Mohamed Aden

Mohamed Aden is the Director of Operations at Seller Interactive, an Amazon Marketing Agency. He has extensive experience in eCommerce, project management, and operations management. Mohamed has managed a portfolio of 80 client accounts generating over $10 million in yearly revenue. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Honours Political Science and Business Management from McMaster University. Mohamed is a certified Project Manager and has received certifications in Advanced Google Analytics and Ontario Ministry of Labour’s Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness. He is fluent in English and Somali. In his free time, Mohamed enjoys nature walks and other outdoor activities. LinkedIn Twitter
How to Make Your First $1,000 Amazon Wholesale FBA Earning

Are you ready to embark on a journey into the world of Amazon wholesale FBA earning? If you've ever dreamed of making your first $1,000 through this lucrative venture, you're in the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps, strategies, and insights to kickstart your Amazon wholesale FBA business. From sourcing products to optimizing your listings, we've got you covered.

Dive into the full guide now and pave your way to success!

What is Amazon Wholesale?

Buying 'wholesale' means purchasing products in bulk from a manufacturer at a wholesale price, which is a price that is typically lower than a product's market value—as a wholesaler, selling the products on Amazon to gain profit. 

Under this model, you can be the only seller offering the product, or there can be many Amazon sellers. However, selling wholesale products is different from other online business models. Under this business model, Amazon sellers can expect high-profit margins for their wares, making it a win-win for both wholesale suppliers and niche Amazon sellers.

Selling wholesale on Amazon, in a nutshell, involves the following steps:

infographic - selling wholesale on amazon

Difference Between Wholesale and Other Business Models

Wholesale is just one business model among many different business models frequently used in e-commerce and retail. Here are some of them and the critical differences between them and wholesale.

Wholesale vs. Retail Arbitrage

One of the most significant differences between wholesale and retail arbitrage models is the number of purchases. In a retail arbitrage, sellers purchase products from retail sites at a discounted price, while wholesalers buy in bulk instead of purchasing items individually or in small batches. 

Also, wholesalers negotiate the rates, whereas resellers (arbitrage) purchase discounted products. 

Retail arbitrage can take significantly longer than wholesale, since sourcing inventory involves taking time to search for online retailers or physical retail stores offering their desired items at discounted prices.

On the other hand, wholesale suppliers are also usually the product's manufacturers. So buying items at wholesale becomes significantly easier since all an aspiring retailer has to do is contact the manufacturer and negotiate a wholesale price.

Wholesale vs. Private Label

Wholesalers purchase existing branded products, whereas private label sellers create their own branded products. With a wholesale model, you can easily sell your products since you are selling a product from a known brand. 

However, a private label seller has to grow a customer base. Aside from marketing the products, a private label seller has to work with a manufacturer to develop, modify, and improve the product before launching it. 

The main difference between wholesale and private label sellers lies in the brand. Wholesale suppliers own the product brand you're looking for and are possibly responsible for its popularity; private label products only manufacture similar products of a different brand (your brand, possibly).

Wholesale vs. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is an e-commerce business model that allows sellers to sell products without having them as physical inventory. Once a customer buys the item, the seller contacts the manufacturer to ship the product to the customer on their behalf, removing the physical and financial hassle of personal inventory management.

On the other hand, wholesale requires business owners to take charge of their storage, inventory management, and order fulfillment.

What are the Pros and Cons of An Amazon Wholesale Business?

Before you try out an Amazon FBA business, you need to weigh the pros and cons of using this successful business model. So, let's look at the pros and cons to help you decide if you want to sell wholesale.

Pros of Amazon Wholesale

Negotiable Prices

A huge advantage wholesale has over retail arbitrage or other business models is that the prices are flexible, provided you can negotiate a better price. Great prices for wholesale acquisitions are key to creating flexible profit margins for your business.

Ease Of Supply

Unlike retail arbitrage or the typical flip, the wholesale business model revolves around its manufacturers—they set the price and make the product. For aspiring retailers, that's two birds down with one stone.

With wholesale, retailers won't have to scrounge discount stores for bang-for-buck bargains to restock their inventory. All they need to do is call, and the manufacturers will deliver.

You Sell The Brand

A wholesale business is usually confident retailers will buy their wares in bulk because they've already sold the brand—what customers typically buy more than the product itself. Their main competitors are private label sellers who offer to sell the same products as a certain brand except with the labels of a client's company, if not their own.

Going for established brands will always be more effective than to start selling products similar to that brand. The main brand already has an existing customer base which guarantees a market for the seller and, in turn, sales.

Scalable Growth

Starting a retail business is easy to grow because it's dependent on sales, and the more stock you have available, the more you can sell. Scalable growth becomes achievable because all that must be done is buying more inventory and selling them as soon as possible.

Less Risk Due To Authenticity

As previously mentioned, established brands are usually the ones that put out their products for wholesale business. In doing so, many Amazon sellers avoid the risk of suspension by becoming authorized resellers for a particular brand.

Wholesale Supplier Potential

When done properly, one sale can factor into multiple deals in the future, making it essential to establish a healthy relationship with customers. Who knows, maybe they'll even make you their supplier—a huge boost for your business's steady income.

Highly Profitable

Many sellers consider an Amazon wholesale business a highly profitable venture, provided you sell all of your inventory at appropriate intervals. Selling wholesale ensures each Amazon seller profits from healthy profit margins—a win-win for everyone, including the supplier.

forklift operator in a modern warehouse

Photo by Akashroy6417 on Wikimedia Commons

Cons of Amazon Wholesale

Needs High Capital To Start Selling

One of the first and most obvious cons of Amazon wholesale is the capital it requires in the beginning. Since you'll be selling items in bulk, producing or purchasing the needed inventory must be en masse as well to keep costs down. 

Regardless, starting a wholesale business is expensive, with rewards only to be expected when you've built a steady network of customer demand.

Lots of Competition

Despite the promise of wholesale business, competition can be staggering for any business, especially when exposed to the sharks of Amazon business. Competition is fierce in the e-commerce marketplace, which makes it doubly hard to make a sale.

