New trends in cross-border e-commerce marketing: omni-channel coverage and the rise of independent websites

In order to increase their store coverage, obtain more traffic, and enhance brand awareness, more and more cross-border e-commerce companies are adopting multi-platform store opening and multi-channel marketing strategies. At present, in addition to opening stores on major cross-border platforms such as Amazon, AliExpress, Wish, and eBay, many cross-border e-commerce companies are also looking for new sales channels, such as third-party e-commerce platforms, independent websites, and offline physical stores. etc., to build a development system for multi-platform operations.

Omni-channel coverage

Omni-channel coverage means that the boundaries between online channels and offline channels are no longer obvious. Whether it is PC or mobile, all aspects must be covered. Under this full coverage model, consumers can enjoy a consistent shopping experience no matter which channel they use, and can also cover more consumer groups. Based on this, social media, influencer marketing, etc. all need to work together simultaneously to completely create an omni-channel marketing model.

Advantages of independent websites in marketing

An independent website refers to an e-commerce platform (including PC website, App, etc.) established by the enterprise for transactions. Compared with third-party platforms, independent websites have the following significant advantages:

  • Building corporate brands: Through independent website domain names or apps, companies can continuously accumulate brand image, which not only enhances consumer trust but also lays the foundation for brand empowerment. For example, after JD.com started as a self-operated platform and gradually developed into an open platform, its brand advantages can empower the brands that enter the platform.

  • Achieving data security and value-added: On an independent site, all data belongs to the enterprise. The enterprise can fully control the security of the data, and can realize secondary development of data and continue to mine the data. value. In contrast, third-party platforms only open part of the data, and many core user data are not open to enterprises.

  • Avoid rule restrictions: Independent stations have a high degree of autonomy and flexibility, and there is no need to worry about the impact of changes in platform rules on operations. In addition, by carefully designing products, companies can also increase the price premium of their products.

  • Reducing costs: The transaction commissions of independent websites are lower, which reduces the transaction commissions or annual fees paid to third-party platforms. At the same time, the service fees on the payment side are also relatively low.

There are big differences between the operation of independent stations and the operation of third-party platforms. The operation of third-party platforms relies on platform regulations and user attributes to make decisions; independent websites require companies to design their own consumer group positioning, platform attributes, and user shopping experience, which undoubtedly places higher operational capabilities on companies.

In short, when cross-border e-commerce companies expand their markets, they should not only pay attention to the role of traditional e-commerce platforms, but also actively explore the construction of independent stations in order to gain greater development space.