Marketplace offer live? Now make it shine!đ
Microsoft gives you the tools, best practices, and guidance to boost visibility, drive traffic, and turn interest into real customers fast. And the quickest path? App Advisor. đ Start with App Advisor: Your Marketplace growth playbook App Advisor is your selfâserve hub packed with stepâbyâstep best practices, optimization guidance, and proven GTM strategies designed to your help app or agent rise above the noise and stand out to buyers. đ ď¸ Optimize your listing Sharpen your sales page with clearer, benefitsâforward messaging Strengthen SEO so your offer is easier to find Enable a trial - the strongest conversion accelerator Offer public plans with clear tiers (Basic / Standard / Premium) to support direct sales Add visuals, screenshots, and short videos to show value instantly đ Boost visibility Crossâlink your website, G2 profile, blogs, and social posts back to your listing Understand factors that influence Marketplace search rankings and views Review your category selections - they directly affect discoverability Encourage customer reviews - including from G2, which flows into your listing! đŁ Promote with confidence App Advisor provides guidance around: Readyâtoâuse templates Partnerâtested messaging Campaign ideas to drive awareness and demand Be sure to: Link all channels (website â Marketplace â G2 â social â email) Use OCIDs to see exactly which channels move the needle in Marketplace Insights Double down on what moves the needle đ Unlock Marketplace Rewards When you publish a transactable offer, Marketplace Rewards kick in automatically, giving your listing additional promotional lift. Rewards include: Personalized listing optimization recommendations Marketplace blog and newsletter promotion Extra visibility for your listing Editorial + press release templates GTM enablement that grows with performance Marketplace Rewards + App Advisor = compounding growth momentum. 𧲠Build a product-led growth motion Sales donât happen by accident - they happen with a smart GTM motion. App Advisor walks you through: Segmenting your target market Defining messaging that resonates with real buyers Building educational content (blogs, case studies, guides, emails) Nailing SEO & SEM basics Creating a conversionâready experience that shows quick wins Tracking performance with OCIDs + Marketplace Insights Strengthening your digital presence Encouraging reviews and customer storytelling Running targeted ads to your ideal audiences This motion turns Marketplace visibility into pipeline, and pipeline into wins. đ¤ Expand your reach through channel partners Once youâve optimized your offer and are promoting it consistently, itâs time to extend your reach even further. Forge relationships with channel partners - let them sell for you. By enabling resale enabled offers (REO) in Partner Center, you make your solution available for partner resellers to offer directly to their customers. That means: Your offer appears in their reseller catalogs They bring your solution into their customer conversations You tap into existing, trusted partnerâtoâcustomer relationships You gain scale without extra headcount or marketing spend A small switch. A massive multiplier. Enable resale so channel partners can open doors you couldnât reach alone. â Where to go next Start with App Advisor to sharpen your listing + GTM motion Add public plans + trial Strengthen SEO and performance signals Track success using OCIDs Publish a transactable offer to unlock Marketplace Rewards Enable REO to let channel partners help scale you globally â go deeper in this REO-focused post. Ready to make your offer shine? Head to App Advisor and get started.10 Essential tips for Marketplace success: Insights from Microsoft Ignite 2025
At Microsoft Ignite 2025, the Marketplace took centre stage as the unified platform for cloud and AI innovation. With the global expansion of resale-enabled offers, new incentives, and a reimagined partner ecosystem, the Marketplace is now the fastest path for customers to discover, purchase, and deploy solutionsâand for partners to scale. This article distils the top 10 tips for Marketplace success, blending strategic guidance with practical actions for partners ready to lead in the AI-first era. Tip 1: Marketplace is mainstreamâMake it core to your strategy The Microsoft Marketplace is no longer an optional channel; itâs the foundation of modern go-to-market. With millions of monthly shoppers and the largest catalogue of AI apps and agents, Marketplace is where customers expect to find, try, and buy solutions. Partners who prioritise Marketplace as their primary route to market are best positioned to capture demand, accelerate