Platform or Independent Site? How to Choose the Right E-commerce Channel for Yourself?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Platform

The platform has high traffic and conversion rates. For example, Amazon has a monthly user base of up to 183 million, with high purchasing intentions and conversion rates. In addition, major platforms such as eBay and Amazon, with their reputation and popularity, can earn user trust. Moreover, the platform has a low entry barrier, with successful cases available for learning.

However, the platform faces serious homogenization issues, leading to intense price competition and an increase in the number of homogeneous products. The platform also has various rules and restrictions, posing uncontrollable risks for sellers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Independent Sites

Independent sites can build brands and capture private domain traffic. Through independent site construction and operation, brands can be flexibly shaped, avoiding users forgetting about the store and brand. At the same time, user information can be accumulated for precision marketing. Avoid platform rule restrictions and reduce the cost of violation risks.

However, independent sites have technical thresholds, requiring familiarity with tasks such as graphic design, creativity, advertising, and the supply chain. Meanwhile, independent sites need to address traffic acquisition issues as they need to find external sources of traffic after leaving platform traffic.

How to choose the e-commerce channel that suits you?

According to the advantages and disadvantages of platforms and independent websites, it can be analyzed that third-party platforms are suitable for novice cross-border sellers, while independent websites are suitable for experienced and large-scale sellers. Some sellers choose to do both, selling on platforms while developing independent websites for traffic. Regardless of the method chosen, the most important thing is to understand the respective advantages and disadvantages, and clarify the development direction of your own store.