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As an online seller, Amazon may seem like the perfect place to sell your products. It’s the world’s largest ecommerce platform, after all. However, getting your product to rank first in the Amazon search engine can be tricky. The key to this is Amazon product listing optimization.  

While many successful Amazon sellers prove just how lucrative the platform is, even veteran sellers have difficulty ranking high on Amazon's search engines and attracting customers to their listings. So, if you're a newbie seller, know that you're not alone in this frustration.

Let’s help you turn the tide as we share the do's and don'ts of Amazon product optimization. 

Product Listing Optimization

In 2022, Amazon generated 513.98 billion dollars in net sales revenue. Amazon's net sales revenue followed an ascending trend since 2004. As a result, it has continuously given chances for sellers to thrive in their platform, and you can be one of these numbers by optimizing your product listing.

Amazon product listing optimization involves upgrading your product listing to increase visibility, rank high on the Amazon search engine, increase the conversion rate, and generate sales. The process involves:

• Researching and inserting high-performing keywords into your product listing
• Creating high-quality and Amazon-compliant product images
• Growing your customer reviews and positive ratings through excellent customer service

Amazon has its own rules for ranking its products on the search list. Their latest Amazon A10 Algorithm reads, scans, and analyzes data to rank product listings and help customers find what they’re looking for.

For your Amazon listing to be A10-friendly, you have to optimize these 6 pillars:

🏛️ Product Title 🏛️ Product Images 🏛️ Key Product Features 🏛️ Product Descriptions 🏛️ Amazon Product Reviews 🏛️ Amazon Product Rating

Below are the do's and don'ts you can implement to ensure a thorough and effective product listing optimization:

Pillar #1: Product Title

The product title is the first thing your customers will see on Amazon's search results, which is why it’s an essential part of product listing optimization. Keyword research dictates which terms or phrases you need to insert in your product title to get a high Amazon ranking and connect your product to potential customers.

✔️ Do keyword research for an optimized title.

When looking for keywords related to your product, pick the one with high search volume and relevance to make the best shot. You want to match the words shoppers use when searching on Amazon, so that they can find your product quickly.

✔️ Do write a descriptive title in 250 characters or less.

Amazon allows a product title length of 250 characters. Add only key features like material, brand, quality, or color. Provide a descriptive title that will make it easy for customers to visualize the product. 

Product titles are a vital part of a product listing and can make or break a sale. Amazon recommends sellers to craft their product titles in the following format:

[Brand] + [Product line] + [Material or key feature] + [Product Type] + [Color] + [Size] + [Packaging/Quantity]

To put this into an example,

[Laura Ashley] + [Sophia Collection] + [300-Thread-Count] + [Pillow Cases] + [Blue] + [Queen] + [Set of 2]

So, the Amazon product listing will look like this:

Laura Ashley Sophia Collection 300-Thread-Count Pillow Cases (Blue, Queen, Set of 2)

❌ Don't add promotional statements.

Amazon's terms are clear that you should not add promotional information in your title. This is only one of the many ways Amazon ensures a fair and level playing field for all sellers on the platform. Be sure to comply with Amazon’s strict guidelines or risk getting an account suspension.

❌ Don't use HTML tags or special characters.

When optimizing Amazon listings, avoid the use of HTML tags or special characters. These can negatively impact the display and readability of the product listing page. Instead, focus on clear and concise product descriptions, relevant keywords, and high-quality images to maximize visibility and conversions for your Amazon listings.

Pillar #2: Product Images

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, it's worth a thousand dollars! So, optimize your images.

The main image and lifestyle images are an integral part of Amazon listings because customers can see the details of your item. Investing in high-quality images will increase sales, especially if your listings display more eye-catching and detailed product photos than the competition. 

✔️ Do comply with Amazon’s image guidelines.

The primary image is the first thing that customers usually see. To ensure high-quality and uniform images across the platform, Amazon has a set of site standards for MAIN and ALL product images. 

Following Amazon's requirements, use a clear white background and invest in the right equipment to shoot your product images. You can even hire a professional photographer to take your product photos.

✔️ Do show your product in different angles.

After optimizing the main image, you can add pictures of your product from different angles, highlighting product features, packaging, and other details. Product images should be aesthetically pleasing to encourage customers to buy your products.

You can include lifestyle or everyday use shots through the Amazon Enhanced Brand Content/A+ Content. This can help potential customers visualize using your product and see how it would fit into their lives.

✔️ Do use relevant keywords for image file names.

Optimizing your image file names is a part of search engine optimization, so be sure to insert high-performing keywords here, too. Doing so can help Amazon's A10 algorithm rank your Amazon listings higher. Also, use descriptive keywords that are relevant to the product listing.  

❌ Don't show irrelevant items.

Avoid including items that are not a part of the product. These can be used for additional photos in your enhanced brand content but not for main photos. Adding other items, especially in the main image, can create confusion on the buyers' end. They may think the item is included in the bundle and be surprised when it’s not included in the package. 

Pillar #3: Key Product Features (Bullet Points)

Help your customers visualize the experience when they buy your product by explaining the key product features in 1,000 characters and five bullet points. The product description detailed information will give shoppers a brief understanding of your product and help them decide if they will purchase it or not. 

Optimize your Amazon product pages through short, concise sentences that seamlessly incorporate high-performing keywords.

✔️ Do list only the product's most essential features.

Once potential customers have clicked on your listing, they'll want to know more about your product. This is where your bulleted key product features come in. Describe your product's features and benefits, and highlight why it is the best possible option on Amazon.

❌ Don't add details just to fill out the character requirement.

You're not obliged to fill in five bullet points for the product detail page. What matters is to deliver good bullet points and relevant details to encourage buyers to purchase your product. 

❌ Don't add lengthy text content.

Use the product description space if you have more than five bullet points to describe your product features. When you use Amazon Enhanced Brand Content, you have more freedom to express and promote your product in the product descriptions. Yet, instead of bulk texts, insert catchy images too.

❌ Don't use time-sensitive comments and special characters.

You cannot mention subjective or time-sensitive comments, promotions, shipping information, or use special characters. Amazon is clear on its rules, so do follow them. 

Pillar #4: Product Description

The product description is the last part of your product listing you must fill out. Since the title and features sections require fragmented text, this description section is the place to really "speak" to your customer. It should be well-written with easy-to-read headers and clear and concise language. Do not forget to use relevant keywords you gathered from Amazon listing optimization tools.

✔️ Do insert SEO keywords.

Utilize the characters to create a concise, descriptive, and search engine-optimized list of the product's features. Incorporate high-performing search terms from your keyword research, write each bullet point in fragments, and start each point with capital letters. 

✔️ Do describe the significant product features within 2,000 characters.

Following Amazon's guidelines, you can expound on your product features within 2,000 words in the product description section. Describe the product's size, style, and benefits you couldn't fit in the bullet points. Make sure you use this to share your brand's voice, tone, and personality.

✔️ Do provide factual information on the product detail page.

Like the vital product features on the bullet points, explain the product's benefits and features in clear and concise sentences. You want to paint a picture in your buyer's mind, so be as detailed as possible. You may also include the brand name, warranty information, and care instructions.

✔️ Do consider A+ content to explain your products further.

You can further extend your searchability by using A+ content. Think of this as an extended version of your listings. It's an additional section where you can elaborate on your products with more creative freedom. In addition, this is an opportunity to convince your audience why they should buy your product instead of others. 

The A+ content feature is not accessible to all sellers as it is only eligible for brand-registered businesses. If you have already enrolled your products through Amazon's Brand Registry program, you should take advantage of this feature, and if not, consider getting brand-registered!

✔️ Do use correct grammar and punctuation.

Since this part is searchable on Amazon, use correct grammar and punctuation. For Amazon listing optimization, employ search terms to describe the product in detail.  

❌ Do not practice keyword stuffing.

How many keywords can you put in the product title? According to Amazon, you can only mention your keyword once, and additional uses shall not increase the value of the keyword.

Keyword stuffing to optimize listings can get you in trouble as it is a black hat tactic. Add the related keywords you could not use in the front end in your store's backend keywords.

This method also generates high irrelevant traffic, so you target an irrelevant population instead of reaching a target audience that will buy your product. It leaves you with more bounces from customers searching for a different product. Your product listings' ranking can also get demoted as a result.  

Pillar #5: Amazon Product Reviews

Sellers know how customer reviews can directly affect your sales, but you may not be aware of how reviews can affect your ranking on Amazon’s SERP. There is no exact basis for how Amazon selects well-rated listings for search results, but Amazon would recommend highly-liked products to their customers first. Here are some do's and don'ts:

✔️ Do give excellent customer service.

To receive a helpful review from your customer, you must provide them with the best customer service and not compromise your products' quality. Make it a habit to offer them the best experience by updating them on their packages, always securely pack the item to avoid damage, provide smooth returns and refunds for damaged items, and ensure they are satisfied with their orders.

✔️ Do respond to queries in a timely and professional manner.

Business and brand owners should know how to handle customer queries, reviews, and feedback. Most of the time, customers have several questions regarding the product and shipment. Respond to them in a polite and friendly manner. If there are problems, find quick solutions.

❌ Do not debate with the customers.

When you receive negative feedback and low ratings, do not debate or quarrel with the customer. There may be feedback that you know for sure is not true. In this case, defend your product by highlighting success stories or politely explaining what may have occurred instead of pointing fault at the customer or invalidating their feedback.

Of course, this only applies to legitimate feedback. Dealing with fake reviews and black hat tactics is another thing.

Pillar #6: Amazon Product Rating

Once you get good reviews, your rating will increase. You are doing well if you have a rating of 4-5. However, you may encounter negative reviews that can pull down your rating. Hence, you need to provide the best service and products. 

✔️ Do create action plans based on feedback and rating.

Your product rating can affect your store because customers sometimes filter the search result to only the top 4-5 ratings. Optimize your Amazon product listing by staying on top of feedback and ratings.

Check if the dire ratings have a pattern. You may also gather feedback from your customers through email campaigns and ask to resolve a problem before your customer can place a review. Know which aspects of your product you need to improve, and take action right away.

✔️ Do not think that ratings are just stars or numbers.

It is a mistake for Amazon sellers to ignore ratings because they are just stars on the product page. However, in this generation of visual consumers, the stars are the basis of a seller’s performance. Not everybody has the time to read through the feedback and look at the ratings instead, so this detail should be something sellers should keep an eye on.

Amazon Product Listing Optimization by Seller Interactive

A robust and optimized product listing is essential to drive customers to your store and get more sales. By understanding the dos and don'ts of optimizing your product listing, you can have a steady stream of customers and improve your product ranking. To keep your products searchable and relevant, we at Seller Interactive can help optimize your Amazon listings! 

Do you want to know more about how to optimize Amazon product listings? Call us at 1-800-820-3746 and partner with Seller Interactive's team of Amazon specialists now!

Your work on Amazon doesn’t stop after you click the “Submit” button. To master Amazon paid ads management, you must learn how to analyze report data. From search term reports, targeting reports, spend reports, keywords reports, and more, you need to be well-versed in the numbers to manage your business better.

The mastery all starts with an in-depth understanding of standard digital advertising metrics and the ecommerce marketing metrics that Amazon provides. These metrics can help you properly conduct Amazon pay-per-click (PPC) optimization for your campaigns.

This article will identify which sponsored ads you can utilize as a seller. Moreover, we will help you establish a basic understanding of Amazon’s different metrics, the different ways to view ad reports, and how to use performance metrics to make your ads more relevant to customers.

