining feature is that buyers initiate the transaction by posting their requirements, needs, or projects.

2. Seller proposals and bidding: Sellers or service providers respond to these buyer requests with proposals, bids, or quotes, competing for the buyer’s business.

3. Tailored solutions: Offers from sellers are often tailored to the specific needs or requests of the buyer, leading to customized solutions.

4. Focus on services: While the reverse marketplace model can be used for products, it is particularly prevalent in sectors with a focus on complex services, like freelance work, consulting, and project-based industries.

5. Price competition and negotiation: This model can foster competitive pricing, as multiple sellers may bid for the same buyer request, often with the ability to negotiate terms.

6. Quality and reputation emphasis: The reputation of sellers, often reflected in ratings and reviews, plays a crucial role as buyers select among competing proposals.

7. Efficient matching mechanisms: Advanced matching algorithms are often employed to connect buyer requests with the most suitable sellers or service providers. Some reverse marketplaces may even take a managed marketplace approach, where the marketplace is more involved in matching the buyer and seller through manual services.

8. Powerful payment structures: Most marketplaces, be they reverse or traditional, need a lot of functionality from their marketplace payment system. This includes services like escrow, where the payment is held until the project is completed to the buyer’s satisfaction. As reverse marketplaces are often B2B marketplaces, they may require tailored solutions that suit the complex transaction flows in business-to-business transactions.

9. Communication and collaboration tools: Bot reverse and traditional marketplaces typically provide tools for communication and collaboration between buyers and sellers to facilitate the completion of the project or service.

10. Flexibility and diversity of offerings: The nature of buyer requests can lead to a diverse and flexible array of offerings, adapting to the changing needs of the marketplace’s users.

In summary, reverse marketplaces are online platforms that start with the buyer's demand, inviting sellers to respond with tailored proposals or bids.

This model emphasizes customization, competitive pricing, and the importance of seller reputation and quality, primarily serving service-oriented and project-based sectors.

The reverse marketplace model is commonly used by freelance marketplaces, where clients post jobs and experts bid on them. (Though it's possible to also build a freelance marketplace with a traditional marketplace model: Fiverr is an example.)

Here are a few examples of reverse marketplaces:

• Upwork: Upwork is considered a reverse marketplace because it connects freelancers with clients looking for their services, allowing clients to post job opportunities and freelancers to bid on them.
• Freelancer: On Freelancer, clients post projects with specific requirements, and freelancers from various fields place bids to win the project, creating a competitive marketplace where clients select from a range of proposals.
• Guru: Guru operates as a reverse marketplace by allowing clients to post jobs and receive bids from freelancers with different skills and expertise, offering them options based on proposals, rates, and freelancer portfolios.
• PeoplePerHour: PeoplePerHour lets businesses and individuals post project requests, and freelancers submit bids with their proposed rates and estimated time frames, helping clients choose the best match for their budget and requirements.

Each of these platforms functions by enabling clients to outline their needs, allowing freelancers to compete for the job, and ultimately giving clients more control in choosing the provider.

← Back to the marketplace glossary

• What is a product marketplace?
• What is a local online marketplace?
• What is a global marketplace?
• What is a vertical marketplace?