Last Updated on August 25, 2022
In 2021, an estimated 2.14 billion people worldwide purchased goods through the web. This year, eCommerce sales are projected to hit 5.5 trillion. These numbers are practically unheard of in business.
The eCommerce space is evolving so rapidly that over 63 percent of shopping decisions today begin online. If these trends continue, pretty soon, brick-and-mortar purchases are going to be left behind for the convenience of online shopping.
In this online landscape, standing at a net sales revenue of USD 470 billion is the retail giant Amazon. It’s the undisputed choice for both big and small sellers looking to take their shop on the web.
However, with 1.75 million merchants selling on the platform, Shopify remains a strong alternative with its personalization options and brand-building potential.
But we are not here to take any sides. We are here to show you the benefits of combining these forces together to boost your business.
In this post, we’ll be discussing why you should have a Shopify store in addition to selling on Amazon.
But first, let’s address the concerns.
Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links that may provide a small commission to me at no cost to you (it will buy me a cup of coffee though 😉). However, these are the best freelance websites for job postings. You can read more about the affiliate disclosure in my affiliate policy.
Can I sell on both Amazon and Shopify?
Yes, you most definitely can! It is always recommended to diversify your sales channels as your business and brand grow. Both Shopify and Amazon are great platforms for eCommerce sellers, and contrary to popular opinion, they actually complement each other really well.
Amazon, however, remains a traffic giant, bringing in lots of potential customers to your online store. Shopify, on the other hand, is great for building brand identity, offering the opportunity to scale your business outside of Amazon.
You can run them both independently. Or, you can integrate the two using different available APIs. For example, if you use Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) to deliver orders to your customers, you can leverage it to fulfill your Shopify orders as well using Amazon Multichannel Fulfillment.
Why you should have a Shopify store as an Amazon seller
1. Mitigate Risks.
When you don’t own the platform you’re selling on, limiting your business to a single marketplace could be risky.
Amazon enforces strict selling rules and regulations, some explicit, while some discreet. There is always a chance that you can do something wrong and end up getting suspended.
This means your listings, funds, and inventory could be put on hold while you sort out the stuff with Amazon’s customer support to get your account reinstated. However, you don’t have to worry about any such issues with Shopify.
If Amazon ever pulls the plug on your store, you’ll still have another source of business to rely on.
2. Leverage the Power of Omnichannel Marketing.
An effective eCommerce marketing campaign always incorporates a multi-channel strategy. With Amazon, you get the opportunity to reach out to a loyal audience that isn’t afraid to spend big.
At the same time, a Shopify store enables you to rank for organic search results and utilize on-site tools that are simply not available within the Amazon Platform.
This means you can pull traffic from Google and social media much more effectively and send out discounts, offer bundles, upsell your products, and even conveniently recover abandoned carts.
But most importantly, you can collect customer emails and build an email list to market your products and generate valuable leads that can turn into lifelong customers.
Integrating these tactics, it will allow you to reach out to a broader audience and rank for relevant high-search volume keywords, which increases your conversions and ultimately boosts your sales.
3. Amazon Loves External Traffic.
Here, you get to kill two birds with one stone.
Amazon is a big advocate of external traffic and has started to give it significant weightage in its newly revamped search algorithm.
Why?
Because the eCommerce giant loves exposure. By bringing visitors from outside, you increase Amazon’s exposure to the general public. In return, Amazon rewards you by raising your product rankings and giving you more visibility in the search.
Interestingly, you also drive more traffic to your store, thus increasing your conversion rate, sales velocity, and reviews.
4. Flexibility to Customize Branding.
With Amazon, you may have a ready-made customer base available. However, the personalization options are limited to a few predetermined fields, even when you have brand registry. The most significant advantage of using Shopify is that you get complete control over your branding.
You can choose the look and feel of the site – the pictures, layout, content, and almost everything else.
By combining the two platforms, you can get a unique presence, develop strong customer loyalty and engagement, build your brand, generate more sales, and beat your competition.
8-Step Checklist to set up your Shopify store
If you’ve reached this far, we’re going to make a bold assumption and say that you’re interested in expanding your store on Shopify. But how do you get started?
Well, you’re in luck because we’ve compiled this easy-to-follow Shopify checklist just for you.
1. Do Your Research.
Before setting up any business or any store, always do your research. Learn as much as you can about your target market. When you were selling on Amazon, the retail giant handled some of this part for you. But with Shopify, the onus is completely on you.
Understand your audience like the back of your hand and use that knowledge to design your store.
Consider using a third-party logistics company to handle your inventory and returns for a more personalized touch instead of FBA.