Standard Digital Advertising and Ecommerce Marketing Metrics

The only way to check your Amazon PPC campaign performance is through various advertising reports Amazon generates. Some of which are search term reports, matched target reports, and campaign reports. Let’s identify each one:

Standard digital advertising reports

• Clicks are the total number of times customers click an ad.
• Impressions are the total number of times customers spot an ad. You can dive into the details on ad impressions per ad group or search term impression shares through a search term impression share report.
• Cost-per-click (CPC) is the average amount spent per click. Through a search terms report, you'll know which ads cost you but aren't giving you the sales you need.
• Click-through-rate (CTR) is the ratio between how often customers click on an ad and how many times it is displayed. Check the search term impression share report to know which keywords give you the clickthrough you are aiming for and make the ad spend worth it.
• Advertising spend is the total amount spent on advertising budget broken down per ad type—Sponsored Display, Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, or Amazon Store.
• Return on ad spend (RoAS) is the total product sales divided by total advertising spend. Identify campaigns that are bringing in the clicks and sales you’re aiming for.

Ecommerce marketing metrics

• Conversion rate is the percentage of customers who click on an ad and make a purchase. Know the buyer search terms that convert and the purchased product reports to see which items are bestsellers.
• Detail page views are the total number of times customers view your product detail page.
• Units sold are the total number of units sold by your brand. Know the bestsellers and items with advertising opportunities to gain more sales.
• Total orders allow you to take a peep at the total number of orders under your brand in a purchased product report.
• Attributed sales are the total dollar amount of products sold by your brand. The monetary value should also be present in a purchased product report.
• Advertising cost of sales (ACoS) is the total amount spent on a campaign divided by the total sales over the entire campaign duration.

Below, we’ll explain how to access these metrics. Then, we will explain how to use these ad data to improve your Amazon paid ads management.

How To Access the Metrics

If you want to run a keyword report, campaign placement report, performance over time report, or an overall performance report, where will you look? Where can you find these valuable metrics included in a search term report, placement report, or targeting report? There are three ways to access and retrieve them.

Amazon Advertising Console

Amazon's advertising console was redesigned to be more flexible and user-friendly, as shown below.

Amazon Advertising Console Functions:

• As an example, you can analyze your campaigns by sorting the ACoS from highest to lowest to determine which needs optimization.
• You can also export Amazon advertising reports from the console to review them offline.

Downloadable Amazon Advertising Reports

The Amazon advertising console provides account-level data for Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands. You can access the console by clicking the Reports menu on the dashboard. 

This feature is available to both types of sellers, as mentioned above. The only difference is the type of Amazon advertising report and paid ad each seller can view.

Overall, here are the downloadable advertising reports you can use to manage your Amazon paid ads:

Targeting Report: Provides insights into performance and sales metrics for keywords, ASINs, and categories in all campaigns that must have at least one impression.

Campaign Report: Provides a summary of your sponsored ad’s performance per campaign. You can specify a date range.

Search Term Report: Provides visibility based on the keywords the customer enters while shopping on the site before they click on your ad.

Advertised Product Reports: Provide insights into sales and performance metrics for advertised ASINs in all campaigns with at least one impression.

Purchased Products Reports: Show which products were sold even without advertising.

Performance Over Time Report: Provides the summary of clicks (ad clicks or impression clicks), ad spend, and average CPC for all your campaigns over a selected period.

Placement Reports: Provides visibility regarding the performance of a campaign on top of search compared to the rest of search and product page placements.

Campaign Placement Report: Provides a breakdown of Amazon's advertising performance by ad placement.

Keyword Placement Report: Provides a breakdown of keyword performance by ad placement (top of the search, rest of search, product pages).

Note that some reports are available only for specific ad types. 

API

The Application Programming Interface (API) is a way to interact with a separate software component or resource programmatically. In this case, it is the Amazon Advertising API—a way to automate, scale, and optimize Amazon paid ads.

Here are the advantages of using the Amazon Advertising API:

• It lets you automate repeated tasks by schedule, such as downloading daily performance data.
• It allows you to customize reporting dashboards.
• It removes friction by letting you program campaign creation, modification, and optimization.
• It gives you the freedom to integrate third-party Amazon PPC optimization tools or even develop your own custom tools.

Amazon PPC Optimization Hacks

It is not enough that you know how to set up PPC on Amazon—you should also master a few tricks to tweak poor-performing Amazon PPC campaigns or improve ads with high conversion rates. 

First, determine your campaign objective. Doing so helps you measure the performance of your campaigns. To improve sales efficiency, look closely at the performance metrics like ACoS, RoAS, sales, CTR, and conversion rate. On the other hand, if you want to increase brand awareness, the only metric you should monitor is impressions.

Once you’ve decided your objective, you can start applying the Amazon PPC optimization tips below.

Budget

There are two scenarios you may face when it comes to budget. It is either you use your entire budget or underspend. 

Using your entire budget only means you don’t allocate an adequate amount for that day. The downside is you may lose sales. Luckily, you can adjust your budget anytime, and changes will take effect immediately.

How will you know if you’re running out of budget? Amazon sends an out-of-budget notification via email and the Amazon advertising console. Alternatively, you can decrease bids/budgets of low-performing campaigns and instead use the budget for higher-performing campaigns.

If you’re underspending, you can increase the visibility of your existing campaigns and well-performing keywords. You can also create a new campaign for products that don’t have a sponsored ad yet.

Advertised ASINs

Boost your sales by removing underperforming ASINs; learn to let go to reach satisfactory sales performance. How can you trace this? Review your advertised product reports and look for performance metrics that have:

• The highest ACoS
• The lowest RoAS
• A high CTR but low sales

Moreover, you can also track bestselling ASINs by doing the opposite. Advertise those ASINs with the lowest ACoS and highest RoAS.

But if your objective is to maximize brand awareness, ensure your advertised ASINs have passed the retail readiness test. A retail-ready ASIN has the following characteristics:

• Accurate and descriptive advertised product titles
• High resolution and accurate advertised product images
• More than a 3.5-star review rating
• More than 15 reviews
• Enhanced Brand Content
• Adequate stock in your inventory

Keywords

If you have any understanding of the digital marketing strategies of Amazon, you’ll know that one is to focus on customer experience relentlessly. The online shopping titan’s mission is “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.” Take note that it isn’t seller-centric but customer-centric. 

This is why Amazon holds high regard for relevant keywords. When a customer enters a keyword in the search box, Amazon only displays relevant information related to the customer’s search term. Amazon serves to please its customers, and you should, too.

If you notice some of your keywords need to perform better, you must optimize them immediately. Here are the tips you should consider doing:

• Delete underperforming keywords by identifying keywords with the highest ACoS and lowest RoAS in the target reports. 
• Add negative match keywords to prevent yourself from paying for unwanted clicks. These keywords are those with low sales, high ACoS, and/or low RoAS.
• Run automated Sponsored Product campaigns to gather high-performing customer searches. Add these newfound keywords to your manual campaigns.

Bids

Amazon operates in a real-time auction environment to decide which ads to display based on their bid price. The general rule is the seller with the highest bid grabs the top spot in the search results, followed by the second highest, and so forth. Besides the bid price, the product’s relevance or keyword also matters.

• Decrease bids on low-performing keywords with low conversion rates. Lower the bid to just below the average CPC. 
• If you want to improve awareness or impressions, increase bids on keywords with high conversion rates, low average CPC, and low ACoS.
• You can appear in more placements by increasing bids. Identify Sponsored Brand campaigns with low ACoS and/or high RoAS by checking the placement data to maximize your ad placements.

Amazon Advertising Reports With Seller Interactive

Once you have mastered reading and interpreting your Amazon advertising report data, the possibilities to optimize and manage your Amazon paid ads are endless. However, remember that optimization is a continuous process and not just a one-time thing. Make it a habit to review and analyze your overall performance data regularly. In this way, you can build a successful and thriving Amazon business. Do you need more conversions from your Amazon PPC campaigns? Partner with a campaign manager now. Seller Interactive has a team of expert Amazon consultants willing to help you with Amazon paid ads management.

 

Multiple fees, not having 100% control of your inventory, remote warehouses—it’s so easy to get lost in the web of Amazon FBA. But on the world’s largest e-commerce platform, it's also natural to wonder if FBA can help your online business take off. Is Amazon FBA worth it? Let’s weigh your options in this detailed guide.

How the Amazon FBA Program Works

Amazon FBA, or Fulfillment by Amazon, is a service that allows you to outsource order fulfillment to Amazon. This includes storage, packing, and shipping on behalf of sellers. On top of these services, Amazon also takes charge of customer service, such as returns, refunds, reimbursements, and replacements.

The following is an overview of how Amazon FBA works:

1. Amazon FBA sellers prepare the items;
2. The seller sends the products to Amazon’s fulfillment centers;
3. Customers check out an item;
4. Amazon prepares the package per your instructions; and 
5. Amazon ships out the parcel and ensures it reaches the buyer in excellent condition within the expected delivery time.

Amazon FBA Fees

It's essential to be aware of the costs associated with Amazon FBA. These include various fees, such as inventory storage, fulfillment fees, and removal fees, if you decide to have your products returned to you. Carefully analyze these fees to ensure that using Amazon FBA aligns with your business strategy and profitability goals.

Selling Plans

If you use an Individual Plan, you will be charged $0.99 for each unit sold. On the other hand, the Professional Plan charges a monthly subscription fee of $39.99 regardless of the number of units sold.

Fulfillment Service Fees

Amazon charges FBA fees for its services, including storing, picking, packing, and shipping your products. These fees typically range from 30-40% of your product's price, and they depend on the size and weight of your product. 

Storage Fees

Amazon also charges monthly inventory and long-term storage fees. These are based on all items stored in the fulfillment center, measured in volume (cubic feet) and calendar month.

Additional Fees

There are also fees attributed to additional services, such as returns processing, removal and disposal order, and unplanned services. 

Amazon FBA vs. FBM

When planning your e-commerce business on Amazon, it's essential to understand the differences between Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). Each has its benefits and drawbacks, impacting your order fulfillment process and overall strategy.

FBM, or Fulfillment by Merchant, is recommended for small-scale businesses that sell below 40 products monthly. This doesn’t include in-house services and benefits. FBM sellers will need to handle everything themselves at every step of the business—starting from product conceptualization, logistics and shipping costs, to customer care and management. This may sound like a lot of hard work, but it also has advantages. 

FBM works best for Amazon sellers who want to sell large-sized products and offer a more hands-on approach to handling customer transactions and concerns. Timed and strategized correctly, an FBM business can mean more profit at less expense.

Amazon fulfillment, on the other hand, is perfect for Amazon sellers with small products that sell fast and efficiently. Despite the differences, a seller can register for both services for the different products they offer.

Amazon Seller Responsibility

With Amazon handling the logistics and management for your business, you can now focus on developing your brand and products. Here are some of the responsibilities that remain when a seller goes FBA:

Product Research and Development

When starting an Amazon FBA business, you need to conduct thorough product research to find a profitable niche. This involves analyzing market trends, demand, competition, and potential profit. You can use various analytics tools, such as Helium 10 and Jungle Scout, for this step.

With millions of available products on Amazon, you have to make sure that your products and brand are recognizable among the competition. Focus on your target audience's preferences to ensure your product offers a unique selling point.

Inventory and Stock Replenishment

As a business owner, it is also your responsibility to ensure the smooth operation of your business. This includes making sure that products are well-stocked in Amazon fulfillment centers according to customer demand. 

If your product sells fast, make sure to regularly keep tabs on your inventory. A healthy inventory is one of the deciding factors in Amazon's ranking system, and a poor inventory can negatively affect your listing.

To streamline your inventory storage, consider utilizing FBA inventory management tools provided by Amazon Seller Central. 

