KPIs for Online Marketplaces
These are the KPIs a marketplace tracks, where buyers and sellers must both be attracted and kept. Gross merchandise value, take rate and liquidity describe whether it works.
The KPIs to track
Gross merchandise value (GMV)
The total value of goods or services sold through the marketplace in a period, before fees and refunds.
Take rate
Marketplace net revenue (fees and commissions) divided by gross merchandise value.
Liquidity
The share of listings that sell, or of buyer requests that are fulfilled, within a set time.
Buyer repeat rate
Buyers who purchased again in a period divided by buyers who purchased before.
Seller retention
Sellers active at the start of a period who are still active at the end, divided by sellers at the start.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Customer acquisition cost is the average spend needed to win one new customer, including marketing and sales costs.
Formula and SQL query on the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) page.
Average order value is the mean amount customers spend per order.
Formula and SQL query on the Average Order Value (AOV) page.
Return rate is the share of items or orders that customers send back.
Formula and SQL query on the Product Return Rate page.
Where the data usually lives
The marketplace database (listings, orders, payouts), payment processor reports and web and ad analytics.
Measurement mistakes to avoid
- GMV and revenue are different; report GMV only alongside take rate.
- Buyer and seller sides need separate acquisition and retention figures.
- Refunds and cancelled orders change GMV after the sale; decide when you count it.
Questions to ask your data
You can type these as plain questions. SchemaChat turns each one into SQL against your connected database or uploaded file, runs it, and shows the SQL and the figures it used so you can check the answer before you share it. Check that the result matches how your business defines each KPI.
- What was GMV and take rate by month?
- What share of listings sold within 30 days?
- How many sellers who were active last quarter are still active?
- What is acquisition cost for buyers and for sellers separately?