With the advancement of technology and the internet, you don't need to have a physical store to open a business. You can now sell your products online, advertise online. You can do selling on Amazon, on Shopify, and other e-commerce platforms and make and receive payments using online platforms such as PayPal.
Online selling platforms such as Shopify or Amazon have revolutionized the business world. However, as you decide to opt for online business, the most challenging decision is selecting the perfect online platform for your business. Their pros and cons and other features, and of course, the eCommerce platform should be secure and provide features that make it easy for you and your customers to transact business.
As mentioned above, Shopify and Amazon FBA are some of the most popular online selling platforms you can consider. The two have a reputation due to their security and ease of transactions. Nevertheless, here are the best FBA courses on offer.
So, which one should you go for between Shopify and Amazon FBA?
Difference Between Shopify and Amazon FBA
The battle between Amazon FBA Vs. Shopify is one of the most intense in the e-commerce world. The two platforms offer irresistible features for online sellers.
Both e-commerce platforms enjoy a wide customer base globally.
For instance, Amazon FBA boasts of over 150 million visitors per month in the United States only. On the other hand, Shopify eCommerce platform powers over 600,000 businesses that have transacted over $82 billion.
With such a customer base, no wonder it isn't easy to choose one over the other.
So, what's the difference between the two? Amazon or Shopify?
The main difference between the two e-commerce platforms is that if you choose to use Shopify, you have to design and build your online shop from scratch. On the other hand, Amazon is a ready-made online marketplace.
As such, Amazon is one of the best and attracts many buyers, which offers sellers access to millions of potential customers. Moreover, these Amazon FBA tips are supposed to make your business even more profitable. Meanwhile, Shopify enables you to build your Shopify store instead of giving you access to customers. Although Shopify has no ready-made traffic, and it allows you to enjoy most of the same profit while Amazon requires you to abide by the laws and relinquish a fee per month plus other features.
Amazon is ideal for individual sellers and, small and medium enterprises. On the other hand, Shopify is suitable for all sellers, from smaller enterprises to big brands.
Ease of Use
When you are looking for an online platform for your eCommerce business, you want to have a smooth experience.
When comparing Amazon Vs. Shopify, which one is easier to use?
Shopify makes it easy for you to build your online store from scratch. It is easy to navigate, offers clean and clear designs and several help pages.
With Amazon FBA, you don't need to create your eCommerce website store from scratch. All you have to do is create an amazon seller account and follow all the set-up steps, and you are good to go to start selling on amazon. When you get registered, you have to create your product listings and their pricing per item, sell and ship them, and receive your money.
The Amazon platform comes with tools that make it easy to transact. For instance, you can ship your products on your own or use the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) tool to deal with shipping rates and other shipping settings.
Amazon involves less work before you can start selling while using Shopify makes it straightforward to have your online store.
Tools and Features
Having the right tools and features in your online selling platform makes it easy to transact your business.
Both Amazon and Shopify come with tools and features that make selling online hassle-free.
For instance, you can sell a range of products on Amazon, including toys, books, electronics, etc. It also allows you to sell your services instead of physical products.
It has a range of tools such as global selling, creation of targeted adverts, etc., that make online selling effortless. The FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) feature allows you access to prime customers and ensures tasks such as packing and shipping are fulfilled by Amazon.
There are transaction fees involved, but it is an easier solution than dealing with the shipping hassles.
Shopify is popular for offering a wide variety of tools, including a logo maker, powerful inventory system, multichannel selling, app integration, and abandoned cart recovery.
Shopify makes your life as a store owner simple. It has joined hands with Oberlo to take care of all your shipping needs.
Design
Human beings are visual beings and are attracted to anything pleasing to the eye.
As you think of an online store, you should consider its design to ensure it is attractive to your potential customers.
Amazon and Shopify do a good job by ensuring you won't lose a customer due to an unattractive design.
For instance, Shopify offers over 60 themes to choose from, allowing you to customize your brand. Besides the design, you can also customize the colours to choose the one that matches your brand or products.