Product Listing Creation

Before sending your products to the Amazon fulfillment center, you must put up a listing on the website. In doing so, you must ensure that your listing is SEO-friendly. Your product listing must include the following:

• High-quality images
• Informative and engaging product descriptions
• Relevant keywords to optimize listings for search
• Accurate product information in the appropriate categories

Ensure your listing adheres to Amazon's guidelines and provides a clear understanding of your product to potential customers. Invest in professional product photography and copywriting to increase your chances of converting visitors into buyers.

Marketing

After your product listing goes live and you’ve shipped enough stock to a fulfillment center, it's time to implement marketing strategies that drive traffic, increase sales, and build a loyal customer base. Consider using Amazon Advertising to help improve product visibility for potential customers.

Besides on-platform advertising, build your ecommerce brand outside of Amazon through social media, content marketing, and email campaigns. Offering exclusive discounts during peak shopping periods like Black Friday or for Prime membership users can incentivize purchases and increase customer loyalty. 

Remember to continuously analyze your marketing efforts' performance and make data-driven strategies for the best results.

How do I start an Amazon FBA business?

To start selling on Amazon, you must first have an Amazon seller account. You can use this account to register for FBA through Amazon Seller Central. 

Once your account is set up, research potential products to sell. Look for items that have a good demand and consider the profit margins. Bear in mind that not all products are eligible for FBA. Find a reliable supplier who can provide quality items at competitive prices. Establish a strong relationship with your supplier for a smooth business process. 

Prepare your inventory for shipment by carefully packing and labeling each product according to Amazon's requirements. Failure to meet these guidelines may result in additional fees or delays in processing your shipment.

Finally, send your products to one of Amazon's fulfillment centers. 

Starting an Amazon FBA business requires dedication, research, and wise investments. With proper planning and execution, you can have a successful online business in the competitive ecommerce landscape.

Advantages of Using the Amazon FBA Program

At this point, you may already be assessing whether or not selling on Amazon through the FBA program is a good choice. We’ll help you weigh your options so you can make the decision. Here are some of the advantages you can leverage with FBA:

More Time on Your Hands

By signing up for the FBA, you can focus on growing your business while remaining competitive in the Amazon marketplace. You get to sleep comfortably, knowing that Amazon professionals are taking care of your customers' needs and concerns 24/7. You also save time by not stressing out about customer returns and going to and from courier offices to ship your items.

Prime Eligibility

Did you know that Amazon already has more than 200 million Prime subscribers? More and more buyers subscribe to Prime because of its free and fast shipping benefits, among many other privileges. In addition, having the 'Fulfillment by Amazon' tagged to your brand automatically earns consumers' trust.

Higher Chances of Getting the Buy Box

The Buy Box can be found on the lower right side of a product page and is responsible for 80%-90% of Amazon sales. This is why brands fight tooth and nail to have it. Registering for FBA won't guarantee you'll get a Buy Box, but it will give you better chances than those who are not registered.

Huge Customer Base

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, and it makes sense to leverage this platform to scale your business. Enrolling your products in the FBA program pushes your chances for success further through exclusive FBA perks and increased visibility.

Disadvantages of Amazon FBA

Though selling on Amazon through FBA has its perks, it isn't for everyone. For starters, FBA would benefit Amazon sellers selling at least 40 items a month. For accounts with fewer online sales, FBA might consume the profit as payment for the service. 

Here are some more disadvantages of Amazon FBA:

Minimal Control After Shipping Products

Once you send your products to Amazon, you let the company take over 99% of the time. They will be handling most of your customer concerns 24/7, giving you less control over resolving customer complaints. 

Amazon FBA Costs Money

FBA charges for virtually every move you make on the platform. Whether removing or disposing of stock from the fulfillment center or storing them longer than expected, unexpected service fees can add up and eat into your profits.

As an online business owner, you must be wise in your pricing decisions to ensure your products are affordable and you do not pay avoidable fees. Get a full financial picture so your online store succeeds with healthy cash flow. The current sellers' profit can still be stretched with proper planning.

Is Amazon FBA worth it?

As an ecommerce business owner, you might be considering Amazon FBA for your fulfillment needs. When evaluating the potential benefits of using this service, it is crucial to look at various aspects, including profit margins and customer service.

Selling Products with Amazon FBA can help boost businesses. However, for a small-scale Amazon FBA seller, you need to ensure that you get the full privileges that the business model offers. 

Let the dedicated team of Seller Interactive help you get started with FBA or decide if the program is feasible for your business! Email us at [email protected] today.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is vital on Amazon. Its algorithm has an ever-changing nature, affecting the likelihood of successful PPC campaigns. Sellers also need clarification on where to bid their money or how to strategize for sales growth. Unless you are an established brand or an Amazon PPC expert, putting up a listing without doing PPC can stall your business.

Understandably, Amazon sellers need clarification on where to bid their money or how to strategize for sales growth. If you’re a startup business and also not well-versed in PPC, don’t worry. You can always ask for the assistance of an Amazon expert. To give you an overview of paid ads and how Amazon PPC management services can help you, read on.

What is a PPC advertisement on Amazon?

PPC advertising is Amazon's internal advertising system that displays your product in different parts and formats across the Amazon website and its affiliated external platforms. It aims to increase brand traffic and exposure and requires you to pay per number of clicks. Below are the three different types of Amazon PPC ads:

Sponsored Products

Amazon Sponsored Products allow you to feature a specific product on the shopping results or the product details page. These ads could be automated or manual. Amazon's system will make the campaign's adjustments for you in real-time based on the performance of automated targeted ads. For the manually targeted ads, you will have to monitor and adjust on your own.

Sponsored Brands

Sponsored Brands or headline search ads are self-service ads that allow you to feature your logo, a message, and three of your products. This banner has a link that can redirect the buyer to your brand's page. To run advertising campaigns for Sponsored Brands, your Amazon store must have at least three registered products under your brand.

Sponsored Display

A Sponsored Display allows you to show your products to your page visitors, including those outside the Amazon website. Buyers can see your advertisement across multiple third-party websites and apps, including blogs and social networking sites. The product you're promoting, however, should be a registered item.

What do I need to prepare?

To be able to run a profitable PPC campaign, you must have

• an active Professional seller account, and
• Certain number of products registered under Amazon's Brand Registry.*

*The quantity of registered products needed depends on the PPC campaigns and ads you want to run. Sponsored Brands require at least three registered products, Sponsored Products require just one, while Sponsored Display doesn’t have a specific minimum requirement.

What does it take to succeed in PPC on Amazon?

Now that you know what a PPC ad is, the next step is to learn what it takes to succeed in paid ads. Below are some of the things you must consistently do when running an advertising campaign:

1. Establish your goals

A successful PPC management plan includes solid, specific goals. You should know precisely what you want to achieve: exposure, traffic, or conversion. This will help you map out your strategy, determine your budget, forecast your investment return, and determine if investing in PPC is worth it.

2. Optimize your listing

Listing optimization is a crucial factor affecting Amazon PPC management. SEO optimization entails prioritizing relevant keywords, high-quality and engaging photos, and well-written copies to incorporate into your listing. Before you run your ad campaigns, ensure that your listing is optimized in all areas to achieve maximum results.

3. Conduct keyword research

When setting up a campaign, Amazon will suggest keywords related to the products you're boosting (for automatic campaigns). You can choose from those suggestions or bid on keywords based on your research. There can be no guarantee as to how well a keyword can perform. This is why there are Amazon PPC experts who have done enough research to determine the right combination of words that the Amazon algorithm can easily pick up.

4. Consult an Amazon PPC expert

As mentioned above, determining a keyword's performance can be tricky, as Amazon's ever-changing algorithm influences it. Since advertising is more of a requirement than an option when selling on Amazon, bidding can also affect how your keywords will perform. 

With all the uncertainty that Amazon's algorithm provides, it is more convenient to hand over the job to an actual Amazon PPC expert to eliminate wasted ad spend and get the maximum return on your investment.

How can an Amazon PPC expert help?

At this point, you might already be overwhelmed by the amount of work running a PPC ad will require. After all, running a business has many other aspects besides advertising. The following are some of the principal functions that an Amazon PPC expert can help you with as you focus on other aspects of your business.

Strategic planning

A sound marketing strategy is essential for any business, but it's especially true for Amazon PPC. This involves identifying trends, analyzing competitors, and studying target audience preferences, which helps you develop a good keyword bid strategy. Having a PPC professional perform this task saves you a great deal of time and money in the long run.

Besides creating keyword bid strategies, PPC experts also study negative keywords that may hurt your chances of being seen by your target audience. This PPC campaign strategy is not only for one particular product or keyword; your PPC consultant must also perform this task for every other product in your online store.

Product photography and branding

Product images influence most online buyers' decisions. And since Amazon listings limit the number of photos for display, it is essential to maximize these limitations. Ensure your photos are attention-grabbing enough to earn your product page a click.

In addition, although unknown to many, product photos contribute to a well-optimized listing. They should be high-quality and have a proper file name, alt text, and file type. Amazon PPC experts know how to use product images and proper branding to earn clicks and convert them into sales, so you can work with them to accomplish this.

Search engine optimization

With millions of products available on Amazon, search results ranking is determined by keywords and performance. Your product will only appear in the search results if your listing contains the right keywords, and your ranking will not be that high if your performance is low.

This is where search engine optimization, or SEO, comes in. Amazon PPC experts use data, tools, and analytics to examine Amazon users' buying behavior. This allows them to target the audience for your listings and provide a personalized shopping experience. 

Keyword analysis

Amazon PPC experts perform intensive research to identify which keywords work best with your product based on relevance and search queries. Search terms determine if you appear in the search result, while performance tells how high or low you rank. With the help of research and split tests, PPC experts can unravel how to rank keywords on Amazon that work in favor of your listings.

Ads management

Beyond setting up your PPC ad, Amazon PPC experts manage the project's overall flow. They monitor performance, revise campaigns, monitor ad spending, ensure investment return, and troubleshoot issues should the need arise. This also includes frequent split-testing of strategies to find the best combination for your business.

PPC advertising tools expertise

The tools required for optimizing your PPC campaigns can be costly and complex. Having an amateur using those tools will only waste your time and resources. Worse, it may even cause long-term issues to your business. Hiring a veteran well-versed in these tools can help you minimize the risk of error and significantly raise your investment return. 

Should you get a PPC expert?

The short answer is yes.

Just a disclaimer: while getting a PPC specialist is not a foolproof way to meet your campaign goals, you can minimize failing to pick the right one by looking for the following:

• Extensive knowledge of Amazon PPC through education, training, experience, and certifications
• Proactive in the Amazon PPC scene, such as showing keen interest and being up-to-date with the latest changes in the regulations
• Have great reviews from clients on different platforms. These include Google reviews, which have a lot of feedback from customers and businesses alike. Another option is Clutch, a more B2B-centered feedback platform.

When looking for someone to manage your PPC ads, you may encounter agencies with those qualities. Knowing what traits to look for in an expert will align you with the best Amazon PPC professional capable of propelling your business to greater heights.

Let our Amazon PPC experts help you!

Setting up a PPC campaign is something a seller can definitely do. However, if you don't have enough knowledge about how the Amazon marketplace works, it may take you extra time and cash to navigate through the process. This is only feasible if you have time and money to spend. 

But if you’re on a budget and need to gain more profit as soon as possible, it is best to ask for help from an Amazon PPC management agency. Agencies like Seller Interactive have a team of well-rounded experts that can help you thrive in various fields of Amazon, including PPC.Selling on Amazon can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. With the best Amazon PPC strategy created with an industry expert's guidance, your ROI will surely rise. Contact us today so we can start assisting you.

