MARKETPLACES AS A KEY DRIVER OF GLOBAL E-COMMERCE

Currently, e-commerce is becoming a modern challenge to accelerate the development of the global economy. This requires the introduction of qualitatively new approaches to the strategic management of activities using information technology. The purpose of this article is to study the key issues, features and trends in the development of e-commerce in the context of international business digitalization on the example of international online marketplaces. This paper analyses the risks and benefits, distribution logistics issues for the development of e-commerce, and its positive and negative impact on trade in general. It is determined that today the pace of development of e-commerce is very fast, significantly exceeding the pace of development of traditional trade. An important indicator of a successful e-commerce business strategy is a clear vision and implementation of the strategy of involving marketplaces in the trading strategy. A clear understanding of which marketplace best suits the needs of the business and competent implementation significantly increases the chances of making a quick profit in online trading. The article notes that the business model of marketplaces is considered to be promising, as it is beneficial for both the seller and the buyer. This paper considers the key and most well-known globally recognized marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy, their main advantages and disadvantages, comparative characteristics of marketplaces and how to effectively integrate products into these tools, as well as the future implications of these concepts for distribution logistics in the context of e-commerce.


INTRODUCTION
In today's environment, the introduction of information and communication technologies is a driving force behind the development of the economy in general and trade in particular.Therefore, it is not surprising that most traditional trading companies are entering or have already entered the electronic market.The modern economy is focused on the use of new production technologies and the introduction of innovations.The traditional economy is being replaced by the information environment.An important condition for the development of the global economy is the development of high-tech businesses that use modern digital technologies.The constantly changing global market conditions dictate not only the need for the country's economy to participate in digitalization but also the need for a digital technological breakthrough, which means the rapid development of fundamental digital solutions in line with the strategy.In the context of digitalization, e-commerce is developing dynamically, which implies the need to use effective tools to influence the market, taking into account competitive market advantages and available resources.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The peculiarities of e-commerce organizations are widely studied by scholars around the world.Various aspects of ecommerce, ways of attracting online buyers and stimulating their demand, and organizational and economic mechanisms of online marketplaces are considered, in particular, in the works of such scholars as Evans R., Tkacz E., Kapczynski A., Kot O.V., Antonenko D.S., Kraus K.M., Manzhura O.V., Krehul Yu., Batrymenko V., Li Z.,.
The purpose of this article is to study the key issues, features and trends in the development of e-commerce in the context of international business digitalization on the example of international online marketplaces.

METHODS
The methodological basis of the study is based on the fundamental principles of e-commerce.The methods of statistical analysis for understanding modern and actual trends of the global e-commerce market; strategies for using optimization software were considered for marketplaces, such as Marmalead for Etsy, 3DSellers for eBay and Helium10 for Amazon; comparative analysis to distinguish the rates of the marketplaces' tools, the evidentiary method and structural method were used.Methods of schematic analysis, graphical and economic-statistical methods for the implementation of the key concept of sales on international marketplaces were used.

RESULTS
E-commerce is a type of trade that adapts to new market rules and situations, offering new opportunities, challenges and risks in the context of international business digitalization.Today, e-commerce is steadily replacing traditional trade, but the advantages and disadvantages of e-commerce need to be weighed on a case-by-case basis.The use of digital technologies in business activities is driven by numerous advantages provided by e-commerce, in particular, with the development of mobile commerce: businesses have gained an important advantage: anyone with a mobile device can access it, as well as reduce time and financial costs; simplify the logistics mechanism of e-commerce; speed1 up the customer service process; focus on improving business processes, and keep the business up to date.In particular, these benefits demonstrate that online activity makes businesses more convenient, accessible and ready to help or provide customers with all the information they need.Online companies are truly focused on creating value for their customers.At the same time, the company's current business processes become more transparent and accessible for analysis.Thus, e-commerce can provide businesses with certain advantages in terms of wider coverage of the customer base, faster transactions, etc.
However, before digitizing all business processes, business owners should assess all possible risks (system risks, cybersecurity risks, hidden costs, data security risks, marketing failures, system manipulation risks, fraud risks, etc.).As a result, a number of e-businesses that had just started their operations were subsequently acquired by other companies.Most of these companies had low cash flows and failed to make a profit: they favoured growth over financial stability, leading to the collapse of a destabilizing "economic bubble" that destroyed many Internet companies.Although this type of systemic risk may not be repeated, most market segments can also operate within a business cycle of "growth, plateau and decline".Business owners and managers should be able to assess their market segments and plan for each stage of the business cycle [4,5].
