Todd Sumamno
Running an e-commerce business can be an incredibly lucrative pursuit. There are many advantages of operating an e-commerce site over other types of business, such as a reduced dependency on physical location for working operations, and increased access to platforms for digital marketing.
The wide range of online platforms that are available for e-commerce businesses to use for digital marketing purposes poses a relevant question for many business owners: Is it worth starting your own site for your e-commerce store, or can you simply use the existing platforms?
If you are trying to make a decision on whether or not to build your own site, we will cover some of the factors that are worth considering.
The Benefits of Building Your Own Site
Building your own site has numerous advantages. When it comes to branding, existing platforms such as eBay or Amazon do not offer anywhere near as much scope to implement your own graphic design or web design features.
Having your own domain can also project an increased sense of legitimacy and trust on your business. Even if the majority of your sales actually come through other platforms, having links to your own site can provide notable advantages in this area.
In the realm of e-commerce, having your own website opens up a world of possibilities for customization and optimization. By leveraging platforms like WordPress paired with WooCommerce plugins, entrepreneurs can create tailored online storefronts that align seamlessly with their brand identity and business objectives. These plugins offer a plethora of features and functionalities, from customizable themes to advanced shopping cart capabilities, allowing businesses to create immersive and engaging online shopping experiences for their customers.
The Drawbacks of Building Your Own Site
There are some disadvantages of building and running your own site. One aspect is the time that it takes to build a site—even web hosting solutions that offer ready-made templates will require a degree of work in order to set up your site.
The financial cost of starting your own site is also a factor to consider. Buying a domain name almost always requires a regular subscription cost. However, this cost may be offset by the lack of commission paid to platforms such as Amazon in comparison to using larger platforms.
Don’t Neglect Using Other Sites
Even if you do decide to start your own bespoke site for your business, it is highly recommended not to neglect using other platforms also. Existing e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and even Etsy are household names and bring in a vast amount of web traffic every day from all over the world, so neglecting to use these platforms would be a huge missed opportunity.
Of course, the widespread popularity of these platforms by so many sellers and businesses does mean that there is plenty of competition! Thankfully, taking actions like using the services of an Amazon consulting agency, and/or broader digital marketing consultancy, can help your business to stand out from the crowd and draw increased traffic.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer to this question that will apply to every single person and every single e-commerce business. What is right for your business may not be right for another business. As a general rule, using as many different channels as you are able to efficiently use is recommended. In order to work out what is best for your personal business strategy, consider the factors in this article and come to a conclusion that works for you!
Bio: Ryan Flannagan is the Founder & CEO of NuancedMedia, an international eCommerce marketing agency specializing in Amazon. Nuanced has sold $100s of Millions online and Ryan has built a client base representing a total revenue of over 1.5 billion dollars. Ryan is a published author and has been quoted by a number of media sources such as BuzzFeed and Modern Retail. To connect with Ryan, check out @Ryanflannagan on Twitter or via Linkedin
