Michaels Unveils Online Marketplace

Specialty arts and crafts retailer Michaels soft-launched a third-party online marketplace within Michaels.com to offer a more expansive, curated assortment of products and enhanced customer experience.

Michaels tapped CommerceHub, a software solutions provider and commerce network, and its ChannelAdvisor subsidiary to power the marketplace, which went live on March 15, with an invite-only group of “experienced, professional” sellers in the arts and crafts space, according to the website.

The marketplace currently gives consumers access to more than 750,000 products selected by Michaels. The retailer is planning to add new sellers in categories including arts and crafts supplies, candle and soapmaking, leather and woodwork, baking, tools and tech, yarn, stitchery, kids, toys, education, journaling and seasonal products, in the future, according to a media release from CommerceHub.

To scale its marketplace product assortment quickly and easily, Michaels created a full-service portal leveraging CommerceHub marketplace solutions as an integration partner, including supplier onboarding tools and APIs that can streamline the vetting process of potential marketplace sellers.

Additionally, CommerceHub and ChannelAdvisor can generate awareness and engagement across their combined network of brands with marketing capabilities that support Michaels’ ongoing efforts to grow its marketplace sellers.

"Creating a best-in-class and differentiated experience for both customers and sellers is the priority for our new online marketplace," Jason Brenner, senior vice president, marketplaces at Michaels, said in the release. "CommerceHub and ChannelAdvisor provide valuable integration tools and services that supplement the full-service Seller Portal we built in-house, enabling a seamless onboarding for our vetted sellers to list their products and sell on Michaels.com."

CommerceHub recently completed its merger with ChannelAdvisor, significantly expanding its network to more than 40,000 retailers and brands, as well as growing its portfolio of commerce solutions and services.

Pete Elmgren, CommerceHub chief revenue officer, said in the release: “The right technology, built on an extensive commerce network, reduces friction for more brands to participate in the marketplace, enables Michaels to easily launch and scale new products, and increases their agility in responding to what their customers want, when they want it.”