Best Platform for a Food Business – Amazon or Shopify?

[Majid Paracha]

Hi everyone, I am setting up small business selling food products like rice, Himalayan salt, and seasonings, and I am trying to decide the best platform to launch on for B2C. Should I start selling on Amazon to reach customers quickly, or set up my own Shopify store to focus on building a brand from the beginning? I would love to hear your experiences and insights on costs, logistics, customer loyalty, and long term growth potential. Which approach worked better for you as a startup?

Thanks in advance.

 

[fisicx]

That’s the wrong approach. First decide on your marketing strategy as this will determine the best platform to use. It could be that neither of your suggestions are suitable.

Have you seen how many himalayan salts there are for sale on Amazon? Or any other online platform come to that.

 

[Newchodge]

Who do you expect your customers to be? Where do they look?

 

[ThatDevAaron]

I think your best bet is a isle in Tesco :C

 

[Majid Paracha]

@fisicx You make a very valid point the marketing strategy really does come first which we are working on. I am looking into different platforms to see which one aligns best with the direction I choose. I am aware the Himalayan salt category is quite saturated on Amazon, which is why I am also considering a more branded approach on Shopify or even other alternatives. If you have come across a more effective route for products like this, I would really appreciate your insight. You may view our product samples using the link below.
https://ibb.co/xKkzgNZc
https://ibb.co/HpX7LSRN

@Newchodge Our customers include B2B buyers such as distributors and stores, as well as B2C shoppers seeking quality products. While we primarily focus on serving B2B clients, we are also looking mindful and professional ways to engage B2C buyers via the channels most relevant to them like marketplaces, social media and our own website.

@ThatDevAaron Haha, that would be amazing.. getting our products on a Tesco shelf is definitely a long term goal, but it is not easy it requires detailed planning, compliance, and meeting strict standards. For now, we are focusing on building awareness and connecting with both B2B and B2C customers online.

 

[fisicx]

If your focus is B2B you don’t need an e-commerce platform. One could argue that selling online will make it harder to sell B2B as wholesalers will consider you to be in direct competition.

If you still want B2C and set up your own website expect a long and expensive marketing journey - which includes SEO, SMM and lots of advertising.

 

[Majid Paracha]

Thank you for your insight. Our expertise and current focus are in B2B, and we are already exporting to the UK. At the same time, we would like to reach customers directly and channel traffic through our website or other platforms, eventually directing them to Amazon, where they can purchase products directly. These platforms will be used exclusively for B2C.

We are aware that Amazon has strict compliance requirements that must be fulfilled for proper product listings, and we plan to work with a 3PL partner to ensure smooth warehousing and distribution. We focus on B2B first while carefully testing B2C channels in a cost effective way.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Marketing basics

Who will be your ideal b 2 c customer?

Why will the choose you over others?

How/where do they currently buy?

 

[Majid Paracha]

Ideal B2C Customer: Our products are versatile and generic, making them suitable for a wide range of customers, who value quality at reasonable prices. People focused on natural, high-quality and minimally processed food ingredients for daily use. Rather than focusing solely on one time sale, our aim is to cultivate a loyal customer base, even if it develops slowly over time.

Why Choose Us: We offer authentic products with consistent availability and food grade standards with proper certifications . Our flavors are unique, suitable for daily use and for preparing quick meals. We have invested significant time and resources in developing the ideal combination of spices to create products that stand out in both flavors and overall quality.

Where They Buy: Well, that is the question I am trying to figure out. How can I bring these products to the attention of everyday customers? I am exploring which platforms would be most effective, since I do not currently have aligned retailers or distributors. I may not have a complete plan yet, but the idea is to start the process, learn, and adapt as we go, gradually figuring out the best way to reach B2C audience.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Ideal B2C Customer: Our products are versatile and generic, making them suitable for a wide range of customers, who value quality at reasonable prices. People focused on natural, high-quality and minimally processed food ingredients for daily use. Rather than focusing solely on one time sale, our aim is to cultivate a loyal customer base, even if it develops slowly over time.

Why Choose Us: We offer authentic products with consistent availability and food grade standards with proper certifications . Our flavors are unique, suitable for daily use and for preparing quick meals. We have invested significant time and resources in developing the ideal combination of spices to create products that stand out in both flavors and overall quality.

Where They Buy: Well, that is the question I am trying to figure out. How can I bring these products to the attention of everyday customers? I am exploring which platforms would be most effective, since I do not currently have aligned retailers or distributors. I may not have a complete plan yet, but the idea is to start the process, learn, and adapt as we go, gradually figuring out the best way to reach B2C audience.

Unfortunately you have completely missed the point - you need to focus on research & detail, not waffle & B/S

If you don't know who your customer is, how can you know where to find them, or what their buying triggers are?

If you don't have a clear & defined benefit (deliverable as a single bullit), how are you going to get their attention.

