| name | marketplace-launch-plan |
| description | Plans two-sided marketplace launches with supply/demand seeding, trust-building features, and growth mechanics. Use when launching a platform connecting buyers and sellers. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Marketplace Launch Plan
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan the launch strategy for a two-sided marketplace
- Solve the chicken-and-egg problem of supply and demand seeding
- Design trust-building features for a new platform
- Create growth mechanics that drive organic marketplace expansion
DO NOT use this skill for single-sided e-commerce stores, SaaS product launches, or existing marketplace optimization. This is for new two-sided marketplace launches.
Core Principle
A MARKETPLACE LAUNCH IS A SEQUENCING PROBLEM — YOU CANNOT LAUNCH BOTH SIDES SIMULTANEOUSLY. SEED THE SUPPLY SIDE FIRST, THEN ATTRACT DEMAND WITH PROOF OF QUALITY.
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|
| Marketplace concept | "What are you connecting? Describe the buyer and seller." | No default — must be provided |
| Category | "What type of marketplace? Services, products, rentals, experiences?" | No default — must be provided |
| Geographic scope | "Local, national, or global?" | Local (single city) |
| Revenue model | "How will you make money? Commission, subscription, listing fees?" | Commission on transactions |
| Launch timeline | "When do you want to launch?" | 3 months out |
| Existing network | "Do you have access to potential supply or demand already?" | Small personal network |
GATE: Confirm the brief before building the launch plan.
Phase 2: Supply Seeding Strategy
Step 1: Define Minimum Viable Supply
Determine the minimum number of sellers/providers needed to deliver a good buyer experience:
- Services marketplace: 15-25 providers in your launch market
- Product marketplace: 50-100 listings across core categories
- Rental marketplace: 20-30 listings in your launch geography
Step 2: Recruitment Tactics
| Tactic | Effort | Timeline |
|---|
| Personal outreach | High | Week 1-4 |
| Existing platform scraping | Medium | Week 1-2 |
| Community partnerships | Medium | Week 2-4 |
| Founding seller incentives | Low | Week 1-ongoing |
| Content marketing | Medium | Week 4+ |
Step 3: Founding Seller Program
Offer early sellers unique benefits:
- Zero commission for first 3-6 months
- "Founding Seller" badge and priority placement
- Direct access to the founder for feedback and support
- Input on platform features and policies
- Guaranteed promotional spotlight in launch marketing
GATE: Confirm supply strategy and targets before planning demand.
Phase 3: Demand Generation and Launch
Pre-Launch (4-6 weeks before)
- Build a landing page with email capture
- Share behind-the-scenes content on social media
- Partner with 2-3 influencers or community leaders in your niche
- Collect testimonials from founding sellers about why they joined
Launch Week Plan
| Day | Activity | Channel |
|---|
| Day -3 | Teaser emails to waitlist | Email |
| Day -1 | Countdown on social media | Social |
| Day 0 | Launch announcement, open platform | All channels |
| Day 1-3 | Press outreach, community posts | PR, forums |
| Day 3-5 | Share first transactions/reviews | Social proof |
| Day 7 | First week recap email | Email |
Trust-Building Features for Launch
- Verified profiles — ID or credential verification for sellers
- Review system — Buyer reviews visible on seller profiles
- Secure payments — Escrow or payment protection
- Dispute resolution — Clear process visible before first transaction
- Guarantees — Money-back or satisfaction guarantee for early transactions
Growth Mechanics
- Referral program — Both sides earn credit for inviting others
- Network effects — More sellers = better selection = more buyers = more sellers
- Category expansion — Launch tight, expand categories as liquidity proves out
- Geographic expansion — Master one market before expanding
Phase 4: Polish
1. Marketplace Health Metrics
## Launch Metrics to Track
- **Supply:** Active sellers, listings per seller, new seller signups per week
- **Demand:** Active buyers, searches, purchase intent signals
- **Liquidity:** % of listings that result in a transaction
- **Match rate:** % of buyer searches that find a relevant listing
- **Time to first transaction:** Average days from seller signup to first sale
- **Repeat rate:** % of buyers who transact more than once
2. Launch Risk Mitigation
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|
| Not enough supply | Manually curate and onboard top sellers before launch |
| Low demand at launch | Concentrate marketing on one channel and one audience |
| Trust issues | Offer buyer protection guarantee for first 30 days |
| Poor quality listings | Create listing guidelines and review before publishing |
| No transactions | Seed demand with personal network or promotional credits |
3. Quality Checklist
## Marketplace Launch Checklist
- [ ] Minimum viable supply target defined and met
- [ ] Founding seller program launched with clear benefits
- [ ] Trust features live: reviews, verification, payments, disputes
- [ ] Landing page and waitlist collecting emails
- [ ] Launch week calendar planned day by day
- [ ] Demand generation channels identified and content prepared
- [ ] Growth mechanics designed (referrals, category expansion)
- [ ] Marketplace health metrics defined and tracking set up
- [ ] Risk mitigation plan documented for top 5 launch risks
- [ ] Post-launch weekly review cadence set
Example
Marketplace: Local freelance design services (connecting small businesses with local designers)
Scope: One city
Model: 15% commission
Supply target: 20 designers with portfolios live before opening to buyers
Founding designer offer:
"Join as a founding designer — 0% commission for your first 6 months, a 'Founding Designer' badge on your profile, and priority placement in search results. We are only accepting 20 designers in [city] to start."
Anti-Patterns
- Launching both sides simultaneously — seed supply first. A marketplace with no listings is worthless to buyers.
- Going too broad too fast — "We connect everyone to everything" fails. Start with one category in one market.
- No trust features at launch — without reviews, verification, or payment protection, users will not transact on an unknown platform.
- Subsidizing both sides indefinitely — incentives to build supply are necessary, but must have an end date.
- Ignoring liquidity — 1,000 listings with 0 transactions is worse than 50 listings with 10 transactions. Focus on match rate.
Recovery
- Cannot recruit enough sellers: Offer to create listings for them (white-glove onboarding). Remove every friction point in the signup process.
- Buyers visit but do not transact: The supply is not compelling enough or trust is missing. Improve listing quality and add buyer protection.
- Both sides are growing but no transactions: The matching mechanism is broken. Improve search, recommendations, or manually introduce buyers to sellers.
- Sellers leave after launch incentives end: The marketplace is not generating enough value. Focus on driving more demand before ending subsidies.
