Licence to sell: The curated marketplace, retailers’ secret weapon
In this article, Ed Bradley, CEO at Virtualstock, explores how the ‘curated marketplace model’ is more than just a survival tactic, but a blueprint for thriving and achieving a true licence to sell.
We’ve seen Q’s tech evolve from survival tools arming Moore with his inflatable jacket in Moonraker, through to Craig’s weaponised Aston Martin DB10 in Spectre. In retail, the technology evolution has been just as transformative. To stay ahead, retailers are blending smart technologies with tried-and-true marketplace strategies to meet the demands of omnichannel shopping.
But every mission has its enemies. Unregulated suppliers are flooding online marketplaces with dangerous products, bypassing consumer protection laws. Trust has become the ultimate currency, and failure to meet regulations can turn online retailers into public enemy number one during their innovation journey.
To continue to unlock new growth opportunities and leverage the benefits of online marketplaces safely, retailers must master the balance between expansive product selection and a curated, high-quality offering that prioritises compliance and consumer trust.
Mission: to expand
Consumers appreciate the convenience and choice online marketplaces provide. Platforms like Amazon and eBay are essentially powerful discovery tools, connecting multiple sellers directly to consumers, helping businesses reach new audiences they might not otherwise find.
For retailers, marketplaces are a great way to expand product offerings without extra infrastructure. If your core range is limited or doesn’t cover certain categories, marketplaces allow retailers to easily add third-party products, giving customers more choices while maintaining a reliable shopping experience. But in some instances, the vast choice of products is coming at a cost.
Know your allies, neutralise the threat:
Last year, 80% of toys tested failed to meet EU safety standards, and 4.5bn low-value products entered the EU market – many sold by non-EU traders through online marketplaces. A significant proportion were categorised as “unsafe, counterfeited or even dangerous”.
In response, the European Commission is tightening legislation, placing greater accountability not just on marketplaces, but also on the retailers operating within them. Currently, EU consumers purchasing goods online are treated as the importer for customs purposes. But this is changing. Under upcoming customs reforms, the responsibility will shift to the platforms themselves, and online retailers will have to “collect the relevant duty and VAT” and “ensure the compliance of the goods with other EU requirements”.
This has direct implications for UK retailers leveraging marketplaces to expand their product range or trial new categories. With legislation tightening, relying on uncontrolled third-party listings is not viable. One wrong move and your licence to sell could be shaken, not stirred.
But it’s not all doom and gloom: the online marketplace model is evolving, Curated, brand-led marketplace strategies represent the next step in this evolution of retail, combining the best elements of traditional marketplace models with modern, agile operations. By carefully vetting sellers and building an authorised supplier base, retailers gain full visibility across the entire supply chain and ensure every product meets safety standards and consumer protection laws. This approach doesn’t just ensure compliance – it transforms it into a competitive advantage, strengthening trust with customers and reinforcing a retailer’s reputation for quality and safety.
No Time to Slack
Today, many retailers are increasingly adopting a unified approach that brings together dropshipping, marketplaces, and in-stock models—offering a broader, curated range of products under their own brand. This is the curated marketplace model: a tightly controlled operation that merges the scale of marketplaces with the precision and quality of brand-driven retail. The benefit? It places the retailer firmly in control, serving as a smarter, brand-safe next step for online expansion
Similarly, they say an old dog can’t learn new tricks – but dropshipping, a model that’s been around for decades, remains a masterclass in agility and growth. When used strategically, it enables rapid expansion of digital shelves without the risks or costs of holding inventory. Crucially, curation adds intentionality, ensuring a large product range stays cohesive, on-brand, and safe. By combining dropshipping with a curated marketplace, retailers can achieve scalable reach with low inventory risk while maintaining strict safety standards and protect the customer experience.
A licence to sell
At the core of this model is a decision-making framework: “Do I have permission to sell this?”. If the product is fully compliant and fits your brand, stock it. If it adds value but doesn’t meet stocking thresholds, dropship it responsibly through pre-approved, authorised suppliers. If it fails brand, safety, or regulatory standards, don’t list it at all.
This approach isn’t about limiting choice; it’s about amplifying value. Retailers carefully select which vendors to onboard, holding them to strict quality, safety, and compliance standards. This creates a trusted environment for customers and a manageable ecosystem for retailers, ensuring that every customer touchpoint—from purchase to delivery—reflects the retailer’s commitment to their values.
By blending the scale of dropshipping with a marketplace model, retailers gain flexibility to meet seasonal peaks and shifting consumer demand without compromising on quality. This enables fast, efficient expansion while embedding compliance and quality assurance into the fabric of retail operations.
By retaining control over what gets sold, when, and how, retailers can ensure every product interaction reflects their brand values, meets evolving EU regulatory expectations and maintains the high standards consumers expect. It’s a smarter, more sustainable way to expand your range – one that protects trust while delivering greater choice.
Gadget-grade technology
Even the most skilled agents need the right tech to pull off a flawless operation. Like Bond’s gadget arsenal, retailers rely on sophisticated technology deployed at exactly the right time to unlock the full potential of the curated marketplace. Central to this is the use of a range extension platform – a mission-critical tool that offers double intelligence.
Like Q’s gadgets powering flawless execution, the right partner will deliver technical excellence by enabling retailers to onboard suppliers of all sizes—including those without bespoke integration capabilities. This democratises access while eliminating the need for internal development or complex IT resources, significantly reducing time to market and operational costs. It should also incorporate AI-powered technology to optimise delivery accuracy by accounting for factors like weather, traffic, and courier performance, allowing retailers to offer precise delivery windows rather than vague estimates, to boost customer satisfaction.
Cyber security is also more important than ever. With a surge in attacks targeting UK retailers, costing businesses up to £44 billion over the past five years, choosing a technology partner with robust security protocols and compliance is essential. These measures safeguard sensitive data, protecting retailers and suppliers from evolving threats.
Meanwhile, M’s strategic oversight drives operational excellence by managing supplier relationships, automating orders, and providing real-time inventory and order visibility. Behind the scenes, advanced analytics and reporting provide actionable insights into supplier performance, sales trends, and operational efficiency, empowering retailers to make smarter decisions and strengthen supplier collaboration. This capability greatly improves On Time in Full (OTIF) performance, reducing stockouts and overselling. It ensures customers receive accurate, up-to-date information throughout their purchase journey, minimising customer service queries and enhancing the overall shopping experience.
With a mission-ready toolkit, retailers can harness the power of the curated marketplace model; combining scalable technology, rigorous compliance and commitment to public safety. This enables them to streamline complex operations with the precision of a covert mission, scale seamlessly to meet shifting consumer demands, and deliver personalised experiences that meet—and anticipate—the standards of today’s omnichannel consumer. This is retailers’ ultimate secret weapon: a licence to sell securely, responsibly, and innovatively.
