Online retailers now have more options than ever when it comes to selling products and services. From managing their own proprietary platforms in the form of websites to utilizing massive marketplaces already in existence, reaching one or more target audiences can be easily accomplished.
Increasingly, sellers from all backgrounds have found the use of Amazon to be in their best interests. Given the massive customer base and relative ease of use, many brands are more than willing to pay commissions and follow a few basic rules in order to access this gold mine of sales.
You may be considering Amazon as one option for selling your products and/or services. Knowing where to begin is crucial to securing your future on the world’s biggest marketplace. Let’s examine what you need to know about selling on Amazon in order to be successful.
Your Prices Must be Competitive
Given the sheer amount of products on Amazon, there is a very high chance that you won’t be the only one offering a solution in the marketplace. Even in the case of custom products, the likelihood that others are offering similar solutions is high. Both customers and Amazon alike value competitive pricing: your listings are far less likely to be seen if their prices are not in line with or competitive with more established sellers. As such, providing the most competitive prices possible is essential to getting a foothold in the marketplace.
Additional Marketing Is Necessary
Particularly true for new brands and businesses, your product visibility may not be substantial at first. If you are relying on Amazon as your sole – or even primary – a platform for sales, then driving traffic to those listings from off-site may be needed. There are several ways in which to do this, but the most cost-effective tends to be PPC campaigns. As such, learning how to optimize an Amazon PPC campaign is a critical component of selling successfully in the marketplace.
Shipping Times Matter
Given that Amazon offers so many solutions to customers in terms of shipping options – and a variety of selling options to its sellers – it shouldn’t be surprising that shipping times are important. Brands selling on the platform may find themselves failing to attract new customers if they do not provide consistently fast shipping. Since Amazon carefully considers this metric, visibility can ultimately be nerfed if you’re slow to turn around products. Ultimately, established businesses on Amazon often turn to the Fulfillment by Amazon program to ensure the fastest delivery times possible.
Competing for the Buy Box Is Essential
You’ve probably bought products on Amazon by simply clicking the buy box, but you may not have noticed that there are dozens or even hundreds of options for buying that exact same product. In every listing, you’ll find a link that shows how many sellers currently provide a particular product – but only one gets linked to the buy box itself. Given that 90 percent of Amazon’s sales occur via this one-click solution, competing for the Amazon buy box is crucial.
Familiarize Yourself with Amazon Policies
Given Amazon’s size and scope, it shouldn’t be surprising to find there is a whole world of bureaucracy that comes with selling on the marketplace. With tons of regulations on how to list product details, use photos, and ship products (as well as prohibited activities), familiarizing yourself with these policies is critical to maintaining a successful presence on the site.
To learn more about Amazon’s policies and requirements from sellers, click here.
Selling on Amazon is complex. While anybody can jump onto the platform and list products easily, generating a sustainable income and consumer base requires a lot of knowledge. The tips and information above will help you better understand what has to be done and where to begin researching in order to generate the maximum number of sales possible.
