Understanding the strengths and limitations of each platform is critical when you're planning to launch a marketplace. The decision between building a custom solution, extending your existing eCommerce platform, or adopting a dedicated marketplace platform can determine not just your time-to-market, but also how scalable and maintainable the entire operation will be down the line.
Mirakl has become something of a household name in the marketplace world, especially among enterprise retailers and B2B organizations. But what exactly makes it stand out? Is it just marketing hype, or does the platform genuinely deliver on its promise of simplified marketplace operations? And more importantly, when does it make sense to choose Mirakl over alternatives like building on top of Sylius, Shopware or going fully custom?
In this blog, we'll break down what Mirakl actually is, how it works, who it's built for, and where it fits in the broader landscape of marketplace solutions. Whether you're a retailer looking to expand your product range without inventory risk, or a B2B distributor considering a multi-vendor model, this guide will help you understand if Mirakl is the right fit for your business.
Let’s start by saying a few words about the solution.
What is the Mirakl platform?
Mirakl is a French SaaS platform founded in 2012 that specializes in building and managing marketplaces for large organizations. It's the clear market leader in the enterprise marketplace solutions category - the platform serves over 450 companies worldwide and has achieved a valuation exceeding €3.3 billion. Its client roster includes brands like Carrefour, H&M, Best Buy Canada, Kroger, and Macy's.
The platform isn't limited to retail, as it supports both B2C and B2B models. In 2023, it generated over €8.2 billion in transaction value, managing 600 million SKUs daily and processing more than 250 million API calls.
The "Marketplace-as-a-Service" approach
Mirakl offers a Marketplace-as-a-Service model. Instead of building a marketplace from scratch, organizations receive ready-made technical infrastructure along with tools for managing sellers, product catalogs, orders, and payments.
The platform operates on a subscription model - a setup fee, fixed subscription fee, and commission on sales volume (GMV). This allows costs to scale with business growth. Mirakl delivers not just software, but also an ecosystem of over 100,000 verified sellers ready to collaborate, which significantly accelerates time-to-market.
https://bitbag.io/blog/subscription-models-in-ecommerce
The difference between Mirakl and traditional eCommerce platforms
Traditional eCommerce platforms are designed with direct sales in mind. They treat the marketplace model as an add-on feature, often implemented through external modules.
Mirakl was built exclusively for marketplaces. Every feature, from seller onboarding through commission management to payment systems, was designed for the multi-vendor model. The system automatically maps product data from different suppliers using AI, monitors seller SLAs, and can suspend accounts of those who don't meet standards.
Key features of the Mirakl platform
Mirakl's feature set reflects years of marketplace experience distilled into a platform that handles the operational complexity of multi-vendor commerce. The system was built to address pain points that emerge when you're managing dozens or hundreds of sellers, each with their own catalog and fulfillment processes.
AI-powered catalog management
One of Mirakl's standout advantages is how it handles product data from multiple suppliers. The platform uses AI to automatically detect similarities in product descriptions and map categories to your existing taxonomy. According to Mirakl, this makes data mapping roughly 1000x faster than manual processes. Sellers can onboard their catalogs through multiple methods. The AI ensures product data quality before listings go live, which significantly reduces the manual review burden on marketplace operators. Beyond catalog management, Mirakl also leverages AI for customer-facing personalization through its Target2Sell technology, which curates product recommendations to maintain relevant shopping experiences even as assortments scale to millions of SKUs.
Dedicated seller portal and management tools
Sellers get their own dashboard where they can manage inventory, process orders, track KPIs, and handle customer inquiries. The portal supports different seller types, from sophisticated vendors with their own ERP systems to smaller sellers who need a simpler interface. Operators can configure custom onboarding workflows, set up automated performance monitoring, and define commission structures that vary by category, seller, or product type. The system can automatically prioritize high-performing sellers and suspend those who consistently miss SLA targets.
API-first architecture and integrations
Moving on, Mirakl was designed with integration in mind. The platform offers REST APIs that cover everything from offer creation to incident management, along with webhooks and Cloud Events support for real-time updates. There are pre-built connectors for major eCommerce platforms, including Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Shopify, SAP Commerce, and VTEX. For sellers, Mirakl Connect offers integrations that let them manage listings across multiple marketplaces from a single interface.
