Level Up Your Sales: Best 3rd Party Platforms for E-commerce Success

In today's digital marketplace, having a beautiful online store is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly reach your target audience and maximize sales, consider leveraging the power of 3rd party platforms. These established marketplaces can give you access to of potential customers.

Here's a breakdown of the top contenders:

King of the Marketplace

• Amazon: It's hard to beat the sheer volume of shoppers browsing Amazon daily. Listing your products here exposes them to a massive audience and benefits from Amazon's trusted reputation. 
• Amazon FBA: I always recommend Amazon FBA to clients. You can get do a lot of volume without the need of extra warehouse space. Amazon also give preference to FBA listings and give you better access to Prime customers.
• Best Locations: USA, Germany & UK are the top 3 locations to sell products on Amazon. But, I always recommend starting of with your local location first, if possible.

Industry-Specific Powerhouses

• Etsy: For creative entrepreneurs specializing in handmade or vintage goods, Etsy is a goldmine. It fosters a unique community of artisans and passionate buyers, making it an ideal platform for niche products. It is also a great platform to test out ideas/new products etc.
• eBay: A household name in online auctions, eBay caters to a broad range of products, from collectibles to electronics. Their flexible listing options allow for both fixed-price and auction-style selling, giving you control over your pricing strategy.

Beyond the Big Three

I always recommend focusing on the big three. The big three can vary depending on where you and your customers are based. For example in The Netherlands bol.com is currently more popular then Amazon & eBay (July 2024). It starts to get time consuming if you launch on additional platforms and the smaller platforms often provide little return for the time put into them.

Remember, using 3rd party platforms requires strategic planning

Optimize your product listings, leverage platform-specific marketing tools, and prioritize excellent customer service to stand out in a crowded marketplace. By choosing the right platform and implementing a winning strategy, you can unlock a world of new customers and propel your e-commerce business to new heights.