---
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.
