April 24, 2026 Guest opinion piece
As online retail continues its shift towards marketplace led shopping, OnBuy has emerged as one of the UK and Europe’s most dynamic players, growing rapidly by doing something increasingly rare in ecommerce: putting sellers first. Unlike many platforms that compete directly with retailers, OnBuy’s model is rooted in transparency and partnership, offering an environment where sellers can scale without being undercut by the marketplace itself.
This approach aligns strongly with the way consumers now shop. Marketplaces have become the default starting point for product discovery, with nearly half of global shoppers (47 per cent) beginning their journeys on a marketplace rather than a search engine, and 80 per cent saying they trust marketplace pricing more than traditional online retail. As a result, platforms that can offer breadth, fair competition and a trusted buying experience, like OnBuy, are seeing accelerated momentum across Europe.
Growth, reach and a loyal customer base
That momentum is measurable. OnBuy’s traffic continues to rise, drawing 65 per cent of its traffic from the UK, followed by strong growth in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. This international blend of shoppers reinforces one of the fastest growing trends in online retail: cross-border commerce becoming the norm rather than the exception. Global shipping simplification, better VAT alignment and marketplace expansion strategies mean marketplaces are increasingly cross-border by default, reshaping how sellers think about growth in 2025 and beyond.
Beneath this rising demand is a highly valuable customer base. OnBuy’s largest demographic is 25 to 34 year olds, a group with strong purchasing power and a high propensity to buy across categories like tech, lifestyle, home and fashion.
Its audience is also fairly balanced at 52 per cent male and 48 per cent female, making it an attractive environment for a broad range of product categories.
Crucially for sellers, this is not just traffic for traffic’s sake: 51 per cent of GMV comes from returning customers, signalling strong loyalty and recurring sales potential.
Trust, data quality and AI at scale
OnBuy’s rapid expansion has been driven not only by its aggressive and highly effective use of artificial intelligence, but also by its firm commitment to trust and compliance. To sell on the platform, sellers must ensure that each product is authentic, policy compliant and listed with valid GTINs (EAN, UPC or ISBN).
In 2024, the company recorded a 37 per cent year on year revenue increase, attributing much of that performance to deeper AI integration across the business, from operational optimisation to customer experience improvements. The impact on seller outcomes has been even more striking. In 2025, AI powered autocategorisation reached 93 per cent accuracy, helping recategorise over 20 million products and unlocking £4m in additional GMV by improving discoverability. This shift reflects an industry wide trend, with marketplaces using AI not as an add on but as a fundamental part of search, personalisation, fraud prevention and seller tooling.
Commercial performance and seller opportunity
Commercially, the marketplace is showing a steady upward trajectory. OnBuy reported US$200m in GMV during 2025, with a projected 40 per cent increase in 2026. December 2025 alone saw revenues reach £19m, signalling increasing seasonal relevance and an enhanced ability to scale during peak trading periods. These figures stand alongside record breaking moments. In Q4 2024, sales reached £44m, highlighting accelerating demand as OnBuy continues to refine its marketplace model and broaden its international presence.
But while the numbers tell one story, the seller experience tells another. OnBuy’s expansion into 21 markets across the UK and Europe gives retailers immediate access to millions of potential new customers without the barriers often associated with international ecommerce.
Its model allows sellers to manage stock, pricing and operations per market while benefiting from centralised support and a single, clear fee structure. This positions OnBuy within a broader industry shift: shoppers are browsing marketplaces not only for necessity but increasingly for leisure, with 59 per cent browsing for fun and 56 per cent making spontaneous purchases. The more frictionless and engaging the environment, the higher the conversion potential.
In this context, OnBuy’s ecosystem of seller tools, such as OnBuy Boost for risk free promotion, flexible subscription packages, streamlined integrations and straightforward payment flows, becomes more than a feature set. It becomes the infrastructure enabling brands to grow faster than the market average.
What makes OnBuy especially compelling is how well it captures today’s marketplace realities: a trusted buying environment, fast international expansion, AI enhanced seller performance and customers who return frequently and buy across multiple categories. With online retail increasingly shaped by discovery driven shopping, transparent pricing and the rise of cross-border marketplaces, OnBuy stands out as a platform built around the behaviours and expectations defining ecommerce in 2025.
