Selling Online in Singapore: Your Own Store vs Shopee and Lazada
Marketplaces bring traffic, but your own store builds a brand. Here's how Singapore retailers can combine both — and when it's time to invest in your own e-commerce site.
For many Singapore retailers, online selling starts on Shopee or Lazada. The traffic is there, setup is quick and customers already trust the platforms. But as sales grow, so do commissions, price competition and the feeling that you're building someone else's brand.
What marketplaces do well
- Instant access to millions of shoppers already searching for products
- Built-in payments, logistics partners and campaign days like 9.9, 11.11 and 12.12
- Low setup cost — ideal for testing demand
Where marketplaces hold you back
- Commission and service fees that rise as you scale
- Limited control over branding, product pages and customer experience
- No direct relationship with customers — the platform owns the data
- Constant price comparison with competitors on the same page
Why build your own store
Your own e-commerce site lets you own the customer relationship: build an email list, run loyalty programmes, offer bundles and subscriptions, and market to repeat customers without paying a commission each time.
Singapore shoppers expect a smooth local checkout:
- PayNow QR, cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Clear delivery options — same-day, next-day, self-collection or locker pickup
- Prices shown in SGD, with GST handled correctly
- Fast mobile pages, since most orders are placed on phones
The winning approach: both
Most growing brands use marketplaces for discovery and their own store for loyalty. Inventory can be synced across channels so stock levels stay accurate everywhere, and marketplace customers can be invited to your store with packaging inserts and member-only offers.
Shopify, WooCommerce or custom?
Shopify suits most retailers who want speed and reliability. WooCommerce gives more flexibility for content-heavy brands. Custom builds make sense for complex pricing, B2B ordering or unique product configurators.
Get started
VRN Digital builds e-commerce stores for Singapore businesses from about S$2,000 for a launch-ready starter store, with PayNow, local delivery and marketplace integrations available. Let's talk about where your online sales should go next.
