As your business grows, is selling through marketplace enough?
Selling products online has become one of the most accessible ways for businesses to reach a wider audience. Platforms like Shopee, Tokopedia, and other online marketplaces allow businesses to list products, receive orders, and reach potential customers without building their own sales systems from scratch.
However, as a business grows, its operational needs also become more complex.
Order volumes increase, product variations expand, inventory becomes harder to manage, and operational costs require closer attention. On top of that, marketplace policies, administrative fees, service charges, and promotional expenses can affect a seller’s profit margins.
These challenges encourage many business owners to consider another option: building their own online store.
Having an independent ecommerce website does not mean businesses need to leave marketplaces behind. Both channels can complement each other. Marketplaces provide access to an existing customer base, while an independent online store gives businesses greater flexibility in managing their brand identity, shopping experience, and sales operations.
So, is your business ready to have its own online store? And what should you prepare before getting started?
Marketplace vs. Your Own Online Store: Get to Know the Difference
Before deciding to build an online store, it is important to understand the differences between selling through a marketplace and operating your own ecommerce website.
Both options offer distinct advantages depending on your business goals and operational needs.
1. Selling Through Online Marketplace
Online marketplaces provide an established selling ecosystem. Business owners can create a store, upload product catalogs, receive orders, and use built-in promotional features.
Some of their key advantages include:
- Access to an existing customer base: Marketplaces already have users searching for products, creating opportunities for sellers to reach potential buyers.
- Lower technical requirements: Businesses do not need to build their own website or transaction systems.
- Built-in selling features: Sellers can use available tools for promotions, transactions, and order management.
- Suitable for new businesses: Marketplaces offer an accessible starting point for businesses entering the digital market.
However, there are also limitations to consider. Sellers must follow platform policies and fee structures. Competition with other sellers can also affect product visibility.
Additionally, businesses have limited control over storefront design, customer experiences, and access to customer data, depending on each platform’s policies.
2. Building Your Own Online Store
Unlike marketplaces, an independent online store gives businesses a dedicated digital sales channel that they can manage through their own ecommerce website.
Some of its key advantages include:
- Greater brand control: Businesses can customize their website design, product catalogs, and shopping experience to reflect their brand identity.
- Flexible sales management: Product listings, pricing, and promotional activities can be managed according to business needs.
- Customer relationship management: Businesses have more opportunities to build direct relationships with customers through their own channels, subject to applicable data protection requirements.
- More organized operations: Inventory, orders, payments, and shipping can be supported by integrated systems.
- Long-term digital asset: A website can become an official brand platform as well as a direct sales channel.
However, owning an online store also comes with responsibilities. Unlike marketplaces with existing user ecosystems, businesses need to develop their own strategies to attract website visitors.
This may include search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, digital advertising, and other promotional activities.
Understanding these differences helps business owners determine which combination of sales channels best supports their growth.
7 Things to Prepare Before Building Your Own Online Store
Building an online store involves more than creating a website with product listings and a checkout button. Several operational aspects need to be considered to ensure your ecommerce business runs efficiently.
Here are seven important things to prepare before launching your online store.
1. Prepare Your Products and Digital Catalog
The first step is making sure your products are ready to be presented online.
Before building your online store, organize all product information, including product names, descriptions, prices, images, variations, and stock availability.
A well-organized digital catalog helps potential customers understand your products and make informed purchasing decisions.
Here are some essential elements to prepare:
- High-quality product images.
- Clear and informative product descriptions.
- Accurate pricing and product variations.
- Well-organized product categories.
- Updated product availability.
The more complete your product information is, the easier it becomes for customers to find what they need
2. Set Up and Inventory Management System
Inventory management becomes increasingly important as businesses start receiving orders through multiple sales channels.
Imagine having only five units of a product left, but the same inventory is still listed as available on both your marketplace and website. Without an organized inventory system, your business risks overselling products that are no longer available.
This is why businesses need an inventory management system that helps monitor stock levels accurately and update product availability in real time.