In addition, the entrepreneurial risks faced by businesses in their day-to-day operations are an integral factor in the success of e-commerce.Since e-commerce does not require large sites or warehouses, companies must rely on supply chains to ensure that goods are delivered to customers (consumers) in a timely manner.The likelihood of such risks may increase if the business depends on individuals or other businesses acting as intermediaries.Business risks can also arise if an ecommerce business is unable to acquire sufficient inventory and move it through the supply chain quickly and efficiently.For example, there are the risks of hidden costs (or maintenance and upgrade costs), data security risks, marketing failure risks, and website usage risks.
It is worth noting that one of the main arguments in favour of e-commerce is the low initial cost of operations.For example, the cost of a domain name and web hosting is lower than the cost of renting or buying a physical store (office space).While some business owners create their own websites, many hires third-party developers to do so.As a rule, the cost of a business website can be measured in thousands of USD.Regular maintenance and updating of the site (in addition to its modernization) also requires time and money -either by hiring a specialist to do the work or using your own resources.In any case, the owner runs the risk of spending additional funds to solve these problems [3].
It is worth mentioning that, the distributors require a risk assessment system for each market they are contemplating, irrespective of which market they are operating in [8].Establishing private label products to replace manufacturers' products or starting direct sales of currently sold products from distributors who were third-party sellers.COVID-19 has pushed the company to a tipping point in the development of technology and has permanently changed the direction of the business from a predominantly online perspective.The implementation of digital technology has led to a qualitative leap at the organizational and operational levels in all key areas of business development.This has undoubtedly influenced consumer behaviour in markets around the world and has led to the significant popularization of the concept of e-commerce (Figure 1) [9].Asia is expected to have the highest total revenue from retail e-commerce, over two trillion USD.The next highest revenue from the concept will come from the Americas, about USD 1.1 trillion.E-commerce revenue in Africa will remain the lowest in the world at around USUSD 44 billion due to the region's low awareness of the issue.The tendency for online marketplaces is at a fairly high level at the moment, this is accompanied by effective traffic to marketplaces on a global level (Figure 2) [10].And this trend will only increase in the years to come in the context of the swift development of ecommerce and therefore a strategy to minimize online sales risk in the context of rapid digitalization must be brought into consideration.The main factors that minimize the risk of a distribution policy are the following: the rejection of intermediation by distributors and the outsourcing of order fulfilment to the manufacturer.There are essentially two main factors that affect the level of risk when distributors sell through marketplaces: the status of the company as a seller-logistician, which itself is a seller and has logistical capabilities -distribution centres, inventories, product managers, and customers -can theoretically sell the equal SKUs as a competing company, in most cases.A company that does not have any of these capabilities cannot provide meaningful competition.For example, Amazon can decide to contact manufacturers and sell almost any product directly rather than through third-party sellers on Amazon.eBay has no logistics network and no stock.Consequently, eBay is more reliable than Amazon because it simply does not have the ability to sell directly.It should be noted that on most B2B marketplaces, manufacturers and distributors act as third-party sellers.However, the goal of some marketplaces is to eliminate distributors from the supply chain for many products.
The main goal is for the marketplace to continue to provide all outside functions such as marketing, merchandising, sales, customer service, etc.The manufacturer will take care of smaller orders, such as warehousing, picking, packing, shipping, etc.Both parties will share the value-added activities previously provided by the distributor and also share the profits.From these perspectives, the active development of e-commerce implies the condemnatory impact of marketplaces on distribution logistics [11].
