AliExpress vs AliExpress: similarities and differences

 

Amazon vs AliExpress: similarities and differences

According to a research study, 63% of online shoppers use marketplaces to search for information about the products they want to buy, also witnessing how 2 out of 3 searches turn into purchases. Observing the notoriety of the different marketplaces, we see that Amazon presents 94% and AliExpress 72% . Based on these high percentages, it's no wonder you can't quite decide which one is better for you: Amazon or AliExpress. How are these two marketplaces alike and different? Keep reading! We tell you everything you need to know

amazon and aliexpress

 

AliExpress vs Amazon: who are they

We do not doubt that you already know about these two great retailers. Not only for being always up to date with our news, but also for having used them on occasion as a user. But where is the origin of these two marketplaces ?

• AliExpress :
   
   its origin is much more recent, dating back to 2010. This marketplace was created by the Chinese company Alibaba, owned by Jack Ma, whose marketplace surely you already know. In the beginning, it only sold products from China, but today it already has sellers from all over the world, although Asians are still the majority. AliExpress ranks fourth in the ranking of the 10 most important marketplaces in Europe of Marketing4eCommerce, presenting 78 million visits per month in the main European markets in May 2019.

• Amazon :  
   
  Jeff Bezos' company was born for the first time in the United States in 1994. In its beginnings it consisted of an e-commerce of e-books and books. As of today, it hosts multi-category products on its marketplace from various sellers, as well as Amazon's own brand products. It has various platforms around the world and users can subscribe to its Premium service, Amazon Prime, with which they enjoy various advantages, such as delivery in less than two days and free shipping, among many others. According to Marketing4eCommerce, Amazon is the most important marketplace in Europe, with 1 197 million visits per month in the main 0European markets, only in mid-2019-.

What are the main advantages of AliExpress?

AliExpress' worldwide success is not the result of chance. And it is that this marketplace is a great attraction for buyers, who enjoy multiple advantages when purchasing their products in this large Chinese retail outlet.

• Very cheap prices:   

  without a doubt, one of the biggest attractions for buyers when choosing AliExpress is the price of the products offered on this platform. And it is that in this marketplace users can find surprising items whose price does not reach € 1. As if that were not enough, this platform is typical of "lightning offers", which consist of offering great discounts over a few minutes on certain items. 
   

• There are no problems with language:
  

• like Amazon, AliExpress has a website for each country, so that it offers a wide range of languages ​​for users, giving them the possibility of receiving their products in multiple parts of the world. 
  

• You can choose the country from which the product is shipped:

• this feature can be one of the ways to overcome one of the great disadvantages of AliExpress, which is usually delivery times. These are considerably reduced if you decide that your product is sent directly from the country in which you are. There is not always that possibility, but with the products that do exist, it can be a good option to advance delivery.
  
  

• Registration is simple:

  registering as a buyer on AliExpress is very simple and does not take long, something that users often appreciate very much.
  
  

• You can also take advantage of it as an affiliate:

  if you want to monetize this marketplace, but you think that you cannot compete with the prices offered by other sellers in this marketplace, you should know that you still have the possibility to take advantage of your account in the AliExpress Affiliate program .

What are the main disadvantages of AliExpress?

This retail great not only offers benefits. Thus, there are a number of disadvantages that make AliExpress not always the favorite option of either users or sellers:

• Delivery times can be very long:

  there are times when users can wait to receive their products, but there are many others when they need them to arrive as soon as possible. Many of the products offered on AliExpress at very attractive prices are shipped directly from China, so the delivery time may be too long.
  

• Returns can also take time:

  if a user has made a purchase of a product that is sent from China and needs to return it, the process is likely to take much longer than they would like.
  

• The quality of the products should be valued:

  it is not difficult to find products at very low prices whose quality is commensurate with that value. Hence, depending on what they are looking for, consumers do not always prefer AliExpress for all their purchases.
  

  The prices are too low to compete:

• as a seller, you will have to compete with those prices that we mentioned earlier, which do not reach € 1. Are you able to profit from your product at these figures? If this is not your case, perhaps you should try to find a marketplace option for your products that is more profitable for you and in which you can position them better.

What are the main advantages of Amazon?

The marketplace giant has earned this title. And it is that Jeff Bezos' company has already managed to position itself as the most valuable company in the world , even ahead of Apple and Google, and is already the first option for 45% of online shoppers, according to our Annual Marketplace Study 2019 . What advantages does Amazon offer?

• It receives a large number of visits per month:

  according to Similarweb data, only Amazon Spain receives some 158.32 M visits per month, something that can be very useful for your business sales by offering your products to through this platform.
  

• FBA Fulfillment by Amazon:

  As a seller, the FBA program can give you great benefits to get your products to customers through own Amazon's logistics , also internationally! In addition to shipping, the marketplace giant also handles returns and customer service.
  

  You can internationalize your sales:

• if you want to sell to other countries, such as the United States , but have not yet dared, Amazon is also a good option to take your sales across borders in a simple way.
  
  

  It allows you to sponsor your products on the same platform -

• that's right! With Amazon advertising , you can have your products advertised on the same platform, increasing the chances that users will reach them.
  

  Shipments are fast and returns are simple:

• delivery time is one of the factors that, on many occasions, makes users choose Amazon as the first option, as well as the ease of returns and the possibility of finding products from the same quality as in a shopping center.

What are the main disadvantages of Amazon?

Of course, there are many advantages of Amazon , especially for sellers, but there are also some not so favorable points to take into account when evaluating this marketplace as your preferred option:

• Sales commissions:

  as a seller, you will have to pay commissions for the sales of your products on this platform. Hence the importance of having a high profit margin that allows you to get the most out of it.
  

• There are many competitors:

  Unless you have a unique product that only you make, chances are you will find a good number of sellers who offer your same products. Study your competition before setting the price of the items in your catalog.

Do you need help with your sales strategy in marketplaces? At Tandem Up we are your Amazon agency and other marketplaces and we will be happy to help you! Do we take off ?