With the right system, business owners can:
- Monitor available stock levels.
- Update product availability.
- Reduce manual recording errors.
- Plan product restocking more effectively.
- Keep inventory information organized.
For businesses with multiple product variations or increasing order volumes, this feature can significantly reduce administrative workloads.
3. Integrate Reliable Payment Methods
Payment is one of the most important stages of the online shopping experience.
When building your own online store, you need to consider which payment methods will be available to your customers.
Common online payment methods include:
- Bank transfers.
- Virtual accounts.
- Digital wallets.
- QR payments.
- Debit and credit cards.
Integrating a payment gateway can simplify transactions by allowing customers to choose from multiple supported payment methods.
However, choosing a payment provider requires careful consideration. Businesses should evaluate transaction fees, supported payment methods, security standards, and settlement processes.
A convenient and reliable payment experience can help reduce friction during checkout and make purchasing easier for customers.
4. Set Up Shipping and Logistics Integration
Once a customer completes a purchase, your business needs to ensure that the product is delivered efficiently.
If your shipping process relies entirely on manual calculations and order handling, increasing order volumes can quickly create additional workloads.
This is why shipping integration is another important feature to consider when building an ecommerce website.
Some aspects to evaluate include:
- Available shipping providers.
- Automatic shipping cost calculations.
- Estimated delivery times.
- Shipping label or tracking number management.
- Shipment status tracking.
With the right integration, businesses can organize order fulfillment more efficiently and provide customers with a better delivery experience.
5. Use a Dashboard to Manage Orders
As transaction volumes increase, businesses need a centralized system to manage incoming orders.
Without an organized dashboard, business owners may have to check multiple pages or record transactions manually, increasing the risk of missed or delayed orders.
An order management dashboard helps businesses monitor their sales activities in one place.
Ideally, the system should provide information such as:
- Newly received orders.
- Payment status.
- Orders being processed.
- Shipped orders.
- Transaction history.
Besides simplifying administrative tasks, a centralized dashboard helps businesses keep track of their sales activities and manage orders more consistently.
6. Develop a Marketing Strategy to Attract Visitors
Having your own online store does not automatically guarantee sales.
This is one of the most important things business owners need to understand before moving from marketplaces to an independent ecommerce website.
Marketplaces already have an established ecosystem of users. Meanwhile, an independent online store needs its own marketing strategy to attract visitors and potential customers.
Here are several approaches to consider:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Optimize your website so that your products and business pages can appear in relevant search engine results. SEO can help attract visitors who are actively searching for products or solutions related to your business.
Social Media Marketing
Use platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn to introduce your products, engage with audiences, and direct potential customers to your online store.
Digital Advertising
Run targeted advertising campaigns to reach potential customers based on their interests, behaviors, and relevant characteristics.
Customer Retention
Build relationships with existing customers through loyalty programs, exclusive promotions, and relevant marketing communications.
With a consistent marketing strategy, your online store can gradually become a valuable source of sales and customer engagement.
7 Plan Your Budget, Maintenance, and Platform Development
The final consideration is the cost of building and maintaining your online store.
The expenses associated with an ecommerce website go beyond its initial development. Businesses also need to consider other components, such as:
- Domain and hosting.
- Website development and design.
- Payment gateway integration.
- Shipping and logistics integration.
- System maintenance.
- Security updates and improvements.
- Additional features and platform development.
Before getting started, businesses should evaluate whether to build an ecommerce system from scratch, use an existing platform, or subscribe to an ecommerce service.
Each option comes with different costs, levels of flexibility, and management requirements.
For small businesses or growing companies that want to establish their own online store without a large upfront development investment, a subscription-based ecommerce platform can be a practical alternative.
How Much Does It Cost to Build Your Own Online Store?
One of the most common questions business owners ask before building an ecommerce website is how much it will cost.
The actual cost depends on several factors, including system complexity, required features, and the development approach.
Generally, there are three options to consider.
1. Building an E-commerce Webiste from Scratch
This approach allows businesses to develop a system tailored to their specific requirements.
