The hyperscaler marketplace opportunity
Hyperscaler marketplaces are transforming the way businesses buy and sell cloud solutions, unlocking new opportunities, expanded customer reach, and simplified procurement for partners.
But when customers buy through hyperscaler marketplaces, partners risk being bypassed, losing their role in key conversations and missing chances to demonstrate their value.
To avoid this, partners need to know how to work alongside marketplaces. Ultimately, the strength of this collaboration will determine whether partners are supported by marketplaces or sidelined.
Overall, partners view hyperscaler marketplaces favourably. According to our survey:
of partners have a positive outlook on hyperscaler marketplaces
see them as opportunities, not threats
are actively using these platforms
What's driving this? Partners recognise the real value marketplaces bring to the table. When we asked which marketplace attributes partners value most, three key motivations stood out:
Creating new opportunities with existing customers
Unlocking access to new markets
Increasing revenue opportunities
These findings highlight why having a strong presence in hyperscaler marketplaces is so important.
Partner perspective
“From my perspective, hyperscalers and hyperscaler marketplaces are a great opportunity. They give you new routes to market, simplified procurement, and another place to advertise your capabilities.”
Kyle Davies, Head of the Office of the CTO at CDW (UK)
The marketplace complexity challenge
To make the most of hyperscaler marketplaces, partners need to position their offerings effectively and take full advantage of what these platforms offer – which can be difficult to navigate.
We asked partners: What challenges has your business experienced with marketplaces?
Complex vendor programs
Marketplace platforms are built on intricate frameworks, involving multi-layered pricing models, complex vendor programs, and eligibility requirements that can be hard to understand.
Marketplace benefits – like committed spend programs, custom offers, and rebates – often require a deep understanding of the platform’s workings. Without this expertise, partners risk losing out on revenue growth opportunities.
So, partners need to invest in learning how marketplaces operate, positioning their offerings effectively, and streamlining procurement workflows. Better marketplace alignment ensures partners can broaden their customer reach, close larger deals, and achieve faster, more profitable growth.
Loss of control over customer relationships
When customers purchase solutions through marketplaces, partners can find themselves out of the loop, especially on AWS when private pricing agreements (PPAs) come into play. These agreements often influence how customers choose to transact, sometimes bypassing the channel partner entirely.
So yes, the challenge of staying in control is real – but by being proactive, partners can assert their place in their customers’ marketplace transactions. Partners need to identify which of their customers have PPAs with their cloud provider, stay informed about their purchasing intention, and proactively position Channel Partner Private Offers.
This allows partners to remain directly involved in the transaction through the marketplace and their customers to benefit from their PPA commitments. This also reinforces the partner’s role as a trusted advisor, helping customers get the most value out of their cloud investments.
Seeing hyperscaler marketplaces as competitors, not partners
Marketplace competition is a concern rooted in understandable scepticism – but this perception doesn’t tell the full story.
Marketplaces aren’t competitors, nor are they a traditional channel. Rather, they’re a transaction mechanism – a streamlined way for customers to consume the solutions they need.
While it may feel like marketplaces blur the lines, they don’t compete with partners. They’re not in the business of managing customer relationships or advising on tailored IT strategies. That’s still very much the partner’s role, which remains critical in helping customers make smarter purchasing decisions.
Understanding this distinction is important because it clears the path for partners to work with customers in ways that leverage the marketplace. Partners should treat marketplaces as a tool that they can integrate into their business model. That way, they stay at the centre of the customer relationship, ensuring they transact in ways that maximise benefits for both sides.