According to the report "The Partner Opportunity for AWS Marketplace SIs, GSIs, and Resellers" by Forrester Consulting, sellers on AWS Marketplace have experienced a 234% return on investment (ROI) and 50% faster deal closure rates.

Listing software-as-a-service (SaaS) products on AWS Marketplace can be daunting without a clear understanding of the process. To aid sellers, I've outlined the five key phases for listing a product on AWS Marketplace, including necessary roles and functions and tips for each step.

1. Register as an AWS Marketplace seller
2. Create a product
3. SaaS Quick Start Integration
4. Testing & Publish
5. Promote

1: Register as an AWS Marketplace Seller

To register as an AWS Marketplace seller, you need support from key individuals or roles within your company:

• AWS Marketplace Administrator: Manages product listings. Refer to the AWS Marketplace Buyer Guide for full permission details.
• AWS Administrator: Sets up the AWS seller account and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Legal or Executive: Accepts AWS Marketplace terms and conditions.
• Finance: Provides tax and banking information.

Steps to Registering as an AWS Marketplace Seller

Step 1: Create a New AWS Account

Your AWS administrator should create a new AWS account under your management account using AWS Organizations. This isolates your AWS Marketplace account from your production environment, ensuring both can operate independently. The new account will be your AWS Marketplace seller of record.

Step 2: Create an IAM User for Your AWS Marketplace Administrator

Your AWS administrator must sign in to the new AWS Marketplace seller account and create an IAM user for the AWS Marketplace administrator. Typically, product teams, marketing, or sales take on this role.

Step 3: Register as an AWS Marketplace Seller

The AWS Marketplace administrator should go to AWS Marketplace and select "Register now"

• TIP: Bookmark the registration page for easy access to the AWS Marketplace Management Portal.
• TIP: Use the company's legal name for registration. The display name can be changed later when updating profile information.

  After entering your basic company information, you will see the AWS Marketplace terms and conditions. Share these with your legal or executive team for approval in advance.

  Next, update your profile information and provide banking and tax details. This information enables AWS to pay you for transactions and to handle tax assessments, reporting, and withholding where applicable.

  You will also need your company's logo and description to set up the company profile.

• TIP: The logo should be 300 pixels wide x 150 pixels high in .png format on a transparent background, with a maximum file size of 500 Kb.

2: Create a Product

Creating a product involves two main steps:

Step 1: Upload Your Product Logo and Custom End User License Agreement to an Amazon S3 Bucket

Your AWS administrator needs to set up a publicly accessible S3 bucket to store your product logo and custom end user license agreement.

• Tip: Your product logo can be the same as your company logo. If your product has a distinct brand identity, upload the product-specific logo to highlight its brand.

  AWS Marketplace offers the Standard Contract for AWS Marketplace (SCMP), developed with input from buyer and seller communities. If you prefer to use a custom end user license agreement, upload the document in PDF format into the same S3 bucket as your logo.

Step 2: Create Your SaaS Product Listing

Design your product page and define pricing dimensions. AWS offers various pricing options for your product, including:

• SaaS contracts
• SaaS subscriptions
• SaaS contracts with consumption

For multiple SaaS solutions, each can be added as a separate product. If your solution includes a base product with additional add-ons, they can appear on a single product listing.

• Tip: If add-ons could be sold independently, consider listing them as separate products for better visibility.

Different licensing combinations provide flexibility in selling and managing transactions in AWS Marketplace. Examples include:

• Single product (multi-SKU, flat rate per year): Civix

  Civix Campaign Finance

  Empowering Government Agencies for Streamlined Political Reporting

  Product Overview:

  Introducing Civix Campaign Finance, the ultimate SaaS campaign finance reporting solution meticulously designed for government agencies. This online application simplifies campaign finance reporting for PACs, campaigns, committees, and other mandated filers, redefining compliance, transparency, and efficiency in political finance.

  Key Features:

1. Simplified Reporting Process:

   Our SaaS platform revolutionizes campaign finance reporting with a user-friendly interface, enabling PACs, campaigns, committees, and other filers to easily submit their reports and disclosures. Say goodbye to complex paperwork and hello to streamlined online submissions.

2. Anytime, Anywhere Accessibility:

   Civix Campaign Finance is accessible on any device with an internet connection. Filers can register their entities, file submissions, and make payments 24/7, providing unmatched convenience and flexibility.

3. Agency Compliance Workflows:

   For government agency compliance officials, our system features specialized workflows that expedite the review, correction, and approval process for filer registrations and special submissions. This ensures rapid, efficient, and accurate compliance oversight.