sales, and build lasting customer relationships. Treat Marketplace as your digital front doorâoptimise your listings, ensure discoverability, and align your sales motions accordingly. Introducing Microsoft Marketplace â Thousands of solutions. Millions of customers. One Marketplace. - The Official Microsoft Blog Microsoft Marketplace deal execution To unlock faster time to value and close more strategic deals, partner must understand how Marketplace integration, private offers, and deal constructs work together across customer segments. Tip 2: Integration is the differentiatorâAccelerate time to value In todayâs fast-moving landscape, speed and integration are critical. Marketplace enables partners to deliver solutions through direct, on-behalf-of, and syndicated sales models, adapting to how customers want to buy. By leveraging Marketplaceâs integration with Microsoftâs cloud ecosystem, partners can streamline procurement, reduce onboarding friction, and deliver value faster. The ability to scale across geographies and segments is a unique differentiatorâembrace it to stay ahead. Tip 3: Master private offersâCustomise for customer needs Private offers are a powerful lever for partners to tailor deals, pricing, and terms to specific customer requirements. Marketplaceâs private offer capabilities allow you to negotiate directly, offer flexible billing, and align with customersâ pre-committed cloud spend. Understanding the private offer flowâfrom creation to acceptanceâenables you to close strategic deals efficiently while maintaining control over the customer experience. Tip 4: Understand deal constructsâAlign to customer segments Every customer segmentâSMB, mid-market, enterpriseâhas unique procurement needs and deal structures. Marketplace supports a range of constructs, from private offers to multiparty and CSP deals. Partners who understand these nuances can better align their sales motions, optimise for MACC (Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment) alignment, and deliver tailored solutions that resonate with each audience. Read more information on Tips 2,3,4 here: Boosting cloud and AI ROI: The power of Microsoft Marketplace | Microsoft Community Hub Scaling Marketplace impact through visibility and relationships Long-term Marketplace growth depends on being discoverable, co-sell ready, and disciplined in how you manage pipeline and relationships with both customers and Microsoft field teams Tip 5: Be public, transactable, and co-sell eligible Visibility and credibility are essential for Marketplace success. Ensure your solutions are not just listed, but transactable and co-sell eligible. This signals to Microsoft and customers that your offer is robust, secure, and ready for enterprise deployment. Co-sell eligibility unlocks joint go-to-market opportunities, larger deal sizes, and deeper engagement with Microsoftâs field teams. Invest in technical validation and business readiness to maximise your Marketplace impact. Tip 6: Focus on pipeline management and relationship building Effective pipeline management is the backbone of Marketplace growth. Use Marketplace tools to track leads, map stakeholders, and drive proactive engagement. Build relationships with customers and Microsoft field teams, leveraging account intelligence and industry references to differentiate your proposition. A marketplace-first approach, combined with strong relationship management, accelerates deal closure and drives repeat business. Read more information on Tips 5 & 6 here: How we talk about the value of Microsoft Marketplace with customers | Microsoft Community Hub Investing in the teams and framework that power Marketplace success A repeatable and scalable Marketplace motion requires intentional investment in the people, processes, and operating frameworks that support consistent execution. Tip 7: Build your Marketplace practiceâInvest in people and process Marketplace success is a team effort. Invest in building a dedicated Marketplace practice, engaging cross-functional teams across sales, marketing, operations, and technical enablement. Adopt proven frameworks (such as MEDDPICC), focus on enablement and execution, and create a culture of continuous learning. A strong internal process ensures you can scale, adapt, and capture every opportunity Marketplace presents UK Microsoft Marketplace Channel Assets Extending Marketplace growth through partners and go-to-market investment To scale beyond direct sales, partners must activate channel-led motions and fully leverage Microsoftâs go-to-market resources and incentives to expand reach, drive demand, and accelerate growth. Tip 8: Embrace channel-led opportunitiesâScale through partnerships Marketplace