Shopify offers 10 free themes that can limit you in terms of how much you can customize your eCommerce store. Alternatively, you can purchase over 60 premium themes that cost you between $140 to $180. The premium themes allow you to personalize, edit, and switch your theme to fit your brand.
Amazon is a bit limiting in terms of design. It allows you to upload your product image and descriptions, but the overall design and layout are Amazon's. The platform makes it easy for customers to choose their product by putting your product alongside those of your competitors. The customer can then make his/her choice. Thus, you don't have control over how to direct customers to your pages.
Shopify performs way better than Amazon when it comes to design.
Payment Options and Fees
As you compare Shopify Vs. Amazon, to decide which one is better for your business, it's vital to think about the payment options they offer. The payment option can be costly due to credit card rates and transaction fees.
Amazon has Amazon Pay as its main payment method. The method allows you to accept credit card and debit card payments, but you cannot accept PayPal.
Amazon has a monthly fee of $39.99 per month and selling fees for professional sellers.
If you go for the FBA option, some fees range from $2.41 to $137.32 for the fulfilment fee per unit. You also pay monthly inventory storage fees that vary from $0.69 to $2.40 per cubic foot. The fees can vary depending on the time of the year, product type, product volume, etc.
If you are an individual seller, you don't pay a monthly subscription fee on Amazon. On the contrary, you pay $0.99 when you sell your products on Amazon.
Shopify has its payment getaway known as Shopify Payments. If you use Shopify Payments for your transactions, you don't pay any transaction fees.
Besides Shopify Payments, Shopify offers over 100 payment getaways, which include PayPal and Amazon Pay. The different payment methods have a transaction fee that varies from 0.5% to 2%, depending on the method you use and the plan.
If you use a credit card for your payments, including Shopify Payments, credit card fees apply. The credit card fees decrease as you upgrade through the Shopify price plans. Shopify has three price plans, which include basic Shopify that goes for $29 per month, Shopify at $79 per month, and advanced Shopify at $299 per month.
Attracting Customers
There are billions of internet users globally, which makes online business an excellent idea. However, getting the attention of the customers may not be the easiest undertaking on earth.
If you go for Amazon, you might not have to worry about looking for customers. Millions of customers troop to Amazon to look for various products. You may not have to run email ads or SEO ranking. However, you need to worry about Amazon SEO to ensure your product ranks top of the search. This increases the chances of customers purchasing your products and not your competitors'.
Shopify doesn't have an audience like Amazon. People have to look for your product to find you. As such, unlike Amazon, Shopify involves a lot of advertisements. You need to worry about your Google SEO ranking and also run email ads.
You can also incorporate a strong social media presence, abandoned cart recovery, and personalized shopping.
Luckily, Shopify comes with marketing tools that help you all through the way. You can even get more apps at the Shopify App Market.
Can You Use Amazon FBA With Shopify?
Yes, you can use Amazon with Shopify together. Diversifying your sales channel puts you in a better place for potential customers to access your products.
With Amazon, you have the advantage of the largest online platform globally. Therefore, you have access to a large audience of potential customers.
On the other hand, Shopify allows you to design and develop an online store. A stand-alone online store is a great asset.
Both Shopify and Amazon come with unique benefits for your brand. Therefore, your brand and products can do better if you combine the two e-commerce platforms.
Additionally, you can use the Amazon FBA inventory to fulfil your Shopify orders. Plus, instead of looking for a third-party fulfilment centre or worrying about packing and shipping, you can use the Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) through Amazon FBA.
Shopify
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Amazon FBA
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Selling on Amazon FBA VS. Shopify - Which Is the Best?
Both Amazon FBA and Shopify come with unique benefits. The choice between the two depends on your preference. Go for Amazon if you want a ready audience. Shopify allows you to build your brand from scratch. You can also leverage the use of the two platforms to enjoy and make money and enjoy the benefits from each.
