Hans Audun gets the question often: should we sell through a platform, or build our own store? The answer is less often «either-or» than people think.
Both paths can be right. The problem is that the choice is often made based on what's cheapest to get started with, not what actually supports the business model long term.
When a platform is the right choice
You need speed. Platforms like Shopify or marketplaces give you a working setup in days, not months.
You're testing something new. If you're validating a product or market, building heavy infrastructure before you know it's worth it is unnecessary.
Volume is low or seasonal. Then a custom-built solution costs more in upkeep than it gives back.
When your own store is the right choice
When you need full control over customer data, the purchase experience, or integrations with inventory and CRM, the platform's limitations quickly become visible. That's when a custom-built store is the investment that pays off.
Hans Audun points to a client who started on a standard platform, and after two years of growth found that every new campaign required workarounds because the platform didn't support their pricing rules. Moving to a custom solution took three months, but removed a problem that would otherwise have grown bigger every season.
A platform buys you speed. Your own store buys you control. The question is which one you need most right now.
The third path: hybrid
Many businesses Hans Audun works with don't land on either-or. They start on a platform to get going, but build it so the critical parts, like product data and customer relationships, live in systems they own themselves. That way they can switch frontend solutions later without losing years of data and history.
The real question
It's not platform versus store. It's what your business actually needs over the next 12-24 months, and how much it will cost to switch later if you get it wrong now.
Get in touch with Hans Audun for a review of what will give your e-commerce setup the most value.