is a platform for partnership. By enabling channel partners to resell your solutionsâvia resale-enabled offers, multiparty private offers, and CSP private offersâyou unlock new markets and customer segments. Distributed marketplaces empower partners to bundle software and services, creating differentiated value propositions. Building a strong channel ecosystem is essential for scaling reach and driving sustainable growth. Tip 9: Leverage go-to-market resources and incentives Microsoft offers a comprehensive suite of go-to-market resourcesâco-branding, marketing benefits, Azure credits, and more. Take full advantage of these incentives to fuel your Marketplace growth. Optimise your listings, participate in promotional programmes, and use Azure sponsorships to drive preference and accelerate sales. Stay informed about new programmes and adapt quickly to maximise your benefits. Read more information on Tips 8 & 9 here: December edition of Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest | Microsoft Community Hub Strengthening Marketplace success through community engagement The most successful Marketplace partners donât just participate â they actively contribute, collaborate, and help shape the evolution of the Marketplace ecosystem. Tip10: Join and shape the Marketplace Community Marketplace is more than a platformâitâs a thriving community of partners, Microsoft SMEs, and innovators. Engage in peer-to-peer learning, share best practices, and provide feedback to help shape the future of Marketplace. Early access to new features, direct support, and community recognition are just some of the benefits. By contributing to the community, you not only accelerate your own success but help raise the bar for the entire ecosystem. aka.ms/marketplacecommunity Microsoft Marketplace is the trusted destination for cloud and AI solutions, connecting customers and partners in a unified, scalable ecosystem. By embracing these ten tips, partners can unlock new growth, accelerate innovation, and lead in the AI-first era. The time to act is nowâmake Marketplace the cornerstone of your strategy and join the community shaping the future of digital commerce.
Microsoft Ignite 2025 AI announcements: What software developers need to know
Igniting whatâs next: What software development companies need to know about Microsoftâs AI announcements at Ignite 2025 The AI landscape took a major leap forward at Microsoft Ignite 2025, and for software development companies and digital natives, the announcements represent a massive opportunity: faster innovation, simplified agent development, access to enterpriseâready AI platforms, and a dramatically expanded ecosystem to build on. This year, Microsoft introduced the era of agentic AIâand software companies are at the center of this shift. Ignite 2025 formally unveiled Microsoft Foundry, our unified platform for building, governing, and scaling intelligent agents. From new agent runtimes to multiâagent orchestration, enterpriseâgrade knowledge access, and oneâclick publishing to Microsoft 365, the momentum creates one clear signal: đĄ AI assistants are becoming intelligent agentsâand Foundry is the platform software companies will use to build them. Why Microsoft Ignite 2025 mattered for software companies Across every session, Microsoft doubled down on helping partners accelerate timeâtoâmarket with agentic AI solutions. Whether youâre building vertical apps, automation copilots, knowledge systems, or developer tools, the new capabilities in Foundry eliminate much of the heavy lifting associated with retrieval, orchestration, compliance, hosting, and model selection. Key themes this year from Azure AI: Unified agent platform across all Microsoft clouds Frameworkâagnostic development (bring your own models, tools, or frameworks) Enterpriseâgrade governance built into the lifecycle Open ecosystem and interoperability using MCP, A2A, OpenAPI Seamless distribution through Microsoft 365 and Teams Letâs break down whatâs newâand what it means for your product strategy. Top announcements for software companies at Ignite 2025 Microsoft Foundry: A unified brand for AI agent development Azure AI Foundry is now Microsoft Foundryâa consolidated platform for building, deploying, and managing intelligent agents. For software companies, this means: One consistent developer experience Shared governance and compliance across products A more integrated ecosystem for publishing and distributing agentic solutions This rebrand isnât cosmeticâit reflects Microsoftâs strategic shift to deliver a platform built explicitly for the next generation of AI agents. Introducing Foundry IQ: Your enterprise knowledge engine One of the most exciting announcements