Strategy · 3 min read
Choosing a niche you can actually own
The best niche is the intersection of something you know, something people search for, and something the big platforms cannot list well.
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Building a travel marketplace of your own
Practical notes from the sites in this directory: how to choose a niche you can own, research demand before you build, pick tools that won't sink you, and get your first suppliers and bookings.
Research · 2 min read
How to research demand before you build anything
Two weeks of unglamorous research will tell you more than six months of development.
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Tooling · 3 min read
The tech stack for a small travel marketplace
Buy availability, payments and messaging. Build only the thing that makes you different.
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Supply · 3 min read
Getting your first twenty suppliers
Supply is not a sales problem at this stage. It is a trust problem.
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Growth · 3 min read
Your first hundred bookings: marketing that works when you're small
You cannot outbid the aggregators on ads. You can out-know them on content and out-care them on service.
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Business model · 3 min read
Commission, subscription or listing fee? Choosing your business model
How you charge decides which suppliers join, how fast you grow and when you break even.
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Listings · 3 min read
Writing listings that turn browsers into bookings
The listing page is where a marketplace earns its money. Most are written as an afterthought.
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Integrations · 3 min read
Connecting to your suppliers' systems without the headache
Your suppliers already manage availability somewhere. The trick is not making them do it twice.
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Payments · 3 min read
Payments, payouts and refunds: the money side of a marketplace
Taking a payment is easy. Splitting it, holding it and paying it out correctly is where marketplaces come unstuck.
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Getting started · 3 min read
The launch checklist: from idea to live marketplace
A step-by-step order of work that gets a travel marketplace live without skipping the parts that matter.
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Search · 3 min read
SEO for niche travel marketplaces: winning the searches the giants ignore
You will never outrank the big platforms for 'hotels in Italy'. You can own the searches that actually convert.
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Trust · 3 min read
Building trust as a new marketplace: reviews, policies and guest communication
Travellers are handing a stranger their holiday. A new marketplace has to earn that trust on every page.
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