Ever since online shopping became a routine habit for the Indonesian public, sellers have flocked to marketplaces because that is where the customers gather.
In the past, marketplace platforms might have felt highly profitable due to massive user traffic and relatively minimal fees. Today, however, the situation is completely different.
Sellers are now burdened with platform commission fees, free shipping program fees, service fees, and complex logistics fee schemes that force them to squeeze their margins. This is because drastically raising prices could result in losing customers entirely.
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Sales are buzzing, revenue reaches hundreds of millions, but when the numbers are crunched at the end of the month, profits are virtually non-existent. This phenomenon begs the question: How much longer must your business depend on the rules of a third-party platform?
Much like renting a booth in a mall, your only choices when the landlord decides to raise prices are to comply or leave.
Besides the suffocating commission cuts (which, in some cases, can cumulatively exceed 15% to 20% per transaction), there is another frequently overlooked risk: you never truly own your customers.
You cannot freely run retargeting campaigns, you don't know who your most loyal customers are, and worse, right beneath the product you sell, the platform's algorithm will gladly recommend a competitor's cheaper alternative. It is a never-ending price war.
Taking Back Control
The D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) Strategy
Seeing this increasingly uncertain situation, smart local brands are starting to take strategic steps: building independent sales channels (E-Commerce Websites), also known as a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) strategy.
If you direct customers to transact on your own website, the platform commission automatically drops to 0%. The 15–20% margin that used to vanish into the platform's pockets now goes 100% into your business as net profit or it can be reallocated to craft much more attractive discount promos for your customers.
However, the idea of migrating to an independent website is often daunting for MSMEs. “Building a website is too complicated,” “Developer costs are too expensive,” “I don't understand how to integrate shipping and payments.”
These concerns are completely valid, until Odoo comes along to shatter all those stigmas.
Odoo E-Commerce
The Margin-Independent Solution with 0 Admin Fees
Odoo is here not just as an ERP software, but as a margin-saving ecosystem for modern retail. Through the Odoo Website & E-Commerce application, transitioning from a marketplace to an independent store becomes seamless, requiring no IT team or coding skills.
Here is why Odoo is the ultimate weapon to break free from dependency on marketplace admin fees:
0% Platform Fees
All transactions occurring on your Odoo website go directly into your company bank account or chosen payment gateway. There are no percentage-based commission cuts per product that drain your profits.
Build a Store in Minutes
With the Drag-and-Drop builder feature, you can design an aesthetic, professional, and mobile-friendly e-commerce website as easily as putting together a presentation slide.
Mature Indonesian Local Integrations
Your Odoo website doesn't stand alone. The system comes ready to integrate with various local payment gateways (Bank Transfers, Virtual Accounts, QRIS) and sool will have a 3PL integration available, allowing you to have automated shipping cost calculations with Indonesia's leading couriers (J&T, JNE, SiCepat, GoSend, etc).
100% Customer Data Ownership
Every time someone makes a purchase, their data goes straight into the Odoo CRM system. You can know who they are, what they like, and re-engage them via email marketing or WhatsApp to drive repeat purchases without additional ad spend.
Multi-Channel Management (Omnichannel)
Not ready to leave marketplaces entirely? No problem. Odoo can act as your central command center. You can still sell on marketplaces, while your inventory, financial bookkeeping, and sales data on your independent website are consolidated in one place in real-time, preventing the risk of overselling.
Time to Take Full Control of Your Own Business
The spike in marketplace admin fees in 2026 doesn't have to spell the end of your business. On the contrary, it can be a crucial turning point that pushes your business to scale up into an independent, mature brand with full sovereignty over its profits.
Stop burning money to grow someone else's platform. Start building your own digital assets that are safe from sudden policy changes.
Safeguard your business profit margins today. Build your admin-fee-free e-commerce website with Odoo for free right now.
