Enterprise buyers are changing the way they buy. More and more, they’re skipping cold calls and sales decks and heading straight to cloud marketplaces like Microsoft Azure Marketplace, AppSource, or AWS Marketplace.
And who can blame them? Procurement is faster, budgets are pre-approved, and vendor onboarding is simplified. For many businesses, marketplace listings aren’t just nice to have – they’re now the path of least resistance.
If your solution isn’t listed, or if your listing isn’t working as hard as it should, you’re probably missing out on a real enterprise opportunities.
The Shift Is Already Happening
According to Canalys, by the end of 2025 global marketplace sales are expected to hit $45 billion. And by 2027, over half of all hyperscaler marketplace sales will go through partners.
We’re also seeing AI-driven procurement kick in. Buyers are being automatically matched to vendors based on use case, region, price, and deployment compatibility. If your listing isn’t optimised, it’s going to get missed.
Marketplace Listings Are Not Set and Forget
Getting listed is just the first step. Keeping your listing compliant, current, and aligned with your go-to-market strategy takes ongoing work.
Here’s what a well-managed listing actually involves:
- Setting up transactable and non-transactable offers
- Writing listing copy that speaks to real buyers
- Managing assets like metadata, logos, images, and documentation
- Keeping listings up to date as your product evolves
- Tracking performance and making improvements
- Making sure you’re aligned to Microsoft’s Co-Sell Ready and CPOR programs
- Using your listing as part of your broader marketing and campaign strategy
If you’re only logging in to Partner Centre when you need to upload something, you’re not getting the value out of the listing.
Getting Listed Is a Commercial Move, Not Just a Technical One
We see a lot of partners treat the Marketplace like a technical checklist. Get it up, tick the compliance boxes, move on.
But that approach misses the point. Marketplace is now a commercial channel. It affects your sales cycle, your vendor relationships, and your visibility to enterprise buyers.
Your listing should be part of your campaign strategy. It should align with your website and messaging. It should be helping your co-sell team close deals faster. And yes — it should be connected to your Microsoft Co-Op or MDF campaigns wherever possible.
What Makes a Listing Convert?
We’ve worked on dozens of listings across Azure Marketplace, AppSource, and AWS Marketplace. The ones that perform well have three things in common:
Clear positioning
Buyers need to know who the solution is for and what problem it solves.
Aligned offers
Listings are tailored to enterprise decision makers, not just technical users.
Connected campaigns
The listing is promoted across marketing channels with dedicated landing pages, social posts, and sales collateral to support co-sell.
When done well, a Marketplace listing isn’t just a listing. It’s a channel. One that works for your business 24/7.
Want Your Listing to Work Harder?
At Inception, we help Microsoft Partners and ISVs get their Marketplace listings set up, optimised, and working as part of a bigger go-to-market strategy. From content and compliance to campaign integration and co-sell alignment, we manage the whole process for you.
Talk to us about Marketplace Management as a Service.