¿Qué interés tiene una marca en vender en el marketplace? Un análisis de la reputación

Abstract

This thesis deals with the marketing strategy of the company on the distribution channel that is the marketplace. It explores the mechanisms at work behind online brand reputation and the reasons why brands choose to sell through such electronic platforms. In the first part, the marketplace is contextualized and defined, in the second part, the concepts of brand and reputation are studied and finally transposed and analyzed on marketplaces. It is after this definition of terms and exploration of the subject that the interest for a brand and its reputation to be established on one or more marketplaces will be discussed. To do this, a qualitative research methodology is used, which, with the help of interviews, allows us to question a few brands about their reasons. The survey only takes into account B2C marketplaces and brands selling goods and not services. It includes three thematic sections: company organization, brand reputation and opinion on marketplace sales. They allow us to obtain answers to the three hypotheses formulated, thus helping us to understand the interest of a brand in this distribution channel. Thus, selling in the marketplace increases the public's awareness of the brand. This state of affairs is qualified by the adequacy between the brand and the platform, which positively influences the extension of this reputation (adequacy of identity and products). However, it is not proven that the adequacy confers a bargaining power to the marketplace for the brand. Finally, certain elements point to a loss of control for the brand in its marketing mix, such as the limitations applied to customer service, lowered prices in order to stand out from the crowd, or the charters imposed on the product and communication. This results in a dilution of the brand image. However, this last hypothesis is not confirmed by the whole sample.