Small brands and businesses are winning on the largest eCommerce platform in the world, and it’s easy to see why. Amazon sales rose to USD 475 billion in 2020, and more than half came from third-party sales. This is quite encouraging for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to grow their Amazon business. 

But with Amazon’s undeniable popularity, the platform has become a breeding ground for unscrupulous sellers engaging in black hat practices. These fraudulent individuals enter the market to copy the brand’s products and sell them as their own but at a lower quality.

Such practices negatively impact the business, hence the need for an Amazon brand protection program. One way to do this is by registering with the Amazon brand registry. 

This article delves into the significance of this form of protection and how it can benefit you as a brand owner.

4 Problems Caused by Unscrupulous Behavior

Unauthorized sellers are becoming a widespread problem on Amazon's eCommerce platform, requiring brand owners to prioritize product protection. This has led to numerous lawsuits against Amazon from affected businesses.

In response, Amazon introduced the Brand Registry program, where sellers make their brand registered under Amazon to protect their intellectual property against counterfeiters.

Amazon’s brand protection services instill confidence in sellers with its dedicated internal team. Sellers can now contact them for suspected counterfeiters or hijackers, listing concerns, and policy violations.

By enrolling in the program, Amazon sellers can address a range of issues, including:

1) Counterfeiters and Hijackers

Hijackers and counterfeiters are two types of Amazon users you don’t want to deal with. They are committed to ruining one’s products, listing, and credibility. Black hats can wreck everything you’ve worked hard for.

Hijackers look for listings that are dormant but have rich reviews. They ‘hijack’ accounts to rank quicker by skipping the hassle of getting reviews. Counterfeiters, on the other hand, are unauthorized resellers of a product. They can also sell a replica of a seller’s original products. 

2) Loss of Trust

When buyers encounter Amazon listing hijackers, they receive low-quality or counterfeit products from these sellers. It will harm your relationship with these customers because they will leave bad reviews on the product listing. In the long run, they may avoid purchasing from your brand altogether, causing the business to suffer.

3) Tarnish your Brand's Reputation

Negative comments from disappointed customers can spread quickly and deter potential customers from purchasing your products in the future. It will tarnish your reputation and leave a false review on your brand. 

4) Low Sales

Unauthorized sellers may offer the product at a lower price, attracting customers looking for a bargain. Branded sellers can lose the Buy Box, and their sales will suffer. Ultimately, this can lead to a decrease in revenue and hinder business growth.

6 Amazon Brand Registry Benefits You Can Expect

Luckily, Amazon’s Brand Registry is here, and they are now established both for sellers and customers. Sellers can legitimize the ownership of their brand by registering. If there are any copycats of the products, the registry is proof that they are the authorized seller of the brand. 

Buyers will be confident purchasing authentic items made from a trusted source.

Let’s further explore the benefits you can expect from this program:

It Builds Credibility With Customers

When starting a business and contemplating the details of your products, your customers should always come first. Answer the four W’s and one H:

• What do customers need?
• When do they need it?
• Where will they see your product quickly?
• Why are your goods worth their money?
• How will they acquire what you are offering?

Ensure you can deliver on your promises. Aim for loyalty by providing quality products and services. 

One of the ways to do this is through the Amazon Brand Registry benefit of “Transparency.”

“Transparency is a product serialization service that helps identify individual units and proactively prevent counterfeits from reaching customers.” - Amazon

With this service, your products will be issued barcodes that customers can scan using iOS and Android apps to check whether your product is original. These barcodes are marks that will keep your products untouchable to counterfeiters and credible to customers. 

It Protects the Brand from Product Hijacking

Almost all private label sellers fear being hijacked by third-party sellers. To prevent these malicious activities from occurring, Amazon allows them to report incidents. These threats will easily be eliminated. It also gives private label sellers the sole ownership of the Buy Box.

The program also provides you with additional predictive protections to remove counterfeited listings. Some examples of these unscrupulous behaviors are:

1. Product listing that isn't for your brand and uses your trademarked brand terms in their titles.
2. Images that contain your product images but aren't for any of your product listings.
3. Product listings using your brand name but aren't yours.
4. Sellers shipping products in locations where you aren't distributing or manufacturing your brand.

It Showcases a Professional Brand Image

With total control of your Amazon account, you can showcase your unique selling points, differentiate yourself from your competitors, and build brand recognition and customer loyalty. You can enhance your reputation on the platform by presenting a professional and consistent brand image.

You can also prevent unauthorized changes or updates to your product detail page, protecting your brand’s integrity and maintaining correct information about your offer. This, in turn, can avoid confusion or misunderstandings among customers and reduce the risk of negative reviews or feedback.

It Offers Marketing and Protection Resources

Another benefit of the Amazon Brand Registry program is that it gives you access to various marketing and protection tools. As a registered brand owner, you can use these to promote and protect your products. Some of the notable tools include:

• Enhanced Brand Content: Amazon Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) allows sellers to edit the product description using rich content and images. They can enhance the images and text to convey the brand's message.

• Project Zero: Project Zero allows brands to remove suspected counterfeits. Thanks to Amazon's machine learning, you can scan over 5 billion listings to check counterfeit items.

• Amazon Transparency: This application lets brands create an alphanumeric code for every product unit. Amazon scans these codes so only authentic products are shipped to customers.

It Provides Access to Reporting Tools

Through a brand dashboard, sellers can quickly search for counterfeit product listings that use their brand’s images, logo, or descriptions without permission. They can also track and monitor ASINs or product URLs containing potentially infringing content. 

With these brand registry tools, sellers can protect their intellectual property and enforce their rights on Amazon’s marketplace.

It Comes With a Dedicated Amazon Brand Protection Team

Amazon Brand Registry Support Team can help you with any questions or concerns related to your brand or the Brand Registry program. You can email or call them anytime, 24/7, for assistance.

How to Apply for the Amazon Brand Protection Program

Are you concerned about the Amazon Brand Registry cost? No need to worry, it is entirely FREE! Simply follow the steps and meet the requirements outlined below:

1) Review Your Documents

You need an active registered trademark to fulfill the Amazon Brand Registry process. Check if this is the same as the brand name. Remember, your trademark should also appear on the packaging and product itself.

2) Sign Up for Amazon Brand Registry

The trademark owners must be the ones to apply for the Brand Registry Program. If the owner is not available, an authorized agent is allowed. The owner must first enroll the agent as an additional user. Once done, you can now sign into the Brand Registry.

1. Use your existing Vendor or Amazon Seller Central account. If not, create it for free.
2. To verify a Brand Registry account, provide your legal/corporate information.
3. Validate your information via text/SMS.
4. Read and accept the terms and conditions.
5. Click Save.

3) Enroll Your Brand

To enroll your brand, you'll need to fill up these four criteria:

• Brand Eligibility: Provide details of the brand name, the brand logo, and the number of brand names to be registered.

• Intellectual Property: Select your trademark registration number, type, trademark name, and registration office.

• Identification: Upload the product images, brand logo, packaging images, website images, and social media images.

• Brand Information: Provide the vendor account details, manufacturing details, license details, and countries where your brand's products are manufactured and distributed.

You may now click the "Submit Application" button.

4) Validation of Information

After submitting your Brand Registry application, Amazon will review it to verify that you are the trademark's rightful owner. It will take them 2-10 days to validate your application. Eventually, your trademark office will receive a verification code from Amazon, and you have to contact them to forward it to you.

Once you have the code, log into your Amazon Seller Account, and type your respective case ID from the initial email. Click the View button, select the reply button, and type in the code. After completing these steps, the process should be completed within 1-2 working days.

Reminders on Amazon Brand Guidelines 

Now that you completed your Amazon brand registration brand process, you can proceed to expand your business. Grow through Amazon paid ads management and product ads, but don’t forget to study, understand, and follow Amazon brand guidelines to avoid being penalized.

When we say guidelines, it means your call-to-action (CTA), brand phrases, branding on and off Amazon, Amazon logos, icons, and pictures should all be used according to the instructions provided on the Amazon brand guidelines page.

This ensures you know the dos and don’ts when using Amazon product ads. The hassle of knowing and following these guidelines will eventually pay off because of the increase in your brand’s credibility, leading to a higher conversion rate. This is on top of the strategies you already implement for your Amazon product ads.

If you need help on these aspects, there are many reliable Amazon brand protection agencies you can count on. They can help you create a customized Amazon PPC for your brand. 

Key Takeaway

We don’t live in a perfect world, but we should always try our best. The same goes when selling on Amazon. Illegal doers will always be there, but legitimate sellers can stop hijackers and counterfeiters by ensuring they are registered for Amazon Brand Protection.
Here at Seller Interactive, we have a group of experts who can monitor the initial signs of unscrupulous behavior. To learn more about Amazon account protection, you may email [email protected].

SEO is the force that drives sales on Amazon, while A+ Content boosts it. Every time your SEO-optimized product sells, Amazon's A10 algorithm picks up on it and shows it to shoppers more often, increasing brand awareness and sales.

The growth process is an upward spiral that starts with an excellent SEO for Amazon. Optimizing product titles, descriptions, bullet points, images, and relevant backend keywords is a staple practice for any seller who wants to grow their product’s organic ranking. But to grab the attention of both A10 and the shoppers, your products must have an identity—a brand.

Enter the Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) program, now called A+, which promises to boost your listing's detail page sales by 5% or more. A+ flaunts new features such as a brand story module, enhanced comparison chart, and many others. It's definitely worth a shot.

The only information you need is how an Amazon seller can implement it on their listings. Let’s find out in this article.

What is A+ Content/Enhanced Brand Content?

A+ Content, formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content, is a tool that enables adding extra visual and descriptive elements to improve your product listings on Amazon. This includes customizing layouts with high-quality content to tell your brand story, highlight product features, drive the brand's unique selling point, or provide detailed instructions or usage tips.

What Can A+ Content Do?

One of the best features of Amazon's A+ content worth highlighting is the range of images you can use. You can create and upload the following on your A+ content:

• Standard company logo
• Image banners
• Enhanced comparison charts
• Images with text modules

You’ll find the images mentioned above in the available modules for A+ content. Amazon allows you to add up to seven modules, and it is accessible via Seller Central. Below is an overview of all 17 modules you can use.

17 A + Content Modules Available on Amazon
Company Logo	Add a standard brand logo to your content.
Image Text	This is the standard image with text. You can add up to four.
Four Images Quadrant	Get the standard four images with a quadrant.
Image Text (Light Text Overlay)	Add an image with a light text overlay on its headline.
Image Text (Dark Text Overlay)	Add an image with a dark text overlay on its headline.
Multiple Images (Module A)	A standard large image with additional four subordinate images each can have a caption and descriptive text.
Comparison Chart	Create a chart of up to six product ASINs and lay them out for comparison.
Single Image and Highlights	Lets you put an image to the left side of the section with the headline and the text to the right.
Image with Sidebar	Allows a single image with a center column that lets you put up to 500 text characters.
Single Image (Left)	Lets you have a single image on the left with headlines on the right side.
Single Image (Right)	Lets you have a single image on the right with headlines on the left side.
Three Images With Text	Gives you three images, each with a headline and a 1000-character text caption.
Image and Specs Detail	Add a single image with product information or specifications.
Text (Standard)	Gives you a standard headline and description.
Image Header With Text	Add a large image with a headline and description text
Standard Product Description Text	Gives you the capacity to add up to 6000 characters of description.
Standard Technical Specification	Lets you add a table with a maximum of 16 rows

Think of it as having your own mini website within your Amazon product listing. It allows you to showcase your products in a more engaging and informative way, giving your Amazon store a better brand story and its potential customers a better experience of your product offerings.