The role of logistics in retail is constantly changing as new technologies and trends emerge.However, no single event has had such a significant impact on the warehousing and distribution structure as the rise of e-commerce.The growing demand for fast delivery and precise service in the online marketplace has fundamentally changed the business models of many traditional stores, which has affected the requirements for logistics service providers.Increasingly, however, companies worldwide are dealing with complex supply chains and distribution channels that require significant maintenance costs, especially when manual processes are used.The ultimate solution to staying competitive and expanding the customer base is an efficient distribution process that drives sales.An efficient distribution process that increases sales is the key to staying competitive and expanding the customer base.As major players like Amazon set high standards for customer-centric services, retailers and their distributors must ensure fast and accurate order processing to meet customer expectations and achieve cost efficiencies that save businesses money.Previously, before the emergence of e-commerce in 2017, fulfilment centres were used to handle bulk orders and manage long lines, with automation primarily focused on palletized goods.Now, however, in 2023, distributors will need to deliver products to retail stores and ship individual products directly to end consumers when selling online (Figure 3) [12].With multiple product orders spreading across all channels, order line sizes are shrinking and the picking process is becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming.Manual processes and outdated technology simply cannot keep up with the ever-changing e-commerce environment or meet the demands of today's consumers for either same-day or next-day delivery.
Many companies are struggling to find the best way to automate omnichannel distribution.Combining flexible delivery methods with manual processes can be a solution to increase productivity, eliminate errors, and save labour.In particular, automated product delivery systems can be up to six times more efficient than manual systems, allowing companies to get more orders per shift.
Marketplaces are now the most effective way to promote products globally.For more sufficient differentiation between key sales areas, the most progressive opportunities to implement strategies in indispensable players of international marketplaces should be considered.We will conduct a comparative analysis of the most popular global marketplaces.
At the moment, the differentiation in popularity approval by customers of international marketplaces is as follows (Figure 4) [13].The trend shows that Amazon and eBay are in the lead in terms of customer traffic, in principle this is a quite logical differentiation because both marketplaces are global, they have a wide range of product categories, which is a steady trend in popularity.It is worth pointing out that the Etsy marketplace, which deals with the handmade goods niche, occupies stable 9th place, but does not have a wide enough range of products.A more detailed analysis of marketplaces in the context of their relevance to the buyer should be carried out.The two online trading giants Amazon and eBay are popular marketplaces and are the primary sources for online sellers and retailers seeking to sell products, increase profits and expand their customer bases.While Amazon and eBay may appear somewhat similar, they are quite distinct in terms of usability, policies and essential requirements [14].
The main particular rules for trading on Amazon are: having plenty of experience, expertise and time as this marketplace is more appropriate for sellers with already a solid background in online selling [15].
Thus, implementing sales on Amazon requires: ▪ lengthy and multi-step shop vetting process; ▪ distinctive customer service policy.
Features of trading on eBay are as follows: ▪ an easily verified account is essential for inexperienced sellers on online marketplaces; ▪ eBay's listing content is more customizable and does not impose adherence to strict regulations as Amazon requires.
The concept of successful trading on Etsy implies the main principles as follows: ▪ high demand for crafts, vintage and handmade products; ▪ a simple verification of an account from scratch takes merely a very few steps; ▪ paying attention to detail can play a crucial role in attracting customers and sales; ▪ general requirements for items, and types of goods on the marketplaces being researched.
Both Amazon and eBay do not have specific requirements for the types of goods; it is possible to sell a virtually extended variety of products.It should be noted that on eBay, items must be listed, including brand, product size, type, specific style, and keywords for ranking.On Etsy, there are certain requirements and products that are allowed to be sold, according to the categories of items enumerated directly listed, and resale is only allowed if the items fall into these categories.
As for ways of promoting accounts on trade-internet platforms, promotion on Etsy has proven effective in raising awareness and attracting interested audiences to the marketplace.Amazon uses its own range of advertising tools, and by activating an ad campaign, sellers can increase the visibility of products by bringing them to the first positions in Amazon's search results.eBay also offers an advertising campaign tool called promoted ads, which are sponsored ads that are only available to sellers with high conversion rates.On eBay, reviews are crucial and are still one of the instruments of success in this marketplace.
The advertising fees on eBay are also vastly differ from those on Amazon.The cost of promoted ads is based on a predefined advertising rate that the seller elects.Sellers are selective about the percentage that will be deducted from the final sale price of the item as taxes and shipping costs are not included in the fee.Etsy ad campaigns are pay-per-click promotions where sellers can choose the maximum daily budget, they are willing to pay for participating in the auction.eBay allows up to 200 ads per month for free, but if the monthly limit is exceeded, an insertion fee is charged depending on the product category.
After analyzing the above comparison between Etsy, Amazon, and eBay, it is worth determining which platform is the most business-friendly and has the most monumental advantages that can take e-commerce goals to the next level.Certainly, all platforms are excellent resources that can be used to achieve this goal.