Brand Restrictions

Even if they're authorized suppliers, Amazon sellers still encounter issues with the Amazon brand registry, which can lead to account suspension. This is due to the serious presence of counterfeit products in the marketplace. Amazon sellers can easily challenge this by presenting official receipts of their inventory's sale to Amazon customer service.

Steps to Start Your Wholesale Business

After understanding the pros and cons of a wholesale business, you can now decide whether or not to pursue this business model. To give you an idea of how to start, here are some steps to follow. 

Choose the Right Product

We mentioned earlier that choosing the wrong product can have a disastrous effect on your business. Hence, you need to conduct thorough product research.

To pick a product, ensure that the product is not sold by Amazon or a private label business. A private label blocks sellers from offering similar products. What you should do is look for established brands and follow their lead. 

Some product sourcing tips that you can follow are the following: 

Go to Trade Shows

Trade shows allow you to have face-to-face conversations with brand owners and learn about the products that might sell on Amazon. Plus, you can learn much about what these brands care about, their experiences selling on Amazon, and what you can offer them as a seller. 

You can pitch them why they should make you an exclusive seller. If you can successfully present your ideas to the brand owners, they might just say yes and give you the reigns to market their product.

Trade shows allow you to get to know the vision of different brands and products with big potential on Amazon. 

Look at Best-Selling Products on Amazon

Aside from trade shows, you can check Amazon for the best-selling products. You can find inspiration from the bestseller list and find possible products for your store. Remember to avoid picking products sold by Amazon because they can negotiate a better price. Hence, it will be hard for you to compete against Amazon's price. 

Research Brand Websites 

Search the internet for different brands that aren't on Amazon. List their contact details and set up a meeting with them. This allows you to look for brands and get to know them, just like the trade shows. 

Calculate How Much Money You Can Make

After picking a product, check how much you can earn from selling the product. A tip you can use is to price the product within 2% of the Buy Box. Don't price it higher because it may never be displayed in the Buy Box. 

Aside from pricing, you must know the product fees you must pay. Knowing your product fees will help you determine if you are profitable since you will deduct the product fees from the sales price. 

You can also set a target or estimate for average monthly sales through a healthy profit margin. It would be helpful to use product prices and data where you can see, on average, the product's selling price and sales volume. It will help you know how much profit the product can make and help you estimate how well you can make money online.

Find Wholesale Suppliers For Amazon

Once you have picked a product, it's time to find a supplier. One easy way to look for a supplier is to look up your potential product's Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and use Jungle Scout's Supplier Database to find the exact manufacturer of that product. 

A number of manufacturers will be displayed, and you can choose which of them you want to contact. Afterward, reach out to a potential wholesale supplier and make a deal. Another way is to contact the brands you met during trade shows. 

Contact and Negotiate With Suppliers

When you contact the suppliers, you want to show them how you can add value to their brand as a new seller. Remember that most wholesale suppliers are big companies, so you need to bring your A-game. Be professional and respectful. Learn to be a good conversationalist and highlight the benefits of partnering with you.

 It's also a perfect opportunity for you to negotiate with them. Tell them that you can help them sell on Amazon. If they answer with a resounding "no" at first, that doesn't mean it's the end. Continue to follow up every month or so.

Purchase the Products

After negotiating a deal with the suppliers, you can now purchase the products. Since you are buying in bulk, you can negotiate for a discount. You can also try Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to help you store, pack, and fulfill your orders. If you choose Amazon FBA, you can simply ask the manufacturer to ship your products directly to the Amazon warehouse. 

Start Selling on Amazon

Once you create an account, you can now sell on Amazon! Market your products using Amazon PPC and social media ads. Amazon is the best example of eCommerce app development. With the online marketing features in Amazon, marketing to their target audiences has never been easier for sellers.

The most successful Amazon sellers use different Amazon online marketing strategies, such as offering discounts and coupons during the launch. 

Bird's eye view of three warehouse workers huddled around a cart between shelves

Conclusion

Starting your Amazon wholesale business can be daunting. With the work that it takes to set up a secure supply chain and steady customer base, many sellers often shy away from even trying. If you want to sell more, try Seller Interactive's wholesale partnership program. We'll happily become your third-party resellers---a win-win for us both.

Our e-commerce experts at Seller Interactive are dedicated to helping you grow a successful Amazon business. 

Book a free discovery call with us today.

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A 2023 Guide to Your Amazon Digital Marketing Strategy

It's 2023, a new year for new trends in Amazon's digital marketing efforts. Many sellers and marketers are now scrambling to set their goals, optimize their listings, and brainstorm new strategies for their stores. The marketing strategy of Amazon's marketplace is indeed dynamic and constantly geared toward customer satisfaction.

There are so many details required to create an effective Amazon marketing strategy. That is why feeling overwhelmed at first is expected. Nonetheless, no matter how challenging implementing digital marketing strategies are, it's not impossible to make it work. So, sellers, take notes!

We'll give you a complete guide to help you maximize digital marketing strategies to propel your Amazon business this 2023.

Amazon's Marketing Strategy

The online marketing strategies that Amazon implemented over the years helped them reach a revenue of $127.38 billion in the first quarter of 2023. As a seller, you may use one of the techniques to build your own Amazon business.

Search Engine Optimization

Rankings on Amazon will not be possible without optimization. At the heart of optimization is SEO. It plays an integral role in making product listings accessible and visible to browsers.

An excellent optimizing strategy can land any listing at the top of the results, provided the relevant keywords browsers use during the search match those found in the content. Find out how SEO impacts rankings on Amazon by reviewing these important pointers.

  • A product listing's conversion rate corresponds with its ranking. Higher page rankings mean higher conversion rates, which translates to more sales.
  • If you want to outrank other sellers on Amazon, you better employ a highly competent SEO strategy.
  • When it comes to ranking, no seller will want to settle for any rank lower than 2. A page 1 ranking is always ideal. However, getting a page 3 ranking (or lower) means that the product will hardly sell at all.
  • When more people are viewing your pages, it means that they appear in search results often. A strong online presence is indicated by having more visible pages to potential customers.