Visually captivating and information-packed content can turn heads faster than a double-take. 

What's awesome about A+ Content is it helps you stand out. Creating visually appealing and informative content can grab shoppers' attention and increase their purchase likelihood.

💡 It's important to note that you can exercise your creative freedom while using A+ so long as it is within Amazon's A+ content guidelines. Otherwise, it may be subject to review for up to seven days before a decision is reached.

Who is eligible for A+?

The A+ program is available to both vendors and sellers in the platform, though the details of the requirements and the processes are different. First, let's specify the differences between a vendor and a seller. Then, we'll discuss the difference in eligibility and processes. 

Vendors

As a vendor, Amazon buys and resells your products to its customers. Vendors automatically qualify for adding enhanced images and text. The A+ premium feature can add interactive content to your products that promise to separate them from the competition. 

Sellers

To use A+ content, sellers must be registered to the new Amazon Brand Registry program. It's extensive proof that you are the brand owners, manufacturers of products, distributors, or resellers of your product.  

If you are under one of Amazon's managed selling programs, such as Launchpad or Amazon Exclusives, you also automatically qualify for A+ if your products are registered. 

Finally, eligible brand registered sellers can use A+ content to any Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) they own according to the Global Catalog Identifier (GCID). The enhanced text and image features can be used for both parent and child ASINs. However, the products must be listed in one eligible category and in new condition. 

How can Amazon SEO benefit from A+?

The good thing about A+ is its ability to improve the aspects of basic Amazon product SEO and take them to a higher level. Besides positively impacting the search rankings in the platform, let's count four other ways A+ can benefit you as a seller. 

Higher Conversion Rate

SEO for Amazon is not just about getting a higher search ranking. The end goal is getting those customers to view your product detail page and click that buy button. It may not happen the first time they see your product. But if it stands out from the rest of the competition, you'll get them to come back, resolved to make the purchase.

People express their uniqueness through their consumption of products. 

Before shoppers are compelled to buy, they first have to be convinced that your product's identity is in line with their own. And in a platform full of multiple sellers for the same product, showing enhanced product content will help a great deal in making your customers choose to buy from you.

Through A+ enhanced content, you can satisfy your customers' desire for uniqueness and non-conformity. 

By presenting your products uniquely while providing details that remove objections, you have a better chance of matching their needs. Conversion eventually follows.

Less Returns

When you use enhanced text, image features, and accurate product information, customer complaints and returns decrease.

Giving buyers a comprehensive list of product features and benefits using Amazon A+ Content will better show them what they're getting into. This sets their expectations and allows them to make well-informed purchase decisions.

If your customer knows exactly what they'll be getting, they are less likely to return or complain about the product. As your own content manager, providing them exactly what you'll give them and presenting them using A+ content is a surefire way to earn trust and maintain credibility.

Naturally, on-page optimization using Amazon A Content is only one part of minimizing the likelihood of product returns.

The other part is delivering exactly what was presented online. To do this, you'll need to manage your Amazon FBA inventory.

Better Reviews

Informed purchase decisions make happy customers, which ultimately leads to better reviews. When people understand what they're buying and how it works, they're more likely to have realistic expectations. When they get what was promised, their satisfaction level is likely to be high.

Better reviews typically occur when the product meets or exceeds customer expectations. At the very least, however, your A+ content should keep too many negative reviews off your listings because having them may pull down your product ranking.

Feedback is one of the most important seller metrics in the customer-centric retail giant. So, keep that metric up by using your A+ content to build credibility, and you're on your way to thriving on this platform.

Cheaper Ads

You might wonder, "How does A+ Content help with PPC campaigns?" Well, it's all about grabbing the attention of potential customers and convincing them to click on your product. When you run PPC ads and get the top spot, eye-catching visuals and informative content (e.g., a comparison chart) will convince more people to buy.

A high conversion rate is crucial for sellers who rely on PPC campaigns for their products. Convincing more people to buy your products when they click on your ads reduces the ACoS (Average Cost of Service) and increases your ROI (Return On Investment) for Amazon ad campaigns.

Tips to Make the Most of A+ Content for Amazon SEO

To take advantage of A+ content, you must know how to use it effectively. You can't just use your old descriptions and hope to increase sales. Be creative in creating your overhauled content. 

Check out some tips below:

Showcase your product's benefits.

If you're no stranger to marketing, outlining your product's benefits is always at the top of any strategy. You must let your customers know why buying your product is a good idea. Put in as many unique selling points as you can without overreaching.

Provide relevant product details that drive purchase decisions.

Relevance is especially significant for bigger purchases. Emphasize the factors consumers would consider when buying, such as the pricing, quality of materials, and delivery speed. Accelerate their decision by explaining why your product is what they're looking for and managing their expectations simultaneously. This approach can convert browsers to buyers and reduce customer complaints.

Simplify your explanations.

As you specify more of your product's features, benefits, and functions, it gets harder to digest technical information. Break down that barrier for your buyers so they don't have to do it. Concentrate on a simple and concise explanation of your product's features, focusing on how these can help solve the customer’s problems.

Summarize the common questions asked by potential buyers.

You usually don't have the time to answer every query that customers may have. Instead of replying to every question, gather frequently asked questions and include their answers directly in your product listing. Doing so streamlines the information and creates a more efficient and informative description of what you sell.

Separate yourself from the competition.

Selling on Amazon is highly competitive. What differentiates a successful product from a mediocre one is how customers respond to it. Using A+ content is one of the ways to make your product stand out. Go further by outlining your product's advantages and unique features compared to the competition. 

If your office desk is three times stronger and half the price of your main competitors, mention that in your product content. It may seem like an outdated advertising tactic, but it has proven very effective until today.

Who can give me advice on using A+ content?

Now that we’ve established the usefulness of A+ content in your Amazon SEO strategy, the next step is to get the expert advice necessary for such a venture. If you need a more detailed plan for boosting your sales and making your products stand out, book a call. We can collaborate with you on every aspect of your sales strategy.

When you shop through retailer links on this page, we may earn affiliate commissions.

Knowing everything about the eCommerce industry is essential to creating a long-lasting brand and a successful business. One of the best ways to learn is to read books and materials that provide in-depth information on them. So what is the best eCommerce book every business owner must have on their shelves? 

Join us as we venture into a quest for must-read e-commerce books that can provide foolproof business strategies for aspiring entrepreneurs like you.

5-Factor Criteria For eCommerce Books

Any eCommerce book will tell its readers a little bit about the ins and outs of the industry. Still, not every book will help its readers thoroughly understand various principles and discuss what it means to truly excel in the field.

Hence, knowing what components to look for in eCommerce books is crucial for a business owner. Doing so will allow them to determine and choose which books can help them in their journey. 

We’ve listed five primary factors that business owners should be aware of when choosing eCommerce materials.

• Author
• Real-life examples
• Relevance and timeliness
• Focus/niche
• Book reviews 

Research the Author

The first aspect you should look into is the author. Similar to how you wouldn’t get yourself checked by a quack doctor, you wouldn’t read an eCommerce book from someone who doesn’t have the right qualifications and experience to write it.

The purpose of reading eCommerce books is to gain insights into the industry and knowledge on how to succeed in it. Studying texts and materials written by experienced professionals and experts well-versed in the subject matter is only right. 

Choose authors who are digital marketers with years of experience, marketing analysts with credible and reliable eCommerce data, and successful entrepreneurs who have built businesses and online brands from the ground up.

Read Books Based on Experience and Facts

In line with reading books written by credible authors, another factor to look into is whether or not the book is based on real-life experiences and facts. 

Like authors, books that cite and use real-life examples in their discussions are often more reliable and easier to understand because they offer practical lessons and insights. Your company can also reach similar milestones with valuable success stories to learn and get inspiration from.

Try looking for books based on actual case studies from reputable business owners and entrepreneurs. When in doubt, refer to the data.

Check Its Relevance and Timeliness

With how quickly the world and technology progress, it’s no surprise that relevance and timeliness secured a spot on our criteria. What may have been effective models for e-commerce businesses before may not be as helpful now, and what may be true years ago may mean nothing today.

For this reason, it’s crucial to read and learn from up-to-date and relevant materials to the industry’s current landscape. While they may provide some answers to current problems, eCommerce books written several years ago may also contain inaccurate and outdated information.

It’s best to choose books released within the last couple of years or updated with recent editions to ensure they reflect the latest trends and strategies in the ever-evolving marketplace.

However, it’s also worth noting that some books serve as classics, discussing eCommerce's timeless fundamentals and core concepts that provide valuable insights still applicable today. Though they may not cover the latest trends, these classic books can still offer enduring knowledge and help readers build a solid foundation for eCommerce learning.

Find Books with a Specific Focus and Niche

All eCommerce books may be useful to you in one way or another, but finding materials with specific focuses and niches is still more efficient. Books on particular topics may provide more in-depth discussions, helping you enhance your skills in specific areas. 

For instance, if your brand needs more improvement in marketing, you can search for books on social media marketing or advertising campaigns. 

Here are some interesting topics you can read and focus on:

• Selecting the right eCommerce platforms and business models
• Increasing customer engagement on social media
• Understanding digital marketing analytics
• Developing a brand story
• Ensuring seller and customer cybersecurity on Amazon

Read Their Reviews

Most importantly, just like any other product, reading and checking the book’s reviews before buying is crucial. 

Through these reviews, you can confirm how useful and informative the book is. You can gauge from other readers’ testimonials if the book can bring you something new to learn or if you’d rather just not waste your time reading it.

Besides reading reviews from fellow readers, browsing through reviews from official and reputable sites like The Guardian, The New York Times, and similar publications can further prove a book’s quality and credibility. 

Photo by Aliis Sinisalu on Unsplash

Finding the Best eCommerce Book: 5 eCommerce Books Every Online Seller Needs

The growth of e-commerce has been exponential, and though this is great for online businesses, this also means that sellers need to stay up-to-date and learn as much as they can about the trends, tools, and techniques that may be applied. 

Consumers are now clicking on ads, following influencers on social media, and buying from mobile devices. Online consumer behavior has undergone significant change in just less than a decade.

The only way for online sellers to stay on top of their game is to arm themselves with information regarding all aspects of e-commerce marketing. 

We have compiled five eCommerce books to transform anyone into an instant online marketing god. Read about why these books are essential!

Get Rich Click: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet

This book serves as a comprehensive guide to making money on the internet. Written by Marc Ostrofsky, an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Get Rich Click is one of the bestselling books on e-commerce and digital marketing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBHX-v4jQfM

By providing step-by-step instructions on setting up an online business and sharing tips and tricks to utilize social networking websites, Ostrofsky condensed all aspects of e-commerce marketing into 272 pages.

The book is comprehensive and in-depth, containing various case studies on the most successful online entrepreneurs. The best part is that it bridges the physical and the virtual world by providing QR codes within its pages. Readers who scan the codes will then be taken to video interviews with the people featured in the chapters.

Get Rich Click: The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet has been recognized as a bestselling book by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USAToday.

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Rich-Click-Ultimate-Internet-ebook/dp/B005C7BQ8Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build & Maintain a Successful Web-based Business

The title says it all. Janice Reynolds talks about everything an e-commerce marketer needs to know to succeed in any online marketplace. The chapters contain advice on planning, implementing strategies, and operating a successful online business. 

