Michaels Expands Online Assortment with New Third-Party Marketplace

Rhea-AI Summary

Michaels, North America's largest specialty arts and crafts retailer, has launched a new online marketplace, expanding its product offerings from 250,000 to over 1 million SKUs. This initiative is aimed at enhancing the shopping experience for the tens of millions of creatives visiting Michaels.com monthly. The marketplace will feature a curated selection of high-quality third-party sellers without subscription or listing fees, focusing on categories such as arts and crafts supplies, baking, and seasonal products. Michaels aims to support sellers with a full-service portal and seamless integration options, positioning itself as a leader in the eCommerce craft space.

Positive

• Expansion of online product offerings from 250,000 to over 1 million SKUs.
• Curated selection from third-party sellers enhances product diversity.
• No subscription or listing fees for sellers, promoting seller engagement.
• Strong integration support for sellers via a full-service portal.

Negative

• None.

The first-ever specialty arts and crafts marketplace gives Michaels.com customers access to more than 750,000 curated new items from quality sellers of supplies and componentry

IRVING, Texas, Feb. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Michaels, the largest specialty arts and crafts retailer in North America, today announced the launch of its new online marketplace with an expanded assortment to better support the tens of millions of creatives visiting Michaels.com each month. Through a curated selection of third-party sellers, the marketplace exponentially grows Michaels’ online assortment in new and existing categories to provide an even wider selection at the quality expected of Michaels within a best-in-class Ecommerce experience for both creatives and third-party sellers.

The marketplace is the latest in Michaels’ ongoing digital transformation, increasing the online assortment of its U.S. site from 250,000 to more than 1M SKUs from sellers eager to reach Michaels’ highly diverse and engaged customer base while helping those customers find even more of what they need to bring their creative dreams to life.

Michaels has designed its marketplace to help high quality sellers of arts & crafts componentry succeed in the increasingly crowded eCommerce space by focusing on curation and forgoing subscription or listing fees in favor of a standard commission rate. Michaels is accepting applications from sellers in categories including arts and crafts supplies, candle and soap making, leather and wood work, baking, tools and tech, yarn, stitchery, kids, toys, education, journaling, seasonal products and more.

"The launch of Michaels’ curated marketplace for arts, crafts, and décor is the next phase of our ongoing digital transformation to be the destination for all creatives to get inspired, learn, shop and create,” said Heather Bennett, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Ecommerce at Michaels. “By more than quadrupling our online assortment across categories including candle and soap making, leather work and more, Michaels will ensure every customer can find what they need to bring their creative dreams to life no matter their craft."

Michaels has made it incredibly easy for accepted sellers to join the marketplace by offering multiple integration options at launch. Specifically, Michaels has built a full-service portal for sellers to manage every aspect of their business on Michaels.com and enable direct integration, including a suite of Seller-APIs and connections with several top multi-channel integration partners like ChannelAdvisor (a CommerceHub company) and ShipStation.

“As one of America's leading Ecommerce purveyors of craft and hobby products, partnering with Michaels in their new marketplace initiative is an exceptional opportunity,” said Natalie Baiden, CEO of Stuff4Crafts. “Their Business Development and Account Management teams were a pleasure to work with and the technical integration went smoothly. Michaels is an iconic and trusted brand and the entire Stuff4 team is excited to add our high-quality assortment to their already impressive offering.”

For more information, or to apply as a seller, please visit www.michaels.com/marketplace.

About Michaels
The Michaels Companies, Inc. is the destination where all Makers get inspired, shop, learn, and create. As the largest specialty arts and crafts retailer in North America, we operate 1,275 stores in 49 states and Canada and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca. The Michaels Companies, Inc. also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, our mission is to empower every Maker to bring their creative dreams to life. For store locations or to shop online, please visit www.michaels.com.

Media Contact
Rachel Petersen, Michaels
Rachel.Petersen@michaels.com

A graphic accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a129827d-e8c7-46e3-b7a6-ad33caaa9545

FAQ

What is the new online marketplace launched by MIK?

Michaels has launched an online marketplace that expands its product offerings to over 1 million SKUs, providing access to curated third-party sellers.

How has MIK enhanced its eCommerce strategy?

Michaels' new marketplace is part of its digital transformation, allowing for greater product variety and improved shopping experiences for customers.

What seller categories are included in the MIK marketplace?

The marketplace includes categories like arts and crafts supplies, baking, leather work, and seasonal products, among others.

Are there any fees for sellers on the MIK marketplace?

Michaels does not charge subscription or listing fees for sellers; instead, it operates on a standard commission rate.