Why You Need Your Own E-commerce Site

Many people think that having an independent website is optional. However, given the current state of the e-commerce industry, an independent site is no longer just a choice—it has become a standard for long-term business operations. Here’s why:

Intense price competition on third-party marketplaces
Platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Temu are now caught in fierce price wars, severely squeezing sellers’ profit margins. E-commerce sellers must have their own independent website and allocate part of their resources to it. Selling on a self-owned channel allows for better profit margins and provides room for brand premium.

Strict platform rules make account suspension or ranking drops a real risk
In recent years, many stores have been banned by Amazon, and the chances of a successful appeal are very low, resulting in significant losses. Owning an independent e-commerce site ensures that even if your marketplace store is suspended or downgraded, you still have a platform that belongs to you.

On someone else’s land, you are always a tenant. If the landlord raises the rent or repossesses the property, all your efforts can vanish in an instant. This is not just a hypothetical risk—search online and you’ll see how many stores get banned each year. Having an additional sales channel is never a disadvantage. An independent e-commerce website not only expands your sales channels but also acts as a safeguard against business risks.

Low barrier to building an independent e-commerce site
Nowadays, there are many tools available to build an independent e-commerce website, making the process relatively easy. Even if minor technical issues arise, tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can help you resolve them quickly without consuming too many resources.

Data ownership
When you sell on your own site, you have full control over your user data. You can track how many people visit your website, the traffic for individual products, click-through rates on purchase buttons, and conversion rates for each item. All of this is transparent, and you can freely adjust your content or website layout to optimize conversions and achieve the best results.

A place to consolidate information and build your brand
Just as the iPhone has the official Apple website where users can place orders, you also need a platform to publish information about your products and allow direct purchases. Your independent site serves as your online business card. By continuously publishing content, you accumulate organic traffic, which yields significant long-term benefits. For example, if users frequently ask similar questions, you can compile them into an article and post it on your site. When future users ask, you can simply share the article link, improving efficiency.

Therefore, no matter how well your business is performing on platforms like Amazon, you should establish your own independent e-commerce website. This is a long-term business perspective, not a short-term profit strategy.