NOT ON AMAZON? You're Falling Behind

It’s surprising to see how many businesses are still not leveraging Amazon to its full potential. There are countless major brands that aren't on Amazon, and it’s baffling. In my experience, I’ve worked with companies that thought Amazon was harmful to their brand or that there were better opportunities elsewhere. They’re wrong. If you sell products and you're not on Amazon, you're missing out.

Amazon is a powerhouse when it comes to eCommerce. The platform is optimized, growing, and uses proven strategies that work. It offers an unparalleled scale, with easy-to-navigate buying and selling processes. Selling on Amazon is straightforward, and shopping on Amazon is just as simple.

Can you think of any website where you can:

• Find a product in 30 seconds?

• Buy it within a minute?

• Has it delivered to your door within 48 hours?

That’s the competition you’re up against. Amazon’s streamlined, single-page checkout, huge selection, and massive customer base make it an attractive destination for both sellers and buyers. Meanwhile, your website might not even have a load time under five seconds, and it may require customers to fill out unnecessary details like payment and shipping info, which can easily take up to 10 minutes, especially for new visitors.

Getting Started with Amazon

Getting your business on Amazon is surprisingly simple. For smaller businesses, you can manually create listings from scratch. If your company carries hundreds or even thousands of SKUs, you can easily upload your product data in bulk using a structured Excel file.

Amazon accounts for a significant portion of many businesses' sales. For example, companies I’ve worked with have generated 40-50% of their revenue from Amazon alone. Yes, Amazon takes a 15% commission, but that fee is more than justified when you consider the massive exposure and sales boost it brings.

Yet, many businesses treat their Amazon presence as an afterthought, with only a small part of their eCommerce team dedicating time to optimizing their Amazon sales. This is a missed opportunity. If your company is doing a million dollars in sales on Amazon, you should consider dedicating a fulltime resource to manage and grow your Amazon presence.

The Power of Amazon PPC: Why You Should Invest

If your business is already spending a significant amount on Google Ads but hasn’t explored Amazon PPC yet, it’s time to consider this powerful advertising channel. Here's why:

Amazon PPC ads appear directly on Amazon's platform, displayed within search results based on the keywords and categories you select. For example, if someone searches for "rice cookers" and you're the only advertiser bidding on that keyword, your ad will appear 100% of the time, and you’ll only pay when someone clicks.

Why Amazon PPC Works

1. Low Cost-Per-Click: In many categories, the cost-per-click can be as low as $0.02.
2. Minimal Competition: There is often very little competition, allowing you to stand out with ease.
3. High Conversion Rates: Shoppers on Amazon are already ready to purchase, making them more likely to convert when they see your product.
4. Pro Tip: Clothing PPC tends to be very cost-effective due to low competition, while technology products can have higher costs.
5. By leveraging Amazon PPC, you can increase your visibility, attract more qualified buyers, and drive higher sales, all while keeping ad costs affordable.

Mastering Amazon SEO: Key Steps to Boost Product Visibility

Amazon products are not only visible in Google search results but are also front and centre on Amazon.com. With so much competition on the platform, strong SEO within your listings is crucial to ensure your products stand out. Here's what you need to include when uploading products to Amazon:

1. Automation: Automate your product feed to upload data regularly (ideally daily, or every few hours) to maintain accurate stock levels. Setting this up requires API integration, which may need support from your IT team. If you don’t have in-house IT, partnering with a marketplace service like Mercent could be helpful.
2. Thorough Product Descriptions: Craft detailed, well-structured product descriptions using HTML for better readability and organization.
3. Detailed Features: Go beyond the basic bullet points. Include comprehensive product details like materials, dimensions, and any unique features such as “Made of.” Ensure all the features and specifications are fully covered.
4. List and Discount Pricing: Display your list price and clearly show a discounted sale price. This strategy creates a sense of urgency and value for potential buyers.
5. High-Quality Product Images: Use multiple images to showcase your product. A single image is rarely enough to convey the full quality and details of your product.

