According to the data above, if a business successfully builds a well-known or popular brand, consumers are more likely to purchase directly through the brand’s official website (Brand.com).
This is because such consumers already know which brand they want to buy from and value trustworthiness and direct communication with the brand during their purchase process.

In addition, the average basket size (order value) on Brand.com is typically higher. Research shows that over 83% of consumers visit a brand’s website to learn about products before making a final purchase decision, whether they ultimately order through the brand’s own website or its store on a marketplace.
This clearly demonstrates that building a dedicated Brand.com site is essential for establishing consumer trust.

From Shopify’s own merchant base (brands operating both Brand.com and marketplaces), it has been observed that:

• Brands can design a more flexible and customized customer journey on their own website.

• The Brand.com system allows for high customization, enabling brands to tailor the shopping experience to their specific business needs.

According to YouGov survey results, brands identify two key advantages of owning a Brand.com:

1. Global reach — the ability to access international buyers and expand into global markets.

2. Brand credibility — building a stronger sense of trust and professional image.

Meanwhile, the two main advantages of selling on marketplaces are:

1. Lower entry barriers — low startup costs and easier market access.

2. High visibility — rapid exposure that helps brands get discovered more easily.

Based on Shopify’s experience serving various businesses, the company summarized four key strategies for driving online growth:

1. Expand globally to tap into international markets.

2. Develop digital B2B sales models to enhance efficiency in serving business clients.

3. Increase average order value (basket size).

4. Leverage customer data to enable precision marketing and retargeting.

When comparing the Customer Journey between Brand.com and marketplaces:

• Marketplaces excel at helping brands gain initial customer exposure (first touchpoint).

• Brand.com, on the other hand, performs better in sales process management, customer data collection, and long-term relationship building (customer retention).

On marketplaces, brands cannot fully customize the shopping journey and do not have direct access to customer data, as all customer information is controlled by the platform.
This makes it difficult for brands to:

• Segment customers and manage audience tags.

• Create personalized marketing campaigns based on customer preferences.

• Develop long-term loyalty and repurchase strategies.

In terms of profit margins, data shows that:

• Average gross margin on Brand.com: 41.65%

• Average gross margin on marketplaces: 32.5%

The main reason for this gap is that marketplaces typically charge around 11% in sales commission fees, which increases overall costs and reduces profitability.

In conclusion, a Brand.com website not only strengthens trust and data ownership but also enhances profitability and customer lifetime value (LTV).
Meanwhile, marketplaces are ideal for customer acquisition and brand visibility.
Operating both Brand.com and marketplaces in parallel is therefore the optimal strategy for e-commerce growth in Southeast Asia today.