Mirakl Delivery Manager
The Mirakl Delivery Manager handles shipping logistics across the marketplace. It predicts delivery dates using machine learning, validates tracking IDs automatically, and provides unified tracking for both first-party and third-party products. Marketplace owners can set policies for shipping zones and use the insights dashboard to improve on-time performance and reduce "where is my order" inquiries. The platform supports multiple fulfillment models - dropshipping, direct delivery, or hybrid approaches.
Payment automation and seller payouts
Mirakl automates the entire payment workflow. The system handles commission calculations, manages payment terms, and ensures regulatory compliance. Mirakl Payout specifically addresses the complexity of paying sellers across different regions, currencies, and banking systems. This is particularly valuable for international marketplaces where manual payment processing would be prohibitively complex.
B2B-specific functionality
For B2B marketplaces, Mirakl offers features that traditional B2C platforms don't handle well. This includes support for complex organizational hierarchies with different user roles (administrators, approvers, etc.), multiple pricing models and quote options, invoice generation and reconciliation, diverse payment terms (net payments, deferred payments, leasing), and specialized order workflows for repeat purchases and bulk ordering.
A standout feature for B2B operators is Mirakl One Creditor, which allows marketplace operators to act as the single face for all transactions. Instead of dozens of invoices from different suppliers, buyers receive a single invoice from the marketplace operator, who then handles payments to individual sellers.
Mirakl Ads
Mirakl Ads turns your marketplace into an advertising channel. The system uses AI and real-time analytics to optimize ad placement and performance, allowing sellers to promote their products directly on the platform. This creates an additional revenue stream beyond marketplace commissions and works particularly well for niche products that would normally have less visibility.
Benefits of using Mirakl
Faster time-to-market
Firstly, instead of spending months or years building marketplace infrastructure from scratch, Mirakl provides ready-made technology that can be integrated with existing eCommerce platforms through pre-built connectors and flexible APIs. The platform's AI-powered catalog management automates complex tasks like product data mapping and seller onboarding, which reduces implementation time significantly. Many Mirakl clients launch their marketplaces in just a few months rather than the year-plus timeline typically required for custom development.
Reduced inventory risk
The marketplace model eliminates the need to purchase and warehouse inventory upfront. By enabling third-party sellers to list their products, businesses can expand their catalog from hundreds to millions of SKUs without capital investment or storage costs. This is particularly valuable in testing new categories or markets – if products don't sell well, there's no dead stock to liquidate.
Scalability
Mirakl's infrastructure is built to handle enterprise-scale operations, processing over 250 million API calls daily and managing 600 million SKUs across its platform. The system maintained 99.997% uptime in 2022, including during Black Friday when it handled 20 billion product updates, and 3.3 million orders in a single 24-hour period. This means businesses don't need to worry about performance issues as they scale.
Additional revenue source
Beyond marketplace commissions, Mirakl Ads represents an additional revenue stream with significantly higher margins than traditional retail. This is a particularly attractive option for marketplaces with high traffic.
Access to the seller ecosystem
Through Mirakl Connect, marketplace owners gain access to a network of over 100,000 sellers and brands ready to collaborate. This accelerates the seller recruitment process – instead of building a seller network from scratch, operators can tap into an established ecosystem of quality suppliers. The platform also includes partner integrations with leading eCommerce vendors, payment providers, and logistics solutions.
Mirakl use cases
Let's take a look at how different companies use the platform.
Product marketplace
Macy's launched its Mirakl-powered marketplace in September 2022 to expand product assortment without increasing inventory risk. The department store onboarded over 2,000 trusted third-party sellers, adding categories beyond their traditional offerings while maintaining brand standards. The results speak for themselves – Macy's achieved a 145% quarter-on-quarter increase in marketplace sales throughout 2023. The marketplace became a critical growth driver, allowing Macy's to compete with digital-native retailers by offering broader selection while leveraging their existing customer base and brand trust.
Services and procurement marketplace
Accor Group, managing over 5,100 hotels across 110 countries, faced a challenge: how to give regional teams purchasing flexibility while maintaining global visibility and quality standards. Their solution was Astore Shop, a Mirakl-powered procurement marketplace launched in 2018. Rather than a traditional product marketplace, Astore Shop connects Accor's hotels with local suppliers of goods and services – from linens and furniture to maintenance services. The platform enabled Accor to achieve its goal of sourcing one-third of products from local suppliers, something impossible through traditional procurement methods. By 2019, the marketplace had over 1,100 active shops and 1 million active offers, representing a significant portion of Accor's managed spend while giving hotels access to vetted regional suppliers.
