From pills that promise to ‘melt away body fat’ to high-end Hublot watches that cost more than the average family car, an endless variety of products and services are pitched to consumers every day on a huge array of digital marketplaces and virtual stores.

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Online trading is regulated in a number of countries, and because large sums can be involved, digital marketplaces have strict internal rules and policies in place as well. Legislation also exists to define the legality of products and services.

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A common challenge for online marketplaces is keeping them free of illegal and inappropriate content, preventing spam and minimising fraud. Adhering to local regulations, in addition to the quality of the sales ads are all vital for business, but a smooth user experience is also a key piece of the e-commerce puzzle.

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Successful online marketplaces fundamentally need users and, whether buying or selling, help them meet their specific goals. An essential part of that is ensuring sales listings and ads get published quickly, in the right category, accompanied by informative text with accurate imagery, which is in line with the online marketplace’s policies and style.

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For popular marketplaces with high volumes of listings, it’s a constant challenge to keep all of this content on track. To tackle this problem, many early adopters have turned to content moderation software.