Alibaba's mobile wallet, Alipay, changed the online shopping experience for customers in China. Alipay had to tackle two major pain points; long checkout times and limited payment options (someone help, please, you're killing us)!
Before Alipay, customers had to input payment information each time they made a purchase! A super time-consuming process (remember those days?)!
That in itself discouraged many from shopping online! So much typing and re-typing and re-typing, sheesh!
That in itself discouraged many from shopping online! So much typing and re-typing and re-typing, sheesh!
Alipay solved this problem by allowing customers to store their payment information in their app. Now they can make purchases with a few clicks from their mobile devices (now we are talking).
Alipay also expanded the payment options available to customers. Alipay started offering a range of possibilities; bank transfers, credit and debit cards, and online payment services (the world is your Oyster).
Expanding payment options allowed customers to choose the most convenient payment method. And the most secure. Alipay was reducing friction in the purchasing process (no more waiting in long lines like at Walmart, please)!
The app's widespread adoption in China demonstrated how important it is to solve a real problem in an online marketplace.
The app's widespread adoption in China demonstrated how important it is to solve a real problem in an online marketplace.
Find and fix! How do you find a problem to solve with your online marketplace? We'll set out a plan today and narrow down on a few items (once you know the tricks, it ain't as hard, so stay tuned).
Often, solving issues for users includes one of three essential items:
- Offering more convenience (think 7-11 convenience store)
- Offering better prices (pull out your dollar bills)
- Offering better quality products (top-notch stuff
Which Problems Buyers Still Have in 2026: Checking Your Idea Against Current Data
Convenience, price and quality are still the three levers. What has changed since this post was first written is the quality of the evidence about where online buyers give up. The best source is the Baymard Institute's cart abandonment benchmark, last updated on 22 September 2025. It averages 50 studies and puts the documented cart abandonment rate at 70.22%. Baymard also asked US online shoppers why they abandoned a checkout. 42% were just browsing, which nobody can fix. Among the rest, the main reasons line up neatly with the three levers (shoppers could give more than one reason):
| Reason buyers gave (Baymard, US shoppers) | Share | Lever it points to |
|---|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 40% | Price |
| Delivery was too slow | 20% | Convenience |
| Didn't trust the site with card details | 19% | Quality / trust |
| Site required creating an account | 18% | Convenience |
| Checkout too long or complicated | 17% | Convenience |
| Website errors or crashes | 17% | Quality / trust |
| Returns policy unsatisfactory | 13% | Quality / trust |
| Couldn't see the total cost up front | 12% | Price |
| Not enough payment methods | 9% | Convenience |
Two points stand out. First, buyers rarely object to the price itself. They object to surprise costs: extra costs are the top reason (40%), and a further 12% left because they couldn't see the total up front. Showing the full price early is often a bigger win than cutting it. Second, friction is still common. Baymard's checkout usability research found that the average US checkout shows 23.48 form elements by default, when as few as 12 would do. It estimates that a large e-commerce site could raise conversions by 35.26% through better checkout design alone.
Trust is now partly a legal requirement
The quality lever also has a regulatory side today. In the US, the INFORM Consumers Act has been in force since 27 June 2023. Marketplaces must collect and verify bank, tax ID and contact details from "high-volume" sellers of new or unused consumer products. These are sellers with 200 or more sales and $5,000 or more in revenue in any continuous 12-month period within the past 24 months. For sellers above $20,000 a year, the marketplace must show buyers the seller's name, address and contact details. The FTC lists civil penalties of $53,088 per violation. In August 2024 the FTC also finalized a rule banning fake reviews. It covers AI-generated fake reviews, paid reviews that require a particular sentiment, undisclosed insider reviews and review suppression. A marketplace that promises "better quality" now needs real seller verification and an honest review system to back up the claim.
How to test your problem before you build
- Name one reason from the table that your niche suffers from most, and back it up with 10-20 conversations with real buyers or sellers.