You will not be able to create an effective Amazon marketing strategy in 2023 without primary keywords. To help you determine the best keywords, a good starting point is to put yourself in your prospective customer's shoes. Research consumer behavior and customer interest to pinpoint precisely the words they type during their searches.

Search Engine Marketing Through PPC

Studies have shown that 9 out of 10 online shoppers search on Amazon daily. This fact explains why sellers like you will benefit much from taking advantage of Amazon advertising solutions.

PPC plays a critical role in marketing strategies. Therefore, regardless of your previous digital marketing program, you must include PPC to maximize your campaign's advantages.

Here are the different Amazon PPC ads:

Sponsored Products: The sponsored product ads are positioned on the first page of search results and product pages. Therefore, they are immediately visible to browsers. You can take advantage of this solution if you are a professional seller, online bookstore vendor, or a Kindle Direct Publishing author.

Advantages: The ads connect with the target audience directly. They will see them every time they search for similar products. Once they click on your ad, they will be directed to your page immediately.

Sponsored Brands: Advertising on Amazon via Sponsored Brands or headline search ads boost brand awareness. It is visible in search results. It lets you creatively craft your copy to convey a strong message depicting the image you want for your brand. You can take advantage of the benefits of this solution if you are an Amazon seller subscribed to Brand Registry, vendor, book vendor, and agency.

Advantages: People browsing through Amazon for something to buy will see your ad at the top of the page just below the header. This strategic placement catches attention, automatically making your brand known to browsers. Upon clicking your ad, they will be directed to your page right away.

With this solution, browsers can click on the logo or a product image. Customers who click on the logo will be taken to a store or a custom landing page. If they click on the product, they will be directed to the product page. 

Sponsored Display: Amazon recently introduced this new advertising option for Amazon sellers enrolled in the brand registry. To qualify, you must ensure that the products fall under one or more allowed product categories while complying with the restrictions. Vendors and agencies with clients who are professional sellers on Amazon can take advantage of it too.

Advantages: Amazon will determine the best audience for your products based on their activities on the platform. It works for both large and small businesses. It is advantageous, even if you have limited resources. It allows you to meet various marketing goals, such as building brand awareness, increasing sales, attracting customers, and solidifying your brand identity.

Stores: Creating a store can be done without advertising on Amazon. Like the other paid solutions, this option is available to sellers with brand-registered products, vendors, and agencies.

Advantages: Stores provides a multi-page store that lets you advertise your product for free. It is designed to familiarize browsers with your brand, allowing them to access your product portfolio. Setting up a store does not necessitate coding expertise. Moreover, you can use its insights as a vital reference for optimizing your ads.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing requires you to set up your brand page on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitter. Take note that each platform has its target audience. This fact explains why you should set up a page for each. 

Doing so expands your market reach further, allowing you to get your products in front of tens of thousands of potential buyers. It likewise gives you the privilege to tailor your audience in multiple demographics to drive sales and more customers to your business.

Follow Amazon's example by setting up social media accounts where you can advertise your Amazon wholesale business. It is an online marketing strategy for Amazon that takes advantage of off-site advertising to drive traffic and sales. For example, you can create an Instagram account dedicated to your products and add a link in the bio that will lead customers to your product listings on Amazon.

Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing involves sending emails to potential buyers and new customers. When done right, it is an effective strategy for developing a good business relationship with your target market. It can convince prospects, turning them into customers. Also, it can help your business's brand recognition and earn the patronage and trust of one-time buyers, transforming them into loyal customers who make repeat purchases.

You can utilize automated email programs for your email marketing. You can use them for informing your customers about new products, sending discounts to develop customer loyalty, or even using them for surveys to know your customer pain points so you can give them a positive customer experience.

Product Listing Optimization

Optimizing your product listings on Amazon is quite a challenge, given its dense competition. But by practicing proper methods focused on your buyers' needs, you can sell products while building a solid customer base.

Here are the elements of the page that you should optimize to capture your intended audience.

Product Title

The product title introduces your product to Amazon browsers. For titles, keeping it short works best. So, in creating the title, see that you limit it to no more than 200 characters (including spaces). Include the product name, brand name, distinctive features (size, color, the material used, etc.), and one or two benefits relevant to your customers' needs and experience.

With regards to placing an Amazon brand name, you put your brand at an advantage if you put it at the end of the title instead of the beginning.

Product Shots

Your product shots are high-quality images that showcase your product's quality and exceptional features. Captivating hero shots will help your product stand out, distinguishing your brand from your competitors.

Amazon does not allow any design enhancements and background color aside from white. You can make your images pop through these creative tactics:

  1. Take photos from all angles.
  2. Demonstrate the benefits of your product by taking lifestyle shots of real models using it.
  3. If you have content from real users or satisfied customers, feel free to include it. To further emphasize it, provide an appropriate note or caption.
  4. Highlight your product's edge over competitors by featuring organized and understandable charts, lists, or comparison diagrams.
  5. The bulleted product key features provide potential customers with a more detailed explanation of your product's stellar qualities and advantages. Three to four sentences comprise each bullet description, with the main points written at the beginning in all caps.
  6. The style of writing the copy is similar to that of advertisements. Each bullet copy needs to be concise and punchy. Use the space strategically by writing clear yet creative descriptions. Avoid stating obvious information in your images and reiterating the information used in the title.
  7. Customers who take the time to read your product description are on the verge of purchasing your product. They want more information and clarification. Hence, the description should elaborate on the information shared in the bulleted features.
  8. You can discuss secondary benefits or features not stated in the bulleted copy. You can add more images and enumerate qualities that distinguish your product from the competition.
  9. Enhanced brand content or A+ content allows you to elaborate further on your product description while providing more space for images and a creative layout. You can choose from pre-built templates designed to strategically house additional features such as tables, banners, interactive copy or pictures, and more.

