If like me you’re a passionate creator and furniture designer with the thirst to sell your products you’ll need a platform to reach your audience. Selling your wood creations online is a must in this day and age. Retail has its place but with a higher percentage of shoppers now online it’s now the starting place for many business owners.
So, you want to start an online business, but where should you start selling your products online: should you create your own website or choose the marketplace route? To talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both, I’m accompanied by Ad Lab Magento Agency London.
As Adobe Solutions Partners, Ad Lab are a leading company that provides digital marketing solutions, professional services and integrated technologies. The team at Ad Lab are highly knowledgeable in all things Magento and eCommerce. So, they are the right people to speak to about this topic.
Magento Website
Pros: individuality, flexibility, scalability and increased marketing opportunities.
Cons: takes time to set up.
Whether you want to start an eCommerce venture selling your handmade furniture or have been successfully selling your creations for months, it’s time to have your own website.
Even if you started out creating a basic website to write about your creations there’s always potential to expand on this platform. An eCommerce store would be a great addition to your current website. As This Glorious Life says, “Adding an eCommerce store to your website or blog would not only be great for extra income but also increase traffic and brand awareness to your blog.”
Toby Goes Bananas says that an online store is better than a store on the high street. “Maybe you’ve always wanted to sell your items on the high street? This is even better. There are no rent costs, there are no opening time restrictions, you can operate your business from the comfort of your home and you can scale it out worldwide (if you wanted to!).”
Marketplace
Pros: beginner friendly and fast to set up.
Cons: high commission, strict rules, limited options, more competition.
If you are a beginner with only a couple of products, starting on a marketplace might be a good solution for you. It takes barely any time to set up a store in a marketplace and you will be able to quickly see if people are interested in your products or not.
Mamma Prada shared the disadvantages of selling products in marketplaces. “Besides high commissions, you will also have to endure their strict rules and the fact that you will be limited to what the marketplace offers. It is also harder to position yourself as a brand in a marketplace, and people will most likely not realise they are buying it from you, but from the marketplace itself.”
So there are two key options for pushing your business into the digital era. Both have their place in any startup and will benefit the seller in the global market. I’ve personally had success with both but the key was to know which platform to go with at the correct time. For me, the marketplace was the best starting point. once I’d started to build a customer base and a reasonable income I could then turn my attention to building my brand through a dedicated website.
Thanks for reading. I hope this helps you on your journey to online selling. Why not try another of my posts for some further business hints and tips: