AI Boosts Microsoft Marketplace Growth

With the listings on Microsoft marketplace 🔺60%, it was only a matter of time before AI acceleration came into play. Now it’s here.

Let’s look at the latest marketplace insights from MSFT Build.

Microsoft emphasized that it “continues to invest in the marketplace as the primary channel to connect customers to our robust partner network so that they can solve virtually any business or technology challenge.”

These investments are paying off:

“This year, we've seen a 60% increase in solutions listed in our marketplace catalog”

With 95% of Fortune 500 companies running on Microsoft Azure (at least some workflows), the “majority are using the marketplace” to manage their cloud estates.

⚡ AI-Powered E-Commerce: A Marketplace Game Changer?

Microsoft leverages AI to boost its Marketplace in these key areas:

1️⃣ Infusing AI into the marketplace to accelerate and simplify commerce

2️⃣ Helping partners build AI-powered solutions with the right tools and sell them via its marketplace

3️⃣ Enabling customers to buy AI solutions smarter, with 100% of eligible marketplace purchases counting towards their 💲 Azure cloud consumption commits

For customers, the marketplace helps connect to Microsoft's extensive partner network and find, try, buy, and deploy solutions quickly, easily, and safely.

For partners, growth is a top priority, so the marketplace helps them reach more customers globally. Whether directly online, through the MSFT partner ecosystem, or co-selling with thousands of MSFT's field sellers.

📈 Marketplace AI Roadmap: Build, Publish & Get Discovered

🛠️ Build

The MSFT marketplace supports a range of AI solutions, including AI-enabled SaaS, co-pilot extensions, AI-enabled Teams apps, ML models.

Using Co-Pilot Studio, partners can surface their data and services into Microsoft co-pilots or create their own co-pilots.

Partners can also take full control and build their own end-to-end experiences using tools like Azure AI Studio.

The marketplace is how companies can take these AI solutions to market globally.

🛒 Publish

Microsoft has announced a new Co-Pilot for partners to simplify their publishing into the marketplace. This co-pilot uses natural language to assist in creating SaaS offers, configuring them for transactability, and even creating Private Offers. It will also help with publishing questions and challenges.

🎯 Get Discovered with AI

The AI-powered solution discovery is now live in MSFT marketplace, helping customers make better decisions while exploring. It provides a list of solutions and suggests relevant documentation and best practices.

MSFT also announced “Solutions Partner with Certified Software,” designation to highlight solutions and AI products interoperable with its cloud.

The AI acceleration of Cloud GTM is real, but how it will impact your strategy?

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