Should Beginners in Foreign Trade Choose an Independent Website or a Platform?

Many friends engaged in cross-border business have asked me: when starting out, should I choose a platform or an independent website? Today, I’ll answer that question in one video!

A platform is like a large shopping mall, with ready-made traffic, but it charges a commission of 15%-30% on every completed order. Even worse, the customers you attract through advertising today may leave tomorrow when the platform promotes a competitor—you are always working for the platform.—

An independent website is your own brand store. By using SEM bidding to target keywords such as “construction machinery excavator”, the visitors who click through are all highly targeted buyers. From the moment they enter your store until they leave, they see only your brand and your products. All the data belongs to you, and you can remarket to them later at a low cost.

The most important point is that price competition is intense on platforms, so you don’t dare raise your prices. With an independent website, as long as your products are good enough and your landing page conversion rate is high enough, you can use SEM bidding to secure stable orders, with profit margins at least 30% higher than on platforms. Do you want to keep acquiring customers for others on platforms, or build a brand presence that truly belongs to you? Once you have thought through this question, you will have your answer.

Want to know how to use an independent website for export business? Follow us and send us a direct message—we’ll guide you through the entire process~