How to list on the AWS Marketplace

How to list on the AWS Marketplace - an introduction

If you’re looking for help on listing your SaaS product on the AWS Marketplace, you probably already have an understanding of its incredible revenue-generating potential as a route-to-market.  There are two ways in which you can list your SaaS product on the AWS Marketplace. The first is to directly interface with the AWS Marketplace self-serve portal and follow the steps we’ll detail below. The second is to work with a Cloud GTM automation platform to set up and take over the monitoring and monetizing of your listing. We'll break that down as well. First, let’s set context on what the AWS Marketplace is and why it has emerged as such a powerful GTM channel for modern SaaS.

What is the AWS Marketplace?

AWS is the world’s largest cloud service provider, accounting for 31% of the total global cloud market share. The AWS Marketplace is an online platform that facilitates the discovery, procurement, management, and co-selling of software products that run on AWS infrastructure. The AWS Marketplace is the perfect reimagining of traditional sales channels. It combines the human element of negotiations and relationship-building with trusted partners, with the immediacy and convenience of autonomous digital procurement. For tech buyers, listing on the AWS Marketplace offers the opportunity to procure multi-layered ecosystems that are compatible with their workload and incumbent tech environment – from thoroughly vetted and referenceable vendors.

With these elements at play, it’s no surprise that buyers are gravitating towards marketplaces as a procurement channel. Data from Canalys estimates that the three hyperscalers will record sales of $45 Billion in 2024.

For tech sellers - the ISVs - listing on AWS as a route-to-market unlocks a whole new and potent channel of revenue generation. Not only does this speed up sales cycles by up to 40%, but it also expands deal sizes by up to 80% thanks to the eagerness of buyers to burn through their commits.

As of 2023, the AWS Marketplace has over 15,000 transactable listings from more than 3,500 ISVs, 300 data providers and 1,300 channel partners. A number that will continue to skyrocket.

Channel partners can realize an ROI of up to 234% by transacting through AWS Marketplace
- AWS commissioned Forrester Consulting Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study

Who can list on AWS Marketplace?

Any business user who holds an AWS account can use the marketplace for procurement. Concurrently, any AWS account holder can register to become a seller and list their products to begin transacting on the marketplace. In other words, if you have a product that is hosted and can be deployed on AWS, or offer a professional service for AWS-hosted products, the AWS Marketplace is for you. GTM leaders are having forward-looking conversations on routing not just pre existing sales relationships but also channel associations through the cloud. AWS for its part incentivizes all transacting parties to sell via the marketplace through a series of programs that offer varying degrees of assistance based on specific qualifications.

‘A seller can be an independent software vendor (ISV), channel partner, managed services provider (MSP), or individual who has something to offer that works with AWS products and services.’
- AWS Seller Guide

How much does it cost to list on AWS Marketplace?

Fees for listing and transacting on the AWS Marketplace depend on the type and value of deals. AWS catalyzed the routing of SaaS GTM through the marketplace by dramatically reducing seller listing fees from 20% to 1.5% -3% at re:invent 2023. For an industry already convinced of the merit of Cloud GTM, the announcement was the proverbial icing on the cake. GTM leaders have since started to bring in Cloud GTM earlier and more emphatically into strategic conversations.

How to list on AWS Marketplace?

Let’s get to the meat of the conversation and answer these critical questions. What steps do you need to take to list your SaaS product on the marketplace? How long does it take to get your listing active and transactable on the marketplace?

The chart below gives you the typical activity framework for listing your product on AWS Marketplace. You can choose to perform these steps directly with the self-service functionality of the AWS Marketplace Management portal. Or you can deploy a Cloud GTM automation platform like Clazar to significantly accelerate time-to-value.

‘A seller can be an independent software vendor (ISV), channel partner, managed services provider (MSP), or individual who has something to offer that works with AWS products and services.’
- AWS Seller Guide

DIYing the listing process on AWS Marketplace

Once you’ve registered yourself as a seller, you can initiate the listing process on the AWS Marketplace Management Portal. While the portal itself is self-serve, you will have technical dependencies on your engineering team to host and test your product environment on AWS along the way. Here is an overview of the steps involved in listing on AWS Marketplace.

Listing on AWS Marketplace with Clazar as your Cloud GTM co-pilot

Publishing and taking your listing live on AWS Marketplace through Clazar shortens the process from months to days.

With Clazar, you’ll be interfacing with our highly user-friendly platform to provide all product information, which we’ll then use to build your listing on the AWS platform for you. This resource has all the details, but here is an overview of the information you’ll need to provide.

P.S. Clazar even gives you a real-time preview of your listing page in the exact form it’ll appear on the AWS Marketplace. A nifty way to help you refine your messaging and maximize its impact before you go live.

What happens to your listing once you’ve submitted it on the Clazar platform?

Once we receive your information, our team does a quality check of the data provided to minimize any chance of a failed listing attempt. Once this is done, AWS publishes your listing in the Limited state after performing its checks. At this stage, the Clazar team takes over the integration testing – saving you engineering bandwidth – and ensures that your product meets AWS expectations. After a final review and test by AWS, your listing goes live on the AWS Marketplace.  Clazar maintains API links with the AWS Marketplace to help manage changes to the listing without any engineering lift from you.

Going live with your AWS listing via the DIY route can take you over 6 months. With Clazar, this is slashed down to days. We’ve helped customers take their listing live in as few as 5 days by automating the steps involved in interlinking your listing and the AWS platform.

P.S. Clazar even gives you a real-time preview of your listing page in the exact form it’ll appear on the AWS Marketplace. A nifty way to help you refine your messaging and  maximize its impact before you go live.

However, listing on the AWS Marketplace is just step one of your cloud GTM journey. Value generation begins as you start driving transaction volume through private offers and build a strong co-sell partnership with AWS.

The build vs buy debate for listing and operationalizing sales through AWS Marketplace has multiple strategic and resource related considerations. If you’ve made the choice to simplify and accelerate your Cloud GTM motion with expert help, we’d be thrilled to partner with you. Reach out to our experts for more information or to schedule a demo.