Why Amazon mentors still focus on Amazon as their core: the revenue anchor amid diversified expansion

A recent Instagram post has drawn attention: a seller who calls himself an Amazon mentor—despite having expanded into retail channels, operating a thriving Shopify store, and staying active on TikTok Shop—still regards Amazon as his core revenue pillar. This phenomenon is not an isolated case, but rather a reflection of the widespread "platform dependence" and "multi-channel paradox" in today's cross-border e-commerce ecosystem.

Why Is Amazon Still the Revenue Anchor?

Amazon's traffic scale and Prime membership system constitute an irreplaceable consumer entry point. For most sellers, Amazon's on-site search and recommendation mechanisms deliver stable order conversion that emerging channels can hardly match. Even though Shopify allows sellers to build their own brand presence and TikTok Shop can trigger impulse purchases through short videos, neither can compare with Amazon's mature infrastructure in terms of shopping mindset and fulfillment networks in mature markets.

In addition, Amazon's FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) service provides sellers with efficient warehousing and logistics support, reducing fulfillment complexity. For sellers who want to maintain their growth pace, Amazon is not just a sales channel—it is also a guarantee of predictable revenue.

Diversified Channels Are Not a Substitute, but a Complement

The mentor in the post simultaneously operates retail, Shopify, and TikTok Shop, which looks like a strategic move toward "de-Amazonization." In reality, however, Amazon remains the revenue cornerstone, while the other channels serve as incremental growth or risk hedges. Retail channels help reach offline consumers, Shopify helps accumulate private-domain customers, and TikTok Shop excels at viral marketing—but the conversion rates and average order values of these channels are often lower than those driven by Amazon's search-based purchase intent.

This strategy reflects the pragmatic choice of mature sellers: don't put all eggs in one basket, but don't easily abandon the biggest and most stable basket either. Amazon's existing advantages and the traffic dividends of emerging channels each play a different role in the overall mix.

Implications for Sellers and Industry Observers

For small and medium-sized sellers, blindly imitating a "multi-platform layout" may not be the best path. Amazon's operational complexity and compliance requirements are rising, and spreading efforts too thin may make it difficult to go deep in any single channel. A more reasonable approach is to keep Amazon at the core while using other channels to test new products, build brands, or clear inventory—but sellers must clarify each channel's core metrics and strategic significance.

Industry observers should also note that although new channels such as TikTok Shop are growing rapidly, the migration of e-commerce infrastructure and user habits is a long-term process. Amazon's core position in global e-commerce will be difficult to shake in the short term, especially for categories that rely on search and fast delivery.Of course, any platform strategy should be grounded in data and one's own resources, rather than blindly following the "success philosophy" of individual gurus. This case reminds us that behind the noisy "multi-channel" narrative, the actual revenue structures of many sellers still retain a traditional and stable anchor.