 

[Majid Paracha]

That is exactly why I joined this forum, to ask questions, get feedback, and understand aspects I might be overlooking. I would really appreciate any recommendations or advice you could share on the best way to present our products effectively.

 

[Newchodge]

That is exactly why I joined this forum, to ask questions, get feedback, and understand aspects I might be overlooking. I would really appreciate any recommendations or advice you could share on the best way to present our products effectively.

Don't use AI to generate copy.

 

[fisicx]

That is exactly why I joined this forum, to ask questions, get feedback, and understand aspects I might be overlooking. I would really appreciate any recommendations or advice you could share on the best way to present our products effectively.

Go out with the products and talk to people. Start with stall at the local markets.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I fancy myself as a bit of a home chef & foodie, and am not averse to buying different ingredients. Usually ghe decision will be spurred either by a recommendation from a trusted source (by which I mostly mean Saturday Kitchen), or by a good demo / presentation at a food fair or similar

I can't imagine I'd ever go online to search for different types of salt TBH - if I did, id look for something experience or research based, not sales blurb

 

[AmazonGeek]

Have you seen how many himalayan salts there are for sale on Amazon?

I tend to agree. The results page is full of people who have lots of good reviews and have earned their positions at the top half of page one. Unless you have a differentiated product that can take market share you will struggle to get to rank highly on Amazon. Why would the customer buy from the new guy rather than listings that have been there for years and have lots of 4/5 star reviews (and if the answer is price, then you are in trouble).

 

[Majid Paracha]

I completely agree with your perspective. Salt is just one product, and the market for it is highly saturated something which I have witnessed firsthand over my five years in the salt business, seeing both supply and demand sides closely. That is why our approach is not to focus solely on salt, but to build a broader portfolio. we have a range of seasoning products in 4 to 5 distinct flavors, and the plan is to bundle these with our Himalayan pink salt.
By diversifying and creating a portfolio of complementary products, we aim to differentiate.

 

[fisicx]

That’s what you want. Which probably isn’t what your prospective customer wants.

Your brand and portfolio is irrelevant. When I go to the supermarket to buy ingredients I’m not that fussed about the brand of pink salt I get. The own brand is probably good enough. If I go to an up market food emporium I trust they have sourced the best products. Again the brand isn’t that important.

If you want to be a brand leader you need to spend many hours and lots of money on marketing. Even better if you can get some celebrity chef to endorse you.

 

[AmazonGeek]

I agree again re branding. For some things there is strong brand loyalty (cosmetics and perfumes for example). Not so much for this kind of product. I expect most of the SV to be non-branded and generic. In fact, I've just had a quick look and the top (monthly) search terms on Amazon UK are:

himalayan pink salt: 7135
pink himalayan salt: 1617
himalayan salt: 1345
pink salt: 2755
pink salt himalaya weight loss: 862

I'm not seeing anyone looking for a particular brand.

In order to gain traction on Amazon you would need to convince the algorithm that you are more relevant than the listings that are already at the top of page one.

If they all had poor reviews and your product was different in some way (fixing whatever people were moaning about), then you would have a chance to take market share. Think of the way shoppers act...

- they type in a search term
- they look at the top half of page one and check the reviews
- if the reviews are all good, then usually it is down to price/delivery method and time
- if the reviews are bad, they look for listings that have better reviews to see if the problems have been fixed

So if the existing listings for salt were full of bad reviews moaning about (for example) the salt clumping together, tasting bad, inadequate packaging, etc and your product/listing dealt with all of that, then you have a chance to grab market share. If your product is just the same as everyone else's then you will struggle given the number of reviews and ratings they have.

 

[Majid Paracha]

@AmazonGeek
Thank you so much for your feedback .I really appreciate it. This is by far the most helpful response I have received so far.
To share a bit about our approach, we have collected and studied many samples to develop our own brand, focusing on creating a product that truly adds value. I also know that most pink salt comes from Pakistan and there are many substandard brands sold directly on amazon online, which makes the category confusing and saturated. We already have our pink salt on Amazon sold through one of our partners under their own brand. The product has received excellent reviews and customers really like the quality.
Despite the many options, customers often stick with what they know and trust.

 

[Mark T Jones]

My advice would be to drop the AI - in 19 posts you are no closer to addressing the fundamental marketing questions that revolve around who/how/why?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Once you have done the research, Amazon is an outlet you should look at and its relative monthy costs, if you do not sell anything, should be seen as marketing!

As for a website, reconsider your Shopify route to using your own ecommerce system (there are lots of options with more power & features with less cost i.e. almost zero). Being proprietary, if Shopify has an issue or goes under, your business goes down.

The relative cost of getting your own website up and running, for B2B & B2C need not be a lot and will be able to let you manage other things like email marketing, social media, blogging and more.

 

[Majid Paracha]

@Paul Kelly ICHYB
I agree that Amazon can just be seen as part of our early marketing cost, and it works well with most 3PL systems. Our 3PL also mentioned they can support Amazon orders with extra services, so that makes the channel even more doable for us.
Your point about not relying fully on Shopify is also fair. I will look into some other e-commerce options that give us a bit more control for both B2B and B2C.
Really appreciate you sharing your experience.

