The state of cloud marketplace and co-sell in 2025: From momentum to scalable maturity

Over the past two years, cloud marketplaces have gone from interesting to inevitable.

The appeal is clear—faster procurement, broader reach, closer alignment with hyperscalers who are influencing more software buying decisions every quarter. But as adoption has accelerated, so has the need for clarity. Most companies aren’t asking why they should use marketplaces anymore. They’re asking how to make them work. And that’s why we joined forces with Roman Kirsanov and Partner Insight to build the 2025 State of Marketplace and Co-sell report. 

There’s been no shortage of enthusiasm around cloud marketplaces and co-sell programs. But the lived experience inside most revenue teams is far more nuanced. In working with our customers and talking to dozens of GTM, RevOps, and partnership leaders, we consistently heard the same frustration: a lot of opinions, not a lot of data. A lot of theory, very little execution guidance.

So we went to the source. We surveyed real practitioners and GTM leaders who are actively navigating the shift to, or are scaling, cloud marketplaces and co-sell. We posed questions that would help us answer the vital, big-picture ones :

→ What activities are actually moving revenue via the marketplace?

→ Is co-sell worth the operational complexity?

→ How are the best teams making this channel work?

What we found is both encouraging and sobering. Cloud marketplaces are very real growth channels—but success doesn’t happen by accident. The teams seeing meaningful results have built intentional systems around process, training, measurement, and engagement with hyperscaler field teams. The rest are still figuring it out. Often with strong buy-in but limited execution.

Let’s take a look at where the market stands—and what it means for the road ahead.

Marketplace adoption is mainstream, but maturity is a work in progress

The data tells a compelling story: 89% of companies surveyed are already transacting on one or more hyperscaler marketplaces. That’s an astonishing rate of adoption, and it marks a clear turning point. Marketplace participation is no longer an “innovation project.” It’s a core GTM motion.

But underneath that momentum lies a critical gap: only 22% of respondents say more than 20% of their total revenue flows through the marketplace. Meanwhile, 41% are still seeing less than 5%. The takeaway is clear. The surface looks promising, but the depth of execution is still evolving.

The companies seeing serious results have something in common: operational discipline. They’ve automated workflows. They’ve enabled their sales orgs. They’re running joint field cadences with hyperscalers. In short—they’re not just participating, they’re performing.

Marketplaces are fueling net-new growth, not just deal shifts

We’re often asked at Clazar if cloud marketplaces are really a new GTM route that drives net-new revenue? Or are sellers investing heavily—only to watch existing deals get rerouted through the marketplace, with a margin hit thanks to transaction fees?

One of the most powerful insights from this year’s report: 62% of companies are generating net-new revenue through cloud marketplaces. That’s a strong signal that marketplaces are no longer just a workaround for procurement—they’re becoming strategic levers for customer acquisition and expansion.

Only 30% said they’re simply moving direct deals onto the marketplace. But there’s some nuance to this number, too. This shift isn’t happening because of internal pressure. It’s because buyers are asking for it. Shaped by the need for speed, budget alignment, pre-approved workflows, and, as Jay McBain (Chief Analyst, Canalys) calls it, a generational shift in how software gets evaluated and purchased.

Co-sell works, if you can execute it

We’ve always known that co-sell motions, when done right, can supercharge pipeline. The data backs this up: 59% of companies report higher win rates on co-sell deals.

But we also found that only 40% have structured cadences in place—things like regular joint pipeline reviews, account mapping, and synced field engagement. Even more telling: 51% say co-sell complexity is a major blocker to scale. Here’s the nuance: co-sell isn’t failing because it doesn’t work. It’s failing because it’s hard to execute without intentional investment, dedicated partner owners, tight CRM integrations, and field-ready sales enablement.

The companies that have cracked the code have embedded co-sell into their systems, not treated it as a secondary channel. They're managing co-sell through their CRMs, automating submissions to ACE/Partner Center, and giving AEs the tools to engage hyperscaler sellers directly.

RevOps is the missing link

In many organizations, the partnership and sales teams are aligned. But RevOps is still, understandably, on the fence.

42% companies report RevOps resistence around cloud sales. RevOps is the nervous system of your cloud sales motion. If you’re not investing in tooling, integration, and repeatable workflows, your co-sell engine will stall before it ever hits momentum. The result? Reporting is fragmented. Attribution is inconsistent. And scale is slowed by manual work.

What top performers are doing differently

Here’s the kicker: the companies seeing the most revenue from cloud marketplaces aren’t necessarily doing more—they’re doing it better. They automate workflows. They engage field teams consistently. They measure what matters—and move quickly on what works.

These companies have moved beyond experimentation. They’ve built systems that scale. And they’re proving that co-sell and cloud marketplaces can be more than a strategy—they can be a revenue engine.

What this means for 2025 and beyond

2025 will be a tipping point. We’re moving past the “try it out” phase. The market is maturing—and your competitors are maturing with it. If you’re still experimenting, you’ll be playing catch-up. But if you’re investing in the right motions today, you’re setting yourself up to win tomorrow.

What will define the next chapter of cloud GTM?

• Marketplace-first will become the default. Buyers increasingly expect this option. Sellers who lead with it will win faster.
• Co-sell will be integrated into every sales motion.No longer a partnership initiative—it’ll be embedded in GTM culture, owned by RevOps, and tied to quota.
• The cloud sales stack will evolve. Purpose-built tools will power automation, attribution, and field engagement at scale.

Success in cloud marketplaces isn’t accidental. It’s the result of aligned teams, intentional execution, and scalable systems. This report is a snapshot of where the industry stands—but more importantly, it’s a map for where it’s going. Use it to benchmark your efforts, identify your gaps, and make your next move.

If you want to see what’s possible, Clazar is here to help you scale. Let’s turn marketplace GTM into your next growth engine. Talk to our experts.

Don’t just adopt marketplaces. Master them.

Get the report.

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