However, it typically requires a larger initial investment, a longer development process, and ongoing maintenance.
This option may be more suitable for businesses with complex operational requirements or highly specific system needs.
2. Using a Ready-Made Ecommerce Platform
Ready-made ecommerce platforms allow businesses to create online stores using existing systems and features.
Business owners can take advantage of available functionalities without developing the entire platform themselves.
However, customization options and usage costs depend on the platform and subscription plan.
3. Using an E-commerce Subscription Service
An ecommerce subscription service allows businesses to use an existing ecommerce platform by paying a recurring subscription fee.
This approach can help reduce the need for a significant upfront development investment while providing access to features that support online sales operations.
For small businesses and growing companies, this model can be a practical way to start digitalizing their sales activities.
The key is to compare subscription costs with the features, support, and operational benefits included in each plan. Rather than simply choosing the cheapest option, make sure the platform meets your business requirements.
When Is a Business Ready for Its Own Online Store?
Not every business needs an independent ecommerce website from the beginning.
However, certain conditions may indicate that it is time to consider building your own online store.
1. Your Sales Are Becoming More Consistent
When your business has established market demand and relatively stable transactions, adding another sales channel can be a strategic step toward reaching more customers.
2. You Want to Strengthen Your Brand Identity
If your business is becoming more serious about brand development, having your own website can help create a more consistent and professional shopping experience.
3. Managing Orders Is Becoming More Complex
As order volumes increase, manual recording and tracking can become inefficient. An ecommerce system can help organize sales activities and reduce administrative workloads.
4. You Need More Control Over Your Sales Operations
Businesses that want greater flexibility in managing product catalogs, promotions, customers, and shopping experiences may benefit from having their own online store.
5. You Want to Build a Long-Term Sales Channel
An independent ecommerce website allows businesses to develop a digital asset that can grow alongside their operations and long-term business goals.
If your business is experiencing several of these conditions, it may be the right time to consider building your own online store.
Starting an Online Store Doesn’t Always Mean Building Everything from Scratch
Having your own online store offers several opportunities for business growth. However, developing an ecommerce system from scratch is not always the most practical option, especially for small businesses with limited resources and budgets.
Fortunately, businesses can now use ready-made ecommerce platforms through subscription-based services.
With this approach, business owners do not need to manage the entire software development process themselves. Instead, they can use an existing platform and select features based on their operational requirements.
To address this need, Vodjo introduces its ecommerce subscription service, a solution designed for small businesses and growing companies that want to own an online store through a subscription-based model.
With this service, businesses can access ecommerce features that support their online sales operations, including:
- Online storefront: A dedicated website to showcase products and sell directly to customers.
- Inventory management: Tools to monitor product availability and manage stock levels in real time.
- Payment integration: Payment options that help make online transactions more convenient.
- Shipping integration: Shipping features that support order fulfillment and delivery management.
- Order management dashboard: A centralized dashboard to monitor and manage incoming transactions.
Feature availability depends on the selected subscription plan, allowing businesses to choose a solution based on their operational needs and business scale.
With the right ecommerce platform, business owners can focus more on developing their products, serving customers, and implementing marketing strategies without having to build an entire sales system from the ground up.
Build Your Own Sales Channel for Long-Term Business Growth
Digital transformation is not simply about following technology trends or having a website for the sake of being online.
It is about building operational systems that support business growth and create better opportunities in the long run.
Online marketplaces can remain effective sales channels. However, having your own online store gives your business more opportunities to strengthen its brand identity, manage customer experiences, and develop an independent sales channel.
Before getting started, make sure you understand your operational requirements, prepare your product catalog, evaluate payment and shipping options, and choose an ecommerce platform that fits your budget and growth plans.
Ready to build your own online store without developing an ecommerce systems from scratch?
Explore Vodjo’s ecommerce subscription service and discover an ecommerce solution that supports your business needs.
Visit www.vodjo.com to learn more about how Vodjo can help your business grow through digital solutions