Key Takeaways

Now that there's no stone left unturned when it comes to various online marketing strategies, you can start building a path to your company's success. The different marketing strategies will help your business grow in no time.

Whether you choose paid advertising, product display ads, Google ads, product promotion, or social media channels to create brand awareness and increase sales, one thing is for sure; it will benefit your business and make you into a customer-centric company.
Have you decided on which online marketing strategy to try for your Amazon business? Let Seller Interactive help you! We have a team of industry experts who know how to jumpstart your Amazon store’s success. Book a call with us today!

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How To Sell Wholesale on Amazon: Details Every Seller Needs To Know

The popularity of ecommerce and the continued rise of the Amazon marketplace has brought many opportunities for businesses worldwide. One of these is the growing trend of bulk selling, making many business owners wonder how to sell wholesale on Amazon.

Since Amazon sales continue to follow an ascending trend, the wholesale business has also become a profitable opportunity. It paves a way for sellers to get the most out of the ecommerce world. However, becoming a successful Amazon wholesale seller does not simply happen overnight.

Do you wonder how Amazon's wholesale business works? Read on, and you'll learn the intricate procedures inside.

How a Wholesale Business Works on Amazon

To begin, sellers must first have a general idea about wholesaling. Wholesaling is the process of directly purchasing bulk products from a manufacturer or a company to get a discounted retail price. 

If you are just about to sell wholesale on Amazon or are simply looking for new ways to earn more, here's how the wholesale model works on Amazon.

  1. Start with setting up your seller account.
  2. Search for products that are in high demand.
  3. Source the product directly from its manufacturer.
  4. Create an optimized listing to rank against your competitors.
  5. Launch and promote the product.
  6. Manage and grow your business.

Wholesale Business License

An Amazon wholesale business license is the same as the regular business license you need to sell offline and online. Check the requirements in your locality, but generally offices just look for a valid tax ID and a business bank account registered in the company's name. Once approved, businesses can purchase products in bulk and begin selling in the Amazon marketplace, giving them the ability to resell the items at a profit.

Via Amazon wholesale, businesses can take advantage of Amazon's competitive pricing and fast shipping times. Amazon also offers tools and resources to help businesses manage their inventory, track their sales, and optimize their pricing strategies. Selling on Amazon wholesale is a great way for small businesses to grow their operations without the expense of hiring employees or investing in new infrastructure.

Inventory Management and Fulfillment

You still need to have inventory and think of order fulfillment when selling wholesale on Amazon. You'll face two options: Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). These two programs are vital when you start your business on Amazon and start fulfilling orders.

Choosing Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) means you ship your bulk purchases directly to Amazon's fulfillment centers. Then, they will be in charge of storing and safekeeping the products. It's a lot more convenient, especially if you run a small business, because Amazon will process the storing, packing, and shipping on your behalf. This makes the fees for Amazon FBA wholesale suppliers lower than shipping the items to your customers yourself.

On the other hand, Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) is when sellers handle storage, pick-ups, and packaging. Sellers also manage the shipping process, so your customers get their orders on time. This is the way to go if you want to take control of your inventory, costs, and branding. Additionally, FBM can help sellers avoid long-term storage fees and can expedite the fulfillment process for customers.

But for small businesses, FBA is still the better option because it offers reliable, fast, and efficient services without the hassle of personally doing everything. As a bonus, FBA means that your products will be eligible for free shipping and other benefits that help boost sales.

the text benefits printed on a paper surrounded by a pen, eye glasses, mobile phone, a plant, and a flashdrive

4 Benefits of Selling Wholesale on Amazon

Now that you know the essential details about wholesale selling on Amazon, it's time to talk about the benefits of the business model. If you are still deciding if wholesale selling is for you, these benefits can give you a push. But, if you've already begun following a wholesale business model, you can expect to reap these benefits.

Product Demand 

One of the benefits of an Amazon wholesale business is the potential for high product demand. Amazon is the largest online selling platform worldwide, making it perfect for shoppers looking for convenience in purchasing the products they need. With wholesale selling, businesses can tap into this demand by providing a large volume of products at competitive prices.

Additionally, Amazon's search algorithms can help boost a product's visibility and increase its sales potential. This can lead to increased profitability and business growth, as well as the potential to expand into new markets.

Profitability 

The Amazon wholesale business is a good way to get your business up and running. Compared with private labels, you do not need to do a lot of work with product research and development. Products come to you ready-made, which saves time, allowing you to focus on other essential tasks in your business operations.

One of the key benefits of selling wholesale on Amazon is the potential for increased profitability. By purchasing items in bulk at a discounted price, wholesalers can often achieve higher profit margins than they would with individual pieces.

Additionally, Amazon's vast customer base and efficient shipping and fulfillment processes can help wholesalers scale their businesses and increase sales volume. With Amazon's competitive fee structure and access to tools such as Amazon Business, wholesalers can take advantage of lower costs and streamlined operations to increase profitability.

Efficiency in Inventory 

Efficiency in inventory management is a significant benefit of selling wholesale on Amazon. With Amazon's advanced inventory management system, sellers can easily keep track of their inventory levels, prevent being out of stock, and avoid overstocking.

By utilizing FBA, sellers can also reduce their fulfillment times and expenses, as Amazon takes care of storing, packing, and shipping the products. FBA allows for quicker turnaround times, which means more sales can be made, and businesses can thrive.

Time-Friendly 

FBA and wholesale selling are a match made in heaven, as Amazon will take care of storing and shipping all your products to customers. With an extensive customer base on Amazon, you have the opportunity to tap into a vast market without worrying about the logistics of shipping.

Your operations will be streamlined from production to fulfillment. As a seller, you can now efficiently manage your time. You can now focus on product research and development, finding the best wholesale suppliers, marketing, customer service, and even developing your own products without worrying about the hassle of managing inventory.

a man rubbing his head looking problematic and a mini shopping cart

3 Challenges You Will Face When Selling Wholesale on Amazon

Along with the benefits of wholesaling, you also need to be wary about the challenges. Knowing the hurdles you will face ahead of time will allow you to prepare in case you encounter them. You will also be able to proactively shy away from them by creating foolproof wholesale business models. Let's explore these challenges.

