Unlocking the profitability multiplier: Maximizing revenue with Microsoft Marketplace
As organizations look to build their AI-first strategies, Microsoft partners are central to turning that ambition into customer outcomes and advancing frontier transformation. Customers are asking for guidance on how to right-size their cloud and AI investments to maximize impact without compromising on security or governance. At the same time, expectations are rising—software companies need mechanisms to scale their software and shorten time-to-value while channel partners need to curate AI solutions that map to specific customer outcomes.
Speed is becoming a key differentiator and Microsoft Marketplace is designed to accelerate how we go to market and sell together. To better understand the overallvalue of Marketplace, we asked Omdia to study the partner revenue opportunity. The findings estimate Marketplace is a $300 billion partner revenue opportunity by 2030.1*
Omdia summarizes the opportunity this way: “Channel partners and software companies that maximize the nearly $300 billion of services opportunity via Microsoft Marketplace by 2030 will have strong alliance and partnerships between themselves. Multiparty software and services offerings will be the foundational driver of improving partner profitability and revenue generation in the age of AI.”
The partner revenue opportunity with Marketplace
As Marketplace adoption increases, partners are seeing measurable business impact. The Omdia study found that among partners that sell through Marketplace (compared to direct go-to-market and sales motions):
- 88% report revenue growth
- 75% close deals faster
- 69% secure larger deals
Other findings include that the majority of participants believe Marketplace was a key differentiator in landing the deal, and over 60% agreed that Marketplace improved their deal structure.
Marketplace growth across the partner ecosystem flywheel
The Omdia study frames partner opportunity through a partner ecosystem flywheel aligned to the customer lifecycle. Roles differ across the ecosystem, but the value compounds when both software companies and channel partners use Marketplace consistently over time.
Marketplace can accelerate execution early in a project. When customers are designing cloud architecture, migrating workloads, or setting up environments, Marketplace supports a smooth path from selection to deployment by keeping solutions aligned with Microsoft products. That alignment can simplify deployment and provisioning, so customers realize value faster.
For channel partners, Marketplace provides access to a trusted, vetted catalog and a commercial path that aligns with customers’ committed cloud budgets. For software companies, Marketplace enables selling with partners through resale enabled offers or multiparty private offers. Every co-sell eligible solution purchased through Marketplace counts toward the customer’s contract, dollar for dollar, with no limit, making Marketplace a critical enabler for technical depth with ecosystem collaboration.
As customers adopt cloud and AI solutions, Marketplace can also support long-term value. It simplifies how customers manage and optimize investments through streamlined invoicing and payouts. Partners that take a Marketplace-first approach can strengthen renewal motions while uncovering opportunities to expand offerings over time. Marketplace also supports deal mechanics that can make renewals easier like flexible billing, alignment to Azure consumption commitments, and the ability to secure contracts for up to five years.
The management of cloud and AI services represents a significant multiplier in partner opportunities, and a Marketplace-first approach strengthens that multiplier by connecting your commercial business more tightly with Microsoft, so we can go to market together with greater consistency and scale.
Microsoft has always been and will continue to be a partner-focused organization. Our Marketplace investments are designed to enable partners to scale more effectively while meeting customer needs as the market shifts toward frontier.
Accelerate growth with Microsoft Marketplace today
No matter where you are on your Marketplace journey, you can take steps now to increase momentum. It all starts with partnership.
If you are not already a member, start by joining the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and obtaining a partner ID.
If you are a software company, focus on three actions:
- Get listed to sell on Marketplace. When customers purchase directly from your product page, you can capture demand at the moment of intent. When a shopper selects “Get it Now,” you receive a lead (with customer-provided consent), creating a low-touch path from interest into a self-serve sale. You can use programmatic support with step-by-step guidance or list your solution independently.
- Build a pipeline with trial offers or low-cost licenses. Starting with lower-friction offers can support faster evaluation and give you a practical way to identify high-intent leads to convert to paid, at scale.
- Get co-sell eligible and sell through channel. Co-sell eligible solutions can align to customers’ pre-committed cloud spend. Since 80% of customers with commitments buy from Marketplace, meeting customers where they already buy can unlock larger opportunities, including through partner-led motions.
If you sell cloud services (what we refer to as channel partners), prioritize these actions:
- Familiarize yourself with the channel-led sales opportunities through Marketplace, including which ones fit your business model.
- Explore the Marketplace catalog to source solutions mapped to your customers’ needs, keeping in mind that software solutions marked Azure benefit eligible count toward a customer’s Azure consumption commitment.
- Execute resale enabled offers, multiparty private offers, and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) private offers based on your customers, your capabilities, and your preferred motion.
Marketplace is more than a sales channel—it is a growth engine for partners in the era of AI. A Marketplace-first strategy can accelerate time to value, unlock access to pre-committed budgets, and strengthen customer relationships through streamlined sales operations and renewals.
1Source - Omdia, Partner Ecosystem Multiplier – The Microsoft Marketplace Opportunity, December 2025. Results are not an endorsement of Microsoft. Any reliance on these results is at the third party’s own risk.
*Throughout this document, $ refers to USD.