As competition on third-party platforms such as Amazon and AliExpress becomes increasingly fierce, more and more cross-border brands are turning their attention to independent sites. This “new continent”——where brands can truly control their discourse power is different from the platform-dependent model. It allows merchants to break free from the constraints of platform rules and directly communicate with global consumers through the form of “independent domain name + self-owned operation system”. This shift from “borrowing a boat to go to sea” to “building a boat to go to sea” is becoming one of the core strategies for brand globalization.
What is a cross-border e-commerce independent site?
An independent site refers to a cross-border e-commerce website built independently by an enterprise with an independent domain name. It does not rely on third-party platforms such as Amazon and eBay. Enterprises can independently design shopping processes, manage user data, and formulate marketing strategies to achieve direct “brand-consumer” connection.
| Website-Building Models | Application Scenarios | Implementation Notes |
| Fully self-developed: | Suitable for enterprises with strong technical strength. | Need to build servers, front-end pages and back-end systems from scratch, with high cost but the strongest flexibility. |
| Built based on open-source software: | Suitable for merchants with technical teams for customized development. | Using open-source tools such as WordPress + WooCommerce and Magento，with high cost performance. |
| Built based on SaaS platform: | Suitable for small and medium-sized merchants to launch quickly. | The most mainstream model. Through SaaS tools such as Shopify，SHOPLINE and Shoplazza, you can quickly build a website without code，and support template-based design and plug-in expansion. |
Core advantages of independent sites: A breakthrough from “standardization” to “personalization”
- Brand autonomy: Shape a unique brand gene and get rid of the restrictions of unified platform templates. Independent sites can independently design brand visuals, such as exclusive logos and store styles, customize shopping processes like member-exclusive pages and personalized recommendations, and even convey brand concepts through story-telling content, allowing consumers to form a deep understanding.
- Operational flexibility: Respond quickly to market demands without being restricted by platform rules. Merchants can adjust promotional strategies at any time, such as limited-time discounts and combined offers, optimize page layouts like highlighting best-selling products and simplifying checkout processes, and even push localized content according to user regions.
- Full control of data: Build a private domain growth engine. Independent sites can obtain the full life cycle data of users, such as browsing tracks, purchase preferences, and repurchase frequency, and optimize product selection, advertising placement, and membership systems through data analysis. In contrast, third-party platforms only open limited data, making it difficult to achieve precise operations.
- Optimization of cost structure: Larger long-term profit margins. Although independent sites require investment in website construction and traffic attraction in the early stage, there is no need to pay high platform commissions. For example, some categories on Amazon have commissions as high as 15%. Moreover, with the accumulation of private domain traffic, the ROI of advertising placement gradually increases, and the profit margin is significantly higher than that of platform stores in the long run.
Independent Stores vs. E-commerce Platforms: A Multidimensional Comparison for Strategic Selection
| Dimension | Independent Site | E-Commerce Platform |
| Brand Building | Create a differentiated brand image and accumulate brand assets. | Relies on platform traffic, with relatively low brand recognition. |
| Cost Investment | Requires investment in website construction and traffic attraction in the early stage, with high long-term profits. | Low initial cost, but high proportion of commissions and service fees. |
| Traffic Source | Independently operate channels such as SEO, social media, and advertising. | Relies on platform’s natural traffic and event traffic. |
| Technical Support | Connect with professional service providers to achieve one-stop solutions. | Provides standardized services with weak customization capabilities. |
| User Experience | Design personalized shopping processes to improve conversion rates. | Experiences are similar, making it difficult to cultivate user loyalty. |
Overview of global mainstream cross-border e-commerce platforms: Regional characteristics and opportunities
- Established global platforms:
-Amazon covers 19 sites in North America, Europe, Japan, etc. It is known for its high customer unit price and strong logistics system, and is suitable for standardized products such as 3C and home furnishing. However, the competition is fierce and the commission cost is high.
-Walmart is the second largest e-commerce platform in North America, focusing on cost performance and local distribution. It launched sites in Canada and Mexico in 2023, attracting a large number of home furnishing and apparel sellers.
- Emerging overseas platforms:
-TikTok Shop relies on short video traffic, covering markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, etc., and supports the “short video marketing + live broadcast conversion” model, suitable for fast-moving consumer goods and fashion products.
-SHEIN focuses on the fast fashion track, covering more than 150 countries, with extreme supply chain efficiency and social marketing as the core, ranking first in global shopping app downloads in 2023. - Regional leading platforms:
– Shopee is the dominant player in the Southeast Asian market, covering more than 10 countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. It supports localized payments such as Indonesia’s OVO and Vietnam’s Momo, and is suitable for 3C accessories, beauty and personal care products.
-Mercado Libre is the largest e-commerce platform in Latin America, covering 18 countries such as Argentina and Brazil, supporting local logistics and installment payments, with strong demand for home appliances and auto parts categories.
WooshPay empowers independent sites: Full-link empowerment from payment to operation
- Global payment network: Covers more than 200 countries and supports payment in more than 140 currencies. No matter where consumers are in Southeast Asia, Latin America or Europe, WooshPay can provide localized payment experience, supporting regional e-wallets such as India’s UPI and Brazil’s Pix, as well as international credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard, to ensure payment success rates.
- Seamless integration with website construction platforms: One-click docking, zero-code launch. Deeply integrated with mainstream website construction tools such as Shopify, SHOPLINE, and WooCommerce, merchants only need one API call to complete payment access without additional development. It also supports invoking native payment in WeChat official accounts / mini-programs, covering the core customer groups of Chinese overseas brands.
- Multi-dimensional fund management: Flexible and compliant settlement. Supports global accounts in more than 20 currencies and local accounts in more than 10 currencies. Merchants can directly receive payments in multiple currencies to avoid forced exchange losses. It supports regular settlement and on-demand settlement. Funds can be distributed to global bank accounts, and at the same time, it provides RMB foreign exchange settlement services to compliantly connect with domestic enterprise / personal accounts.
- Safety and compliance system: It has passed the highest security certification in the international card payment industry and follows global mainstream regulatory standards, realizing full-process protection from data encryption to transaction monitoring to eliminate fraud risks.
- Value-added service matrix: Unified payment gateway, connecting global payment service providers, with intelligent routing and flexible configuration, effectively reducing enterprise settlement costs; assisting overseas enterprises in website construction, including domain name registration, server hosting, web development, etc.,providing one-stop SEO-friendly website construction services.
In the era of independent sites, WooshPay and brands move towards globalization together
In the current situation where cross-border e-commerce is shifting from “traffic dividend” to “brand dividend”, independent sites have become a necessary path for enterprises to break through growth bottlenecks. With a one-stop solution of “global payment + fund management + operation tools”, WooshPay is helping countless brands break down geographical barriers and realize the leap from “going overseas” to “globalization”. Whether you are a novice entering the cross-border track or a mature merchant seeking brand upgrading, choosing WooshPay can unlock more efficient and safe global business possibilities on the road of independent sites.