Product Research and Development

One of the biggest challenges faced by Amazon wholesale sellers is product research and development. You can rarely change or develop what your wholesale supplier is providing. There are also so many private label sellers and wholesale sellers on the platform making it difficult to stand out from the competition. As a result, it becomes even more difficult to offer unique wholesale products that customers will want to buy.

To stand out requires a thorough understanding of your target market and their needs, as well as extensive research into the latest trends and innovations when it comes to wholesale goods. Additionally, developing new products requires careful planning, testing, and investment, which can be a daunting task for small- and medium-sized wholesalers.

However, staying up-to-date on market trends and investing in product development are still worth it. Through these, sellers can differentiate themselves from competitors and attract loyal customers on Amazon.

Competition Among Other Sellers

Competition among Amazon wholesale sellers is another big challenge you'll face. The competition is not limited to your fellow wholesale sellers but also with established brands, private label products, and branded products.

With a large number of Amazon sellers selling products that are almost identical, it can be challenging to stand out in the market. But with a solid wholesale strategy, nothing is impossible.

Here are some tips for your Amazon wholesale business to succeed and differentiate itself from the competition:

  • Sell wholesale products that are of high-quality.
  • Provide excellent customer service.
  • Have competitive pricing and offers.
  • Track market trends and make timely adjustments.
  • Invest in marketing and advertising to reach your target audience.

Up-Front Wholesale Cost

As a wholesale seller, you need to invest a substantial amount of capital to purchase products in bulk from wholesale suppliers or manufacturers before you can list them for sale on the platform. The upfront cost can be a hurdle for small or new businesses with limited financial resources.

It requires careful planning of a wholesale strategy and financial management to ensure that the investment aligns with the anticipated demand and sales volume. Overcoming this challenge and sustaining a successful wholesale business on Amazon involves conducting thorough market research, analyzing profit margins, and establishing effective cash flow management strategies.

a man talking on a mobile phone surrounded by boxes of product supplies

3 Tips on How to Sell Wholesale On Amazon

You are now armed with benefits and challenges knowledge when selling wholesale on Amazon. At this point, we are going to answer the lingering question of how to sell wholesale on Amazon. Having a wholesale business is complicated, but take note of these tips to make the journey easier.

Tip#1: Sell Products Customers Will Patronize

The entire wholesaling business is about riding on the success of other wholesale products and/or established brands' products. With this, resell existing branded products and wholesale products with high-demand among Amazon customers. 

Research for wholesale products with minimum order quantities that are on par or beyond your sales goals per day. Ensure that there's sufficient customer demand, and establish reasonable pricing to earn profits. Find wholesale suppliers that are legitimate to ensure your operations are smooth because you will be replenishing your inventory as needed.

Tip #2: Calculate Your Estimated Profit

It's best to evaluate the online sales and profitability of the wholesale products you're planning to sell before ordering from a supplier and officially launching online.

  • Make sure that the item you want is within 2% of the Buy Box price. You'll find the widget on the right side of the Amazon product page where prices are listed. Next to it is a golden button that says “Add to Cart”.
  • Utilize Amazon's FBA calculator to know the product's fees. You need to enter the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) of the product into the calculator, enter the data, and review it.
  • Determine your profitability by deducting Amazon's fees and the product cost from the sales price.
  • Know your product's monthly sales estimate using a free Sales Estimator tool.
  • Understand your turnover rate. You can avoid high Amazon storage costs by only stocking at least 2–3 months' worth of sales.

Tip #3: Look For Guaranteed Suppliers

Now that you have a product idea, find a legal business entity to be your wholesale supplier. Keep in mind that you're wholesaling their products, so you are offering to promote their brand and increase their sales too.

Getting private label products that aren't on Amazon yet is an opportunity for your business because you're helping the suppliers gain more customers on a different platform. Since these suppliers are big companies that sell branded products with patents, global marketing standards, and more, you add value to their brand. 

Sell Wholesale With Seller Interactive

It's normal to get confused and feel overwhelmed with all the information mentioned above, especially if you're just starting with wholesale on Amazon. Sure, you'll face a number of challenges, but that's perfectly fine. That's how you grow not only as a seller, but even as a person. If you're finally ready to start selling wholesale on Amazon, get the help of Amazon specialists at Seller Interactive to streamline your wholesaling business. 

Leave the worries to us. We'll handle everything, from storage and fulfillment, to logistics. We'll manage your Amazon wholesale account or act as a wholesale partner while planning and executing the best marketing strategies to help boost your business. 

Do you want to know more? Contact us now.

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3 Steps to Get Your Amazon Suspended Account Reinstated

If there's anything that any seller doesn't want to go through, it's needing to get their Amazon suspended account reinstated. If you're already in this position, it only means that you cannot access your account due to the suspension. As a seller, you must be alarmed by this. Since your account is rendered inactive, it means that you won't be able to be on top of sales on Amazon.

Amazon Suspension Help: How You Can Get Your Account Reinstated

One of the most commonly asked questions by sellers who have encountered the same situation is how to get their Amazon suspended account reinstated. There are a lot of things that you first have to prepare before you write your Amazon seller suspension appeal letter. With that, here are the things that you need to do to get your account reinstated.

1. Understand why your account was suspended

The first thing that you should do is to understand why your seller account got suspended. There are a lot of reasons why an account gets suspended. These reasons are why you should thoroughly understand what you have possibly done wrong.

Most sellers don't mind conducting a thorough investigation. These sellers proceed to work on their Amazon seller suspension appeal letters as soon as they learn that their accounts are suspended. What they don't know is that knowing the underlying reasons for suspension will help them in crafting their letters.

So if you have encountered an Amazon seller account suspension, you must first try to understand what happened. You won't really have a hard time, and it shouldn't take you a full day to learn about what has happened. 