- Check whether incumbents already fix it. If the big platforms in your niche show full fees up front and offer guest checkout, convenience alone won't be enough of an advantage.
- Make the fix visible on your home page: "no buyer fees", "verified sellers only" or "post in 60 seconds, no account needed".
- Measure it. Track how many visitors start a listing or purchase and how many finish, and treat each extra field or step as a cost.
Create an Online Marketplace that Is More Convenient
One way to solve a real problem in your online marketplace is to focus on convenience.
Convenience can mean streamlining your buying process to make it as easy and efficient as possible for your users to purchase. But there are a variety of ways convenience can be improved:
- Streamlining the buying process by simplifying navigation
- Offering more convenient payment options
- Allowing for effortless order fulfillment
- Offering same-day delivery
- Offering a greater variety of products
By winning in any one of these areas, you can experience the following:
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Improved customer loyalty
- Improved competitive advantage
- Improved customer retention
Yes! Hear the ding of emails arriving in your inbox as orders multiply. With the taste of freshly brewed coffee, watch as golden five-star reviews pop up on orders!
Ensuring your online marketplace provides convenience is like walking into a one-stop shop (a.k.a; almost like a "Walmart") where everything is under one roof. You get everything you need right on the spot now (now being the key to convenience).
Ensuring your online marketplace provides convenience is like walking into a one-stop shop (a.k.a; almost like a "Walmart") where everything is under one roof. You get everything you need right on the spot now (now being the key to convenience).
Why is convenience essential:
- 69% of people surveyed stated that they are less likely to make future purchases from a retailer if their online purchase does not arrive within two days of the promised delivery date (Voxware)
- 97% of consumers report that they have abandoned a purchase due to the inconvenience (Marketing Charts)
- 52% of consumers feel that convenience plays a significant role in at least half of their purchasing decisions (Steps)
- 81% of shoppers desire a seamless, uninterrupted shopping experience across all their devices (LinnWorks)
- 76% of shoppers impulsively bought items through social channels because the purchasing process was simple (Tiger Pistol)
E.g., Amazon, in their online marketplace, ensured convenience by implementing one-click ordering. Previously, there was too much hassle (you are making me tear my hair out)! Too many steps to complete a purchase previously.
Amazon recognized the pain and introduced the one-click ordering feature!
Amazon recognized the pain and introduced the one-click ordering feature!
Time for you to be the doctor for your marketplace. Let's prescribe some action steps to improve convenience in your online marketplace:
- Identify the pain points (you're the doctor)
- Evaluate the impact of each problem (as the doctor, is it a big deal?)
- Prioritize based on their potential impact (is this cancer or a wart?)
- Remove friction points in the journey (make the doctor visit easy)
- Streamline the checkout process (streamline the treatment process)
- Minimize the number of clicks to complete a purchase (Amazon prescription)
- Offer multiple payment options (choose the easiest treatment)
Offer Lower Prices with Higher Value than Other Online Marketplaces
Focusing on a better price or pricing strategy is another way to solve a problem. Price is a significant factor consumers consider when purchasing!
Better pricing comes in all forms:
- Discounts
- Promotions
- Loyalty programs
- And plain simple lower Pricing!
Solving pricing in your online marketplace is like baking a cake! Just as the right ingredients and the correct amount of each ingredient are vital for a cake, finding the right balance of value and competitive prices is critical.
Solving pricing in your online marketplace is like baking a cake! Just as the right ingredients and the correct amount of each ingredient are vital for a cake, finding the right balance of value and competitive prices is critical.
And pricing can be tricky! Don't give up, however! You'll want to keep experimenting till you get it right.
Why?
