Do you actually own your customer?

Do you actually own your customer?

There’s a belief we hear all the time from founders and brand teams:

“I don’t want to sell on Amazon because I don’t own the customer.”

And honestly?

We think that logic is flawed.

This week on the podcast, we challenge one of ecommerce’s most repeated assumptions:

Do you really “own” customers just because they bought from your website once?

Because the reality is:

• Your competitors are emailing them too.

• They’re being retargeted everywhere.

• Most shoppers are already searching marketplaces.

• And if your brand isn’t there… you may have just paid to send customers to someone else.

We unpack:

→ Why the idea of “customer ownership” may be misleading
→ When DTC makes sense (and when it doesn’t)
→ Why cash-strapped brands often start on marketplaces
→ The real asset brands should be protecting
→ Why being absent from Amazon could be costing you more than you think

This isn’t an “Amazon fan club” episode.

In fact, we openly talk about our frustrations with it.

But if you’re growing a brand in 2026, ignoring marketplace behaviour is becoming harder to justify.

And if you disagree with us after listening, even better.

We’d love to hear your take.

Ali & Zamir

Watch the full episode here 👇

🎧 Apple Podcasts:

🎧 Spotify:

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