A year ago, we embarked on a journey to provide the best experience for buying and selling 3D models and launched the Sketchfab store.
We started very small, with only about 5,000 models, very few sellers, and even fewer buyers, but a clear vision and a kickass viewer. A year later, our store now offers more than 50,000 3D assets across all categories and file types. More than 60% of our sellers sell (about 2x the industry average), and over 100 of them have passed $1,000 in net revenue. Our store is now #1 on Google when you search for 3D models, and we passed 1 billion page views on the platform.
We changed the game by setting a new standard for previewing 3D assets before you buy them. Whatever you are selling, be it physical goods or digital assets, presenting them in the best possible way is a key driver in the purchase decision, so we knew it was the best place to start, and the rest would follow. On the selling side, the fact we provide a 3D preview is also a game changer, as it means the seller doesn’t have to do any of the tedious writing or rendering work needed to describe a file that you are better off simply seeing. Buyers know exactly what they are paying for, and we automatically list every component of the file.
Check out some of last year’s most popular models in this collection:
Store 1 Year Anniversary by Sketchfab Store on Sketchfab
We are happy to see other marketplaces trying to catch up with us by adding 3D preview support through third-party integrations. But they are relying on technology they don’t control or build, and those integrations are not part of the default buying experience, so I don’t expect this to change the game for them. We’ve even seen competitors buying “Sketchfab alternative” ads :)
The Sketchfab Store’s journey didn’t start a year ago though; It started in 2012 when we launched Sketchfab. We’ve spent 7 years building the best 3D player online, and growing the largest library of 3D files on the internet.
Today, we continue to invest in our online renderer, while working on growing the library of content available for purchase. We have a lot on our to-do list to improve both the buying and selling experiences. We are also investing in our import integrations, so you can easily search Sketchfab content wherever you need it, making us the search bar for the 3D world.
If you are interested in joining the Sketchfab Store as a seller you can now download our seller success guide.
To celebrate and thank our amazing community we are happy to announce that Sketchfab is waiving its commission: we are offering 100% of sales revenue to our sellers today – January 17th.
On January 18th we will also offer a 25% discount to our customers on the entire store with code ANNIVERSARY, valid for a week.
Alban
Featured interviewed seller: omegadarling
About the author
Alban Denoyel
Co-founder and CEO of Sketchfab.
