Launch: merchants first, then customers
A marketplace has two sides. Customers will not come to an empty marketplace, and merchants will not stay without orders. Launch in that order: supply, a soft launch, then demand.
Step 1 · A strong first set of merchants
Start in one area with enough choice to be useful: a mix of the categories people order most, and two or three well-known local names. Five to fifteen good stores in one neighborhood beat fifty scattered across a city.
Step 2 · Soft launch for a few days
Turn stores on but stay quiet. Invite friends, staff, and the merchants' regulars to order. Watch every order, call merchants after each one, and fix what you learn. A friendly audience forgives a slow first order; a stranger does not.
Step 3 · Launch day
- Update your Google Business Profile with your website and an order link
- Put your website link in every social bio and your WhatsApp status
- Give every merchant a QR code to your marketplace for their counter, bags, and receipts
- Announce on social media and to any email or WhatsApp list you already have
- Offer a clear first-order incentive with an end date (Chapter 34)
- Be online all day to watch orders and help merchants
Step 4 · The first two weeks
- Reply to every review, good or bad.
- Check prep and delivery times every day; adjust store estimates.
- Expand zones only when drivers and merchants keep up.
- Share the first wins with merchants: orders, new customers, reviews.
- Announce the apps the day they go live.
For step-by-step marketing plans, see the free Ordering.co Growth Playbooks, especially "Your first 100 orders", "The chicken-and-egg problem", and "Recruiting merchants", at ordering.co/resources.