It’s no secret that Amazon is the go-to online shopping resource for millions of consumers.
Surveys have long shown that nearly 90% of UK shoppers use Amazon, and that most visit the online retailer at least once a month. The marketplace has been said to dominate 30% of national e-commerce — more than triple the amount of sales generated by eBay and nearly seven times those of Tesco.
Of course, those numbers pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic that led millions of consumers to meet even more of their shopping needs online. As buying behaviours shifted in new and unanticipated ways, Amazon became central to many consumers’ daily lives.
Did you know six in 10 consumers are shopping online more frequently than they did before COVID-19 hit? And not only that. 45% are spending more time on Amazon with 85% admitting they research products on Amazon.
It all adds up to some tremendous revenue potential for brands and retailers. With more than $30 billion of sales at stake, this is one e-commerce channel where engaging with consumers is key.
Discover the essential steps for success on Amazon across marketing, selling and fulfilling to ensure you’re creating the best experience to bring customers back, time and time again. We’ve put together a must-read eBook to inspire you with your Amazon Strategies, get your free copy now and read on for a snapshot of what to expect.
Be Seen: Get Listings Right
With more than two million active sellers competing on billions of items, it’s not enough to simply upload your product catalogue. You have to optimise each individual listing, too. That means paying careful attention to mission-critical details — ones that can not only help your products stand out from competitors but also turn browsers into buyers.
It’s not just what you list it that compels people to buy. How those listings are presented can make a big difference in sales and revenue. We have tons of best practices to share on this topic, honed from 20 years of helping leading brands and retailers sell on Amazon.
While strong content is an important first step, it’s still just the start. For nearly 80% of consumers surveyed by ChannelAdvisor, price is the single biggest determining factor when deciding between products — and is more important to consumers than product availability, reviews and even delivery speeds. That means it’s equally important to have a strong pricing strategy, too.
So, how do you ensure your products are consistently priced competitively? The answer lies in dynamic pricing.
Is Your Brand Leveraging A+ Content?
If your company has been approved for Amazon’s Brand Registry program, this is one opportunity you don’t want to miss. Brand Registry members are eligible to enhance listings with A+ Content such as comparison charts, robust FAQs, high-definition videos and more. These details can be an excellent way to better convey the value of your products and boost sales.
If you’re having a hard time deciding which ASINs to enhance, start with your top sellers. Other excellent candidates for A+ Content include products that tend to sell at premium prices, as well as the items you’re already driving traffic to through seasonal campaigns and promotions.
Showcase Yourself: Mastering Amazon Advertising
Once you’ve optimised your product listings, the next step is to tackle your Amazon Advertising strategy. Here’s why:
ChannelAdvisor’s latest survey of UK consumers shows that 62% of shoppers have purchased items after seeing ads on Amazon. Another 40% are discovering products either because Amazon recommended them, or because they saw marketplace ads.
With millions of sellers competing for billions of sales — and with most sales coming from the top of search results — Amazon Advertising is essential for increasing visibility. The question is: What steps can you take to create an effective strategy for your specific products? Profitable campaigns tend to centre around several key elements.
The right mix of ad types
Using different types of Amazon ads will help ensure your products are seen by different consumers at various stages — whether they’re browsing for ideas or know exactly what they need. Rather than sticking to just one kind of ad, successful brands and retailers typically use a mix of Sponsored Products, Product Display Ads, Vouchers and Sponsored Brands. (In our eBook we cover this in much more detail, it’s well worth a read!)
Deliver Your Customer Promise: Taking Advantage of Fulfilment by Amazon
You’ve fine-tuned your listings and developed a strong promotional strategy. By now, you should be well on your way to turning browsing consumers into loyal customers — right? Not quite.
There’s one more key component at play, and it’s an important one. Thanks to Amazon’s industry-leading standards on delivery, consumers have come to expect fast, free shipping.
Surveys have long shown free shipping affects purchase decisions for 96% of consumers, most of whom won’t wait more than four days for an order to arrive. And those expectations are becoming even more pronounced as consumers increasingly rely on e-commerce.
Thankfully, you don’t have to weather these challenges alone. Among the growing array of options to help sellers meet and exceed difficult delivery demands is Fulfilment by Amazon or FBA — a program designed to simplify and streamline the process of providing fast, free shipping.
With FBA, your orders are completely fulfilled by Amazon. You send a portion of your inventory to Amazon’s fulfilment centres, where it’s stored until a customer decides to buy it. Amazon then picks, packs and dispatches the items directly to consumers for you. FBA also manages customer service and returns, and keeps your inventory insured against possible losses or damages.
Put It All Together
As a driving force behind the global e-commerce landscape at large, Amazon continues to set the stage for successful online selling. By putting the strategies covered in this eBook into practice, you can begin to lay a strong foundation for greater engagement with consumers and lasting relationships with customers.
Download your free copy of Essential Strategies for Turning Amazon Consumers Into Loyal Customers now!
