OpenSea, one of the leading NFT marketplaces, has upped the ante in its battle to stay on top of the NFT market, launching a new platform called OpenSea Pro. With zero marketplace fees and sophisticated advanced order types, OpenSea Pro could be the answer to reclaiming NFT marketplace supremacy. The intense competition for NFT market share between OpenSea and zero-fee platform Blur has been growing since Blur burst onto the scene late last year. But even before then, OpenSea – who have enjoyed being the top NFT marketplace since the boom in 2021 – have been preparing for the fight to stay on top with the introduction of OpenSea Pro.
OpenSea Pro is a game-changing new product, previously known as Gem V2, which OpenSea acquired in April 2022. They rebranded it with the intention of courting “pro” users, with a view to making OpenSea the most efficient NFT trading tool out there. Crucially, OpenSea Pro offers zero fees for a promotional period – a smart move in light of rival Blur overtaking OpenSea in NFT trading volume in February.
OpenSea Pro provides users with several features that have been tailored to the professional trader. It aggregates listings from more than 170+ NFT marketplaces large and small, including notable platforms like Blur, LooksRare, and X2Y2. It also allows users more flexibility when searching for NFT listings and managing their inventory of digital assets, as well as giving them access to open NFT collection offers across marketplaces.
In addition to zero fees and more advanced features, OpenSea Pro boasts powerful inventory management, instant sales, most optimized gas fees, watchlist, live mints overview and batch transfer. The platform will also be available on mobile devices.
However, OpenSea are not just going after the lower-hanging fruit when it comes to advanced traders. In a recent blog post, they revealed plans to “[chart] a different course by featuring NFTs as rewards” for traders on OpenSea Pro, as well as offering a free “Gemesis” NFT mint for users who bought an NFT from Gem before March 31.
The launch of OpenSea Pro comes at a time of mixed fortunes for OpenSea. On one hand, their total NFT traded volume of $424 million in the month of March lagged behind the $1.35 billion enjoyed by Blur. On the other, OpenSea still boasts more active users, with nearly 91,000 unique Ethereum wallets over the past week, compared to about 41,000 for Blur.
The arrival of OpenSea Pro could be the key to reclaiming the throne of NFT marketplace supremacy, and OpenSea have gone out of their way to develop a platform tailored to the tastes of pro traders. Whether this bold move pays off remains to be seen, but it appears as though OpenSea might just have the edge over Blur this time.
