Most founders know they should be on marketplaces for reach and trust, yet fear that every Amazon or Walmart sale could rob their Shopify margin and customer data. The goal is not either or. It is smart orchestration. According to eMarketer’s US Amazon Ecommerce Forecast 2024, Amazon will capture more than 40 percent of US ecommerce sales, while Walmart’s marketplace reports 30 percent plus sales growth for four straight quarters, expanded categories, and omnichannel returns at more than 4,600 stores. The opportunity is massive if you design by intent, not accident.

Design your channels by shopper intent

Marketplaces are intent engines. People search by product and expect speed, price clarity, and social proof. Your DTC site is where you control experience, LTV, bundles, subscriptions, and brand story. Shopify’s one tap wallet proves the case. Shopify’s study shows Shop Pay can lift conversion by up to 50 percent compared to guest checkout, which is why your margin and lifetime value math usually works best on DTC. To bridge the gap, use native programs tactically. Amazon states that Buy with Prime increases shopper conversion by 25 percent on average when added to brand sites. Deploy it only on DTC hero SKUs where fast shipping removes friction and the unit economics still pencil.

Protect margin with pricing architecture and policies

If you let market forces set your marketplace pricing, you will chase the Buy Box and lose margin everywhere. Guardrails matter. Amazon’s Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy allows Amazon to remove offers or Featured Offer status if your price is significantly higher than recent on or off Amazon prices or if shipping fees are excessive. Walmart will also unpublish listings that violate its Pricing Rule, citing reasons like Reasonable Price Not Satisfied and Egregious shipping cost, as detailed in Walmart’s own Troubleshoot unpublished items guide.

Translate those rules into a deliberate structure. Keep base pricing parity across channels, but defend DTC margin with advantages marketplaces cannot match. Use exclusive bundles, limited edition colors, or higher value kits that only exist on your site. For the building blocks and math, lean on our frameworks in DTC pricing and bundling and this pricing strategy playbook to lift AOV and protect margin.

Differentiate your assortment and content by channel

Do not list your entire catalog everywhere. Treat Amazon and Walmart as curated shelves that capture demand and introduce your brand. Give marketplaces your evergreen workhorses and review magnets. Keep newness, subscriptions, and high margin configurations on DTC. Lock down your presence with Amazon Brand Registry because Brand Registry unlocks A+ Content, Brand Stores, Brand Analytics, and tools like Transparency and Project Zero to protect your IP and improve conversion. You can also leverage Amazon’s Store and A+ to educate while avoiding feature creep that belongs on your site. On Walmart, invest in high quality images and video, then let ratings drive sort position. Syndicate reviews where possible, and use social proof in ad creative to move shoppers to your DTC bundles when appropriate.

Segment fulfillment and inventory to avoid channel conflict

Speed wins conversion, but speed should not decide your strategy. Use FBA or Seller Fulfilled Prime for the SKUs that truly compete head to head on Amazon search. On Walmart, consider WFS because Walmart announced “Multichannel Solutions” so sellers can use WFS to fulfill orders from any ecommerce site, with rates averaging 15 percent lower than the competition and convenient returns at their stores. Segment inventory pools by channel, set replenishment thresholds, and cap marketplace inventory for DTC hero products so you never stock out on your own site to chase a retail media spike.

Capture marketplace demand, then convert to owned relationships

Use marketplaces to win the first order and trust. Amazon notes that more than 60 percent of sales in its store now come from independent sellers, highlighting how much shopper demand lives there, as shared in Amazon’s seller value article. Your job is to graduate marketplace buyers to owned channels without violating policies. Focus on product experience that drives word of mouth, QR codes on packaging for warranty or content, and value adds that are DTC only. Then turn that attention into zero party data. Our Zero Party Data Playbook shows how quizzes and post purchase flows increase LTV without discounting.

Measure crossover and stop cannibalization at the source

Attribution rarely gives marketplaces enough credit or sometimes gives them too much. Measure both directions. Amazon’s Attribution program lets you track off Amazon channels that lead to Amazon sales so you can allocate prospecting budgets accurately. On the flip side, run paid social and creator campaigns to DTC with unique bundles, and watch blended CAC and LTV. For a rigorous approach to triangulating GA4, MMM, and first party data, use our guide to ecommerce attribution in 2025.

A simple routing and content system that works

• Ads and search heavy queries go to marketplaces for high intent conversion and review harvesting.

• Email, SMS, and community go to DTC for bundles, subscriptions, and loyalty. If you are still setting up, build on Shopify to get Shop Pay and a modern checkout out of the box.

• Social commerce is a third lane. Our TikTok Shop GTM playbook and 30 day TikTok Shop launch plan show how to plug creator led demand into DTC bundles while using marketplaces for stockable winners.

Finally, make your DTC checkout unbeatable. Run the tests in our 27 point checkout optimization guide so you do not lose the buyer you paid to bring home.

If you want weekly step by step playbooks like this from operators who have scaled both DTC and marketplaces, join StoreAcquire. It is free, practical, and built to help you avoid expensive channel fights before they start. You can also explore the latest case studies and market updates in our posts archive or learn more about the mission.