marketplace-launch-plan

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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."

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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.

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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.