Ultimately, collaborative selling on eBay, Amazon, and Etsy is an unmistakable way to expand the business more quickly and effectively to a much wider target audience, as these marketplaces provide the ideal synchronization software to help optimize marketing and sales strategy for ultimate success.
Next, we will look at key tools for optimizing sales on Etsy, eBay and Amazon.After entering the initial keywords, Marmalead generates a list of relevant offers that can be used as demand and competition indicators.The software automatically allocates them to the key system indicators.The Marmalead tools allow the addition of lists of satisfactory keywords, which gives a more efficient way to integrate the right keyword list.Once a few keywords are added, an update is automatically made with the ability to track the most favoured trend.Trends provide Etsy sellers with an idea of which products are in the highest demand, in general, the results are determined by the specific algorithm used by Marmalead.Also, Pinterest trends are used to assess product trends on Etsy, which gives the possibility of attracting the highest traffic of customers to the Etsy shop.Thus, the main drivers of product promotion on Etsy, are the optimization software used to generate the keywords, and Pinterest as an additional tool for large-scale customer engagement in a progressive dynamic.
3Dsellers' selling strategy on eBay is a multi-channel support service for listing, planning, managing, tracking and promoting an online business [18].3Dsellers allows to explore basic features and achieve high conversion rates with a trial period of 7 days.The software allows users to select the best plan for their business, further, the choice can vary in terms of features, defined by three options: "Essential", "Professional" and "Growth" for long-term shop optimization on eBay (Table 1) [19].Therefore, 3Dsellers provides the opportunity to select the most relevant eBay shop optimization plan.For optimal optimization software, this solution is the most suitable and includes the selection of the most appropriate plan for the specific business at the individual stage of development.3Dsellersis implementing omnichannel solutions for sellers seeking to manage multiple eBay accounts and integrate with Amazon and other marketplaces in a sufficiently rapid timeframe.The management tools are listing software for eBay, the main functions of the tool include as follows: ▪ efficient customer service facility; ▪ decision-making tool through CRM integration; ▪ management of rates, orders, and shipment tracking; ▪ reporting centre including operational strategic calculations of the company's current development; ▪ editing software for imagery and automation of operational service conditions; ▪ effective marketing tools including the creation of lists, feedback reminders, automatic messaging, and presenting services for planning further marketing campaigns.
The optimal solution for streamlining business on Amazon is Jungle Scout.The software is considered the most comprehensive tool for Amazon sellers and includes a high variability in the functions offered.The company is constantly upgrading its software tools and developing new system strategies to increase sales.Jungle Scout's newest optimization software tool is the seller database, as the tool offers several features to find and manage the most successful sellers and orders.This system includes trusted global vendors used by leading progressive companies.Jungle Scout with implementable tools allows the analysis of competitors, finding the best suppliers for profitable offers [20,21].The most advanced features of this tool are benchmarking and supplier tracking.Jungle Scout allows searching for suppliers by Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN), brand name, or supplier name for prompt product sourcing.This tool can be used to compare supplier quotes and allows the selection of the supplier that best suits the needs and budget of the business in its current position.Jungle Scout also helps to create and manage purchase orders and track all transactions with suppliers, which is a progressive implementation of business advancement on Amazon.Jungle Scout is a program with three different rates to meet the various needs of sellers on Amazon.These tariffs are "Basic", "Suite" and "Professional", each with individual features (Table 2) [22].Thus, this tool allows for optimizing sales on Amazon by effectively benchmarking competitors, monitoring ASIN, showcasing extensive statistical data, as well as in-depth ad campaign analytics for advanced fares.From these perspectives, in today's highly competitive economic environment, national entrepreneurs need to leverage successful foreign digital retail experiences to solve the e-commerce challenges faced by online businesses with the right set of tools.The rapid growth of e-commerce over the past 5-10 years has confirmed its role as an important asset for companies that are increasingly adapting to the online environment.COVID-19 has reinforced this trend: e-commerce has played an important role in overcoming the challenges of the pandemic and will remain a key factor in the new reality.As technology evolves and consumer behaviour changes, it is important to keep an eye on e-commerce trends.The following e-commerce trends are observed as follows: a broad and competitive e-commerce landscape, e-commerce entities entering the international market, new channels of reaching consumers, the use of augmented reality and artificial intelligence, greater personalization of goods and services through the collection of consumer data, the development of chatbots, mobile commerce, etc.

