Setting Up A Webstore: Which Platform Suits My Needs?
If you’re a small business owner or you’re thinking about starting your own webstore, it can feel pretty overwhelming in the beginning! There are so many different types of platforms out there, and picking the right one for your business will help move your business in the right direction.
Deciding which platform suits your needs is so important and will determine the direction you take.
WHAT I USE
I license my designs on Print-on-Demand marketplaces that employs the print on demand + drop shipping method because I’ve come to realize that I actually do not enjoy stocking goods and handling mailing admin. If you’ve been following me on social media for awhile, you’ll know that I predominantly make surface patterns that can be applied across products. I sell these designs on Society6 and Redbubble, and the websites will handle all customer orders and shipping. That frees up my time to work on more designs and I never have to worry about shipping concerns and admin. But this is not a platform that suits everyone because it really depends on the kind of work that you do. For example, if you sell handmade jewellery or anything handmade that requires you to handle the packing and shipping, then platforms like these will not be suitable for you.
ONLINE MARKETPLACE
Online marketplaces such as Etsy have a huge advantage for beginners looking to sell their art because they already have a large built in audience. Entry barrier is also low because it’s easy to set up a store, the layout is prefixed and all you need to do is follow the instructions to set it up. The downside is that your brand is now swimming in an ocean of brands and makers so it is imperative that you work to drive your own traffic to your shop as well. If you sell handmade products, then Etsy is a good place to begin because their target audience are people who love unqiue handmade items.
Etsy currently have multiple integrations with dropshipping websites like Printful which I love. Given that I mostly just sell designs on P.O.D sites, I very rarely need to ship out my own products so I did not have the use for Etsy until I discovered Printful integration. Using the Printful integration with Etsy, I could list all the products on the marketplace and when an order comes through, Printful will fulfil it on my behalf.
PRINT-ON-DEMAND + DROPSHIPPING BACKEND SERVICE
Printify and Printful as mentioned above are print-on-demand platforms but I would classify them as a backend service because unlike Society6 and Redbubble, they do not have a shopfront with to consumers to browse from all the designs available. They provide the print-on-demand and dropshipping services to people who have their own websites/webstores (such as a Shopify store) to sell merchandise without having to fulfil it themselves.
So for example, you want to sell mugs but you’re not interested in stocking 100 mugs in your homeor having a large inventory sit at home. You set up a webstore or an Etsy store, and you use the Printful integration to push the products to your store. Customers shop them on your store, and Printful will help you fulfil the order behind the scenes.
If you are brand new to this and are interested in using services that require integration, it is very important to double check that it is compatible with whatever platform that you are hosting your shop on!
E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS
E-commerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCartel, Squarespace etc provide a personalized brand experience for you. But the the downside is that you gotta work extra hard to drive traffic to them because it doesn’t have a built in audience like online marketplaces have. You should also be prepared to design the website yourself. Even though it is still relatively easy with drag-and-drop templates etc, it is still significantly more difficult as compared to setting up a store on Etsy. There are also other factors to take into consideration such as prices, user interface, helpdesk availability, and range of use - is it mainly to buy/sell or do you also want to include pages like blogs or portfolio etc. Each platform has it’s own strong selling point so it’s up to you to decide what you need. You will need to dive into some in-depth research about each platform and see which one appeals to you the most.
DIY LICENSING + PRINT-ON-DEMAND + MARKETPLACE
Websites like Society6, Redbubble, Teepublic or Zazzle are examples of Print-on-Demand + Dropshipping + Marketplaces + Licensing all wrapped into one.
They handle the manufacturing, the printing, the packing and shipping. You shop directly from them on their website and they have their own audience. All you do is provide the designs and you are paid for your design whenever you sell a product.
The downside of such a platform is that it is saturated so it will take a lot of hard work and patience for you to stand out so you need to keep making good designs and drive your own traffic. That being said, regardless of the platform you use, it is good to do your own marketing and drive your own traffic there because you can’t just rely on the website’s marketing efforts alone. The perks is that it’s pretty much hassle-free and once the designs are up there, it becomes part of your passive income stream!
Things to remember:
- Take into consideration what you sell
- Platform prices, services and integrations available
- How tech-savvy and how comfortable you are with designing your own shopfront
That sums up my effort at a somewhat succinct post about the various types of platforms available to start your business. Good luck with your venture!
