Cherrybrook marketplace case study: book a demo to start yours

CherryBrook is an online store that focuses on top-tier pet merchandise, with a particular emphasis on products for dogs and cats. If you’d like to start your own marketplace like Cherrybrook, 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?

Employing open-source technology has its perks, including outright ownership and developmental flexibility, but these come at a substantial price. The journey to build a complete marketplace solution is lengthy and financially demanding, often stretching over months or years. This knowledge comes from our involvement in numerous marketplace projects.

Unless you’ve acquired a considerable sum in funding, it’s advised to opt for an established, comprehensive marketplace solution like Vendo, a suggestion from an individual experienced in charging clients for marketplace development services.

Back to the Cherrybrook marketplace case study

Initially a humble brick-and-mortar pet supply store, Cherrybrook.com was established by passionate pet lovers. With a focus on quality, it provided exceptional products for pets, primarily dogs. As the digital era unfolded, Cherrybrook seamlessly transitioned to an online marketplace, broadening its reach and making its diverse range of high-quality pet products accessible to a wider audience.

A pivotal aspect of Cherrybrook’s success lies in its commitment to quality. The marketplace is renowned for its top-notch products ranging from grooming tools to pet toys, ensuring they don’t compromise on excellence. This focus on quality is complemented by an extensive selection catering to various pet needs, showcasing their understanding and love for pets.

The expertise of the Cherrybrook team, comprised of pet enthusiasts and experts, is another cornerstone of their success. This team’s deep understanding of pets and their needs allows them to provide valuable guidance and advice to pet owners. Moreover, exceptional customer service remains a key focus, ensuring every customer has a satisfying shopping experience.

Key takeaways from Cherrybrook’s journey include the importance of passion for the products being sold, adaptation to digital trends, prioritizing quality over quantity, and maintaining a customer-centric approach. Cherrybrook exemplifies how a combination of passion for pets, commitment to quality, and strategic online presence can culminate in a thriving online marketplace. By emulating these principles, other businesses can also create successful online marketplaces tailored to their target audiences.

How to emulate Cherrybrook marketplace success?

To achieve a level of success similar to Cherrybrook, you should think about launching your marketplace sooner rather than later, ideally in weeks rather than months. Check how well your range of products meets the needs of your audience. Continuously refine your customer acquisition strategies based on real experiences.

Test the waters of the market before you dive into building it yourself.

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?