Shopify vs Amazon is likely one of the key decisions eCommerce sellers face. Amazon nonetheless dominates with roughly 38% of U.S. e-commerce gross sales, however Shopify has carved out a major foothold, capturing 8.6% of the market―inserting it forward of Walmart and eBay.
This shift reveals that sellers aren’t simply flocking to Amazon; they’re additionally investing within the independence and adaptability that Shopify affords. The choice isn’t merely about the place to promote. It’s about whether or not you need prompt publicity on Amazon or full model management with Shopify.
The Core Distinction
At first look, Shopify vs Amazon may appear to be an easy rivalry, however they function on two very completely different fashions:
Amazon is a Market
Promoting on Amazon means you’re basically renting house on the busiest digital shopping center on the planet. In different phrases:
- Merchandise sit alongside 1000’s of others
- You acquire entry to thousands and thousands of ready-to-buy customers
- You face heavy competitors
- You’ll be able to’t absolutely management your model’s presentation
Shopify is an eCommerce platform
Promoting on Shopify means you’re constructing your personal retailer from the bottom up. Utilizing Shopify means you may:
- Design your retailer’s look
- Handle the expertise
- Personal the client relationship
Amazon’s highlight is on comfort and fast shopping for. Shopify is about long-term development and branding.
The trade-off? You don’t get prompt site visitors; it’s a must to appeal to guests via advertising and marketing, search engine optimization, and social channels.
Associated content material: Promoting on Walmart vs Amazon
Attain: Viewers Measurement and Market Entry
The Amazon vs Shopify debate highlights two very completely different strengths. Amazon’s attain is about quantity or speedy entry to thousands and thousands of customers. Shopify’s attain is about development and constructing loyal clients who acknowledge your model.
Amazon nonetheless towers above its rivals, holding 37.6% of U.S. retail eCommerce gross sales in 2023. That’s greater than 5 occasions Walmart’s 6.4% share and much forward of eBay or Goal.
With tons of of thousands and thousands of lively consumers searching {the marketplace} each month, Amazon affords prompt visibility that few platforms can match. If day-one site visitors is a precedence, Amazon’s large viewers makes it the clear alternative.
Shopify, nonetheless, is steadily carving its place, reaching 2.66 million reside shops by Q3 2025―up 9% in comparison with the identical interval final yr.
Whereas site visitors shouldn’t be assured, Shopify empowers retailers to construct audiences via search engine optimization, content material advertising and marketing, and social media. It’s a slower path, however one that provides sellers independence as a substitute of counting on a single market’s guidelines.
The distinction turns into even clearer when achievement. Many sellers select Shopify vs Amazon FBA relying on their targets:
- By way of Amazon FBA, logistics are dealt with for you, and your gadgets acquire visibility with Prime subscribers.
- Shopify offers retailers the flexibleness to decide on their very own achievement companions and even combine with Amazon’s system.
Likewise, methods like Amazon dropshipping present how sellers can faucet into Amazon’s site visitors with out holding stock, although it comes with limitations on management and revenue margins.
Management: Information, Clients, and Enterprise Progress
When evaluating Shopify vs Amazon, one of many greatest variations is who actually owns the client relationship.
On Amazon, sellers can attain thousands and thousands of consumers shortly, however they don’t management the expertise. Buyer information stays with Amazon, together with:
- E-mail addresses
- Buy historical past
- Searching conduct
- Demographics
- Buyer lifetime worth
- Suggestions and preferences
Promoting via Amazon FBA vs Shopify additionally reveals this trade-off clearly. With FBA, Amazon handles achievement and supply, but it surely comes at the price of model visibility. Your product arrives in an Amazon-branded field, and consumers usually bear in mind {the marketplace}, not your retailer.
On Shopify, in the meantime, each interplay is yours to form. You management packaging, checkout and post-purchase emails. You not solely get the sale, however you additionally get the prospect to show that buyer right into a long-term advocate.