- 60% of consumers surveyed stated that discounts and coupons have become increasingly important (Vericast)
- 60% of global online shoppers prioritize e-commerce pricing as the primary factor that impacts their purchasing decision (Prisync)
- 90% of online shoppers take time to hunt for the best online deals (e.satisfaction)
- Every 10 minutes that's how often Amazon changes its prices (ah, what?) (Dynamic Pricing)
- 80% or more of Americans believe that the ability to compare prices from various merchants is crucial (Pew Research)
Alibaba had its pricing strategy. Alibaba Group's penetration pricing strategy offered its products at a lower price than its competitors. Primarily to gain a larger market share (think of a drooling tyrannosaurus rex eating up everything in its path).
Alibaba had its pricing strategy. Alibaba Group's penetration pricing strategy offered its products at a lower price than its competitors. Primarily to gain a larger market share (think of a drooling tyrannosaurus rex eating up everything in its path).
This strategy aims to attract cost-sensitive consumers and gain a large customer base. Once the company has established a solid customer base, it can gradually increase prices to increase its profit margins (boil a frog strategy).
The use of penetration pricing by Alibaba Group was particularly effective in the early stages of the company's growth. Penetration pricing was a good part of what helped establish the company as a dominant player in the Chinese e-commerce market.
By offering its products and services at lower prices, Alibaba won market share. Many were drawn to the company's value proposition of low prices and a vast selection of products.
By offering its products and services at lower prices, Alibaba won market share. Many were drawn to the company's value proposition of low prices and a vast selection of products.
Want to focus your marketplace on better pricing?
- Identify the main problem you'll solve is better pricing for buyers
- Develop a unique value proposition that positions you as "price first"
- Partner with suppliers and manufacturers to secure the best prices (they got to be in on it)
- Encourage buyer engagement through special promotions, loyalty programs, and user reviews (e.g., see Uber Rewards program)
Offer Better Quality Than Other Online Marketplaces
Or your online marketplace might focus simply on providing better product quality.
Quality can mean:
- Verifying product information and specifications
- Monitoring customer feedback
- Working with sellers to improve product standards
Improving quality for your online marketplace can mean:
- A better user experience for customers
- Increased customer loyalty
- Less replacement for faulty items
Experience fewer sweaty shirts as you have more repeat sales! Stop banging your head against the wall (get rid of your bruised forehead) because of having to provide so many refunds! Feel the joy of attending to your emails because of customer relating their great experiences.
Experience fewer sweaty shirts as you have more repeat sales! Stop banging your head against the wall (get rid of your bruised forehead) because of having to provide so many refunds! Feel the joy of attending to your emails because of customer relating their great experiences.
You'll raise the bar for excellence until you rival those Olympic high jumpers!
Quality does matter:
- 5.2% is how much product quality has declined since 2018
- 51% is how high consumers ranked the quality/value of a product over the price (First Insight)
30% of items purchased through the internet are returned, whereas physical stores only see a return rate of 8.89% (Medium) - 20% of the returns are caused by the product being damaged.
- 90% of customers are inclined to spend extra money on products that are produced by a brand they trust
E.g., EarthLite, a company that sells massage-related products, built its company on a foundation of high-quality products. Marketing them as handmade with eco-friendly materials, superior to what you might find elsewhere.
By promoting their products as quality handmade products, Earthlite solved a real problem in the massage-related retail market.
By promoting their products as quality handmade products, Earthlite solved a real problem in the massage-related retail market.
Namely, low-quality massage products; made with hazardous materials! EarthLite differentiated itself from its competitors.
The company's focus on product quality has helped attract customers who value performance and sustainability. 
Want to focus your online marketplace on product quality?
- Gather feedback on what customers are looking for in terms of product quality
- Implement strict product quality standards
- Select products to ensure they meet a high standard
- Reposition your brand
Closing Summary
Solving a real problem in your online marketplace requires focus. By focusing on items such as convenience, better pricing, or product quality, you can solve real problems out there.
Solving a real problem in your online marketplace requires focus. By focusing on items such as convenience, better pricing, or product quality, you can solve real problems out there.
Think about:
- What other factors affect your purchasing decision as a consumer?
- Are you willing to pay more for better product quality?
- What other problems do you feel online marketplaces can still address?