How to Implement These Tips

For points 2-5, you can input information for each product or category manually using your Product Information Management (PIM) tool or directly through Excel.

For greater efficiency, map product attributes in the PIM system. This allows you to apply the same attributes across other platforms, such as eBay, Sears, or Rakuten, ensuring consistency and broader reach.

Providing rich, detailed information about your product—rather than just a basic title, price, and brief description—will increase its discoverability on Amazon. Additionally, encouraging customers to leave reviews can significantly improve your product's visibility and conversion rates.

Pro Tip: Parent/Child Listings – If your product has different variations (e.g., colours or sizes), set up a parent listing with child variations. This strategy boosts the visibility of the main listing and can result in higher overall sales.

A well-optimized Amazon listing with comprehensive details improves both your product’s chances of being discovered and its ability to convert visits into sales.

Amazon Gold Box Deals: A Game-Changer for Sellers

Once your Amazon business starts gaining momentum, you might be able to leverage Amazon’s internal support to further boost your sales. One of the benefits that can come with having an account representative is the opportunity to feature your product in a Daily Deal. I once had a product—a knife, to be exact—that had sold fewer than 30 times on my website. I had over 1,000 units in stock, so I decided to send a few hundred to Amazon’s Prime warehouse and asked a rep to feature it in a Daily Deal. Within 2-3 hours of the deal going live, nearly all the knives sold out.

Although you’ll need to offer a discount to be featured, the benefits of a Daily Deal are undeniable:

1. Quick Sales Surge: It allows you to sell a significant amount of product in a short time, which can generate instant revenue.
2. Buzz Creation: The increased sales help elevate your product’s listing on Amazon, which can drive future organic sales.
3. Increased Visibility: Beyond boosting sales for that specific product, it can raise brand awareness and even spark sales for other products in your catalogue.
4. Being part of Amazon Gold Box Today's Deals offers powerful leverage for growing your business and gaining attention for both individual items and your brand.

Boost Your Sales with Amazon Prime: A Simple Strategy for Maximum Impact

Imagine you have 2,000 SKUs, but most of your sales come from just 50 of them. You could focus on improving the other 1,950 products, but why not capitalize on the ones already performing well? A smart, simple move could be to ship those top-selling products to an Amazon Prime warehouse.

By doing this, you create special listings where your product appears to be sold directly by Amazon, making it eligible for Amazon Prime benefits. Prime customers get free shipping and guaranteed two-day delivery—a feature that most businesses can’t match. This means your product gets more visibility, more sales, and faster delivery.

As an Amazon Prime member, myself, I can attest to the benefits—especially the fast shipping and extra perks like access to streaming. Many others share the same sentiment, making Prime a rapidly growing customer base. Even customers without a Prime membership can still purchase your products, broadening your reach.

One of the best things about selling on Prime is the significant cost savings. When comparing the cost of shipping products via Prime versus handling it yourself, the difference is remarkable. In one company I worked with, shipping small products cost around $7. With Prime, that same cost dropped to just $2. This means you can either increase your profit margins or offer more competitive pricing. If you’re doing a significant portion of your sales on a few top SKUs, this reduction in shipping costs can give your business a huge edge, improving your margins by up to 10%.

Why You Should Leverage Amazon Prime:

1. Lower costs to sell: Enjoy significant savings on shipping.
2. Faster shipping: Benefit from two-day delivery for faster sales.
3. More sales: Increased visibility and trust lead to more customers.

Conclusion

While it’s tough to improve every aspect of your Amazon sales all at once, focusing on Prime fulfilment for your top SKUs can have an immediate, positive impact. Pick one strategy and implement it today for a noticeable lift in your sales. If you want more advice on selling on Amazon or other marketplaces, feel free to reach out with your questions.

Also Read : Amazon Marketing Strategy Guide - Tips to Boost Your Sales on Amazon

                   Amazon Advertising Success Essentials