Since Shopify offers you direct entry to buyer insights, you’re in a position to:
That is why many entrepreneurs see Shopify vs Amazon as a alternative between fast transactions and sustainable development. Amazon might offer you gross sales at the moment, however Shopify offers you the instruments to construct a enterprise that lasts.
The Prices of Promoting on Amazon vs Shopify
When sellers evaluate promoting on Shopify vs Amazon, the most important shock usually comes right down to prices.
Amazon Charges
On Amazon, you pay a mixture of the next:
- Referral charges (normally 8–15% of every sale)
- Achievement charges should you use FBA
- Month-to-month subscription charges should you’re on the Professional plan
That stated, Amazon’s course of is a mannequin that favors quantity. Progress means extra revenue, but it surely additionally means larger prices. For top-ticket gadgets, these percentages can eat into your margins quick.
That stated, Amazon appears cheaper at first should you’re simply testing merchandise, however prices scale shortly as gross sales develop.
Shopify Charges
With Shopify, you mainly pay:
- A month-to-month subscription charge (beginning at $39 for the Fundamental plan)
- Additional transaction expenses are added if you use third-party fee suppliers
Though Shopify’s month-to-month pricing is constant, it doesn’t account for add-ons like:
- Premium themes
- Third-party apps
- Superior integrations
Nonetheless, the important thing distinction is that Shopify doesn’t take a slice of each sale the way in which Amazon does. Shopify requires an upfront funding. Nevertheless, as Shopify retailer site visitors and gross sales quantity enhance, many sellers discover it less expensive in the long term.
Which Ought to You Select?
On the finish of the day, the Shopify vs Amazon debate isn’t about which platform is universally higher, however about which one matches your targets.
|
Amazon Execs |
Amazon Cons |
|
|
|
Shopify Execs |
Shopify Cons |
|
|
Amazon affords velocity, site visitors, and comfort, whereas Shopify offers you possession, flexibility, and long-term development. Some sellers even use Amazon Shopify integration instruments to mix each, capturing {the marketplace} viewers whereas nonetheless nurturing a model of their very own.
Why Not Each?
For a lot of sellers, the Shopify vs Amazon query doesn’t must be an both/or choice. Probably the most resilient companies usually use Amazon for fast visibility and Shopify for long-term model constructing.
This hybrid, multi-channel strategy permits you to seize the very best of each worlds: market site visitors plus full management over your personal retailer.
Multi-channel campaigns scale back value per lead by 31% in comparison with single-channel, and three-quarters of B2B distributors report higher outcomes after they mix a number of gross sales channels.
Consumers additionally anticipate selection, with B2B clients preferring to interact via a mean of two.5 channels. For eCommerce, this implies placing your merchandise in multiple place makes it tougher to overlook:
- By itemizing on Amazon, you’re assembly customers the place they already are.
- By working a Shopify retailer, you’re constructing a long-lasting model relationship.
If you happen to need assistance maximizing gross sales throughout each platforms, attain out to AMZ Advisers. Our workforce makes a speciality of serving to ecommerce manufacturers scale strategically, supplying you with an optimum alternative for development.
The Lowdown
The selection between Shopify vs Amazon comes right down to what sort of enterprise you wish to construct:
- When quick gross sales matter most, Amazon connects you with thousands and thousands of prepared consumers immediately.
- In case your aim is to personal your model and scale by yourself phrases, Shopify offers you the liberty and adaptability to just do that.
For many sellers, the neatest path isn’t selecting one over the opposite, however discovering the best stability.
Amazon can gas fast gross sales and site visitors, whereas Shopify lays the muse for long-term development. Collectively, they will kind a strong multi-channel technique that safeguards your corporation and expands your attain.
Creator
Carla Bauto Deña is a journalist and content material author producing tales for conventional and digital media. She believes in empowering small companies with the assistance of revolutionary options, resembling ecommerce, digital advertising and marketing, and information analytics.