is Foundry IQ, a new engine that gives agents instant access to enterprise data from SharePoint, OneLake, ADLS, and the web, all governed by Purview. For software companies, this unlocks: Reliable, productionâgrade knowledge retrieval without building RAG pipelines Consistent compliance and security models Faster customer onboarding with fewer integration gaps Foundry IQ is a gameâchanger for teams who have spent months building retrieval layers or maintaining custom RAG components. Foundry Control Plane: Unified governance for all agents Now in public preview, the Foundry Control Plane enables teams to manage agents across frameworks, clouds, and environments. Highlights: Unified visibility and observability Builtâin security & compliance (Defender, Purview) Fleetâwide monitoring for cost, health, and risk For software companies offering multiâtenant solutions or operating in regulated industries, this dramatically simplifies the operational burden of managing AI agents. Agent Framework (public preview): SK + AutoGen, Unified The Microsoft Agent Framework, now in public preview, merges the strengths of Semantic Kernel and AutoGen into a single SDK for building durable, interoperable agents. Software companies gain: A consistent programming model Durable memory Strong interoperability with MCP, A2A, OpenAPI Frameworkâagnostic design This is the developer foundation for future AI applications built on Microsoft clouds. Hosted Agents: Enterpriseâgrade runtime, no infrastructure needed With Hosted Agents, teams can deploy customâcode agents directly into a fully managed runtimeâno containers, pipelines, or infra setup. What this enables for software companies: Faster deployment cycles Secure, autoscaling environments Simple onboarding for customerâspecific agents Observability and monitoring built in This drastically reduces the operational overhead many software companies face today. Multiâagent workflows & connected intelligence Ignite 2025 introduced major advancements in multiâagent orchestration: Builtâin memory across sessions A catalog of 1,000+ Microsoft & partner tools (with private catalogs for software companies) Visual and programmatic orchestration tools Enterpriseâready coordination for longârunning workflows Foundry IQ for instant knowledge access This allows software companies to design more autonomous, intelligent, and interconnected systemsâmoving beyond assistants toward true digital workers. Model Router GA + Anthropic partnership expansion There are two major updates for model flexibility: Model Router GA Now supporting 11,000+ models, the router helps developers intelligently choose the best model for each task, optimizing both cost and performance. Anthropic Claude models in Foundry Claude Sonnet 4.5, Opus 4.1, and Haiku 4.5 are now integrated into Microsoft Foundry through an expanded partnership with Anthropic. This gives software companies more choice, capability, and modelâagnostic development paths. Oneâclick publishing to Microsoft 365 & Teams One of the biggest wins for software companies: Agents built in Foundry can now be published to Microsoft 365 and Teams Chat with one click. This means: Access to hundreds of millions of users Unified governance through Microsoft Admin Center Seamless integration with Copilot experiences For software companies, this is a massive new distribution channel. Why this matters for software development companies Ignite 2025 didnât just introduce new productsâit signaled a platform shift. software companies now have: A full-stack platform for agentic applications - From data access to orchestration, hosting, deployment, and compliance. A unified runtime and SDK - Reducing fragmentation and speeding up development cycles. Enterprise reach through Microsoft 365 - Making your agents as discoverable as apps. A rapidly expanding ecosystem - More models, more tools, more integration points. If youâre building AI-powered products, this is your moment. Get hands-on: Sessions & resources for software companies Here are links to top Ignite sessions to dive deeper. Build & Manage AI Apps with Your Agent Factory AI Agents in Azure AI Foundry: Ship Fast, Scale Fearlessly AIâPowered Automation & MultiâAgent Orchestration Agent Developer Guide for Foundry Agent Service The Future of RAG with Agentic Retrieval & AI Search Whatâs next: December Foundry Council Session Join us on Dec 18 for the Ignite Recap session through the Foundry Partner Council. Itâs the best opportunity for software companies to: Get deeper into the new capabilities Share partner/DN feedback Join focus groups For more information about the December 18 session, contact foundrycouncil@microsoft.com or visit aka.ms/foundrycouncil
