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Many Amazon retailers ask themselves the same question at some point: How can I make the next leap in sales without constantly having to introduce new products? The business is often dependent on a single marketplace. This is precisely the weak point, but also the great potential. A well thought-out step out of the Amazon bubble and setting up your own online store opens up new opportunities - more sales, more control, less risk.
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In this article, we'll show you why having your own online store has many advantages and how you can cleverly scale your existing Amazon portfolio without having to keep entering the product carousel. Simple, clear, based on real practical experience - for anyone who is ready to stop seeing Amazon as their only mainstay.
Amazon is the top dog in e-commerce. But relying on it alone is like driving a car with the handbrake on. Even small mistakes can have major consequences: Imagine your Amazon account being suspended overnight, for example due to problems with handwritten letters or breaches of guidelines. The sales band is suddenly torn - and if 100,000 euros in sales per month are at stake, every blocked day costs you hard cash.
Typical risks of an Amazon-only setup:
Even small changes or stricter controls cost sales, nerves and often a lot of time.
Not everyone buys from Amazon. Many customers prefer to use Google, comparison portals or buy specifically from online stores that they know and trust. This means that those who rely exclusively on Amazon are ignoring a huge part of the market.
Where do Germans buy online?
| Channel | Market share approx. |
|---|---|
| Amazon | approx. 50 % |
| Stores (Shopify, Woo, etc) | approx. 50 % |
There are many buyers who prefer to compare prices on price portals, search for special offers or prefer a different user experience than the Amazon interface offers.
Amazon charges a commission for every transaction. There are also storage, shipping and other costs. In your own store, the fees are usually limited to payment costs and a monthly basic fee for the store system.
Fee comparison:
| Amazon | Own store (e.g. Shopify) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales fee | 7-15 % | 0 % |
| Payment fee (e.g. PayPal) | incl. | 1,5-3 % |
| Monthly system fee | incl. | 29-79 € |
| Advertising costs (Ads) | separately | separately |
| Control over additional costs | limited | high |
Amazon always takes a big slice of the cake. In your own store, you keep a larger part of your margin, increase your profit and have more scope for marketing or new projects.
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is that you hardly know your customers. Data and the relationship remain with Amazon. A personal approach? Repeated contact? Goodbye. In your own store, you collect customer data (in compliance with data protection regulations, of course), build up an email list, use retargeting and acquire regular customers. This allows you to continuously generate new sales and make much more sustainable use of marketing expenditure.
Possible in the store:
Your value grows with every purchase - and so does the value of your company.
For many, Amazon is the easiest way to get started in online trading. The marketplace mechanics are familiar, the tools work, and you need less know-how in web development and marketing. But at a certain point, Amazon becomes a limiting factor.
A rule of thumb from practice:
From around €100,000 in monthly sales on Amazon, it's worth thinking about how you can further secure and scale your business. An own store and additional channels open the door to completely new target groups and growth leaps without product stress.
Frequent limitations on Amazon:
That's why it's worth stepping out of the Amazon bubble:
If you're used to Amazon taking over almost everything - from traffic to payment processing - the next step is often complete control. In your own store, you control almost everything yourself: Prices, presentation, promotions, customer contacts. Sure, it's more work. But most retailers quickly realize how much more they can get out of their brand and each individual customer.
The difference:
Every euro counts. The high Amazon fees are waived in your own store. All that remains are the payment fees (PayPal, credit card, etc.), which are usually between 1.5 and 3 percent. Payouts are also usually faster - with Shopify, the money is credited to your account within a few days.
You are no longer dependent on long payment cycles and fees. This provides you with strong liquidity - perfect for replenishing stocks or making targeted investments in marketing.
In your own store, you are the host and can tell the story behind your product. Behind every strong brand is personality. Tell why your product exists, show pictures from everyday life, integrate social media channels. Build the store to reflect your values!
Examples of strong customer loyalty:
Important: Customer loyalty measures are much easier in the store because you have direct access to customer data and can follow up in a targeted manner.
Amazon specifies the layout - seven images, bullet points, A+ content. You can be creative in your own store. Launch your own promotions, bundle products, set up temporary landing pages, experiment with colors or new product combinations.
