New research has found that a huge 69% of online shoppers prefer shopping in online marketplaces but what does this mean for you? 

Online Marketplaces 

Online marketplaces include websites such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy. This research shows that the majority of people prefer to buy here, rather than heading to individual sellers’ websites.  

Why? 

The main reason (53%) online shoppers prefer online marketplaces is because they enable price comparison, with ease. Other reasons include being able to buy from different brands (19%), loyalty programs (8%) and search capabilities (8%).  

What Does This Mean for you? 

It means that you need to be multichannel selling. Solely selling on your own website will result in you missing out on customers and sales. Selling on multiple sales channel(s) will ensure that you capture the 69% of online shoppers who are heading straight to Amazon, eBay and Etsy. Selling on all three (or at least two) simply increases your chances of customer exposure.  

What About Your Website? 

Selling on your own website, through a shopping cart such as Shopify or WooCommerce, is still important. Having your own website: 

– Provides a strong and complete brand image, which increases consumer confidence

– Enables you to build ongoing customer relationships and brand loyalty.

Just because a customer’s first interaction with you is via an online marketplace, this doesn’t mean that you can’t later entice them (think offers, discounts and loyalty schemes) to purchase goods through your own website, avoiding online marketplace fees. 

Sounds Complicated 

Multichannel management software, such as Expandly, exists to take all the complexities of multichannel selling away, affordably.  Allowing you to easily integrate your own shopping cart with Amazon, eBay and Etsy, as well as order management, inventory management, accounting integration and reporting functionality. 

About Expandly

Expandly is multichannel management software that is all about saving you time and effort.

From the moment you login in the morning to the moment you ship your orders, Expandly aims to reduce your workload. It is simple, easy to use and focussed on helping small eCommerce businesses go from home-office or unit to warehouse and beyond.

Find out more about Expandly Multichannel Management software