Sellers are no longer obsessed with operations! What will be the next game-changer in cross-border e-commerce?

A factory owner talked about how their products were sold on Amazon through traders, but the results were not good. The traders seemed to be not very coordinated with the factory's operations, and the factory's sales on B-end platforms have also declined in recent years, and traditional trade profits have gradually decreased. The factory considered building its own brand on Amazon, but was worried that the operating costs might be too high.

Not only factory-type sellers, but many sellers who have been operating on Amazon for many years may also fall into a similar dilemma. They face a choice: should they build their own operation team or seek help from an agency operation company?

First, we need to distinguish the difference between agency operation and advertising agency. Advertising is only part of the operation. For factory-type sellers, if they do not want to spend time building their own operation team, they can outsource the entire Amazon operation (not limited to advertising) to a service provider, from product selection to supply chain management, delivery and after-sales service, to achieve one-stop hosting. Another option is to keep the management of aspects such as advertising by yourself, and hand over other tasks such as supply chain management to the agency operation company.

No matter which cooperation model is chosen, the ultimate goal is to build a more professional team to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

In the current situation of fierce advertising competition and gradually drying up dividends, many brands are in urgent need of finding new ways to grow. What operational challenges do sellers face? What changes may occur in future growth methods and the competitive landscape? The following content will provide you with the answers.

The pain points of sellers going it alone

1. Due to high operating costs, sales growth may not necessarily be proportional to cost growth.

2. Limited by staff mobility and professionalism, it is difficult for the team to stabilize and the risk of trial and failure is high.

3. Lack of in-depth understanding and ability to systematically operate the Amazon advertising ecosystem.

4. Failure to obtain Amazon advertising policies and resources in a timely manner will result in operational strategy adjustments always lagging behind competitors.

In addition, problems such as immature marketing systems, imperfect supply chains, insufficient product competitiveness, lagging advertising strategies, and limited data analysis capabilities have all affected the operation of enterprises. Enterprises have limited resources and energy, and cannot solve all problems immediately, so they need to flexibly choose the areas to invest their energy.

Sellers wake up and return to the growth logic of operations

In the past, sellers relied on platforms, advertising and traffic to achieve sales growth. Even ordinary products can be turned into bestsellers through platform mechanisms. However, in recent years, sellers have found it increasingly difficult to succeed, advertising dividends seem to have dried up, and investing more in advertising does not necessarily lead to better performance. Therefore, sellers have begun to re-examine their brands, optimize products, improve supply chains, lead their own growth routes, and find sustainable operating models.

If advertising growth has reached its limit, where are the future growth opportunities?

E-commerce platforms actually provide traffic portals, infrastructure, and comprehensive service tools. These services can also be provided by cross-border e-commerce SaaS service providers. Many sellers choose to cooperate with agency operation service providers to complete these tasks in a cost-effective manner. Sellers are beginning to reduce their dependence on e-commerce platforms and instead look for growth opportunities in brand operations.

From the perspective of future trends, sellers realize that it is a wise choice to get rid of their dependence on advertising and take the initiative to lead the growth path. With the widespread application of generative artificial intelligence, the power relations and competition landscape of the e-commerce industry may undergo disruptive changes.