Selling on your own Shopify store gives you brand control, but selling on Amazon gives you access to the world's largest marketplace. The great news is you don't have to choose. By using a sales channel app, you can manage your Amazon listings and orders directly from your Shopify dashboard, creating a central hub for your entire e-commerce operation.
What are Sales Channel Apps?
Sales channel apps act as a bridge between your Shopify store and external marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart. They synchronize crucial data—products, inventory, orders, and pricing—between the two platforms. This integration prevents overselling, streamlines fulfillment, and saves you from the monumental task of manually managing two separate businesses.
Shopify's Official Solution: Shopify Marketplace Connect
For any merchant serious about multi-channel selling, Shopify's own Shopify Marketplace Connect app is the definitive starting point. This powerful, free-to-install app allows you to connect your store not just to Amazon, but also to other major marketplaces like Walmart and eBay, all from one place.
Specifically for Amazon, it allows you to:
- Create and Manage Listings: Easily create new Amazon listings or link and sync your existing listings directly to your Shopify products.
- Sync Inventory in Real-Time: Automatically sync stock levels from Shopify to Amazon, preventing you from selling out-of-stock products.
- Centralize Order Fulfillment: Receive all your Amazon orders directly within your Shopify admin, allowing you to fulfill them using your existing workflow.
- Control Pricing and Attributes: Map product attributes like size and color and manage your Amazon pricing directly from the app.
Because it's Shopify's official tool, it offers a seamless and reliable integration for the vast majority of merchants.
Alternative Apps for Specialized Needs
While Shopify Marketplace Connect is a comprehensive solution, some businesses with highly specific operational needs might explore alternative third-party apps. You might look for a specialized app if you need:
- Advanced Automated Repricing: Tools that use complex algorithms to constantly adjust your prices to compete for the Amazon Buy Box.
- Deep FBA & International Logistics: Apps that specialize in managing complex Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory across multiple international warehouses.
- Niche Marketplace Integrations: Connections to specialized or region-specific marketplaces that aren't included in Shopify's main app.
Apps like CedCommerce Amazon Channel often cater to these advanced use cases, offering features tailored to sellers with extremely complex, high-volume, or international operations. However, for most businesses, Shopify Marketplace Connect provides all the power and control needed to build a successful multi-channel sales strategy.
