This post about Halfords is part of Tamebay’s January and February 2018 Marketplaces series sponsored by Flubit. For the full list of marketplaces we’ve written about visit our Marketplaces 2018 page here.
Web address: https://www.halfords.com
Marketplace Overview
Halfords will be familiar to most Brits. It is the UK’s leading automotive, cycling and leisure retailer with more than 120 years of business under its belt. But it may surprise you to learn they also have an ecommerce marketplace for online sellers. But it’s a hard nut to crack.
As they say of the aim and spirit of their marketplace, which is incidentally managed by Mirakl: “The marketplace is the destination for products to support you and your life on the move. Halfords marketplace have carefully selected a range of Approved Partners to give you more choice when shopping.
Choose from bigger ranges and shop favourite brands or discover new ones. There is a huge range of quality products to pick up and enjoy peace of mind with our Halfords Trusted Guarantee!”
Seller registration and requirements
They say that joining in with the Halfords Marketplace is by invitation only. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t approach them if you have goods that are an ideal fit. There are no published details on fees and charges. Such details seem to be negotiated on a case by case basis.
Product listings and fulfilment
You have complete control over how your goods are presented and can fulfil the goods yourself or let them do it. Much more detail than that is hazy. With something like 200 sellers currently on the marketplace, there is a decent level of personal attention and account management available to help you get things right.
Tamebay’s take on Halfords
We have heard good things from Tamebay readers who sell on Halfords. But it is a fairly small operation with only a small number of sellers and it is also limited to a relatively narrow array of products, so you’ll need to be well matched to get involved.
But it is an interesting proposaition that we expect to see more retailers emulate in future. By plugging in a marketplace to an existing online shop, it’s easy to extend range and appeal. And, from a seller perspective, there is another advantage. It seems that Halfords like to try out new suppliers online and then invite them to sell their wares in their high street stores too. So the marketplace could be your best route to market with a significant bricks and mortar retailer.
If you have you any experience selling on this marketplace, please do share your insights.
For more information about marketplaces check out the Tamebay Guide.
One Response
Very interesting. Here in the UK Halfords are seen badly by many who know about cycling, the last place anyone who knows about bikes would go. There are so many more choices, multiples like Evans cycles and then some really good ones like Wiggle, too many to mention and their expertise goes way beyond Halfords. Halfords staff have a good attitude but often lack knowledge. Their car products are pretty limited in terms of product range. I for one wouldn’t want to be associated with them in terms of being a seller.