Cerqular serves as a digital platform that unites environmentally aware shoppers with brands committed to sustainability, offering a wide range of products that are eco-friendly.
If you’d like to start your own marketplace like Cerqular, 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 a marketplace SaaS. Go live, start selling, iterate.
Build vs Buy a marketplace?
The decision to use open-source has many upsides, such as having full ownership and the flexibility to modify as needed, but these benefits come at a price. Building a complete marketplace solution is a lengthy and costly venture, often extending over months or years, as observed from various marketplace projects.
Unless you’ve raised a considerable amount of funding, a pre-packaged, all-in-one marketplace solution like Vendo is usually a better choice, advice from a person with extensive experience in charging for marketplace development.
Back to the Cerqular marketplace case study
Cerqular, a groundbreaking marketplace, has become a lively center for eco-friendly and ethical consumer goods, setting itself apart in the online shopping world. This platform brings together a wide range of sustainable lifestyle items, including clothing, household items, electronics, groceries, and more.
With a strong commitment to sustainability, Cerqular makes sure every product it sells is thoroughly checked for features like organic certification, recycled materials, carbon neutrality, vegan-friendliness, eco-friendliness, and adherence to circular economy principles.
This rigorous checking process not only shows the platform’s dedication to taking care of the environment but also connects with consumers who are increasingly looking for responsible and thoughtful shopping options.
Cerqular’s journey has been filled with important achievements and strategic moves that highlight its growth path and vision. A notable moment in its journey was when it successfully secured a US$1 million pre-seed funding round. This financial boost reflects the trust placed in Cerqular’s business model and its potential to reshape consumerism norms.
Based in Los Angeles, the platform sees this investment as a bridge to a new era of “conscious consumerism,” aligning with the changing preferences of environmentally conscious shoppers.
Cerqular’s approach to sustainability isn’t just about selling eco-friendly products; it also involves creating a community and nurturing a culture that values sustainability deeply. Their product range includes both well-known brands and specialized environmentally-friendly labels, making it a go-to place for those who want their purchases to reflect their values.
This wide range of choices, combined with a strong focus on sustainability, establishes Cerqular as a pioneer in the online shopping industry.
How to emulate Cerqular marketplace success?
In pursuit of success like Cerqular’s, contemplate setting up your marketplace promptly, in a few weeks rather than waiting months. It’s vital to test how well your product catalog meets your audience’s needs and revise your customer acquisition tactics according to real results.
Initially, test the market before investing heavily in building it.
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?
