Not everyone has to build out the core platform, full store, or suite.
Not every online store has to build its own payment gateway and some of the biggest online stores have small merchants that sell on those platforms.
It’s always great for the main platform but not so much for the merchants and feature products that don’t rely on them.
You can build a feature that adds to someone else’s platform but that has its dangers.
The small guys get cloned and run out of business.
We’ve seen big guys clone a product sold by a merchant and keep all the profits to themselves.
Same with apps and features too.
Sometimes a policy change can mean that the entire business is wiped out of existence.
So while building a feature to an existing platform or selling on another e-commerce website or social media site is the lowest barrier to entry.
Always know that they can use you as a market tester, and block and clone you once they see that you making profits.
It’s always better to be a product, not a feature, and even better when you control your fate and supply chain.