engine insights

5 fundamentals of a financial marketplace

The success of a financial marketplace hinges on several crucial factors.

The marketplace model has evolved in response to today’s tech-savvy, price-conscious consumers who crave personalization and the convenience of one-stop shopping. Additionally, financial product providers aim to broaden their distribution channels, while marketplace users seek to diversify their offerings to meet consumer demands. Moving beyond just aggregating products, marketplaces have transformed into vibrant hubs where consumers can shop, have fun, learn, and connect with each other.

Running a financial marketplace poses distinct challenges. With a growing diversity of products and intense competition from non-financial institutions, the capacity to scale becomes imperative. Managing the intricacies of privacy and compliance further complicates matters, and leveraging data-driven insights is paramount for marketplaces to deliver optimal matching and personalization to consumers.

Whether you’re looking to participate in or build a marketplace, understanding the five key fundamentals that drive its success is essential.

01

Depth and Breadth and Content—The Cornerstones of Financial Marketplaces

A successful financial marketplace flourishes by drawing in a diverse crowd and offering a wide variety of products from different sellers. This assortment not only keeps customers coming back but also smooths out the shopping process. The secret? A broad range of products that cater to different needs. Making these offerings personal and coupling them with creative marketing strategies is key to standing out. Personalized and engaging content is crucial for keeping customers loyal. Whether it’s providing useful tips, educational materials, or entertaining articles, great content does more than just sell products—it turns the marketplace into a valuable resource that really speaks to users. This type of content captures attention and helps shoppers make informed choices.

Moreover, thoughtfully crafted content improves the shopping experience and builds trust, which directly influences buying decisions and boosts sales. It’s also a powerhouse in marketing, spreading across channels like social media, email, and ads. Using content wisely not only promotes products but also engages people and drives more traffic to the marketplace, fostering a cycle of positive interactions and growth.

“The end game is what we call ‘value constellations,’ which greatly expand the opportunities for banks to grow consumer trust and strengthen their market position.”

NextWave Consumer Financial Services, EY

02

Targeting with Controls—Essential Features of Financial Marketplaces

The ability to target the right audience at the right time is super important in financial marketplaces, making life easier for both product providers and marketplace users. Given the unique nature of financial products, it’s crucial for them to be able to fine-tune every aspect of their targeting program, from whom they target to where and how they target.What it really comes down to is control and transparency. Product providers need to choose distribution channels that not only boost their leads and sales but also align with their big-picture goals and maintain their brand integrity. On the flip side, marketplace users benefit from tools that allow them to personalize products and match with the right consumers, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free shopping experience. These safeguards create a transparent marketplace where everyone can clearly see and manage how products meet consumer needs. This clarity is key—it builds trust and is crucial for everything to run smoothly and for the marketplace to grow.

“By implementing Engine technology, we have been able to build a multi-vertical financial marketplace and more than double revenue and engagement.”

Michael Bourgeois, VP Business Lead, SoFi

03

Data Insights and Reporting—Refining Strategies in Financial Marketplaces

Using good data and detailed reports in financial marketplaces really helps everyone—both those who provide products and the users who navigate the marketplace. These tools ramp up engagement and sales, which can really kick marketplace success up a notch.

Product providers can keep a close watch on the competition and see how well their products and marketing efforts are doing. By mixing data on sellers, shopping patterns, and consumer likes with their own information, providers can better understand market trends and consumer desires. This clearer view helps them fine-tune their products and marketing strategies more effectively.

Meanwhile, marketplace users can keep tabs on consumer behavior and see what catches their attention. They can identify which products are popular and what types of interactions occur. Additionally, by analyzing performance data based on deep consumer insights, marketplace users can uncover valuable insights into different phases of the customer journey. This information is crucial for creating marketing campaigns and product offers that appeal to a wide variety of consumers.

“Using AI and data analytics has transformed the MoneyLion App experience. We’ve managed to more than triple the number of consumers going through the loan process by offering alternatives when they don’t qualify for a loan.”

Weifang Zhu, EVP, Global Data Solutions, MoneyLion

04

Compliance and Security—Pillars of Trust in Financial Marketplaces

Having strong compliance and security measures in place in financial marketplaces makes everyone—consumers, product providers, and regulators—feel confident about the marketplace’s commitment to doing things right and keeping everyone safe.

For those who provide products, having thorough compliance and security checks helps protect both their business and their customers. This is really important for keeping trust high and making sure customers feel secure when they use the marketplace. When you first launch a product, it’s hard to know what will work best. Consumers and markets change quickly, so it’s impossible to perfect your marketing and product strategy. Embracing this trial-and-error approach is essential if you want to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.

It’s a big plus to have a culture that prioritizes compliance from the get-go. This approach helps cut down on legal troubles and boosts the marketplace’s reputation as a safe and trustworthy place. Regular check-ups with product partners, usually every three months, are key to keeping up with new standards and rules.

Also, having a dedicated Information Security team makes a big difference. This team works tirelessly to beef up the marketplace’s defenses against online threats and data leaks, ensuring that both consumer and partner data are well protected in a world where cyber risks are always changing.

05

Product Collaboration—Fostering True Partnerships in Financial Marketplaces

Getting a say in the product roadmap is a big plus for product partners in a marketplace. By adding their input, providers can make sure the marketplace develops in ways that not only align with their business goals but also help the marketplace grow.Another key benefit is the ability to test out new ideas within the marketplace. This testing lets partners try different strategies in a controlled setting and see what works. The lessons learned from these experiments can help make smarter decisions and refine their product offerings.Personalized onboarding and regular consultations with experts are also crucial. These tailored sessions ensure that new partners can seamlessly and quickly become part of the marketplace community.

“Consumers and markets change quickly, so it’s impossible to perfect your marketing and product strategy from the get-go. Embracing this trial-and-error approach is essential if you want to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.”

Tim Hong, Chief Product Officer, MoneyLion

Conclusion

Key to a Successful Financial Marketplace.

Financial product providers are realizing that traditional marketing channels are becoming too costly and less effective. To adapt, they need to expand their acquisition strategies to include financial marketplaces. Marketplaces offer a more diverse and cost-effective way to reach potential customers, making them an essential component of any modern acquisition strategy.

The shift towards more content and data-driven financial marketplaces represents a significant change in how financial products are marketed and used. By leveraging available consumer data enhanced with AI technologies, marketplace users can greatly improve their consumer engagement and monetization strategies through better product matching and personalized content that is both creative and informative.

Ultimately, the success of a marketplace hinges on several crucial factors, as detailed in this whitepaper. It’s important to understand that marketplaces are not just aggregators or affiliate programs. To be sustainable, they must be seen by consumers as the destination for their daily financial and social lives.