Two-sided marketplaces

Some of the largest apps in the world are two-sided marketplaces, including eBay, Airbnb, and Uber. These platforms bridge the gap between supply and demand using a variety of in-app communication channels. 

This can include real-time chat, push notifications, calling, and chatbots. These capabilities enable a range of features, such as messaging, reviews, transaction updates, user verification, support, and more.

For two-sided marketplaces to succeed, the communications layer must support high-density messaging, allowing millions of users to reliably exchange messages at once.

How two-sided marketplaces use in-app communications

• In-app messaging: Buyers and sellers can communicate instantaneously in the mobile app over in-app chat, negotiating prices, discussing service details, and arranging transactions.

• User verification: To ensure user identities and provide security, in-app messaging can be used to request and verify user information such as identity documents or seller certifications.

• Payments and transactions: Depending on the platform, users may be able to communicate about payments or financial transactions using in-app messages, helping to ensure transparency and build trust in the platform.

• Customer support: Platforms can provide responsive customer support over in-app messaging, allowing users to seek assistance from support reps, resolve disputes, and answer questions from in the app.

• Transaction updates: Users receive real-time updates about the status of transactions via push notifications or in-app messages, including order confirmation, receipts, shipping notifications, and more.

• Announcements and updates: Platforms can deliver important information, updates, or promotions to both buyers and sellers.

• Reviews and ratings: Platforms can solicit feedback and reviews from users with in-app messaging, helping to improve the app and generate trust with potential users.

Benefits of in-app communications platforms for two-sided marketplaces

• User engagement: Two-sided marketplaces rely on efficient and effective communications between participants. Mobile communications eliminate the need for external communications tools and foster direct, successful interactions between users.

• Trust and transparency: In-app messaging enables identity verification and enhances trust between buyers and sellers, creating a secure, trustworthy environment with high rates of retention.

• Monetization: Businesses can monetize their in-app communications by offering premium communication features, charging fees for certain interactions, and implementing in-app marketing campaigns.

• Cross-platform scalability: A reliable in-app communications platform can support 1 million concurrent connections and 500 million daily messages on any device or platform. This scalability allows a business to grow without re-coding its architecture.

• Streamlined development: In-app communications platforms offer software development kits (SDKs) and user interface (UI) kits that make it easy to build and customize mobile communications for any device or platform. These resources allow developers to quickly create a visually appealing app experience, without coding the UI from scratch.

In-app communications are critical to two-sided marketplaces. They enable users to interact and transact smoothly, building trust and improving the overall user experience. Leading marketplaces like Airbnb and Uber provide a seamless experience within a visually appealing UI.

To simplify the process of creating a visually consistent and appealing communications experience, developers can use the SDKs and UI kits from Sendbird and other leading in-app communications platforms.