Online selling is currently a booming industry. With countless people shopping for almost everything online, the market for e-commerce businesses has become very competitive. That is why it is essential to know the pros and cons of selling your products on Amazon versus starting your own online store.
Pros of selling on Amazon
1. A Wide Customer Base
Amazon is one of the largest e-commerce platforms globally, making it an excellent place to introduce your products to millions of potential customers. Since Amazon has a vast audience, you can quickly get more sales without too much marketing effort.
2. Traffic Generation
Amazon is a built-in place with a vast audience of potential customers. As you upload your product listings, Amazon will start to promote your products through its own advertising campaigns and features such as the “Frequently Bought Together” and “Sponsored Products” sections.
3. Seller Support
Amazon provides its sellers with support in case they have queries about product listings, shipping, or order processing. As a seller, you can quickly contact Amazon when issues arise and have them resolved quickly, which takes a significant burden off for sellers.
4. Easy Setup
Amazon offers an easy setup process for listing your products, meaning that you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money on building your own online store.
Cons of selling on Amazon
1. Competition
Amazon is an extremely crowded marketplace, and there are lots of other sellers offering similar products like yours. The heavy competition may lead to lower pricing or reduced sales profits.
2. Commissions
With all the benefits Amazon provides, it does come at a cost. The platform takes a percentage of the sales, and commissions can escalate if you use Amazon’s storage/fulfillment capacities such as the Amazon FBA Program.
3. Control
Sellers do not have control over everything on Amazon. The website rules and regulations are constantly changing, as does the company’s focus on different features or products. Therefore, if you solely rely on Amazon to sell your product, it’s possible that you could be at their mercy.
Pros of owning your online store
1. Control
With your own website, you have complete control over everything from website design and layout to pricing. You can also custom design your website to fit your brand or market niche requirements.
2. No Commissions
Selling through your online store helps you to keep all your profits since you are not paying commission to the hosting platform.
3. Customer Loyalty
When selling through your site, you are directly connected with your customers, establishing long-term customer loyalty. Buyers would return to your products again and again from your website.
4. SEO and Web Traffic
Having your own website can lead to improving web traffic and optimizing the search engine ranking quickly with on-page optimization and off-page SEO techniques. The more traffic your site gets, the more sales that you can potentially make.
Cons of owning your own online store
1. Setup and Management Cost
Starting an online store requires financial investment to develop your website, procurement, storage, and fulfillment setup. This can be a significant barrier to entry for many people, particularly those just starting in business.
2. Time and effort
Operating your own store can require more work and attention than selling on Amazon. You’ll need to be prepared to devote enough time and energy to constructing and administering the store, taking care of taxes and bookkeeping, and running an efficient eCommerce enterprise.
3. Marketing Efforts
Unlike Amazon, you are solely responsible for marketing your product, which can also be a challenge for new eCommerce entrepreneurs.
In conclusion, while there are pros and cons to selling on Amazon versus starting your own online store, there is no definitive right option. The decision differs based on an individual seller’s specific needs, business objectives, and budgetary projections. Therefore, it’s crucial to take your time to evaluate both options properly. Afterward, determine the best market strategy that matches your business and industry.
