Anyone who decides to venture into online business has surely wondered which marketplace is best to start selling on. Although they have similar business models, each of these sales channels requires specific strategies to attract buyers and promote products. The good news is that they all offer advantageous infrastructure for sellers, making business growth easier.
Fabio Ludke, an e-commerce consultant and professor at the world’s largest e-commerce school, Ecommerce in Practice, explains the advantages and particularities of the main online sales platforms in Brazil: Mercado Livre, Shopee, and Amazon.
According to the expert, the biggest challenge for sellers on these marketplaces is gaining visibility. However, each platform offers distinct strategies to overcome this obstacle.
Mercado Livre
One of Mercado Livre’s biggest advantages is its complete ecosystem, which includes logistics (Mercado Envios), payments (Mercado Pago), and ad optimization (Mercado Livre Ads). Additionally, the ‘Decola Mercado Livre’ program offers benefits for new sellers to gain visibility and achieve professional seller status.
For those starting on the platform, Ludke emphasizes that entrepreneurs often struggle to reach their first ten sales, which are essential to activate the sales thermometer. He recommends sellers focus on high-demand products on the marketplace, using multiple ad techniques to create different offers with varied titles, descriptions, and photos. The goal is to test and understand what works best.
“Being on Mercado Livre strategically positions retailers to reach new customers and generate an additional revenue stream for their e-commerce. Afterward, it’s important to work on post-sales to bring customers from the marketplace to your own ecosystem. A tip is to include a flyer with a QR code alongside the product, inviting the customer to visit your store,” he says.
Shopee
With an approach focused on products with a lower average ticket, Shopee stands out for its marketing tools and free shipping program, which attract price-sensitive audiences.
“It offers features like live streams, customer messaging, and creating specific audiences. These factors can significantly boost sales, but many sellers still don’t take advantage of these tools. Learning to use them can help you stand out,” he explains.
Amazon
Amazon is one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in Brazil and holds a privileged position in international commerce, even offering possibilities for Brazilian retailers to sell products in the United States. The expert states that the best way to leverage Amazon’s power is to understand the demand on the platform to identify which products are more likely to perform well—by checking the ‘best sellers’ section on the site.
Another relevant point when selling on Amazon is using FBA and DBA, the marketplace’s logistics systems to speed up delivery. This not only allows for faster deliveries to customers but also increases visibility for listings.
Multichannel Strategy to Maximize Sales
According to Ludke, the best approach is to bet on both your own online store and marketplaces, using complementary strategies to multiply revenue.
“The sales potential that marketplaces offer is crucial in the digital age. Your customers may not know your brand yet, but they are certainly already searching for products like yours on Amazon, Mercado Livre, or Shopee,” the expert emphasizes.
However, he explains that a successful e-commerce business diversifies its sales channels, reducing risks through a multichannel approach, thus growing more securely.
