Carbon38 marketplace case study: book a demo to start yours
Carbon38 is an online store that focuses on luxury activewear and athleisure fashion. If you’d like to start your own marketplace like Carbon38, you’re facing a buy vs build decision. So before you decide to build it in-house on top of Spree open-source, consider using Vendo, which is the feature-rich Enterprise Edition cutting your time-to-market to a few weeks.
Build vs Buy a marketplace?
The use of open-source comes with multiple benefits, such as having complete control and flexibility in development. However, these come with a hefty price tag. To develop a complete marketplace solution, expect to invest a lot of time, often many months or years, and a significant amount of money. This conclusion is based on our experiences with several marketplace projects.
Without a significant funding, you’re likely better off using a packaged, all-in-one marketplace solution like Vendo, according to someone who has years of experience in charging for marketplace development.
Back to the Carbon38 marketplace case study
Carbon38, a trailblazer in the athleisure market, commenced its journey in 2011, founded by Katie Warner Johnson and Caroline Gogolak. The platform has evolved into a premium online marketplace that revolutionizes activewear by merging fashion with functionality.
Offering a curated collection from well-established and emerging brands, Carbon38 caters to fitness enthusiasts seeking stylish, performance-oriented apparel. As of 2019, the co-founders raised capital envisioning Carbon38 as a marketplace, capitalizing on the combined strength of individual activewear brands.
A pivotal aspect contributing to Carbon38’s success is its strategic utilization of social media, particularly Instagram. The brand’s augmented web sessions, sales conversions, average purchases, and revenue through Instagram, consolidates its online presence and drives sales. The platform’s migration to Magento 2, enhancing website functionality, significantly boosted the customer experience and sales capability.
Carbon38’s disruptive approach in merging fashion and technology, offering a seamless shopping experience, and leveraging social media for sales amplification has solidified its position in the activewear market. The marketplace’s visionary strategies, technological advancements, and a keen understanding of customer preferences have fostered its growth, making Carbon38 a sought-after destination for individuals seeking both performance-oriented and stylish activewear.
The brand’s evolution from a mere activewear platform to a vibrant marketplace stands as a testament to its adaptability and innovation in an ever-evolving industry.
How to emulate Carbon38 marketplace success?
If you’re aspiring for success similar to Carbon38, plan to open your marketplace swiftly, preferably in weeks instead of months. Examine the compatibility of your product offerings with your audience’s demands, and adapt your customer acquisition techniques based on tangible outcomes.
It’s wise to gauge the market’s potential before fully investing in its development.
Here’s what you’d be getting with a Vendo free trial:
- Book a marketplace demo call: We’ll set up your demo marketplace and populate it with products, so you could give it a try and start selling in 14 days
- Customize your Storefront: Use the drag & drop page builder or custom CSS
- Onboard Brands: Invite your brands or choose brands from our catalog
- Select Products: Curate products and collections manually or automate it
- Embed products: Make your content, newsletters, social media shoppable
- Get Paid: Get paid as soon as products are shipped by the brands
- End-to-end automation: Brands sync, fulfillment, payouts, invoicing, taxes
When you’ve tried all that and it works, start thinking about building your own, custom-made marketplace project based on Spree Commerce. First, by decoupling the storefront and going headless with Vendo marketplace API, and later with your own backend, if you decide you really need it. Just lift and shift the storefront.
Nobody has to know what’s under the hood, right?
