Hudson Bay is at the forefront of Canadian e-commerce, with more than 500 third-party sellers.

Hudson Bay , one of Canada's leading retailers and platforms, recently said: "As retailers find ways to adapt to the digital world, the number of online shoppers in Canada has more than doubled in the past year . "

In response, Hudson Bay is planning to launch a new platform , thebay , which is expected to have more than 500 sellers by the end of the year . It is reported that the platform categories will include sports and leisure , technology , pets , health and wellness, and vintage designer handbags and watches .

The department store is calling on Canadian sellers to join and become part of a community of sellers in the apparel , home , beauty or accessories sectors . Hudson's Bay is also considering new product lines.

The platform will be officially launched at the end of this year . Before that, interested sellers can download and fill out the market application form on the official website .

Hudson’s Bay says it’s ready for an e-commerce market that has become thriving and crowded over the past year .

The retailer, sister company to Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off 5th, said the new platform launch is part of its “evolution of a digital-first strategy” and is inviting businesses large and small to join its community of sellers.

Would-be vendors must fill out an application to be considered for the program, answering questions about the physics of shipping merchandise to Canada , whether they sell BIPOC or self- designed products in other markets , and how many retailers currently carry their brand.

Third-party sellers have become the envy of many e-commerce platforms . Amazon revealed this week that its market played an important role in the fourth quarter, with independent sellers' sales increasing by 50% year-on -year . Between Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, these small businesses achieved sales of $4.8 billion , a 60% increase over the same period last year . Nearly 60% of the products sold on Amazon's website come from third parties .

Walmart's third-party sellers are part of the company's larger digital efforts, with the number of sellers on its platform doubling to more than 50,000 from 2019 , according to a recent report from Marketplace Pulse . Walmart also partnered with Shopify last year to push 1,200 sellers to third parties .

Jeff Clementz, Walmart's vice president of marketplace , said: "North America will gradually evolve into a third-party market battlefield , focusing on competing with a wide variety of small and medium-sized businesses in the United States ."  

In order to advance plans to attract third-party sellers to its platform and save company expenses, Hudson Bay this week confirmed plans to lay off 600 employees, all of whom worked in the company's department stores in Canada.

The retailer currently has 88 full-line stores and has not closed any physical locations . However, some areas have temporarily closed due to lockdown rules for non-essential retailers to stop the spread of the coronavirus .

The retailer will use Marketplace to launch products in new and expanded categories, including sports and leisure , technology , pets , health and wellness, and vintage designer handbags and watches. Hudson's Bay will add hundreds of new products, including specialty food products , to Marketplace's March 22 launch .

Hudson's Bay runs Marketplace on the Mirakl platform. It fully integrates the retailer's e-commerce and m-commerce experiences, including the ability to earn and redeem Hudson's Bay Rewards points on all Marketplace items.

Iain Nairn, President and CEO of Hudson’s Bay , said: “As part of our digital-first strategy, the launch of the Marketplace has catapulted Hudson’s Bay to the forefront of Canadian e-commerce , and we are now able to add millions of products to our offering, allowing us to quickly adapt to customer demand. The response from the seller community has been extremely positive as more brands seek to join this modern , convenient shopping experience. ”

Canada

E-commerce

Hudson Bay

Third-party sellers