4. Transparency Tools:

   Empowering citizens, we've included transparency tools that enable easy review of publicly available political finance data. Citizen users can access and download data, fostering an informed and engaged electorate.

5. Comprehensive Compliance:

   Civix Campaign Finance takes the complexity out of campaign finance reporting compliance. It offers a robust platform for filers to meet their reporting obligations while assisting with adherence to jurisdictional statutes.

• Base product plus add-on (multiyear): Rekor Command

  Rekor Command™ delivers a state-of-the-art AI-driven platform designed to tackle the challenges faced by transportation management teams. It offers a swift and comprehensive view of roadways and the multitude of incidents that occur. Leveraging our proprietary AI algorithms and technology, the platform transforms raw roadway and mobility data into actionable insights, allowing for timely and efficient responses to incidents that disrupt roadways. This enhances traffic flow, reduces the risk of secondary crashes, and boosts safety for motorists and emergency responders.

  Additionally, Rekor Command™ provides the necessary insights to analyze past performance and make collaborative, data-driven decisions for future roadway improvements. The platform's applications also enable streamlined and timely communication with the public and enhanced collaboration with transit partners, facilitating deeper cooperation across agencies and with roadway users.

3: SaaS Quick Start Integration

The AWS Marketplace Serverless SaaS Integration on AWS covers the essential capabilities for integrating a SaaS solution, including accepting new customer registrations, managing customer access, updating entitlements, and reporting usage.

There is only one step in this phase.

Step 1: Launch the Quick Start Guide

Your AWS administrator should follow the steps in the AWS Marketplace Serverless SaaS Integration on the AWS Cloud Quick Start Reference Deployment. Ensure that you use the AWS Marketplace seller of record account, not the AWS management account, when launching the stack. Copy and paste the Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) topic Amazon Resource Numbers (ARNs) from the product details page. Complete the post-deployment steps and send the registration URL back to the AWS Marketplace administrator.

4: Testing & Publish

There are three essential steps to publishing and testing your product:

Step 1: Update Your Product Listing with the Registration URL

In the fulfillment section of the product listing page, your AWS Marketplace administrator needs to update the fulfillment URL with the registration page URL provided by your AWS administrator from Phase 3.

Step 2: Update Product Visibility to Public to Initiate AWS Marketplace Catalog Operations Team Support Request

In this step, you will be prompted to update your pricing information before you can set your product visibility to public. Changing your product visibility initiates a request to the AWS Marketplace Catalog Operations (MCO) team, not an immediate publication. A support engineer will contact you to assist with testing, reviewing, and publishing your listing.

Tip: The MCO team typically responds within 10 business days, though response times can be longer during peak periods.

Step 3: Test Your Customer Flow

Sign in to the AWS Marketplace seller of record account, visit your limited listing, and subscribe to your listing.

Ensure that you receive both sets of confirmation emails:

• Confirmation of purchase as the buyer
• Purchase notification as the seller

AWS will also test your buyer flow to verify functionality. Once AWS confirms the buyer flow, they will remove the test entitlement and publish your product listing.

5: Promote

Companies employ various strategies for incorporating AWS Marketplace into their sales cycle. While some only sell through the AWS Marketplace when customers request it, more sellers are now prioritizing AWS Marketplace first due to its alignment with AWS internal and seller-created incentives.

Here are a few tactics to increase awareness of your AWS Marketplace listing:

• Issue a Press Release: Announce your listing's availability.
• Create a Landing Page: Highlight your AWS Marketplace listing prominently.
• Use the AWS Marketplace Logo: Add the logo to your marketing materials.
• Sales Presentation: Include a slide showcasing the value of buying through AWS Marketplace.
• Email Campaign: Inform your customers and prospects via email.
• Social Media Promotion: Announce availability on social media, following the guidelines in the AWS Marketplace Seller Go-To-Market Program Guide, and remember to tag AWS.

With your product listing now live, your team can start transacting in AWS Marketplace and co-sell with AWS Account Managers.

Tip: When talking to AWS account managers and others at AWS who help you co-sell, make sure to mention that your product is available in AWS Marketplace.

Conclusion

This blog provides a comprehensive guide for SaaS companies to list their products on AWS Marketplace. It covers every step from initial seller registration to product creation, integration, testing, publishing, and promotion, detailing the roles, functions, and tips for each stage. By following the 5 phases and useful tips provided, SaaS companies can efficiently list their solutions in just a few weeks. The Marketplace Catalog Operations team is available to support you throughout the process.

AWS Marketplace is a valuable sales channel for acquiring new customers, renewals, and expanding into new markets, complementing the AWS Partner Network. For best practices on building a successful co-selling strategy with AWS, visit this blog.