Key Channels for Ecommerce Growth

As a DTC brand, have you considered the risks of relying solely on Amazon as your growth engine, especially as its dominance in the e-commerce landscape continues to surge? Amazon’s share of US e-commerce sales is projected reach an impressive 40.9% by 2025, a clear signal of Amazon’s tightening grip on the retail market. I see this trend as a wake-up call. While Amazon offers unparalleled reach, its growing dominance amplifies the risks of over-dependence. Policy shifts, escalating fees, and fierce competition can destabilize your profitability and erode your control over your brand. The solution? Diversify your sales channels to build a more resilient business. Here are 2 actionable strategies for diversification every Amazon brand should pursue today: 1. Embrace Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sales: Invest in your DTC infrastructure. This is the time to focus on building a real brand that stands independently to the vast search intent that Amazon offers. Use Shopify, Klaviyo, Meta, and Google as your "core four" to begin generating and converting demand to your DTC business. Selling directly to your customers lets you bypass Amazon’s fees and regain control over your brand's narrative. By forging stronger relationships with your audience, you not only mitigate the impact of Amazon’s rule changes but also unlock opportunities for higher margins and customer loyalty. 2. Tap into TikTok Shops: With now over a million creators thriving on TikTok Shops and search volumes surpassing Google in certain product categories, it’s a vibrant marketplace waiting to be explored. Partner with influencers and leverage TikTok’s powerful discovery tools to connect with new audiences and drive sustainable growth. You'll also find the discovery on TikTok drives new customers to both your Amazon and DTC business as a bonus. Why act now? Relying solely on Amazon leaves you vulnerable to unexpected disruptions, whether it’s a policy change or intensified competition. But by branching out to platforms like TikTok Shops, building a DTC presence, and exploring multiple revenue streams, you can safeguard your business and seize untapped opportunities. The data is undeniable: Amazon’s meteoric rise is both an opportunity and a risk. Don’t wait for the next policy shift to catch you off guard. Take action today—diversify your strategy, harness innovative platforms, and position your e-commerce brand for long-term success.

Google Ads or Facebook Ads? Wrong question. The real question is: 👉 Are you capturing demand? 👉 Or are you creating it? Here’s how to decide which channel actually grows your business: ✅ CAPTURE Demand → Google Search & Shopping Best when people already know what they want. Think: “urgent care near me,” “affordable CRM for coaches,” “buy electric standing desk” • Start with Search (Lead Gen) or Standard Shopping (e-commerce) • Segment brand vs non-brand terms • Use Max Conversions or manual CPC to start • Once it’s working → layer on PMax to scoop warm traffic But if your Search Impression Share + Click Share > 80%? You’ve likely tapped out the market. That’s where most brands stall. ✅ GENERATE Demand → Meta, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok Best when people don’t know they need you yet. Or they’ve never even heard of your product or service. • For B2C → Start with Meta (broad reach, creative matters most) • For B2B → Start with LinkedIn (laser targeting by role + company) • For eCom → Meta (low AOV, young demos) • For higher-ticket or visual brands → YouTube (after Meta) Pro tip: These are top-of-funnel platforms. Don’t expect neat attribution. Instead, watch for brand lift, higher direct traffic, and search volume spikes. Make sure you measure the backend of your business and consider typical time to conversion. 🎯 Use Advantage+ and PMax strategically These are warm-traffic engines. • Meta Advantage+ scoops up website visitors • Google PMax works best when fed high-quality cold traffic from somewhere else → Use other campaigns and channels to feed PMax They're not top-of-funnel systems. They shine after you’ve built awareness. The truth most brands miss? They pour more money into the same campaign types... …without realizing they’ve already maxed them out. Your next level of growth doesn’t come from picking the “right platform.” It comes from mapping the right campaign type to the right stage of your buyer journey. That’s how you scale sustainably.

Andy D., #Feedonomics Global Dir of Sales & I discuss their great platform for #marketplace & other #ecommerce #channel integration and product feed management & synchronization / syndication. Over 30% of the Internet Retailer 1000 brands use Feedonomics for channel management. Their platform enables additional sales channels by integrating into #marketplaces like #Amazon, #Walmart, Target+, eBay, #TikTok, Facebook, Google Shopping & 300 other platforms. Data can be imported from ecommerce, PIM, OMS, ERP, etc. platforms via URL, SFTP, API & other tools. Even though Feedonomics is owned by BigCommerce, they have import connectors for #Shopify, Adobe Commerce / Magento, Woo Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud & other ecom platforms. In addition to product information (title, description, categorization, keywords, attributes, etc.), the platform also synchronizes dynamic information like pricing, inventory & orders. It also optimizes each channel for the best merchandising (tuned for each platform), pricing, advertising, etc. Maximizing ad ROAS is growing in importance as SEM costs increase & the number of retail media networks explode. Feedonomics supports 4 main categories of channels: marketplaces, social, advertising & affiliate networks.  Clients span retail, technology, CPG, food & beverage, and professional services industries. Example clients include Dell, Samsung, Allbirds, PUMA & Fox Racing. Amazon Today is an example fast growing channel for brick & mortar retailers. Feedonomics will synchronize a retailer’s in-store inventory & pricing to Amazon for #AmazonPrime same-day delivery using Amazon’s last-mile fulfillment network. In-store pickup via #AmazonToday can also drive foot-traffic for additional brick & mortar sales. They use a phrase “Feedprint” which combines the number of channels fed with the number of products availability per channel. Clients average 15.5% feedprint growth from 11.7% channel expansion & 3.4% product growth per channel. Feedonomics customers on marketplaces grow 2x more than the ecommerce growth rate (20.5%). Marketplace revenue distribution is: Amazon 56%, Target+ 20%, eBay 10%, Walmart 8%, Meta 4%, & TikTok 2% (rapidly growing). RMW Commerce found that “customers use an average of 6 touchpoints, with 50% regularly using more than 4. … By expanding to 3 or more channels, companies can boost their order rate by a substantial 494%.” See also my video post with BigCommerce VP of Enterprise Sales, Thom Armstrong (at The Lead Summit) about their great #ecommerce platform: https://lnkd.in/dDnAPmCA To learn more about ecommerce & marketplaces, follow McFadyen Digital.