From domestic to cross-border, help transform online marketplaces with real-time¹ payments

By Yanilsa Gonzalez-Ore, SVP, Visa Direct NA and Global Ecosystem, 12/06/2022

Online marketplaces are powering the growth of businesses all around the world–helping buyers and sellers connect and send money seamlessly. From hand-crafted furniture to food, home rentals and secondhand handbags, people can purchase goods and services quickly through online marketplaces. But sellers don’t always receive payments for those goods and services at the same speed. For many small businesses, managing cash flow can be a constant challenge. In fact, in a U.S. survey of online marketplaces sellers, 68% of surveyed sellers say they missed or delayed a payment obligation specifically due to a delayed marketplace payout in the last year.²

Fast, flexible payouts aren't just nice to have–they can be key to a business’s survival. Promptly getting funds from sales helps make it possible for merchants to buy inventory, continue listing, pay employees and suppliers, and help grow their businesses. 82% of surveyed marketplaces sellers claim they would sell more on a marketplace that offered fast payouts to a debit card linked to their account in 30 minutes or less.²

It’s clear that these digital storefronts may need the infrastructure to pay their sellers quickly and easily, domestically and cross-border,³ as well as offer more payment options–whether that be directly to their eligible debit card, bank account, or wallet.⁴ Marketplaces can meet these demands with the help of Visa Direct and its network of enabling partners.

Create value with fast payment options

When marketplaces offer their sellers payout choice, sellers get more control over their cash flow. eBay, one of the world’s largest third-party marketplaces, has enabled payouts via Visa Direct in the U.S., allowing sellers to securely receive their eBay payouts on a Visa debit card in 30 minutes or less⁵ of initiating a payout request, rather than standard bank processing times of 1-3 business days.

“We are continuing to make it easier for our sellers to manage their money on eBay so they can focus on what matters most to them – growing their business. By enabling payouts to eligible debit cards via Visa Direct, we’re offering sellers more flexibility and control over how and when they can get paid on eBay.”

— Avritti Khandurie Mittal, VP of Global Payments at eBay

The rise of content creators

Online marketplaces can be more than a destination for buying and selling traditional e-commerce goods. As the digital world rapidly evolves, along with changing consumer behaviors accelerated by the pandemic, more people have been turning online to make money–growing the creator economy.

The creator economy is borderless, spanning digital platforms–from social to gaming to the metaverse. As one of the fastest growing small business categories, more than 50 million artists, musicians, and creators are publishing content as a full- or part-time source of income.⁶ People can reach target audiences across the world, build a following, and monetize their content. Social commerce, which includes creator-driven work, is expected to reach $1.2 trillion worldwide by 2025.⁷

Although they aren’t selling physical goods, creators face the same challenges as small businesses. Creators need fast access to earnings to grow and deliver the content their audience expects, when they expect it. In fact, 69% of creators surveyed by Visa say that waiting for payouts slows their momentum and 88% of surveyed creators would engage more with a platform that offers fast payouts.⁸ To help this growing category of small businesses thrive and access funds in real-time,¹ the Visa Ready Creator Commerce Program provides creator-centric platforms, such as social-commerce and video gaming companies, with embedded financial tools for fast and flexible payouts through Visa Direct, and use cases like tipping and donations.⁹

Help tap into new opportunities with Visa Direct

With sellers and creators located all over the world, marketplaces have an opportunity to evolve their strategies and can meet consumer expectations in new, innovative ways. Adding Visa Direct enabled payout solutions can be a new source of revenue with marketplaces, with 68% of surveyed sellers saying real-time payouts would incentivize them to sign up for a premium subscription.¹⁰ Also, by enabling Visa Direct, marketplaces and sellers alike can benefit from real-time¹ payouts and seamless domestic and international selling experiences–helping increase loyalty on each side of the transaction. For example, if a British traveler used a vacation rental marketplace to book a house in Sri Lanka, with the help of Visa Direct and enabling partners, the owner/seller can receive earnings directly to their bank account, card, or wallet³ in rupees quickly and easily.

With Visa Direct, marketplaces can send money seamlessly to more than 180 countries through a single point of access. That’s why online marketplaces are increasingly looking to Visa Direct and its secure network of enabling partners to help them provide fast and flexible payout options and reach more endpoints to take advantage of the growing $1.2 trillion market opportunity in online marketplace flows.¹¹

When small businesses grow, so can marketplaces

Today’s marketplace ecosystem is opening new possibilities for participation in the global economy. It can bring people together from all corners of the world–spurring creativity and strengthening livelihoods. Enabling real-time¹² payouts through Visa Direct can help both marketplaces and merchants keep up with consumer needs, grow their businesses, and mutually thrive.

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