Expanding traditional eCommerce
Best Buy's marketplace launch in August 2025 represents one of the most significant Mirakl deployments in recent retail history. After shutting down their first marketplace attempt in 2016, Best Buy came back with a Mirakl-powered platform that more than doubled their product catalog on day one.
The numbers tell the story: 200 million customers, 10 billion annual site views, and over 1 million weekly transactions now have access to an expanded assortment that goes well beyond electronics. Best Buy added entirely new categories like licensed sports merchandise, musical instruments, seasonal décor, and even brought back movies in physical formats (Blu-Ray, DVD, 4K SteelBook).
B2B multi-vendor marketplace
Sonepar, a global leader in electrical products distribution, partnered with Mirakl to develop the first B2B electrical equipment marketplace for professionals in France. The platform launched in 2022 as part of Sonepar's digital transformation strategy. For B2B buyers, breadth of choice matters – over 80% of business buyers cite it as a critical factor. Sonepar's marketplace allows professional electricians and contractors to access comprehensive product ranges from multiple suppliers through a single platform, with B2B-specific features like quote management, net payment terms, and bulk ordering.
Similarly, Driven Brands launched Driven Advantage, connecting their 5,000+ automotive service locations with 80,000+ products from third-party suppliers. Automotive service centers using the marketplace save upwards of $50,000 annually by streamlining purchasing through the one-stop shop.
Challenges and limitations
Mirakl gets consistently high ratings on platforms like G2 and Capterra, but no solution is perfect. Here's what you should know before committing.
Enterprise pricing that scales with your success
Mirakl's pricing model works differently than most SaaS platforms. Beyond the base subscription (which typically ranges from €180K-€325K annually for enterprise clients), there's often a GMV-based component that grows as your marketplace revenue increases. This means your platform costs rise alongside your sales.
The average contract sits around €85K annually, which immediately puts Mirakl out of reach for SMBs and mid-market companies just testing the marketplace model. You're making a significant financial commitment before you know if the marketplace approach will work for your business.
Complex implementation that demands resources
Multiple implementation partners report that Mirakl projects take 4-6 months longer than initially estimated, especially when integrating payment service providers and handling B2B-specific requirements. The platform assumes you have dedicated IT resources - not just for the initial setup, but for ongoing management.
The interface itself presents a learning curve. Users consistently mention that it's less intuitive than expected, requiring more training time than platforms like Shopify or even Salesforce Commerce Cloud. If you're bringing on new team members, budget extra time for onboarding.
Limited customization and vendor lock-in
Mirakl is opinionated software. It's built around marketplace best practices, which is exactly what makes it powerful - but also what limits your flexibility. Unlike open-source platforms (Sylius, Magento Open Source) or even highly customizable enterprise solutions (Adobe Commerce), you're working within Mirakl's predetermined structure.
There's no deep customization available. If Mirakl's approach doesn't match your business model, you'll be trying to fit your operations into their framework rather than the other way around. Some clients report limitations in reporting capabilities and difficulties adapting workflows to match internal processes.
Not a standalone solution
This bears repeating because it surprises people: Mirakl is not an eCommerce platform. It doesn't provide a storefront, CMS, or order management system. You need an existing platform - Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Shopify Plus, or yes, Sylius - to handle the actual shopping experience.
This means you're maintaining and paying for two systems: your eCommerce platform and Mirakl on top of it. Integration between these systems creates its own challenges, including data synchronization issues, catalog mismatches, and API rate limits that can slow down operations during peak traffic.
Mirakl vs other platforms
Mirakl isn't the only way to build a marketplace. Understanding your options helps you make the right choice for your business model and budget.
Custom development approach
First, let’s look at building a marketplace from scratch, which gives you complete control. In this case, the business is not constrained by any platform's opinions about how marketplaces should work, and you can implement exactly the features your business needs.
Most businesses underestimate ongoing maintenance costs. The development team needs to stay on top of security patches, regulatory changes (especially for payments and taxes), and continuous feature development as your marketplace evolves. You're also competing for engineering talent with companies offering marketplace-as-a-service solutions that've already solved these problems.
Custom makes sense when your marketplace model is genuinely unique, e.g., follows industry-specific workflows that no existing platform supports, or when you're operating at Amazon/Alibaba scale, where platform costs would exceed in-house development costs. For most businesses, it's overkill.