When Amazon sends you a suspension letter, you will see the reasons why they have suspended your account. However, you do have to investigate these claims and see if they got it right. Here are the possible reasons why an account may get suspended.

  • You're selling items that are prohibited from being sold on the platform.

The moment you start selling on Amazon, you agree to the company's terms and conditions. This includes agreeing to what kind of products you can sell on the platform. There are a lot of items on the list of restricted products, but here are the most common ones:

  • Alcohol
  • Animals and animal-related products
  • Dietary supplements
  • Drugs and drug paraphernalia
  • Explosives, weapons, and other related items
  • Lock picks and devices that can be used for theft
  • Pesticides and pesticide-related devices
  • Plant and seed products

You might also want to check the full list of restricted products. This is so you will know if what you are selling can be sold on the platform. However, if you're already selling these products, then this might be one of the reasons why your account got suspended.

  • You're selling counterfeit items.

Aside from prohibited items, Amazon is serious in dealing with counterfeit items, as well. This means that even if you're not selling restricted items, as long as your products were tagged and reported as counterfeit, it can be a reason why you got the suspension.

Usually, the item categories that have the most counterfeit sellers would be movies, DVDs, beauty products, and electronics, among many others. Counterfeit items are fake or imitation pieces of any product. This is also one of the reasons why most sellers get account suspensions, but they fully insist that they haven't done anything wrong.

Just make sure that you check with your manufacturers or wherever you're sourcing your inventory. Since Amazon is pretty strict on this rule, you have to make sure that you have a trusted source for your products, as it might be a reason for your possible account suspension.

  • You've received a lot of negative feedback.

Customer obsession is one of the pillars of Amazon's values. This means that the company is pro-customers over anything else. They would often go through lengths like extending their returns policy to please their customers.

It's no surprise that Amazon would take negative feedback from their customers very seriously. Although sellers would get negative feedback on their products, too many negative reviews will grab Amazon's attention and flag your account for suspension.

  • You have duplicate accounts.

Since Amazon is already a big marketplace with hundreds of thousands of sellers already on it, the last thing that the company would want to deal with are sellers with duplicate accounts. Basically, this means that you cannot create duplicate accounts. 

If you have two accounts for two separate businesses, you will be served a suspension notice. Amazon takes serious measures to make sure that there is just one account for every seller. This includes making sure that the accounts weren't made or accessed from the same IP address, or the billing details such as the physical address and bank accounts aren't the same for one account and another.

Since Amazon is also pretty strict about seller accounts being accessed through one IP address, it also means that any member of your household, as long as you're accessing the internet through the same wireless connection, can be flagged as a second account.

So even if you did not necessarily make two Amazon seller accounts, there might be some factors that can affect your suspension.

  • Opening a new account after yours gets suspended.

There are some sellers who wouldn't want to go through the trouble of making an Amazon seller suspension appeal letter. However, opening a new account after getting your seller account suspended will also be a reason for your suspension once again.

There might be some doubt on your part on how Amazon is going to know that you're the same seller. You might have already tried it, but it's a guarantee that you will not succeed in selling from your new account. Amazon will always find a way to suspend your account. 

2. Don't let emotions get in the way.

When your account gets suspended, it's understandable to feel a lot of emotions. You might feel angry, frustrated, and sad, among other negative feelings. It's completely normal to have these feelings,.especially if Amazon is your primary source of income.

However, when writing your Amazon seller suspension appeal letter, it's not recommended that you involve much of your feelings. While it is understandable to some extent, you also have to take a professional approach in dealing with these situations.

Emotions won't help in getting your Amazon suspended account reinstated. So before writing your letter, make sure that you've fully set aside these initial reactions. It's also best that you work with an agency or someone who's had experience in writing suspension account appeal letters. This way, you're sure that you've fully detached yourself from what you're going to write.

3. Write your appeal letter.

It's not possible to get your Amazon suspended account reinstated without your appeal letter. So if there's a backbone to your appeal, this will be your letter. That's why you definitely have to focus on making sure that you've written your appeal properly.

When writing your letter, it's important that you include all the data that you've gathered from your own investigation. There might be some instances wherein you can point out that they have accused you of something that you didn't do. However, you should approach this in a way that sounds like you're laying down facts instead of accusing Amazon that they've done you wrong. 

Present everything that you've gathered that will help in getting your account reinstated. Here are the other things that you should remember when writing your letter.

  • Don't be too defensive. Back your claims up with facts instead.
  • Don't criticize Amazon and their process. They're also just doing their job in making sure that everyone is following their rules.
  • Do take responsibility for what has happened. You can also go and try to explain your side.
  • Do indicate the things you're planning to do to resolve the problem and how you plan to avoid it from happening moving forwards. It's your way of showing that you're keen on making things right and are committed to adhering to Amazon's rules.

How to Open an Amazon Account After Suspension

You can only open it again after having your Amazon suspended account reinstated. Basically, the way for you to do it is to submit your appeal letter. When you're in the process of trying to get your account reinstated, you have to wait for a certain amount of time before you get your results. Here's a quick rundown of what you will have to go through.

17-day deadline

You have 17 days after receiving the notice of suspension to submit your appeal letter. This means that you have to investigate the situation and write your plan of action. 

You have more than two weeks to work on these, so make sure that you're doing everything you can. Remember that your letter is the backbone of your appeal. This will be Amazon's sole basis on whether or not you're going to have your account reinstated.

48 hours after submission of appeal

This is Amazon’s official estimate of how long they will be able to respond to your appeal. However, this is a very rare scenario. This could also be affected by the numerous appeals that they have to attend to every day. 

60 days or more

According to some sellers on Amazon's forums, there are some who have experienced about 60 days or more before they have received Amazon's decision regarding their suspension appeals. Although there is a 48-hour target response time for your appeals, this usually doesn't happen. So if you're looking for a response, make sure that you're patient with how the whole process works. 

Key Takeaway

One of the worst things that can happen to you as a seller is to have your account suspended. For this, you may want to get Amazon suspension help from those who have dealt with this in the past. A properly written appeal letter will help you get your Amazon suspended account reinstated.

