Plain-language questions
Ask for marketplace fee ratio per month, customer or product in the SQL Explorer with AI. The AI writes the SQL, you see the query and run it yourself; the AI only receives metadata.
KPI · E-commerce
Marketplace fee ratio: formula and example.
Marketplace fee ratio is the total you pay to a marketplace divided by the revenue you make through it, as a percentage. Fees include commission per sale, fixed subscription or transaction fees, advertising on the platform and any fulfilment charges. It shows what a marketplace sale really costs, so you can compare it fairly with selling through your own web shop.
Marketplace fee ratio formula
Total marketplace fees ÷ revenue through the marketplace × 100%
Worked example
Acme Groothandel sells €60,000 through a marketplace in September. It pays €7,200 in commission, €600 in fixed fees and €1,200 for on-platform advertising, €9,000 in total. Marketplace fee ratio is €9,000 ÷ €60,000 × 100% = 15%.
Fictitious figures for Acme Groothandel, a sample wholesaler.
How to read this KPI
A higher ratio means a bigger share of revenue goes to the platform and less margin is left. Compare it by marketplace, by product category and with what you spend on payment, shipping and marketing in your own web shop. A rising ratio without higher revenue often points to more on-platform advertising or changed fee schedules.
Pitfalls with marketplace fee ratio
- Counting only commission and forgetting the platform's advertising, fulfilment and return fees.
- Booking fees from the marketplace settlement in a different month from the revenue they belong to.
- Using revenue including VAT while fees are excluding VAT, or the other way round.
SQL & DAX
Calculating marketplace fee ratio in SQL and DAX
Two examples on a fictitious data warehouse for Acme Groothandel: a PostgreSQL query and a measure for a Power BI model. Adjust table and column names to your own model.
WITH revenue AS (
SELECT date_trunc('month', order_date) AS month, SUM(total_amount) AS revenue
FROM orders
WHERE channel = 'marketplace' AND status <> 'cancelled'
GROUP BY 1
),
fees AS (
SELECT date_trunc('month', entry_date) AS month, SUM(amount) AS fees
FROM gl_entries
WHERE account_code = '4610'
GROUP BY 1
)
SELECT r.month, r.revenue, f.fees,
ROUND(100.0 * f.fees / NULLIF(r.revenue, 0), 1) AS marketplace_fee_pct
FROM revenue r
LEFT JOIN fees f ON f.month = r.month
ORDER BY r.month;Marketplace Fee Ratio =
DIVIDE(
CALCULATE(SUM(GL[amount]), GL[account_code] = "4610"),
CALCULATE(SUM(Orders[total_amount]), Orders[channel] = "marketplace")
)In ENABLE
Tracking this KPI in ENABLE
In your Power BI dashboard
Define the KPI as a measure in your Power BI model and show it in the portal, with "Last refreshed" next to it. Access profiles and optional row-level security decide who sees which figures.
Custom dashboards (pilot)
Add the KPI as a tile to a custom dashboard, compared with last year. The Dashboard Builder is a pilot and can be switched on per client.
Monthly targets
With the built-in Targets app you set a target for the KPI per month, so you see actuals and target side by side.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate marketplace selling costs?
Add up every fee the marketplace charges, such as commission, fixed fees, advertising and fulfilment, and divide by your revenue through that marketplace. With €3,000 in fees on €20,000 in revenue, the fee ratio is 15%. The marketplace settlement report usually breaks fees down by type.
Is selling on a marketplace profitable?
That depends on your margin after all platform fees and on the extra reach the marketplace provides. Compare contribution margin per order on the marketplace with your own web shop, including your own marketing costs. A product with a low gross margin can end up loss-making on a marketplace.
What does take rate mean?
Take rate is the share of sales value a platform keeps, seen from the marketplace's side. For the seller, it is the same as the fees paid to the platform as a percentage of revenue. Whether on-platform advertising is included varies between definitions.
Further reading
- KPI libraryE-commerce KPIs: formulas and examplesE-commerce KPIs cover visitors, orders, returns and margin per channel. The data comes from your web shop, marketplaces and payment provider, alongside purchasing and stock from your ERP.Read more
- ResourcesHow to build a KPI dashboard: steps and examplesA KPI dashboard is an overview of the key figures you use to steer towards your goals, such as revenue, margin, on-time delivery or absenteeism. A good KPI dashboard does not start with the software, but with the decisions it needs to support. You then choose a limited number of KPIs, define them, sketch the dashboard and only then build it.Read more
- SolutionPower BI dashboard portal: share dashboards securelyShare your Power BI dashboards securely in your own portal, with role-based access.Read more
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