The idea of launching your own ecommerce business sounds attractive, but can you really win the competition in the market? After all, there are many other online stores and brick-and-mortar shops selling similar goods. And most importantly, there are huge retailers like Amazon that sell all sorts of products. So why would people buy from niche stores instead of simply ordering goods from Amazon? Let’s find out!
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But many people who consider launching a business fear the competition in the market. And first of all, they fear Amazon! If there’s a giant like this, why would people want to order stuff from small niche stores?
While such a huge retailer definitely must be taken seriously, it would be wrong to think that people only buy goods from Amazon.
In fact, many shoppers visit other ecommerce sites and buy goods from small online businesses. Moreover, there are buyers who deliberately avoid ordering products from Amazon. In other words, there are several reasons why a person would purchase a product from a niche store instead of Amazon.
Reason #1: It’s easier to find products in niche stores
Amazon is huge. It sells over 12 million products. And if you think that’s a lot, add to this number the 353 million products sold by sellers on Amazon Marketplace!
Crazy, right? At first glimpse, such an enormous selection of goods looks like an advantage. And it is from a certain point of view. But on the other hand, this same feature makes it quite difficult to find particular products.
When there are literally thousands of similar items coming from different sellers at different prices and with different scores, making a choice becomes quite difficult.
That’s why some shoppers prefer stores that specialize in specific niches. Such websites are easier to navigate as they usually have a small number of product categories. Besides, since they focus on specific ecommerce niches, they often have specialized products instead of a few generic models.
Reason #2: Small stores don’t require registration
Online shoppers often make impulse purchases, i.e. when they make the decision to buy very quickly based on emotions. But even if you purchase something after weighing all pros and cons, you want the shopping experience to be as convenient as possible. In both these cases, the need to register an account becomes an obstacle for the buyers.
You probably know how irritating this requirement can be. First, instead of simply selling the product, the site asks you to register. Then you have to come up with a login and password. And next time you decide to buy something, you can’t remember the password and have to reset it.
Does it really have to be that hard?!
Niche stores that want to provide site visitors with the best customer experience possible usually don’t require registration. And that’s why some shoppers prefer buying from small online stores rather than Amazon.
Of course, there are many people who don’t mind creating an Amazon account if they shop there regularly. But there are also many people who rarely buy anything online and are not going to return to Amazon after the purchase. Besides, when it comes to inexperienced internet users, some of them don’t even know how registration works. They just want to buy the product and leave.
And since niche stores do not create this kind of obstacle, they get a certain share of buyers.
Reason #3: Niche stores provide a better customer experience
Amazon is a huge company with an enormous range of products. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, it has 147 million Prime members in the United States alone.
With so many clients, it’s really difficult (or rather impossible) to provide personalized customer service. If you face a problem and have to contact Amazon’s support several times, you will most likely speak to different people each time.
But it’s different for niche stores that are mostly run by their owners personally (or by a team of 2-3 colleagues). Besides, niche store owners usually know their products and the niche really well. As a result, they can give a customer some solid advice and are able to respond much faster, thus offering a more pleasant shopping experience.
Reason #4: Niche stores are memorable
Go to Amazon and open two random product pages. You won’t be able to tell if these items are sold by one and the same or different sellers unless you read the info on the page carefully.
All Amazon stores have the same layout, and clients perceive the platform as one big ecommerce mall. Even if you happened to buy a good product, it’s going to be difficult to find this particular seller again to look at his/her other offers.
On the other hand, niche stores have unique layouts and designs, which makes them easy to remember. Some customers want to enjoy the website’s unique atmosphere. Coming back to such websites is easier and more fun compared to Amazon’s identical pages.
Reason #5: Some shoppers refuse to support Amazon
Today few people are happy with international corporations. Some deliberately refuse to purchase anything from Amazon because of numerous scandals and questionable business practices the media associate it with. On top of that, shoppers realize that Amazon might be hurting small local businesses and monopolizing the markets due to the company’s size. That’s why some buyers prefer supporting small-scale local ventures instead – and that’s exactly the type of a business you can now launch with ease!
Definitely, Amazon is a serious market player to be reckoned with. However, as you can see, there are many customers who prefer shopping in niche stores for one reason or another. In other words, if you launch a niche store that offers customers fast shipping across the US, you can successfully compete with Amazon – and profit from your independent online business considerably.