Furthermore, evaluate the pros and cons, check the requirements, and make sure that setting up a Shopify store is the right business move for you at this stage. You don’t want to expand for the sake of expanding.
If you are not ready, it’s okay. The best thing is you can always reference back to this blog and resume from here when you feel ready.
2. Know Your Taxes.
Let’s face it, no one likes taxes, but they are important. This is why you should be well aware of the tax laws in the states you sell and adjust your tax settings and shipping prices accordingly.
Again, Amazon was handling this for you so far, but now that you are running a Shopify store in parallel, you must share some responsibilities. Consult a professional if necessary.
3. Enable Multi-Channel Fulfillment.
If you’ve been using Fulfillment By Amazon this entire time, it’s time to change your fulfillment settings.
Enable FBM inside your Seller Central to accommodate incoming orders through Shopify. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the Multi-Channel Fulfillment option if it’s available in your country.
Note: As of September 2021, Shopify will no longer support the existing Amazon sales channel. After this date, you must use new partner apps to integrate your store with Amazon.
What this means is that you’ll still be able to sync all order information within Shopify in real-time, including orders fulfilled on Amazon however, it will be through a plugin or app within Shopify.
JoeLister is a great app choice for this new integration. Everything will now be done through the app rather than through the Shopify platform itself. This includes full functionality to fulfill all FBA orders.
It is the easiest and fastest way to sync quantities and automatically repricing your listings.
4. Get A Custom Domain.
A custom domain is a must. It’s how your customers will find you. Find a great domain name for your shop (Shopify has a tool for that).
Also, make sure the name you choose is not already registered. You can customize your top-level domain (TLD) to .com, .gov, .store, .shop, etc.
5. Create Stellar Shop Pages.
Your shop represents your brand, so it should look awesome. Depending on your niche and brand idea, you should use an appropriate color and design scheme.
Focus on creating a sense of belonging and answering all possible questions your customers may have, showcase your ethics and values, and keep the navigation clean.
Here are some important pages you should pay attention to:
- Homepage – As the name suggests, this is homepage is your storefront. Make it welcoming. Use it to give a glimpse of what your store is all about, displaying the main items and product categories that you sell in.
- Contact Us – You should make it as easy as possible for the customer to reach out to you.
- About Us – This page is your chance to connect with the consumer. Share your story, mission, vision, communities you support, and the team behind the inspiration. Show your authenticity.
- FAQs – Answer your customers’ questions before they even ask them with the FAQ page. This will not only clear any potential doubts in their mind but also speed up the buying process.
- Landing Pages – Your ads will link to these pages. Make sure that they are convincing enough to get the warm leads to convert.
6. Optimize Images.
Images are crucial when you run an online store. They help customers understand what they are buying without seeing the product in person. Make them crisp and detailed. Compress them so that they load faster but don’t compromise on the quality.
Pro Tip: Add alt tags to your images to improve search engine optimization and web accessibility.
7. Test Your Store.
8. Make Use Of The Extensions.
Shopify offers a number of apps and plugins to make selling easy. However, you don’t need to overload your site.
Focus only on the essential tools you need. These could be analytical tools to monitor visits, site interactions, page times, abandoned carts, etc.
Marketing and SEO tools are a must too.
9. Email Marketing Is Key.
Any Shopify store is incomplete without email integration. Review your email notification settings and use automation tools like Klaviyo, Omnisend, Mailchimp, etc., to create email sequences.
Use them to inform your leads and customers of upcoming sales offers and new releases, prompting them to buy from you again and recover abandoned acts.
Commence Mission Shopify
We hope this blog was insightful for you and understood the benefits of running a Shopify store in parallel with your Amazon store. We also gave you a checklist to follow to help start your journey on Shopify. It’s time to put all this knowledge into action. Happy Selling!
About ZonGuru
ZonGuru is an all-in-one Amazon toolkit that helps private label sellers with product research, niche evaluation, competition analysis, listing optimization, inventory tracking, customer review acquisition, and running day-to-day operations of their Amazon business. Our tools bring you the most accurate data from across ten Amazon marketplaces, including the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Germany, and India. We make selling on Amazon easier.
About the Author
A marketer by trade, a writer at heart, and an Amazon evangelist around-the-clock, Hammad lives and breathes the world of smiling. He can often be found discussing the ins and outs of the marketplace across the web. In the very rare instances when he is not busy educating the audience, he likes to sit down and enjoy his ‘me-time’ watching the latest football action.
Chris Bournelis is a blogger, search engine optimization, and content marketing specialist. He has been working in the online business since 2015. Join him here at ChrisBournelis.com for the best SaaS reviews and tips to get the most out of your online business.