Commercial marketplace sales channels

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When you list your company's products and services in the commercial marketplace, customers will be able to find them in multiple places, also known as sales channels. Commercial marketplace sales channels include:

• Two online stores: Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace.
• In Microsoft products like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, and Azure.
• Microsoft's network of over 90,000 reseller partners, also known as Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners.
• In direct collaboration with Microsoft sales professionals through the Co-sell program.

Note

The Co-sell program is reserved for software built with your intellectual property (IP) as repeatable, packaged offers and for services with Microsoft technology embedded. If you're interested in learning more about Co-sell program eligibility and benefits, you can reference the Co-sell partner engagement article in our documentation.

Now, we'll share some things you can consider as you prepare to sell your products and services through each channel.

The left side of the diagram represents that sellers list their solution through Partner Center. The right side of the diagram depicts the three commercial marketplace sales channels where customers can find your products and services. Going clockwise, the first channel is direct, which includes the online stores and in-product experiences. Second is Microsoft sales, which represents the Co-sell program. Third is the Cloud Solution Provider program, which lets resellers sell your solution to their customers. At the center of the diagram is the Microsoft commerce platform, which facilitates the commercial marketplace.

Online stores & in-product experiences

When you publish your solution to the commercial marketplace from Partner Center, it's placed in one or both online stores: Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace. Your product and the information you tell us about it determines where we place your product. For the most part, business solutions appear in Microsoft AppSource, while you can find IT solutions in Azure Marketplace. For more information about online store product selection, read our documentation on selecting an online store.

Customers can also find your software in Microsoft products, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, and Azure. You can also find software from Azure Marketplace by browsing resources in the Azure portal. You can also find add-ins and software from AppSource on Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform.

Cloud Solution Providers

When you publish your solution in Partner Center, you'll be given the opportunity to opt in to reselling your solution through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. You'll have a few options if you choose to opt in. You can choose to make your product available to:

• Any partner in the CSP program.
• Specific partners in the CSP program that you select.
• No partners in the CSP program.

During the publishing process, you'll be asked to share specialized materials for CSP partners to help them represent your product to their customers. These materials include sales and marketing information about your product, which you share with CSP resellers through a website that hosts the information. The URL and CSP materials aren't visible to customers in the online stores.

You get to decide the types of information that's included for CSP partners. As you create and host these materials, consider the following:

• Include information that's helpful for a seller, but that you wouldn't share directly with a customer. This helps resellers represent your product to their customers.
• Consider building a specialized web page for CSP partners that includes helpful information. This simplifies the process of providing resources to answer questions they might have about your product or service.

In addition to the specialized CSP materials, you'll also be asked to list a CSP program point of contact from your organization. Make sure that this person is ready to engage with resellers who might have questions about the solutions you've opted into the program.

For more information and instructions on opting into the CSP program, you can reference our documentation on the Cloud Solution Provider program.

Co-sell program

The Co-sell program lets your organization work directly with Microsoft sellers on joint customer opportunities and unlock additional benefits when selling your solution through the commercial marketplace. The program makes it easier for Microsoft sellers to find your solution, enables lead sharing with our sales professionals, and unlocks other collaborative activities with Microsoft.

If you qualify for the program, you'll need to provide additional resources that help Microsoft sellers understand your solution and recommend it to their customers. For example:

• A one-page document that summarizes the value your solution creates for users
• Customer-focused presentations that go into more detail on your solution

For more information on how to provide required Co-sell program information on your solution in Partner Center, you can read our documentation on the Co-sell option in Partner Center.