AWS Marketplace
Why customers choose professional services and implementation expertise in AWS Marketplace
According to the July 2025 Canalys Special Report commissioned by AWS, customers integrate professional services into their cloud procurement decisions instead of treating them as subsequent additions. The report estimates that enterprise software sales through cloud marketplaces, including AWS Marketplace, will reach $85 billion by 2028. This trend indicates a clear customer preference: bundled solutions that integrate software, professional services, and technical expertise for implementation and ongoing support. AWS Marketplace helps customers find and buy software, third-party professional services, and data, so they can access the solutions and implementation expertise they need.
Why customers choose AWS Marketplace for professional services
Customers are rethinking how they procure professional services. Two key factors dive this trend: customer experimentation with new service delivery methods, and increased focus on procurement streamlining.
According to the Canalys report, 57% of customers prefer services that are more than traditional time-and-materials contracts. They’re looking for models that offer clear outcomes, predictable costs, and flexibility. Three formats are gaining popularity:
- Assessment services – Fixed-cost infrastructure evaluations that identify optimization opportunities or vulnerabilities, giving executives clear ROI justification
- Fixed-block hours – Pre-purchased blocks of time for defined tasks, helping control costs and limit scope creep
- Elastic engineering – On-demand access to cloud expertise in a subscription-like model, so organizations can scale support without long-term commitments
AWS Marketplace consolidated billing centralizes cloud-related spend including infrastructure, software, professional services, and support. This single view makes it straightforward to track trends, connect spend to business outcomes, and reduce overhead of managing multiple contracts and vendor systems.
Optimizing co-sell with AWS Marketplace
The study reports that 80% of AWS Partners consider AWS Marketplace a valuable part of their co-selling motion with AWS. Partners have refined multi-party collaboration through features like Channel Partner Private Offers (CPPO), which allow partners to bundle software and services from different providers into a single procurement flow.
This integrated model steamlines purchasing by eliminating separate procurement processes. Partners benefit from operational efficiency by incorporating AWS Marketplace into their sales playbooks.
Recommended practices for professional services selling in AWS Marketplace
The following are four ways AWS Marketplace can help partners grow professional services opportunities:
- Create innovative service solutions – AWS Marketplace customers are looking for more than standard consulting services. They’re open to models like elastic engineering and fixed-block hours that deliver clearer outcomes and predictable costs. Partners offering these approaches are seeing improved results compared to time-and-materials work.
- Optimize AWS Marketplace listings – Detailed professional services listings that spell out project outcomes, highlight specialized expertise, and include tags for industry and geography make it easier for customers to find and choose over similar offerings.
- Establish dedicated AWS Marketplace teams – Partners that dedicate team members to manage AWS Marketplace activity achieve higher revenue and expand their customer base through optimized listings and strategic program execution.
- Embed AWS Marketplace into co-sell processes – Standardizing AWS Marketplace in your co-sell strategy creates two advantages: streamlined customer purchasing processes and accelerated business growth. This applies to both direct AWS partnerships and multi-partner collaborations.
Getting started
To read the full Canalys report commissioned by AWS, access the July 2025 Special Report. If you’re not yet selling services in AWS Marketplace, you can register as a seller. If you’re already listed, review Providing metadata for AWS Marketplace products for optimizing your listings and consider expanding into new pricing models to meet changing customer needs.