The barrier to opening an online retail store just fell a lot lower…

Trend monitoring website Springwise.com reports on a new platform established by a startup called Sharetribe which allows “anyone” to set up an online marketplace in 48 seconds. All without coding.

The concept of peer-to-peer marketplaces has exploded in the past decade thanks to platforms such as eBay, Etsy and Airbnb. But their success has relied on feature-rich web tools that regular small businesses simply couldn’t afford to build themselves.

While we’ve recently seen The Grid offer instant website design using artificial intelligence, Finnish company Sharetribe is now helping businesses get their own online marketplace up and running without any coding.

For businesses that need to let their users sell or swap goods, rent out their bike or car, or find someone to walk their dog, it can be expensive and timely to hire a developer to build the platform. Sharetribe promises that its set up process takes just 48 seconds, with businesses able to customise the features as they wish.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AISCnwHYosc]

The platform supports different types of marketplaces, offering visual listings, categorisation and browse filters, storefronts and member profiles, merchant-buyer messaging and language and currency options. Each marketplace can be completely customised to reflect the business’s brand and comes with the ability to integrate with social media.

Sharetribe helps businesses offer a new feature for their existing communities or quickly set up a marketplace to start competing in the new sharing economy. Packages start at US$39 a month for sites with up to 300 members.

Tech news website Techcrunch has also reported on the concept.