Platforms with native marketplace modules
Several established eCommerce platforms offer marketplace functionality through extensions or built-in features. These sit between Mirakl's specialized approach and full custom development.
Shopware relies on third-party extensions like Webkul's Multi-Vendor Marketplace to add marketplace capabilities. These extensions typically cost €500-2,000 as a one-time purchase, plus your Shopware hosting and licensing costs. They work well for SMB to mid-market retailers who already run on Shopware and want to add marketplace functionality. The limitation is that extensions provide basic features, anything advanced requires custom development. B2B marketplace capabilities are also limited compared to dedicated solutions.
https://bitbag.io/blog/how-to-build-a-multi-vendor-marketplace-with-shopware
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) has a more mature marketplace extension ecosystem, with options from Webkul, Purpletree, CedCommerce, and others. Extension pricing ranges from €1,000-5,000 one-time, but you're also paying for Adobe Commerce licensing, which runs €21K-€120K+ annually, depending on your revenue. This makes sense for enterprise retailers with existing Adobe Commerce infrastructure who want to expand into marketplace sales. The catch is that you're paying enterprise platform prices, and the extensions vary in quality and feature completeness. Adobe Commerce isn't purpose-built for marketplace-first businesses, so you're adapting an eCommerce platform rather than using marketplace-native tools.
Sylius takes a different approach entirely. Sylius Plus offers the Marketplace Suite with custom pricing, and it targets mid-market businesses that want flexibility and full code ownership, or those who prefer open-source solutions where all plugins are available for free. However, Sylius requires PHP/Symfony development expertise and demands more technical implementation work. You're building exactly what you need, but you need the developers to do it. Dafré
The Marketplace Suite features will be available to test on a dedicated demo soon (named Dafré), allowing businesses to explore the platform's capabilities before committing. Stay tuned!
https://bitbag.io/blog/sylius-as-a-base-for-marketplace
Summary
Mirakl became the marketplace standard for a reason. The platform solves real problems that enterprises face when building multi-vendor operations: how to onboard sellers at scale, how to handle payment splitting across jurisdictions, how to maintain catalog quality with thousands of third-party products, and how to do all of this without building a massive engineering team.
However, Mirakl isn't universal. The €180K- €325K annual investment makes sense when you're building a marketplace-first business with serious GMV projections. It makes less sense if you're testing the marketplace model, operating on mid-market budgets, or adding marketplace as a secondary channel to existing retail operations.
Mirakl gives you a real advantage when:
- Speed matters more than customization. You get enterprise marketplace functionality in 4-6 months instead of spending 12-18 months building from scratch. This timeline advantage compounds - you're learning from real marketplace data while competitors are still in development.
- You need proven scalability immediately. Mirakl handles Best Buy's 10 billion annual site views and processes billions in GMV across 450+ enterprise clients. Your infrastructure worries are Mirakl's infrastructure worries. You focus on growing seller count and GMV rather than debugging payment processors or optimizing database queries.
- B2B complexity is core to your business. The organizational hierarchies, multi-tier pricing, invoice management, and diverse payment terms that B2B marketplaces require are built into the platform. Building this yourself means months of development work for features Mirakl already handles.
- You're competing with established marketplaces. When you're up against Amazon, Alibaba, or category leaders who've spent years optimizing their platforms, launching with mature marketplace technology levels the playing field faster than building piece by piece.
Mirakl doesn't make sense when:
- The marketplace model is genuinely unique and doesn't fit Mirakl's framework. If you're building something novel that requires deep customization of core workflows, you'll fight the platform rather than benefit from it.
- Budget constraints override speed. If €190K-€285K annually isn't realistic for your business stage, extension-based solutions (Shopware, Adobe Commerce, Sylius) or open-source options (BitBag OpenMarketplace) make more sense. Validate your marketplace model first, then upgrade if needed.
- You already run on a platform with marketplace capabilities. If you're on Adobe Commerce or Shopware with reasonable GMV, adding a marketplace extension is cheaper and simpler than integrating a separate marketplace layer. Mirakl's value proposition weakens when you're not building marketplace-first.
The decision comes down to whether Mirakl's speed and proven functionality justify the premium price. For enterprises launching strategic marketplace initiatives with significant resources behind them, it usually does. For everyone else, there are alternatives worth exploring first.
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