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Can Amazon be your friend? Maybe. At the very least, you should be able to make it your frenemy. After all, growing your business on this channel is probably critical to the long-term health of your brand., so let's talk about three ways to sell more on Amazon.
First, let's recognize there is no shortage of doom-and-gloom articles about Amazon and how it has disrupted the traditional retail—Amazon will wipe out brick-and-mortar, Amazon will make your eCommerce store irrelevant, Amazon is the 800-pound gorilla and you have no chance against it.
All right. Enough about that. Let’s talk about your options. They are:
Fact is, a lot goes into finding success on Amazon. But here are three ways to improve your chances of growing your business on Amazon.
We all know Amazon is unlike any other online marketplace. It’s the world’s largest, and research indicates it accounts for nearly half of all online purchases.
But there’s another big reason it has become so important: Amazon has become the number one search tool for online shoppers. In fact, studies indicate more than 75% of all unbranded searches start on Amazon. Chances are, a lot of them end there, too. Clearly, you need to be in that mix.
To improve your search visibility, make your product copy descriptive and detailed. Be accurate about what your product does, the quantities that are available, and if appropriate, all the specifics such as colors, sizes, and prices. When you do this well, you’ll be included in more generic searches, such as when a shopper is looking for something like “Women’s Sandals, Black, Size 6.” You’ll also want to be sure that you have clear, quality photography and that you’re using the right keywords. Spend some time researching them and make sure they are part of your product copy.
Crowdsourcing drove early internet sales, and Amazon reviews were a key element of the online retailer’s early success. Recently, Amazon has even built a channel specifically around reviews and opened physical stores called 4-Star—they carry only products that have received ratings of four stars or higher on the website. Clearly, Amazon believes in the value that customer reviews bring and the way they make consumers comfortable with their purchases—it’s important to their brand. Reviews are one of the most important factors in the algorithms Amazon relies on to rank products, and more stars translates into being listed higher in search results.
It’s not just one or two five-star reviews that give you the pop you want. Aim to build a pattern of solid reviews, over time instead of overnight. To make that happen, be honest about your products and your service. Look at how your brand stacks up against competitors and decide if some tweaks could make the difference for you. Use email to follow up with buyers—solicit honest feedback and ask customers who are positive to share their experience on the site with other buyers. Finally, consider the reviews themselves not simply a way to improve your ranking but a tool to enhance everything you do—improve your fulfillment, your service, your products.
It can be tempting to try and game the system with fake reviews. Heck, you’re probably convinced some of your competitors are doing that right now. Avoid the temptation and build a solid reputation with every transaction you complete.
No matter how good your products are or how well you manage your presence, ensuring a great customer experience remains essential to growing your business on Amazon. Whether you choose FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) or FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant), you need to be sure that buyers love your brand and are positive about the purchase process.
At eZCom, we can help. Whether you’re on Amazon Prime or Amazon Seller Central, our connector makes labels and shipping less time-consuming and virtually eliminates errors. Data will be transferred easily and your customers will get their purchases faster. If you’re already using Lingo software for EDI, it’s easy to run Amazon transactions through the same platform.
If you sell a product, you’re competing with Amazon and every other vendor that’s on the site. While there are all kinds of ingredients necessary for success, three ways to sell more on Amazon are optimizing Amazon Search, managing Amazon reviews, and creating a seamless Amazon customer experience. When you get those elements right, you’ll increase your overall revenue and grow your customer base.