Tag: E-commerce

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Differences between eCommerce and Marketplace

E-commerce has experienced exponential growth in recent years, allowing companies to expand their reach and reach a global audience.

So you may have heard the terms eCommerce and marketplace. 

Although both concepts refer to ways of selling products online, there are some significant differences between them. 

In this article, we tell you all about eCommerce and marketplace so you can decide which is the best option for your business.

What is eCommerce?

An eCommerce is an e-commerce website where a brand's products are sold. 

Most of the time they focus on specific niches. For example, clothing stores, costume stores, pet supply stores, online bookstores, grocery stores. 

There are several popular ecommerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, SquareSpace, BigCommerce and Magento. 

In addition, these platforms allow for customization, inventory management, secure payment gateways and integration with various shipping providers. 

Advantages of eCommerce

  • Flexibility and control over design, functionality and user shopping experience. 
  • Direct relationship with the customer. 
  • More profit margin, since by selling through your own website, you avoid paying commissions to third parties.
  • It allows you to build a strong brand and foster long-term customer loyalty.
  • You will have data-driven information on customer behavior, which will serve to optimize your marketing strategies and improve conversions.

Disadvantages of eCommerce

  • Requires a significant initial investment.
  • Increased logistical responsibility. Companies must manage inventory and ship products themselves.
  • Intense competition, as there are many eCommerce competing for customers' attention.

What is marketplace?

A marketplace is a digital platform that brings together online stores that sell products or services from different vendors and all kinds of categories. In other words, something similar to a shopping mall, but online. 

Some popular examples of marketplaces are Amazon, eBay, Etsy, AliExpress, Walmart, MercadoLibre. 

Sellers can list their products on the marketplace and leverage its reach and visibility to reach a wider audience.

Advantages of marketplaces

  • Easy start-up.
  • Saving administrative processes, since it is the marketplace who does the transactions and income for you. 
  • Dropshipping option (the marketplace gives you the possibility to manage stock, shipments and returns on your behalf).

Disadvantage of marketplaces

  • Less customization.
  • Transaction fees and additional costs. 
  • You cannot create a customer database for future marketing purposes.

Differences between eCommerce and marketplace

While eCommerce and marketplaces share the goal of facilitating Internet transactions, there are several key differences:: 

eCommerce vs. marketplace: which one to choose?

There is no single answer, because it depends on several factors. Here are some that you should take into account to know which is the best option for your business: 

  • Types of products and market niche: Some products work well in a marketplace, while others will sell better in a specific online store. 
  • Growth strategy: If your goal is to reach a wider audience quickly, a marketplace can provide you with the necessary reach. On the other hand, if you are looking to build your own brand and have more control, eCommerce will be a good option.
  • Available resources: Evaluate your financial resources, technical skills and ability to manage logistics before making a decision.
  • eCommerce experience: f you have previous experience in eCommerce and are confident in your skills to manage an online store, it may be a more viable option. And if you are just starting to sell online, opt for the marketplace.

Ultimately, the choice between eCommerce and marketplace will depend on your budget, needs and specific objectives. 

Remember that both can be effective online sales strategies, and the most important thing is to offer quality products and services, provide a good customer experience and continuously adapt to market demands.

So carefully evaluate your options, consider your resources and make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals.
And you, do you already have an eCommerce or marketplace or have you thought about it? If you are thinking about creating an eCommerce or a marketplace, we can help you with it, contact us.

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7 types of websites you should know about for your business

Are you considering creating a website? Yes, one more to add to the large number of websites out there. 

Because nowadays it is not easy to imagine our life without the Internet. In fact, there are websites for almost any topic you can think of (seriously). Some share information, in others you buy products or hire services, in some you learn and develop skills and you can't miss those in which you entertain yourself and spend time. 

If you have a business or a business project and you don't have a website yet, don't worry, even if you're a little late to the game, that doesn't mean you won't be successful. 

Here are the most common types of websites, and you can get inspired to find out which one you really need for your company:

What types of websites are there?

Corporative

These websites represent a company and their purpose is to provide information about it, including its mission, history, products or services, team, culture and contact information. 

So they are one more tool when it comes to building a brand and establishing an online presence. 

Some of the characteristics of a corporate website: 

  • Representation and reflection of the brand, including its logo, colors and tone of voice. 
  • It should be intuitive and easy to use so that visitors can easily find the information they are looking for.

Examples of this corporate website include local accounting firms, service providers, restaurants, hardware stores, flower shops, law firms...

Blog

Blogs are websites in which you can publish regular content, such as articles, news, opinions. They include text, images, videos and links to other web pages.

They usually focus on a specific topic, such as technology, digital marketing, entrepreneurship, business, music and an endless variety of topics. 

These pages allow visitors to leave comments and participate in the discussion of published content. 

In fact, this article you are reading right now can be found in our blog. 

Portfolio

A portfolio support for creative professionals, such as photographers, writers, artists, designers, filmmakers or musicians, to show your work online in an organized, professional and accessible manner. 

In addition, they include information about the person, their skills and previous projects. 

Some portfolios are hosted on websites like Behance, Dibbble, Carbonmade or in your own domains. 

Online store or e-commerce

This type of web pages are used by companies for selling products online. 

To have your online store you can choose to use tools like WooCommerce, Shopify or develop your own website with coding.  

E-commerce usually contains a lot of integrated features such as payment gateway, shipping calculations based on product location and weight, terms and conditions pages along with detailed FAQs on privacy policies and delivery information.

Products can range from digital, such as downloadable e-books, to variable items or products.

Microsites

A microsite is a independent website focusing on a specific campaign or theme. It is often used as a way to promote products, events or initiatives, and offer a more focused and detailed user experience.

Landing page

A landing page is a website that is used to promote a specific product or service. These websites are designed to convert visitors into customers or leads. 

With a focus on conversion, clear messaging, simple design, mobile optimization, A/B testing, tracking and analytics, landing pages can help a campaign perform better and be more likely to convert.

Web applications

Web applications are online programs running in the browser and allow users to perform specific tasks, such as managing projects or creating graphic designs.

Who uses this type of website? Well, technology companies or SaaS (Software as a Service) for the purpose of presenting their online application.

Some examples of web applications are: Trello, Canva y Asana. 

Ok, but what is the best website for my company or business project? Well, it depends on what you do, what you sell and also on your objectives. 

That is why it is important that you seek the advice of a technological ally, in order to review the needs of your company, the possibilities that best suit, and act in an organized and safe way.

Note that this is not a complete list of all the web pages you can create, but it should inspire you to start your own web project.

And you, do you already have a website or, on the contrary, are you thinking of developing one for your business?