Small business owners have more options than before to set up their online businesses. Today, you can choose between selling on social media, having your own independent online store, or selling your products on an online marketplace.
Our vote? Get your own independent online store.
Here are 3 reasons why!
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Your own online store/website vs Marketplace
Before we jump into the reasons, we’ll take you through what a marketplace is.
An eCommerce marketplace is a platform where products or services of different businesses are listed.
The platform has its own terms and conditions for products and services, has its own shipping policies and can even have its own warehousing.
Marketplaces take care of payments and shipping and warehousing for the sellers.
The platform charges you (the seller) a commission for listing and shipping your product/services and neutral discoverability.
How is it different when you have your own online store?
You can build your own online store on store builders or website providers like Instamojo, WordPress etc.
Platforms like these allow you a greater deal of flexibility in terms of operation. There is usually a yearly or monthly fee for usage of the platform that you build your store.
You can integrate your own shipping and payment partners when you create your own online store.
Need help figuring out more differences? You might find this interesting.
At Instamojo, we help over 2,000,000+ small businesses with their own online business – online stores and online payments.
We spoke to businesses that recently shifted from a marketplace to their own online store/website and here are the top 3 reasons they chose for shifting.
Reason 1
More control over payouts, brand, and overall business operations
Selling on a marketplace limits the way small businesses operate:
- Payout cycles are longer (15 days or more)
- The platforms don’t allow a greater brand recall
- Overall cash flow and business operations are impacted
- Large marketplaces allow several businesses to sell on their platform. This could mean your business can get lost in the pile
With an independent online store, there is a complete focus on your brand. You upload your products, keep track of shipping and purchase orders and talk to your customers.
The Instamojo online store is built for you to take control of your business.
Reason 2
Regulations in the current eCommerce industry
Marketplaces are bound by regulations that make it hard for small businesses to focus on business growth.
More recently, the Government said that it will announce an eCommerce draft policy for huge marketplace players like Amazon and Flipkart.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade will be issuing new restrictions which will regulate –
- Transactions
- Data and exports
- Inventory management
With new rules like these, the Government plans to ensure there will be no partiality shown by eCommerce players to certain sellers.
These regulations will allow neutral discoverability and fair promotion of businesses, something that is usually challenging for small businesses.
Reason 3
Fast and easy setup with ZERO technical knowledge requirements
Setting up your own eCommerce website is super easy! In most cases, businesses usually pay a developer or do it themselves. Some store-building platforms allow plug-and-play options that might require technical know-how.
You’ll need ZERO technical knowledge to set up your own Instamojo online store. You can set up a store in minutes. In case you don’t want to do it yourself, we’ll do it for you!
Why pay a developer or extra plugins when we can cover it all for you in our latest DIFM model ( Do It For Me) model.
BONUS: Free online stores for a lifetime
If you are not confident about starting with a paid plan or a premium store, our free online store offers unlimited products that you can upload to your store.
If you are new to the online business game, you can sell on our free store to get familiar with all the features before you spend money on the premium one.
You also get –
- Integrated online payments
- mojoXpress Shipping – doorstep pickup and delivery services
- Social media tools and leads manager
- Theme editing options
- Your own domain and email to make your business look professional
- Discount coupons and abandoned cart emails
- Independent inventory management and much more
Looking for an easy, no-code-required independent online store for your online business? Set it up and explore your brand-new store right away!