If you're looking for someone who can help write your suspension appeal letter, we, at Seller Interactive, are the people you should call. With our extensive experience in handling sellers who have been suspended, we definitely know how to create the letter that will help in increasing your chances of getting your account reinstated.

Want to know more about this? Send us a message at [email protected] to book a consultation!

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Amazon Fulfillment Methods: The Difference Between FBA and FBM 

One of the things that you should pay close attention to when you're selling on Amazon is your fulfillment methods. For this, you can go with either Amazon FBA or FBM.

Although FBA has more advantages than the other fulfillment method, you are free to choose whichever will work for you. In this blog post, we'll help you with the difference between FBA and FBM, so you can choose the best one that suits your Amazon business.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Explained

If you're a new Amazon seller, one of the first fulfillment methods you will be introduced to is FBA. Basically, with FBA you're handing off the order processing and delivery to Amazon's Fulfillment Centers. You don't have to pack the items ordered, label, or ship them one by one. Amazon handles the fulfillment process for you. 

Now, the question for you is: is Amazon FBA worth it? For the most part, having Amazon FBA as your fulfillment method is worth it, especially if you're targeting Amazon Prime members.

If you're still unfamiliar with how this method works, you can ask a trusted Amazon FBA consultant to help walk you through the process. In this way, you can ask how to start an Amazon FBA business, among the other questions that might come up. 

a table showing the pros and cons of amazon fba, from first row: eligible for prime shipping, costs; second row: winning the amazon buy box, strict packaging requirements; third row: dedicated customer service. 

Pros FBA Sellers Enjoy With Amazon FBA

Now that you know how Amazon FBA works, let's take a deeper look at this fulfillment method by exploring the benefits of FBA. Here are some of them.

  1. Eligibility for Prime Shipping

If you choose Amazon FBA as your fulfillment method, your FBA products will all be eligible for Amazon Prime. Prime members can enjoy free two-day Prime shipping, while all Amazon customers can get free shipping on qualified orders. 

Your eligible product listings will be displayed with the Prime badge so customers know that Amazon is handling the picking, packing, and shipping.

According to Statista's data, there were over 150 million Amazon Prime members worldwide in 2019. 112 million of those Prime members were from the United States. That's how big your market will be if you choose to become an Amazon FBA seller. Amazon sellers should always aim for wider market reach, which the Amazon FBA program can fulfill.

  1. Winning the Amazon Buy Box

Amazon favors FBA sellers because the platform knows their orders will be delivered on time. Fulfillment method and on-time delivery are two important factors to getting the Buy Box. 

With this, signing up for Amazon FBA program increases your chances of winning the Amazon Buy Box—the most coveted feature of Amazon sellers.

The Buy Box is where the "Buy Now" and "Add to Cart" buttons are on a product detail page. This makes shopping easier for many Amazon customers and helps Amazon sellers increase their visibility and sales. 

  1. Dedicated Customer Service

If you enroll in Amazon FBA, Amazon will handle customer service for you. Your customers can contact their support team via phone or email at no extra charge. Amazon will also manage product returns. If an Amazon customer wants to return a product, the platform will direct them to their online returns center.

Cons of Amazon FBA

Aside from the benefits, the Amazon FBA program also has disadvantages. Here are some of them.

  1. Costs

Since Amazon will take care of the process, you must expect to spend some money on FBA fees: namely the fulfillment fee and monthly inventory storage fees. Fulfillment fees cover orders picked, packed, and shipped to your customers from Amazon's Fulfillment Centers.

Before Amazon does this, however, you’ll be in charge of getting your items to an Amazon warehouse, and you have to factor in this additional cost. 

You'll also pay for monthly storage fees depending on the volume of your inventory stored in Amazon's Fulfillment Centers. To see if FBA is worth your while, you can use the "Revenue Calculator" in Amazon Seller Central.

  1. Strict Packaging and Labeling Requirements

Your items should meet Amazon's packaging and labeling requirements before they can be accepted into the warehouses. Failing to prepare your inventory according to these guidelines increases the possibility of Amazon refusing your incoming shipment.

As a result, you will need to invest time and money to retrieve and re-prepare your inventory.

Merchant Fulfilled Network or Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) Explained

Based on the name itself, you should already know what to expect. FBM is the complete opposite of FBA. Instead of Amazon shipping out your products, you will do everything on your own. 

You will have to process orders, package them for shipping, label them, and send them out to your customers.

a table showing the pros and cons of fbm, from first row: amazon seller fulfilled prime, fewer chances of the amazon buy box; second row: fewer fees, shipping costs; third row: more control over fulfillment process.

Pros FBM Sellers Enjoy With Amazon FBM

If you think you’re better off doing everything yourself, here are the benefits of FBM that may interest you.

  1. Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime

The Seller Fulfilled Prime is a program offered by Amazon. It allows sellers to complete their own orders and sell Prime-eligible products, but only if they meet Amazon's strict criteria. The program also enables you to display a Prime badge on your listings, making it easy for Prime customers to find your products. 

  1. Fewer Fees

With FBM, Amazon sellers obviously won't have to pay FBA fees. This means you don't have to worry about paying for fulfillment fees or Amazon's storage space. This is a huge benefit if you have a high level of expertise in logistics or if you have heavy and slow-moving items. 

  1. More Control Over Fulfillment Processes

Some Amazon sellers want total control over their business processes, even if it means that additional employees must be hired to ensure that every product is processed and shipped out properly.

So if you're the type of seller who wants full access to your inventory, processing, packaging, and shipping, then FBM might suit you better.

Cons of Amazon FBM

Aside from its benefits, you also have to be aware of the drawbacks of Amazon FBM. Here are some of them.

  1. Fewer Chances of the Amazon Buy Box

One major disadvantage of FBM is that it can take a while before getting approved for the Amazon Buy Box. This can be a big loss, as Amazon has reported that 80–90% of purchases on their platform are made through the Buy Box.