It covers the basics—from selecting the right tools to spreading the word about products and offers. Anyone who wants to learn about e-commerce marketing will significantly benefit from this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Commerce-Book-Successful-Web-based-ebook/dp/B00SC8HPZ0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1603130317&sr=1-2

Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising

Ryan Holiday, an American marketer and media columnist, has written various books about the intersection of media and marketing. Published in 2014, Growth Hacker Marketing springboards from his previous book, Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmw3TMy4Bjc

Holiday explores the rules of online marketing and how these rules may be broken in the name of growth. Holiday writes about companies that could expand without spending millions on marketing and advertising. 

By adopting the “growth hacker mindset,” Holiday explains that enterprises like Google, AirBnB, Facebook, and Evernote could create their own rules and change the game to their advantage.

https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Hacker-Marketing-Primer-Advertising-ebook/dp/B00EWPMUKM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1603130366&sr=8-1

Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams

The author, Jeff Walker, created the Product Launch Formula, a system that enables e-commerce sellers to develop realistic strategies to get to the widest audience possible. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-9HKzAIu7Q

The book is an easy read that gives valuable insights into building an online business from virtually nothing. By providing step-by-step instructions and inspiring stories, Walker created a bible for e-commerce sellers.

In 1996, Walker started his business from his basement. From what he calls the “internet dark ages,” he learned about the nitty-gritty of internet marketing and has helped thousands of entrepreneurs succeed on various e-commerce platforms. 

His wealth of experience and innovative solutions prove to be beneficial for anyone who wants to become big in e-commerce.

One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com

What better way to learn about e-commerce marketing than from Amazon, the king of e-commerce? Penned by Richard Brandt, this book delves into the decision-making process of Jeff Bezos as he led Amazon to become the biggest e-commerce platform in the world. 

Amazon was established in 1994 primarily to sell books. The online marketplace expanded to sell electronics, software, apparel, furniture, and even food. Today, the company and its subsidiaries generate annual revenue of almost 300 billion USD.

Describing Bezos' vision, the author writes that the goal “was not just to make browsing for books easy, but an enjoyable experience.” Any e-commerce marketer will greatly learn from the strategies that Amazon implemented on its road to success.

https://www.amazon.com/One-Click-Jeff-Bezos-Amazon-com-ebook/dp/B004IYIUS8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1603130464&sr=8-1

Final Thoughts

Many marketing operations have begun to take advantage of online platforms, especially due to community lockdowns and work-from-home setups. Due to this, e-commerce marketing has started to expand and evolve. 

These books, available on Amazon.com, provide holistic e-commerce marketing strategies to build brand awareness, increase customer loyalty, and drive continuous sales. 

These five books were written by industry experts and business leaders who have launched their own online empires and continue inspiring budding online entrepreneurs, ensuring that you, too, can develop and run a successful eCommerce business.

Online marketplaces are always busy, and learning about e-commerce marketing ensures you stay on top of your game. Marketers can take advantage of e-commerce platforms and social media, search engines, email campaigns, and other digital content. 

Trends are always changing, and new tools are constantly being used. The best way to thrive in e-commerce is to constantly learn and relearn the fundamentals.Get insights and advice on eCommerce from highly experienced Amazon experts with Seller Interactive. Contact us at 1-800-820-3746 and get started on your eCommerce journey!

With more than a million sellers joining yearly, signing up to sell on Amazon can be daunting. In 2023, there have been over 600,000 new sellers, and of the 2.5 million active sellers on the platform, only 10% have attained annual sales of $100,000, and 1% reached $1 million in sales.

Compared to established brands, small and medium business entrepreneurs can't help but scratch their heads and ask themselves, "How can I rank higher in the Amazon marketplace?"

Amazon-specific SEO services offer a plethora of solutions to assist business people to succeed in Amazon. Every business establishment needs to understand the basics and importance of Amazon products ranking on the first page. 

Conducting Keyword Research

Keyword research is just as necessary as product research. There are targeted portions of the product listing where keywords can be strategically placed. A buyer searches in words or phrases for product details they plan to purchase. Learning where and how to add keywords to the Amazon listing plays a crucial role in achieving high-ranking positions.

Identifying Relevant Keywords

Identifying a particular keyword is essential for a higher Amazon sales rank. Sellers need to understand that potential customers will most likely use search terms of relevant products to find theirs. One practical approach is to make use of Amazon's search results.

The relevant results of customer searches can provide you valuable insights into specific keywords you can use to improve your product's ranking on the search results pages.

Maximize The Use Of Keyword Research Tools

Another way of identifying the proper keywords is to use keyword research tools. These tools can help you identify which keywords have high and low competition. With your list of keywords, you can now strategically place them into product titles, descriptions, and backend keywords.

Keyword research can improve your product's visibility and organic product rank leading to more traffic and increased sales. Furthermore, keyword research tools can give you the current trends to constantly adjust your SEO strategy to achieve a high Amazon ranking.

Optimizing Product Title

One way how Amazon ranks their product is through product titles. Using target keywords that customers use with their search will help your product appear in organic search results and improve your seller ranking. Here are important tips when optimizing your product title.

Using High-Ranking Keywords

Incorporating high-ranking keywords in product titles is an effective strategy to attract customers. By researching relevant and most popular keywords in the same category where you sell products, you have a higher chance of appearing at the top of the search result.

Amazon's ranking algorithm can recognize the relevance between the search terms you use and the products. When used correctly, it can significantly improve your ranking. Remember to create titles that appear natural and appealing to the readers. It is also helpful to change them from time to time to ensure your product listings stay competitive.

Maintain Clarity and Relevance

Clear and concise product titles give potential customers a quick and accurate overview of your products. When writing product titles, remember that it is essential to avoid using misleading language that could confuse your shoppers. 

A thorough keyword research will help you analyze your customer's search behavior and allow you to incorporate the right keywords and relevant titles to attract the right customers, likely increasing your conversion rate and organic ranking.

Crafting Compelling Product Descriptions

Let's be real; not everyone has the patience to scroll down to check out the description, but those who do are serious about knowing all the ins and outs of the product. Take advantage of the character capacity in this section to naturally integrate keywords.

Here are tips to help you craft descriptions for your product listings to improve your Amazon organic rank.

Highlight Key Features In The Product Detail Page

Product descriptions are how you persuade your customers when selling products on Amazon. You are only allowed a limited amount of characters for descriptions, so make sure to use the most out of it. 

Focus on your product's key features. Whether it's the design, functionality, or competitive prices, emphasizing your product's unique features will help customers understand the value of your products. Use bullet points and subheadings to enhance your description's readability so your customers can scan the description.

Keep It Unique and Engaging

Product descriptions may be short, but keeping them engaging is still helpful. Using persuasive language, adding storytelling elements, and highlighting good reviews from previous customers can significantly increase product sales.

Optimizing Product Images

Another major factor that helps get your Amazon product on the first page is the quality of product photos uploaded to the listing. With the boom of eCommerce bringing out innovation crafted from the traditional marketing of the pre-online marketplace era, one consistent thing is visual aids.

In conventional marketing, companies and businesses allot thousands of dollars to put up a billboard, magazine, or newspaper ad that stimulates targeted consumers. The same principle still applies to the online marketing platform. If anything, it is as equally essential as the placement of keywords. 

Use High-Quality Images

The quality of your product photos can affect your ecommerce sales. Since customers can only physically touch your products once they are delivered, they will depend on product photos to determine if they are worth buying. High-quality images are important to your seller rank and improve customer satisfaction.

Pointers When Uploading Images:

• Ensure it is in high resolution, preferably 1000x pixels. Amazon allows the customer to zoom in. Posting a high-quality image enables the buyer to look into the details of the product.
• Show different angles of the product. When doable, putting up various positions of the product affords the consumer to scrutinize the product.
• Have a white background. The clear background catches the customer's attention and draws their eyes directly to the product.
• Use keywords in the caption. Remember the indispensable role of keywords? Selecting profitable words to caption the product image can help boost one's Amazon rankings.
• Image file format should be in JPEG (.jpg) or TIFF (.tif) format. PNG format is also accepted for non-apparel products.
• Ensure that the images comply with copyright and trademark laws. Do not use logos, watermarks, or other text or graphics violating intellectual property rights.
• Images should accurately represent the product being sold. Avoid misleading or deceptive visual representations that may misinform customers about the product's appearance or features.

Take A Peek At Your Competitors

Do you ever wonder how best sellers rank? One of the best ways to improve Amazon's product ranking is to study and analyze what your top competitors do. 

Look for the sellers ranking and see who's on top. What are their strategies? Look at their historical sales data, pricing, and customer engagement practices to gain insights to help increase your sales rank.

It also helps to look through their customer reviews to see key pain points your shop can improve. Studying your top competitors does not ultimately mean you need to copy their strategy down to the last bit. Look for areas you can improve upon so you can rank differently and better than them.

Take Advantage Of Amazon Advertising

If you aim to be the best seller on the online platform, maximize Amazon’s advertising options to enhance your product listings. There are several advertisements sellers can use—from sponsored product ads and headline search ads to product display ads; use them to appear on the first page of Amazon.

Here are some reasons sellers should use Amazon advertising for product ranking.

• Using Amazon advertisements gives you a competitive advantage. Not all sellers use advertisements, and once you use sponsored ads on Amazon, you can guarantee a higher ranking.
• Amazon advertisements provide sellers insights into customer behavior, search trends, and campaign performance. These data points will help you continuously optimize your strategies for better rankings.

Use External Marketing Strategies

External marketing efforts such as social media advertising, influencer collaborations, content marketing, Google ads, email marketing, or campaigns on external websites can drive traffic and sales to Amazon product listings. 

Higher sales velocity with increased traffic tells Amazon's algorithm that the product is popular and in demand, potentially leading to improved rankings. But while external marketing can influence product rankings, it is crucial to comply with Amazon's policies and guidelines regarding external traffic generation. 

Maintaining a holistic approach that combines external marketing efforts with effective Amazon-specific optimization is key to achieving and improving product rankings on Amazon.

Keep Stocks Sufficient

The last thing a customer wants is when the products are unavailable. Every seller should be diligent in monitoring their inventory levels as stocks running out can lower sales rank.

Secondly, this results in a negative experience for the users. So invest in tools that can help with sales estimates. It's always helpful to look at your sales history to anticipate how many sales you can project and always have stocks in your inventory.

Bottom Line

Running a business takes up a lot of time. As much as every business owner wants to run everything themselves, it is impossible. With Amazon's customer-centric principle, along with the constant changes in consumer trends and patterns, seeking assistance from service providers, who will keep a close eye on the brand just like theirs, is a huge help. 
Seller Interactive can help you grow your business and keep you on top of your game. If you need help, contact [email protected] and talk to one of our Account Managers for a free consultation.

Although Seller Interactive does provide free resources, such as webinars, podcasts, and valuable website content that benefits businesses, it might not be  enough to rely on, when  gaining knowledge on how to best sell products on Amazon. Sometimes all it takes to be successful on the platform is to hire an Amazon consultant who will provide personalized suggestions tailored to your business model. 

Since the e-commerce platform has become quite crowded and competitive, that’s all the more reason for businesses to partner with an Amazon expert who can not only guide you in how best to sell on Amazon but ensures that your product listings gain traction and generate sales. 

Hiring an Amazon consultant is a significant investment. Partnering with an Amazon expert can free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business. It is an investment in not only your products and sales but also your time. It is vital to select one that understands your products and business. They should not only have a proven track record of success but also be up to date with the latest changes in the Amazon landscape and offer strategies accordingly. Here we will provide insight into the role of an Amazon consultant and what to look for when selecting one.

What is an Amazon consultant?

