GM Sends Marketplace, Its In-Car Commerce Platform, to a Farm Upstate
The service never caught on with consumers after its launch in late 2017 and now it seems GM is bailing on the concept entirely.
In-vehicle marketplaces that are accessed through the car's infotainment system have been floated off and on by a few manufacturers for several years, but they've never really caught on. That's certainly been the case for GM, which introduced its version in 2017 and which now, according to a report published Friday by CNBC, is going the way of the dodo.
General Motors launched Marketplace to allow customers to pay for things like gasoline or coffee from their vehicle's infotainment system. Sounds like a good idea, but it never seemed to gain traction with consumers -- likely because your phone does the whole thing much better. That low utilization rate meant the store never really grew into the robust platform for commerce that the General wanted it to be. Considering how generally unsentimental GM is about these sorts of things, we're sort of surprised that it lasted as long as it has.
"While GM plans to discontinue Marketplace due to a supplier exiting the business, we continue to iterate, improve and re-imagine our in-vehicle commerce experience," said a GM representative, in a statement. "After Marketplace is discontinued in mid-March 2022, owners will still be able to transact with GM in-vehicle through its in-vehicle mobile apps, allowing them to add a service to their vehicle. Based on our learnings, as well as evolving customer needs and preferences, GM is building on and expanding its existing voice, apps and map capabilities to better integrate in-vehicle commerce opportunities."
Did you ever use Marketplace in your late model Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet or GMC? If so, what did you like or dislike about it? Let us know in the comments.
