The market share of online sales through marketplaces such as Amazon, Marktplaats, and Bol.com is growing rapidly. Every day, more merchants are choosing to offer their products on external platforms. Sometimes as a supplement to existing sales channels, and sometimes even as their primary sales channel. While selling through these platforms works well for some industries and products – you’ll never hear us say you shouldn’t use them – here are 6 reasons why you, as a B2B seller, should always have your own webshop and avoid becoming too dependent on external marketplaces.
The most obvious reason to always prioritize your own webshop is the commissions you pay to external platforms. There’s always someone taking a share of your profits. If you factor in these commissions and sales through marketplaces don’t make up the majority of your revenue, it’s not a big issue. But when that is the case, you face a major problem if a platform increases its commission rates.
Many people underestimate the risk of being dependent on a single third-party platform. They think platforms are too large to ever fail or that the mentioned commissions will never rise. A recent example where this mindset led to problems can be seen in YouTube’s changes to its terms of service. When content published on the platform is aimed at children under 13, it’s impossible to use personalized ads, leave comments, save videos, or send notifications. This has ended many successful YouTube channels, including those targeting adults.
How is that possible? The new rules also apply to content that may be aimed at adults but deals with topics like gaming, miniature cars, trains, and other ‘toys’, Legos, comics, and cartoons. The slightest indication that content might be intended for children causes the entire channel to be treated as if it is.
When you have your own webshop, you’re able to breathe your company’s values through your own channel. You can communicate your story, values, mission, and vision not only in text and images but also through design and interface. You create that little corner of the internet specifically made for your target audience and customers. Of course, this isn’t possible on a generic platform where everything is either set in a certain way or not at all.
Building a brand also means that the customers on your webshop are truly your customers, while customers on marketplaces often feel more like customers of the marketplace. They don’t feel like they’ve bought from you, but from the most relevant option on platforms like Bol.com. This is unfortunate, as repeat customers typically cost 5x less.
On a marketplace, your visibility is always accompanied by the visibility of competitors, leading to pressure to stand out among them. This is great if you are clearly the cheapest, as most marketplaces sort results based on price. However, if you’re not the cheapest but have the best product or the best service, this can be highly disadvantageous.
What is not possible on marketplaces is offering special options and custom-made products. If you work on a generic platform, you will never be relevant to customers who are looking for something special. Additionally, they cannot request a quote instead of making a direct purchase, which makes negotiations over adjustments and volumes impossible. When you have your own platform, quote modules (like ours!) make life much easier for you as a B2B entrepreneur because you can easily negotiate with potential customers.
We have nothing against marketplaces. In fact, we believe they can be a great addition to your existing sales channels. Amazon, to name one, is a big name and has millions of visitors, allowing you to reach a whole new audience. We just think you shouldn’t want to be fully dependent on a platform that isn’t yours. Are you still looking for an E-commerce partner? We build complete, modern, and beautiful webshops!