The role of an Amazon consultant or agency is to help businesses increase sales on their Amazon product listings. There are several services (we'll cover those later on) that they offer, which are tailored to their clients' needs. Amazon consultants are better equipped with the tools and resources required to bring your product listings to the top pages in Amazon. They are also experienced in this field and thus are able to suggest relevant strategies to boost your sales. Some consultants will have experience in your particular niche of products and that would be very beneficial to your business.

How to select the right Amazon consultant?

There are a lot of options to choose from when it comes to choosing an Amazon seller consultant that is right for your business. The following points or questions are good to ask a consultant when you are planning to collaborate:

Experience

This is a no-brainer. When you partner with a company that has years of experience, you can expect your products are in safer hands. Be sure to look at the company's portfolio or ask them for any recent case studies. Better yet look at case studies on projects related to your industry that they have worked on. With experience in selling on Amazon comes superior guidance and hence higher ROI. 

Look at Seller Interactive’s portfolio to get an idea of what to look at when you’re researching for an Amazon marketing consultant. Some agencies may not publicly post their work, maybe due to NDA reasons, but it is always better to ask them to take a look at some examples of their success stories. 

Services

There are a lot of services that an Amazon consultant can offer. For example, the image below shows a list of Amazon-related services offered by Seller Interactive. You will notice the diverse offerings that are present; from Search Engine Optimization to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertisements, there are several areas an Amazon seller consultant can focus on, and along with the consultant, you can verify what services you actually require. 

Let's look at a few popular Amazon-related services you could choose, if you were to select the Amazon Seller Account Management service:

• Amazon SEO: For this particular service, an Amazon optimization consultant (an expert in Amazon Search Engine Optimization) would focus on optimizing your business’s product listings on Amazon. This is done to achieve an improved ranking of your products, bringing you to the first few search pages and thus generate more sales.
• Amazon PPC: Since Amazon is known to be a competitive online marketplace, there are certain strategies that must be taken to push your product to the top pages. One of them is the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) feature. Not using this feature could result in more damage to your e-commerce business than you using it, as you miss out on a great revenue stream and hurt your sales. It's important to get Amazon PPC Specialists who have the know-how of producing creative advertising campaigns; campaigns that are strategically designed to nudge your buyers into eventually purchasing your products. Amazon even has its own advertising platform called Amazon Advertising, which includes Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Product Display Ads; all various options of marketing your products designed to help improve visibility.
• Account Management:  Here, consultants offer support in optimization, forecasting, customer service, Amazon support ticket handling, etc. in order to give the best care to your account health as well as to scale your business in a sustainable manner.

Resources

When considering an Amazon expert, keep in mind that they most likely have tools and other resources at their disposal, which you may not have. Different tools exist for different services. For instance, in SEO, popular tools, such as Moz or Buzzsumo are utilized for keyword research purposes when creating content that will earn you clicks. But these tools come at a cost, so it may be wise to instead invest in an Amazon consultant who has the tools and knows how to use them. They could even teach you how to use these valuable tools and generate your own reports.

Pricing

Of course, no matter how excellent the consultant or the service is, it all comes down to how much it’s going to cost. It's vital that you partner with an Amazon consultant that understands and meets your budget. Most would provide you with a quote. This quote generally depends on the type of service, but also the size of the product line-up. Check out this agency; they will set up a meeting to understand your business and then give you a reasonable quote.

Questions and Answers

The questions that you ask an Amazon consultant or an agency as well as the questions you get asked matter. The scope, size, and standards of an agency will be different from a single consultant. You'll want to ask questions related to timelines, strategies that would best fit your company, scope of client involvement in this process, the collaboration between your team and theirs, major challenges to be prepared for, and so on.

On the other hand, be prepared to answer questions related to your goals, target market, budget, products you wish to promote, and your Amazon experience. The more they answer your questions, and the more they ask you could show that they not only could be an ideal fit for your business, but also care for it as well.

Key Take-away

Now you are better prepared when approaching Amazon consultants to grow your business. Growing your e-commerce business on Amazon can be very profitable, and it is so important to get the right people on board who can help you achieve that. Putting trust in an Amazon consultant would take some load off your chest, giving you time to focus your energy on other areas of the business.

Always remember,when you are looking to partner with an Amazon marketing consultant, check out their experience, services offered, resources they have, the cost involved, and whether the conversation that the both of you are having tells you that they are an ideal fit for your business.

If you are curious to know more about Amazon-related services or pricing, talk to an Amazon seller account specialist at Seller Interactive. You could also schedule a call by contacting us at [email protected].

There are several strategies for selling on Amazon, and one of them is PPC for ecommerce. Yes, one of the world's largest ecommerce websites has an ad platform that allows sellers to build brand awareness and generate more sales.

You've probably hopped onto this article to either understand:

• What Amazon PPC is
• Why it's important for your ecommerce business
• To find out the best strategy for marketing on Amazon

Let Seller Interactive touch on the points mentioned above. Keep reading to discover how you can increase sales through PPC advertising.

What Is Amazon PPC?

First off, PPC stands for pay-per-click. Hence, Amazon PPC is an advertising strategy done through Amazon's own ad platform called Amazon Advertising. In this model, sellers like yourself will pay Amazon only when a customer clicks on your ad. So, if users see the ad without clicking, you won't get charged.

These ads show up on Amazon's online platform. This proven advertising method brings your ads in front of potential customers, increasing your chances for them to purchase your product. Learn the many terms associated with Amazon advertising to familiarize yourself with the process.

How to Set up Ads on Amazon 

Most Amazon vendors use three ad format options:

• Sponsored Products: For promoting specific products. These ads appear in the regular search results on Amazon and tell users they are 'sponsored' within the ad. You can target these ads by keyword or product category. This option has the most sales-per-click because they blend in beside other products in the search results.
  
• Sponsored Brands: For promoting your brand and showcasing up to three products. These ads are seen above the regular search results.
   
• Sponsored Display: For displaying ads to customers having interest in a specific product or category. These look similar to other display ads you might have seen online. Unlike the above two options (which are paid on a cost-per-click basis), Sponsored Display Ads are paid on a cost-per-thousand impression basis, (i.e., you pay for every 1000 people that see your ad.)

Here’s a brief step-by-step guide on how to set up your paid ads on Amazon:

1. In your Amazon Seller Central, go to the “Advertising” tab and click on the “Campaign Manager” from the drop down.
2. Click the “Create Campaign” button on the lower left side of the graph.
3. Select the ad format of your choice. In this example, we’re going to click the “Continue” button on the “Sponsored Products” section.
4. Enter your campaign name in the bar. Your campaign name should preferably follow a naming convention if you have many SKUs. This is something you’ll want to think about so it’s easier for you to organize and manage your ads. You also have to set up the following:
   1. Start: The date your campaign will start running.
   2. End: The date your campaign will stop running.
   3. Daily Budget: How much you are willing to spend for this campaign in a day. 
5. Below the bars, you’ll find “Targeting” options. Select the option that you find suits your advertising needs.
   
   1. Automatic Targeting: Amazon will select keywords that are similar to your product and the ad will trigger once a shopper enters the keywords Amazon chose.
   2. Manual Targeting: You select the keywords that will trigger the ad and select how much you want to bid for your ad to show up on the results page.
6. Next, you have to select a campaign bidding strategy. Here are options in a nutshell.
   
   1. Dynamic Bids (Down Only): Automatically decreases the bid amount if the product is less likely to turn into a sale. This helps you save money.
   2. Dynamic Bids (Up and Down): The bids will automatically increase or decrease depending on the chances your product will convert into a sale.
   3. Fixed Bids: Whatever bid you set will stay the same no matter the possibility of a sale.
7. Next, you have to create an ad group under the campaign to further organize your ads. Type in your chosen name under the “Ad Group Name” bar. 
8. Under the “Products” section, select the product you want to advertise under this ad group.
9. Under the “Automatic Targeting” section, enter your preferred base bid amount under the “Set Default Bid” option. Alternatively you can further specify your default bids by matches if you choose the “Set Bids by Targeting Group” option.
10. As an option, you can also set up a negative keyword list for your campaign. These keywords prevent your ads from being triggered by irrelevant keywords.
11. At the bottom right part of the page you can either click “Save as Draft” if you’re not done setting it up and want to get back to it at a later time, or you can click “Launch Campaign” to get the paid ads rolling on your preferred start date.

How Much Does It Cost to Set up an Ad?

While the cost of the ad depends on many factors, sellers can expect to pay between 2 cents to $3 per ad click. The cost depends on the type of product, competition for your keyword choice, product category, and so on.

Why Is Advertising on Amazon Important?

With increasing competition and a crowded market, Amazon's customers are bombarded with several options when searching for a product. Hence, businesses need to allocate resources for advertising on Amazon to make sure customers see their products first.

As most consumers searching for products on Amazon stick to the first page and buy products from the first few rows, it's an intelligent strategy to invest in Amazon Advertising to drive sales.

Increases Visibility and Reach

PPC advertising enables ecommerce businesses to expand their reach and increase visibility among potential customers. By appearing at the top of relevant search results, businesses can attract more attention and drive organic traffic to their product listings.

In terms of reach, PPC advertising allows a business to control the type of audience they want to reach. As such, they can choose to expand their demographic by selecting a broad criteria so more people can view the brand or product they advertise.

Drives Targeted Traffic to Product Listings

With PPC advertising, businesses can target specific keywords and phrases that align with their products. This allows them to attract highly relevant traffic, increasing the likelihood of conversions and sales.

A huge chunk of basic PPC strategies relies on targeting specific keywords. Selecting the right keywords to bid on can give business access to the untapped niche of consumer groups ready to shell out money for their products. In the same vein, choosing a saturated or irrelevant keyword may lead to wasted resources.

Boosts Sales and Revenue

Effective PPC campaigns can significantly impact a business's sales and revenue. By strategically bidding on keywords, optimizing product listings, and creating compelling ad copy, ecommerce businesses can generate increased conversions and revenue.

With thousands of products on Amazon vying for the shopper's attention, an effective PPC campaign is essential. While product optimization compels shoppers to purchase your products, a lack of exposure may limit its potential, resulting in little to no sales. Having a good PPC strategy in place puts your product in the arena.

To Compete With Established Brands

For new or smaller ecommerce businesses, competing with established brands can take time and effort. PPC advertising on Amazon provides an opportunity to level the playing field. By investing in targeted campaigns, smaller businesses can compete directly with larger competitors and gain market share.

Small ecommerce businesses that are either clever or have the resources can go toe-to-toe with established brands and come back with huge takings. But in most cases, competing with giants means constantly capitalizing on blind spots; businesses do this with an unrelenting search for the most suitable keywords and dominating them until they grow as big as their rivals.

The 7 Recommended Amazon PPC Strategies

In today's highly competitive ecommerce landscape, businesses need to leverage the power of online advertising to reach their target audience effectively. And among the range of options to make your brand and products known, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the most dominant and widely used by ecommerce businesses.

PPC for ecommerce offers a valuable opportunity to display targeted ads to potential customers and generate qualified leads. By employing the right strategies, ecommerce business owners can optimize their PPC campaigns to increase visibility, attract quality traffic, and boost conversions. Here are some things you can implement for your Amazon PPC strategy.

Choose an Ad Format

First, decide on which of the three advertising options you would like to choose from to advertise your products or brand. Use A/B testing methods to figure out which ad drives more sales, or let a team of experienced account managers find the ad that works best for your business.

Pick the Products You Want to Advertise

You most likely will have products in your business that you want to advertise more than others. You will be able to see which of your products have higher sales, ranking, and productivity on Amazon. Regardless of the type of ad, select a few products from your portfolio depending on the above factors, and visualize how they would fit in, say, a Sponsored Brand ad.