For example, you can:
Synergy effects: Use all the content you have created for Amazon - photos, texts, videos - and adapt it for the store. This saves budget and time.
Hardly any Amazon retailers actively use price comparison portals such as Idealo, billiger.de or Google Shopping. As soon as you have a store, you can list there (often free of charge). This brings new visitors directly to you, who become buyers without marketplace fees and lower advertising costs.
You need a scalable shipping solution, a returns management system and a central merchandise management system. Everything should work together so that both Amazon orders and store orders can be processed seamlessly.
Logistics checklist:
This is one of the biggest challenges - but once this foundation has been laid, you can grow flexibly and expand your sales channel.
Do you already have high-quality product images, convincing texts and perhaps even explanatory videos? Perfect! Adapt them for the store: Write the titles shorter and more concise, optimize descriptions for the most important keywords for Google, emphasize benefits and emotions more strongly.
Efficient store launch:
In the store, it is important to strengthen the relationship with the customer. Use the customer data obtained for targeted marketing, but always adhere to applicable data protection regulations. Work with email lists, newsletters and exclusive content to turn one-time buyers into real fans.
Amazon advertising vs. store advertising:
Be prepared for the fact that advertising campaigns on social networks have to be structured differently. Test different approaches, image formats and advertising formats.
Two phases are typical: building and setting up the store usually takes six to eight weeks. The test phase then begins: advertising campaigns, landing pages and marketing campaigns are continuously optimized over another six to eight weeks until the perfect mix is found.
Mini timetable for the store launch:
| Phase | Duration (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Store structure | 6-8 weeks |
| Test advertising | 6-8 weeks |
| Optimization | continuous |
Be prepared to make constant adjustments - curiosity, perseverance and a little patience are needed, especially during the start-up phase.
If you are starting from scratch, you should expect to pay around €15,000 to €20,000 for a professional store including design, product texts, images and legal aspects. If you have already produced everything for Amazon, this amount often drops by half or more. Use experts (such as specialized agencies) to avoid costly mistakes and reach your goal faster. Specialized teams usually offer more efficiency because each area is managed by professionals (email marketing, Google Ads, conversion optimization, web design).
From a monthly turnover of around €200,000 to €300,000 on Amazon, it is worth working with specialized agencies such as 1%. Intensive partner programs are usually offered: The agency takes on the initial outlay for the website, marketing and content, shares in the turnover or profit and shares the risk with you.
The aim is to make the store profitable more quickly and turn your brand into a real player that is not dependent on a single platform.
You minimize your own risk because large parts of the investment are borne by the agency. Instead of looking for lone fighters for each area, you have a well-coordinated team on board - this brings speed and quality. Every step you take not only increases your turnover, but also the value of your company. This is ideal if you are thinking about a lucrative exit in a few years' time.
There is no such thing as the perfect moment. Whether you are at €100,000 or €400,000 per month depends on the industry, product and potential. If you are ambitious, you can start earlier - as long as you have a convincing product, the necessary resources and the desire to grow.
If you are unsure, you should seek expert advice. An initial strategy meeting is often enough to see where the greatest potential lies. Providers such as onepresent.de offer direct advice on this.
A real-life example: Nico started with around €120,000 in monthly sales on Amazon and quickly set up his own store, which now generates an additional €35,000 to €40,000 in monthly sales. This shows how multichannel can expand the business without having to increase the product range.
If you know your way around Amazon, you already have the most important asset: a product that has already proven itself, generates real sales and is in demand by customers. Use this strength as a basis to tap into new sales potential in your own store and minimize your risk. This is how you take the next step - out of dependency and into more profit, flexibility and real brand building.
If you follow this path cleverly, you will have two strong legs and be well positioned for any development on the market. Keep growing, use your know-how - and take your Amazon business to a whole new level of success.
Do you want to know how much potential there really is in your portfolio or do you need support with multichannel expansion? Arrange a no-obligation strategy meeting with professionals like onepresent.de and get advice at eye level.
Good luck with your next growth step!
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