DISCUSSION AND FURTHER RESEARCH
E-commerce is beneficial for both buyers and sellers, but it also has certain disadvantages, such as privacy concerns, lack of physical interaction between the seller and the buyer, etc. Starting an online business from scratch or converting it from a traditional business to e-commerce can lead to positive transformations, but it is fraught with challenges.The risks of ecommerce are related to data security, fraud, cybersecurity, business environment, additional maintenance and upgrade costs, business reputation, etc.
The main obstacles in the Ukrainian e-commerce market today are a set of problems related to the military invasion of Ukraine.These include logistical problems, full or partial closure of many online stores and marketplaces, power and internet outages, and the transition to martial law, which led to a partial collapse of e-commerce.In addition, there are problems with the domestic regulatory framework, which needs to be updated to reflect the current pace of development of information and communication technologies and brought into line with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement on the transition from electronic digital signatures and electronic document management to full regulation of trust services in our country.Ukraine is also witnessing the development of such a negative phenomenon as Internet fraud, which also significantly and tangibly hinders the effective development of e-commerce and is associated with the imperfection of the domestic legal framework in this area and its regulation.
Further research in the field of e-commerce should take into account aspects of improving the legal and regulatory framework, in particular, the adoption of relevant laws, the introduction of full verification of e-commerce entities, and the regulation of the deposit mechanism.
The key areas to stimulate the development of e-commerce in Ukraine are an adaptation to European standards through accession to the European Union, increasing profits through personalized advertising, activating Facebook and Instagram platforms for more convenient customer feedback, introducing a virtual assistant in the form of a chatbot, using augmented and virtual reality technologies, further development and emphasis on mobile commerce, and optimizing logistics.The main task of the state in this context is to stabilize the situation on the e-commerce market and turn Ukraine into a competitive player on the global online platform.At the same time, it is worth noting that, in addition to direct government intervention in this area, the further development of e-commerce in Ukraine can be influenced directly by its participants.

CONCLUSIONS
Thus, e-commerce has significant business benefits as follows: it reduces the cost of transactions and advertising, expands the trading space, and opens up wide opportunities for outsourcing, creates opportunities for automation of trade and technological processes, expands the possibilities of marketing research, reduces the costs of setting up traditional trading companies, etc.It is also beneficial for customers, as it gives them greater control over the process of search and selection from a large number of products and allows them to take advantage of remote transactions.
E-commerce stimulates the economy by increasing productivity, encouraging innovation and facilitating shopping efficiency, and creates opportunities for environmental protection of the planet for both forward-thinking sellers and environmentally conscious buyers alike.As retailers increasingly focus on the importance of customer satisfaction, meeting the demands of e-commerce has become essential to customer loyalty and business growth.The integration of automated home delivery technology allows for a high level of customer service through later order fulfilment times, faster order fulfilment, real-time updates and accurate product delivery.The popularity of e-commerce will continue its exponential growth, and businesses will need the right distribution technology to support fulfilment in the online marketplace.

Figure 5 .
Figure 5.The interconnection between keyword optimization.(Source: [17]) Marmalead is one of the leading keyword research and SEO tools onEtsy [16].This software is one of the most effective tools for SEO keyword research on Etsy.It costs USD 19 per month for a monthly subscription or USD 15.83 per month for an annual subscription, which equates to USD 189.96.The software operates by integrating SEO tools.The search function displays keyword data allowing users to view information on search volume, engagement, level of competition and the most popular tags.Price range information allows to determine customer product differentiation in the most efficient way.For product lists defined by Marmalead ranked by specific keywords, categories represent key product segments.Enhanced strategy elaboration includes data on similar and alternative customer searches for long keywords as an effective tool to elaborate a strategy to get closer to the audience.A relevant keyword brainstorming tool allows to most clearly define the key drivers for further SEO optimization.These can be used to significantly increase conversion visibility on Etsy.Marmalead displays user ratings based on these criteria.SEO factors such as the number of tags, the use of long keywords, and the use of long-tail tags allow a clear definition of further product development.Sales factors such as number of photos used, amount of words, readability and sentiment also have an effect on increasing sales.The concept of the Marmalead is explained in this figure (Figure5)[17].