Do Keyword Research

The next step involves selecting keywords for your ads that will get you higher click-through rates. Now there are two ways that you can do this:

1. One is through a manual campaign where you yourself will have to research keywords that fit your ad. We recommend using tools such as Sonar or Keywords Everywhere.
2. The other is selecting an automatic campaign where Amazon does the work of compiling keywords based on your product and targets the ad to the right consumers automatically.

For vendors and sellers new to this, it is recommended that you start with automatic campaigns, and once you get more experience in navigating the platform, move on to the more advanced manual campaign option.

Optimize Your Amazon Product Listing

Whichever campaign type you end up picking, it is vital to optimize your product listings. This is from a search engine optimization (SEO) standpoint. By investing in SEO, you will have better chances of ranking higher in Amazon's organic searches. Optimize your title, product description, product images, content copy, and more using SEO tools, or simply speed up this process by taking an expert's opinion.

Configure Your Bids

When you start to create your campaigns and have uploaded your keywords (for the manual targeting option), the next step you will face is to bid on the keywords. You will be shown your list of keywords along with the cost for each keyword (CPC). Here, you will determine how much to invest in a particular keyword when compared to another. 

Once you've submitted your ads, it will take a few hours for Amazon to review the ads. It will then launch your campaign when no errors are visible. It is recommended to check and monitor the performance of your keywords daily. Amazon will suggest which ones are more effective, and it would be wise to bid more on those keywords to generate better leads.

Set Up Your Negative Keywords

In the wild world of ecommerce, setting up negative keywords for your PPC campaigns is like putting on a bulletproof vest before stepping into a gunfight. It's a smart ecommerce PPC management move that can save your business from wasting precious time and money on irrelevant clicks and uninterested customers.

Negative keywords act as your first line of defense, filtering out the noise and fine-tuning your campaign's targeting towards the right audience. By specifying the words and phrases you don't want to be associated with your ads, you're able to steer clear of unprofitable keywords that attract the wrong crowd. It's like saying, "Hey, I don't want to sell running shoes to people looking for clown shoes."

By carefully selecting negative keywords, you're able to refine your campaign's focus and ensure that every click counts toward reaching the right customers who are more likely to convert into sales.

Use Other Ecommerce PPC Advertising Mediums

Other commerce PPC ads allow you to reach a wider set of audience and target them with surgical precision. Google Shopping ads, for instance, display your products directly in the Google search results, enticing potential customers who are out of the Amazon platform to click and make a purchase.

Furthermore, ecommerce PPC campaign platforms like Google Shopping Ads or Facebook Ads provide invaluable insights and data about your audience and campaign performance. All you need is a Facebook or Google Ads account (Merchant Center), and you'll gain access to detailed analytics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend.

Armed with data, you can continually optimize your ads, making them more relevant, compelling, and profitable. You can even gain insights into what type of shoppers you attract on each platform, so you can plan out your ecommerce PPC campaigns in a way that optimizes your sales funnel.

This constant feedback loop allows you to fine-tune your PPC strategies, delivering better results over time. So, don't shy away from ecommerce PPC ads; they're not just a luxury but a necessity in today's competitive online landscape. Embrace them, harness their power, and watch your business soar to new heights.

PPC for Ecommerce Is More Important Than Ever

Seeing that most consumers are now more receptive to ecommerce businesses post-pandemic, it is all the more critical for businesses to make the most out of Amazon's PPC. With the average user having increased screen time, now is also the right time to take advantage of Amazon PPC optimization to drive sales. 

Here's a useful resource about understanding PPC ads from Amazon itself that will come in handy.

To close, what makes a successful paid advertising campaign is to put yourself in the shoes of the customer. Try considering what you would want to see in an ad when you are searching for it online, and then work on creating your ads. 

Best of luck on your campaign! Do you need support for your Amazon PPC optimization? Talk to an Amazon seller account specialist and schedule a call with an expert today!

As an Amazon seller, you’re hoping for sales as soon as you publish a listing. One proven method to achieve this is by implementing a successful product launch strategy.

In this blog post, we will brief you on what an Amazon product launch is, how it benefits businesses, and how to increase sales on Amazon with an effective product launch.

The Amazon Product Launch Explained

A product launch can be defined as the first instance an Amazon seller publishes a specific product listing on Amazon. To have a successful product launch means implementing an effective Amazon product launch strategy that will drive sales.

For instance, let's take one strategy, the promotional giveaway strategy. A heavily discounted promotional giveaway will increase your product sales and boost your product ranking on Amazon search results.

This strategy will increase clicks, impressions, and sales. A product launch can last anywhere between a week to ten days, but it can go even longer depending on how well your initial sales are with respect to other products in the same category.

Why an Amazon Product Launch Matters

When you first launch your product on Amazon, you will have no reviews, no sales history, and a low product rank. The poor ranking is because Amazon will place you at the bottom of the Amazon search results page since you just launched the product.

As more people purchase your product, it will be noticed in the subsequent stages of the product launch. If you are not an established Amazon seller, a successful launch strategy will bring your product, which could be on page 15, up to the first pages.

Being ranked higher brings you closer to the top pages in the Amazon search results, a milestone every Amazon seller aims for. Remember: Amazon users tend to purchase products appearing in their search results' first pages.

Hence, it is beneficial that Amazon sellers understand how to launch a product on Amazon. When done correctly, Amazon sellers will be rewarded with higher sales.

Factors That Affect Your Amazon Sales

Keep in mind that several factors will affect your sales on Amazon. Some of these, and in no particular ranking order, are mentioned below:

• Product titles
• Your key product features mentioned in bullet points
• Product images
• Customer reviews and rating
• Price point
• Lightning Deals 
• Sales history
• Sales ranking
• Q&A for a particular product (including questions answered)
• Seller feedback
• Order processing speed
• Defect rate
• Shipping speed
• Product variations 

Gain More Sales on Amazon With an Amazon Launch Service

A common problem with the job market nowadays is being rejected for jobs for not having any experience, yet needing a job to gain experience. This conundrum might be familiar to you. Unfortunately, a similar problem exists for Amazon sellers as well. 

To rank higher, your product needs to sell well. To be selling well, you need to rank higher. While there's no clear way around it, you should aim to rank higher and sell more at the same time when you launch the product.

Hence, here is a simple 2-step cyclical strategy:

Pro-tip: Invest in Amazon SEO or consult with an experienced account manager to reap the benefits of a paid ad campaign. Remember to constantly engage with Amazon customers by answering their questions and gently asking them to leave customer reviews.

The following 4-stage strategy may also act as a guide for your product launch:

Stage 1: Pricing Products 

Reducing product prices is an attractive method to drive initial Amazon sales. Some Amazon sellers use repricing tools, which automatically change the price of products based on specific rules, such as matching the lowest prices offered by other sellers.

As an Amazon seller, you know customers always look for a good deal. But the problem with discounting a new product is that users first need to know about the product before purchasing it.

A suggestion to tackle this issue is to develop a discount deal structure that ties your new product with one of your best-selling products.

Customers can get discounts if they buy both these products together. The drawback is that the new product should complement the bestselling products. Otherwise, most people won't purchase the bundle.

Stage 2: Increasing Your Exposure

Here are tips for a more organic approach to increase your store's exposure and Amazon sales:

Use External Channels 

Get your product in front of prospective buyers by driving external traffic to your ecommerce store. For example, you can use an email marketing strategy.

If you already have a database of email addresses, email your customers about an exclusive discount on your new products. The link in the email to the new product will increase your conversion rate. 

Leverage Social Media Platforms 

Facebook is among the most favorable social media platforms for finding potential customers. For instance, you can find members within certain Facebook groups who are interested in purchasing your product on Amazon.

After getting permission to post, post your product listing link in the group to direct members to your product listing on Amazon. 

Utilize Facebook Advertising

You can also use Facebook ads to target users who most likely would purchase your products. It can help you drive external traffic to your listings. If you aren't experienced in advertising through Facebook, be careful of how much you invest in it.

If you want the benefits of Facebook advertising—such as driving more traffic to your Amazon store and boosting your Amazon sales—but without the learning curve, consider working with a digital marketing agency. They can help you conduct keyword research and optimize your ad copy, creatives, and even budget for your campaign.

Win the Buy Box

Did you know that the Amazon Buy Box can help increase your sales? This is because the Buy Box makes shopping easier for Amazon customers.

The Buy Box is the "Buy Now" section on product listings. If you're a Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) seller, you'll get faster approval to win the Buy Box. This is aside from the other benefits of Amazon FBA, such as inventory management and dedicated customer service.

Ensure you maintain good account health and check out Amazon Seller Central and Seller University for resources on efficient selling on the platform.

Amazon Listing Optimization

Optimizing your product listings on Amazon will help you boost the visibility of your products. This can help you get organic traffic, gain impressive organic rankings, and boost sales on Amazon eventually.

Here are some tips to optimize your product listings:

• Use relevant keywords in your product titles and product descriptions, but avoid keyword stuffing.
• Optimize product descriptions by including brand names, sizes, material types, and other important product details.
• Include a unique selling point that sets you apart from other Amazon sellers.
• Only use high-quality images for your product listings.

Stage 3: Prioritizing Customer Reviews

At this stage, you'll have had a few sales coming in. Now comes the hard part of asking customers to leave product reviews. As mentioned earlier, customer feedback through verified reviews is important because of the following factors.

Conversion Rate 

It is natural behavior these days for customers to scroll down and check the reviews of a product before making a purchase. Social proof is influential in the purchasing decision of many buyers.

Paid Marketing Campaigns 

What would be the point of directing users through ads to products with few or no reviews? Customers will be skeptical about purchasing products that have not been evaluated by other customers.

That is why we suggest initiating a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign when your product has received around five reviews for a more effective marketing campaign.

Our main advice would be to provide exceptional customer service for the first few buyers. This could mean providing faster delivery, giving early buyers a freebie, a discount code, or discounting another of your products upon the sale.

• A few days after delivery, send an email to the initial buyers asking them about their experience with your product. If there are any issues with their purchase, try to solve them immediately.
• Request a quick review from them to build your customer reviews.
• As more reviews fill your Amazon store, don't forget to always adhere to Amazon's Terms of Service and avoid black hat tactics to increase sales.

Stage 4: PPC Advertising

The final stage of your Amazon product launch strategy entails pushing your product through PPC marketing. These marketing campaigns help to increase a new product's rank on Amazon search results.

If done correctly, PPC campaigns will drive traffic to your product listing and generate sales. That is why allowing an experienced account manager to handle such an important Amazon strategy is recommended.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, while a product launch on Amazon seems daunting, there are various strategies—as highlighted in this article—to get your new product to the top pages of Amazon. From implementing email marketing campaigns to launching a PPC campaign, try out tested methods with an Amazon expert like Seller Interactive to guarantee more sales.
We also offer help with Amazon Brand Registry, full account management, and listing optimization, among other services. Contact us today.

We believe that black lives matter and therefore want to support black-owned eCommerce businesses with a $100,000 USD worth of agency work in the following areas:

Free Listing Optimization

Full copywriting, image editing, Amazon SEO, and original EBC/A+ Content for up to 5 Parent ASINs. Listing fees are normally $500 USD per parent ASIN.

Free Account Audit & Strategy

The SI team will conduct a full audit of your account and make a recommendation based on your product category and long-term goals. Consultations such as this are worth $1500 USD.

We’re offering $100,000 worth of our agency’s work to those entrepreneurs in the black community that would benefit from the above-mentioned work.

Who is eligible?

Any black-owned eCommerce business that sells physical products on Amazon or who plans to launch on Amazon. There are no geographic limitations to this offer. 

Contact us at [email protected]