In a strategic move to continue to dominate its cloud business, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has expanded its Marketplace to include third-party professional services.
A company announcement confirmed that Marketplace sellers, along with independent software vendors (ISVs), consulting partners, and channel partners, can now sell third-party services.
With this latest release, AWS Marketplace sellers can grant resale authorization to other sellers, essentially receiving wholesale pricing for professional services.
AWS opens Marktplaats to third parties
AWS summarized: “The authorized partner can then use the resale authorization to adjust pricing, duration, and legal terms to provide professional services that best fit the customer’s needs.”
This update allows customers to purchase software and professional services directly from their favorite and trusted providers, giving customers the opportunity to choose a provider that already knows their business, has localized support or specialist expertise in this area.
Amazon says that because third-party sales are now allowed on the Marketplace, customers can continue to expect the same fast purchasing experience they’ve come to expect, but with greater flexibility.
AWS plays its cards carefully, but its marketplace is believed to have generated more than $1 billion in revenue in 2021 (via Protocol). In the same year, approximately 325,000 customers had purchased more than two million active subscriptions through AWS Marketplace, according to the same report.
Amazon did not hint at the reasoning behind its decision to open its marketplace to third parties in its announcement, but the cloud industry has come under scrutiny in recent months.
Both Amazon and Microsoft have each been the subject of investigations over their dominance, but Microsoft appears to have borne the brunt of the investigations and Amazon could address future claims of supplier lock-in in the future.