One of my most vivid childhood memories of mine is how my grandmother took me shopping at the market. There, vivacious prattle blending with heated haggling was drawing an overwhelming experience for a 10-year-old. I was astonished by two things: the innumerable products being sold and the dozens of people competing with each other to buy them. It seemed like the sellers were having it easy – who wouldn’t want people to fight over what you have to offer. However, there were things that remained hidden from my eyes. My mind couldn’t grasp the concept of a “competitive market”.
Now, that I’m much older and (definitely not that much) smarter, I’m observing an impressive phenomenon. People are not competing to buy products anymore. On the contrary, brands and sellers are putting their whole effort into their marketing trying to win more customers on their side. Let’s be honest, in the 21st-century society the customer is the king – the market moves according to his rules. This is the general rule you need to keep in mind if you’re just starting your business. Especially when we’re talking about e-commerce.
Some context…
In our age, where the production has reached an unprecedented peak. the consumer is flooded by a plethora of products and services. Facing a choice of not only products but also manufacturers, people feel confused and overwhelmed when making a certain purchase. Brands dictate the rules of fashion and everyday life – they’re the actual game-changers.
Just like on the market, where dozens of people sell the same products, we are challenged by constant competition in the e-commerce world as well. So, say you want to hand-make and then sell polymer clay jewelry. You’ve got an eternal source of inspiration and it seems like your most brilliant idea ever. Soon, however, with a quick search, you find out at least 5 more creators sharing the same exact content as yours. And here we’re talking about hand-made where it’s almost impossible to have identical works! Yet, you need to come up with your own hand-crafted strategy on how to make your own products stand out and attract people, and how to build a brand and recognition. If you were doing this 30 and even 20 years ago, you would need an entirely new budget for your advertising expenses. Now, you can create it all on your own personal platform.
What is an e-commerce website?
An eCommerce website is a website that allows users to buy and sell products online.
Keep in mind that in the current article we’re only talking about personal websites and not about online marketplaces. You can find out what the main differences are a few lines below.
Simply put, a personal e-commerce website lets you add products, receive payments, and offer shipping in your own territory. In that way, you can have your website bloom and prosper through time.
Why do you need one?
As you probably know, if you have a product to sell but no interest in renting a physical store, the best choice is to start an e-commerce business. That on the other side drags more troubles and you’ll need mighty dedication to complete the task. There are generally two options when it comes to e-commerce business: an online marketplace and a personal website. Both of them have their advantages but if you’re going for brand building and independence, the choice is obvious. An e-commerce website is your guarantee for making your brand recognizable and credible. People want to know where they put their money and a website is your proof of reliability and professionalism. Also, having your own space on the web assures your personal control over your content – you can’t get banned or lose it.
Next, an obvious advantage of a website is its SEO performance. While selling on your limited marketplace profile you can’t do much about your SEO as you’re lending a really small section of the website. You can add tags and fit them into the frame provided by the website but you can not independently affect your own performance. A personal website, on the other hand, offers endless possibilities for making your website as search-engine-friendly as possible.
Another reason for creating your own website is the profit – the full profit, so to speak. Most of the marketplaces receive between 3-4% of your sales and then you add the cost of “renting” your shop. You can do the math for yourself. When selling over your own website, you’ll earn the full price of your items. Even though you’ll face the challenge of building your own customer base, once done, your customers will visit your website for you and no one else. What’s more rewarding than having a loyal community?