In summary — To sell online, you have three avenues, and the usual approach is to combine them: your own online shop (where you're in charge and don't pay commission per sale), marketplaces like Amazon (wide reach, but commission and external rules), and social media (for awareness and selling specific products). If you already have a physical shop, the most profitable approach is to integrate your till and online presence into a single system. Here's how to get started without getting overwhelmed.
Selling online is no longer optional
Each year more people shop online in Spain, even in sectors that were previously exclusively physical shops (according to the INE's e-commerce data). Customers search, compare, and buy from their mobile phones. If your business isn't there, someone else's will be.
The three channels (and when to use each)
1. Your own online shop. It's your home: you're in charge, you keep all the margin, and you build your own brand and customer base. It requires setting it up and driving traffic, but it's the foundation of everything. If you don't have one, start here: what an online shop with Odoo looks like.
2. Marketplaces (Amazon, eBay and similar). They give you enormous reach from day one, but they charge commission per sale, you compete with everyone, and the customer belongs to them, not you. Good as a supplement, bad as a sole pillar.
3. Social media. They're useful for discovery and for selling specific products. They work best when they lead to your own shop, not as an end in themselves.
The sensible approach: your shop as the centre, and marketplaces and social media as loudspeakers driving people to it.
If you already have a physical shop, this is your advantage
A business with a physical premises starts with an advantage over purely online sellers: you have products, customers, and trust. The mistake is to manage the online side separately from the shop, resulting in two conflicting stock levels. The solution is to unite both worlds into a single system: same inventory, same customers, and options like buying online and collecting in-store. That's omnichannel retail, and it converts very effectively.
The three mistakes that sink newcomers
- Setting up the shop and not driving traffic. A shop without visitors doesn't sell. You need to work on
customer acquisition from the start: how to get customers.
- Mismatched stock between physical shop, website, and marketplaces due to managing them separately.
- Competing on price alone. If your only trump card is being the cheapest, there will always be someone cheaper.
Compete on service, trust, and experience.
How to get started without getting muddled
- Clearly establish your own shop as the centre.
- Integrate it with your physical shop if you have one.
- Add marketplaces and social media as loudspeakers.
- Work on customer acquisition from day one.
You can do it in stages yourself, or set it up properly all at once with a specialist. We set up the shop with Odoo y te and bring in customers with AI marketing– the two halves. And if you're still choosing a tool, check out the platform comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to sell on my own shop or on Amazon?
The ideal is to combine: your shop as the base (no commissions and your own customers) and Amazon as a loudspeaker to reach more people. Relying solely on the marketplace is risky: they charge commission and the customer belongs to them.
Can I sell online as a freelancer or small SME?
Yes, this is precisely for whom it's intended. You start with the basics and grow. The important thing is not to build a puzzle of tools that don't fit together.
I already have a physical shop, is online worth it for me?
Yes, and you start with an advantage. The key is to unite physical and online into a single system to avoid mismatched stock. You can see it in omnichannel retail.
What should I do first?
Set up (or organise) your own shop and start driving traffic from day one. Without visitors, there are no sales.