Is a Marketplace-Dependent Sales Model Sustainable?

A significant portion of e-commerce brands generate most of their revenue from marketplaces such as Amazon, Trendyol, Hepsiburada, and n11. While they provide easy access to new audiences, full dependence on these platforms creates long-term risk. The issue is not only sales volume; it also concerns brand control, profitability, and customer loyalty.

Why Are Marketplaces So Attractive?

Marketplaces offer strong advantages for brands starting or scaling in e-commerce:

Instant access to a large customer base
Low initial marketing costs
High conversion rates due to existing trust
Ready-to-use infrastructure that simplifies sales operations

Because of these benefits, many brands quickly shift the majority of their sales to marketplaces.

Long-Term Risks

Building a business based on a single sales channel significantly increases uncertainty:

Rising commission fees
Increasing advertising costs
Declining profitability
Heavy price competition
No access to customer data and inability to build loyalty

Without ownership of its customer data, a brand cannot sustain long-term growth effectively.

What Should the Right Model Look Like?

Instead of abandoning marketplaces, the sustainable approach is to build a balanced sales ecosystem.

Recommended strategy:

Use marketplaces for visibility and new customer acquisition
Develop customer loyalty through the brand’s own e-commerce website
Encourage customers to shop directly via loyalty programs, fast delivery, and exclusive promotions
Strengthen internal infrastructure (CRM, stock management, integrations, etc.)

This approach allows businesses to benefit from marketplace traffic while still protecting profitability and brand control.

Final Insight

A marketplace-dependent sales model drives short-term growth, but it is not sustainable for long-term profitability, brand equity, or customer ownership. In a highly competitive e-commerce environment, the brands that succeed are those that strengthen their independent sales channels and build direct relationships with their customers.

Category: E-Commerce Strategies
Tags: e-commerce, marketplaces, sales strategy, omnichannel, brand profitability, e-commerce website