@Mark T Jones trust me, we are really working on it. I am trying to understand the fundamentals properly, not just rely on tools. Your feedback helps me see things more clearly, so thank you for that.

 

[AmazonGeek]

If you can use FBA on Amazon then do it rather than use a 3PL. Unless they can qualify for 'Seller Fulfilled Prime' (which is nightmare to do because the would have to match Amazon's service level), then you are effectively FBM and your listings would be invisible to anyone with a Prime account who ticks the 'Prime only' button when shopping (which is millions of people).

Plus, the FBA fee includes customer service and on smaller stuff will almost certainly be cheaper than what your 3PL will want to charge you.

Having said that, not everything is eligible for FBA and it gets more complicated when stuff needs to be kept cool or has expiry dates. But if it is an option then you should definitely consider it, especially for the faster moving items.

 

[fisicx]

Everything comes down to @Majid Paracha and the business plan. They appear to be undecided on the direction they want to take the business other than some vague idea about B2B and B2C. Either if these really needs paying for the necessary skills and expertise rather than the apparent DIY approach.

 

[Majid Paracha]

@AmazonGeek we did look into FBA and at the moment it does seem a bit complicated for us. of course, it is clearly a better option for visibility and reaching more customers.
A few 4PL companies are offering services to set up FBA for you and handle the backend operations. We are still in discussions with a few providers to set up operations that can support both B2B and B2C.

@fisicx i am open to any suggestions on areas we can improve and concrete steps to establish ourselves more effectively. we are still working on a lot of things and actively talking to experts about supply chain and how to set up sales. right now, we might not have a completely straightforward plan but we are working on it.

​

 

[fisicx]

You are jumping in too far down the supply chain.

Go right back to the start and identify who you are targeting, why they should consider your products and how you plan to market to them. This will assist you in choosing the most suitable platform.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

t does seem a bit complicated

@AmazonGeek will correct me, but, in it's basic form, you set up products on Amazon platform then send the goods to their warehouse!!

Using a 4PL will probably dramatically increase your costs.

 

[Majid Paracha]

@fisicx Yes sir, you guys are tough but that is exactly the point of this forum? Appreciate the straight talk.

 

[Majid Paracha]

@Paul Kelly ICHYB managing FBA comes with strict rules and policies. With a 3PL we might pay a bit more, but it also gives us better coordination, certain control and flexibility, which is important as we set up operations for both B2B and B2C. Please feel free to correct me.

 

[fisicx]

@fisicx Yes sir, you guys are tough but that is exactly the point of this forum? Appreciate the straight talk.

Have you identified a single wholesaler that is interested in stocking your products? Have you a budget for a marketing campaign? Do you even know who buys pink salt and why?

 

[AmazonGeek]

@AmazonGeek will correct me, but, in it's basic form, you set up products on Amazon platform then send the goods to their warehouse!!

FBA is a doddle. The hard part is setting up the listings (keyword research, proper indexed content, images, infographics, A+, etc). Once that is done, the listings default to FBM but to convert them to FBA takes seconds. Then you just send them into the FCs. Not hard at all and takes minutes to do. The time saved by not having to pick/pack orders yourself more than makes up for it.

managing FBA comes with strict rules and policies. With a 3PL we might pay a bit more, but it also gives us better coordination, certain control and flexibility, which is important as we set up operations for both B2B and B2C. Please feel free to correct me.

Not really. There are some things you can't sell via FBA (sex toys is one example) and others where there are restrictions (liquids, where the bottle size is 1L max) but other than that, the restrictions are at the product/listing level and nothing to do with FBA.

If you are fulfilling via FBM when you could/should be using FBA then you are losing visibility, time and money.

And if this part of Amazon is misunderstood then in my experience, lots of other things will be wrong too. If you are taking Amazon seriously then get someone to teach you the ropes. It costs money but it will be eclipsed by the difference it makes.

 

[darwin_nguyen]

Great discussion here. I'd say it depends on where you are in the journey. Amazon gives you instant traffic but you're competing with hundreds of sellers in the same category especially saturated ones like Himalayan salt. Shopify gives you more control over branding, margins, and customer relationships, but you have to drive your own traffic.

If you go the Shopify route, one thing I'd recommend early on is adding a live chat to your store. A lot of first-time buyers in the food/specialty space have questions - ingredients, sourcing, shelf life, shipping and if they don't get a quick answer, they leave. I've been using Chatty AI Livechat for this. It's an AI-powered chat app built for Shopify that handles those kinds of questions automatically, 24/7. Helps with conversion, especially when you're a new brand and people don't know you yet.

But honestly, before picking a platform, sort out your positioning first. Who exactly are you selling to? Home cooks? Health conscious consumers? Restaurants? That answer will tell you whether Amazon, Shopify, or even local markets make the most sense.