Amazon vs WordPress: Which is Better?

If you have your heart set on opening an e-commerce business, you might have a firm idea about the products you want to sell, but you might be unsure where to sell them. 

Part of you might want to remain in control of your site with a fully customizable WordPress platform. Yet, you might feel tapping into Amazon’s huge consumer base and promotional benefits is a smarter idea.

If you need a little help making up your mind, read how WordPress and Amazon compare below to determine the best platform for your new online store.

The Pros and Cons of Amazon

It is easy to see why many entrepreneurs choose to kickstart their e-commerce business on Amazon, as it has approximately 310 million active users globally and receives billions of monthly visits.

If this isn’t enough, sellers can create a brand store on the site to boost their brand’s reputation, engagement, and sales. 

The top benefits of Amazon include:

• Fulfillment by Amazon shipments – prevents the need for warehousing and shipping
• High traffic volume
• Brand recognition – most shoppers trust Amazon and its sellers
• Avoiding the complexities of website ownership, such as hosting, cybersecurity, and credit card payments

Plus, sellers can take advantage of sponsored advertising to gain a competitive advantage. For example, you can find the perfect Amazon PPC experts in this LinkedIn article. Each agency can help your business develop a campaign to push its listings to the top of the search results for relevant search terms.

Sponsored ads are an effective way to overcome the challenges of Amazon’s saturated market, too, as they could help you generate a profit from day one of a campaign. However, when you use Fulfilment by Amazon to send items directly from the brand’s warehouses, you will relinquish control of the customer experience.

The Pros and Cons of WordPress

One of the biggest benefits of WordPress is that it is fully customizable. You will have full control of its visual appeal, navigation, and user experience. Plus, there are no strict guidelines to follow for content, promotions, and online reviews. 

You can choose from hundreds of themes to complement your online store, which you can personalize to match your business’s image, values, and target demographic.

Additional benefits include:

• Full control of the customer experience
• Easy-to-use CMS
• Excellent security
• Countless free and paid plugin options

Bear in mind that plugins are a big benefit of WordPress, but they can be complex to use and may require a considerable amount of memory, resulting in a slower user experience. Also, installing the wrong plugin could increase your site’s risk of a cyber-attack.

Conclusion

As you can see, Amazon and WordPress have advantages that could help your online store enjoy much success. However, it is clear Amazon reins for consumer reach, advertising, and simplicity, as you could start generating traffic and sales immediately. WordPress might be the best option for your new business if you would prefer to remain in full control of an e-commerce store’s visuals, user experience, and customer satisfaction.