  1. Shipping Costs

Since you're fully responsible for handling everything on your own, you will also be responsible for shipping. You'll have to pay for shipping costs, packaging materials and shipping labels.

Shipping and handling may also affect your business if you're not properly prepared to deal with an influx of orders, especially during holiday sales.

Amazon FBA vs. FBM: Which Fulfillment Method Should You Choose?

Now that you know the main differences between both fulfillment methods, which is best for you? Let's compare FBA and FBM through the following factors.

Control Over Business Processes

Choose Amazon FBM if you want full control over your business processes. However, if you don't want to oversee your Amazon business's processing, labeling, and shipping, then FBA might be the suitable fulfillment method for you.

Customer Service

Handling customer service is one thing that's important for both Amazon FBA and FBM sellers. If you already have an established customer service set in place, you can consider going for FBM. With FBM, your team should be trained to handle all customer concerns.

But if you're not confident about managing it or don't have a huge team to handle customer inquiries, you can hand it off to the Amazon FBA program.

Warehouse Services

One major factor in this decision will have to be storage space. If you already have a warehouse, you'll save a lot in terms of storage fees.

But if you're just starting out and don't have a dedicated space, it might be worth your while to pay Amazon to store your products for you. Thus, go for Amazon FBA. 

Key Takeaway

Your fulfillment method is one of the main things you must thoroughly decide on when selling on Amazon. More than simply deciding on who will fulfill your orders, this will greatly affect how your business will be run and your overall sales.
Do you need help in dealing with your Amazon seller account? Talk to a reputable Amazon account specialist today.

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Here’s Your All-In-One Guide to Amazon Reimbursement Claims

Imagine putting in your best effort every single day to grow your Amazon business, only to discover that a portion of your earnings hasn’t been credited to you. Even worse, some of your packages have been damaged, stolen, or lost during shipment. Nothing can be more stressful than losing money and resources that could have been your profit. 

Luckily, every Amazon seller is now entitled to Amazon reimbursement. But here’s another catch: they won’t notify you if you qualify for this program. Your sole responsibility is to file reimbursement claims to get back what Amazon owes you.

Whether you are new on Amazon or have been selling on the platform for quite some time but have never tried their program, this guide is what you need. We’ll look at various aspects of reimbursement in Amazon and find ways to get your money back. 

Setting the Terms Straight: Refunds vs. Reimbursements

Let’s put things in perspective. Most Amazon sellers and buyers mix up the terms. “Refunds” and “reimbursements” are not interchangeable when discussing the amount or timing of your money’s return. It’s time to settle on what the two words mean in the Amazon context.

  • What Are Refunds?

Refunds are the amount the buyers get when they return merchandise. After they request to return an item, they are entitled to get the total purchase price back into their preferred refund method. 

  • What Are Reimbursements?

Sellers get reimbursements when Amazon compensates for the returned items. Like buyers returning an item for a full refund, a seller must also initiate a request and go through a process before they get what is due to them.

A Brief Overview of Amazon Refund and Reimbursement

It’s understandable why both parties see refunds and reimbursements as the same thing. That’s because buyers and sellers are affected in different ways whenever there’s a returned item.

What makes them even more confusing is they both occur in the Amazon FBA program. Since one of FBA’s functions is processing customer returns, there can be instances where Amazon may owe the seller or buyer money for specific fulfillment-related issues.

Allow us to give you a brief look at the process on both sides.

  • The Buyer’s Side: Amazon FBA Refund Process

Customers must first go through the following steps to get their money back. Here’s how it usually works:

  1. The buyer signs into their Amazon Seller Central account and requests a return.
  1. Amazon sends the buyer a return shipping label.
  1. The buyer packs the item and puts the shipping label on before returning it.
  1. Amazon confirms receipt and processes returned items (within 30 days).
  1. Once processing is complete, Amazon issues a refund to the customer.
  1. The refund may be added to the buyer’s payment gift card balance or be received in the selected refund method.

There are cases wherein Amazon instantly refunds the amount. The buyer can follow through on the procedure by returning the item to the Amazon fulfillment center. If the buyer uses a paid method for the return, Amazon will deduct the shipping costs and restocking fees from their refund amount.

These are just some of Amazon’s policies regarding refunds. To know more about the entire refund system, contact Amazon customer service.

  • The Seller's Side: Amazon FBA Reimbursement Process

As for the merchant's end, the effect of return and refund requests from buyers hits them with a deduction, which they'll have to request for reimbursement. Here's an overview of the process:

  1. The seller gets a deduction for the return funds on their next disbursement before Amazon sends a shipping label.
  1. The seller gets a deduction for the refund upon issuing the refund to the buyer.
  1. Once the items make it to the fulfillment center, Amazon will determine their condition.
  1. If the returned item is deemed sellable, Amazon will restock it.
  1. If the item is deemed unsellable, Amazon will investigate further if the seller is eligible for a reimbursement, which we will discuss in more detail below.

More Details on Filing Amazon FBA Reimbursements

analyzing sales through a laptop

Now that we have a general understanding of refunds and reimbursements, let’s dive deeper into a process specifically relevant for FBA sellers—filing for Amazon FBA reimbursements

FBA businesses must not forget three things:

1. Eligibility

First, let’s talk about eligibility. Amazon has a strict requirement to determine whether an item is eligible for reimbursement. The item in question must pass the following criteria:

  • It should be registered in Amazon FBA when it is damaged or lost.
  • It must comply with the FBA product requirements and restrictions.
  • It must adhere to the FBA inventory requirements.
  • The shipping plan that you’ve submitted states the exact items and quantities.
  • It is not pending for disposal as requested.
  • It was not discarded at your request.
  • It is not a defective item.
  • The customer didn’t cause damage to the item.
  • Keep your seller account in normal status before filing a claim.

Before you uncover if there are any reimbursement claims you need to process, let’s look at the policy.

2. Policy

Amazon has a reimbursement policy for FBA sellers who experience issues with their inventory. Here are a few of the guidelines to keep in mind.

  • The re-evaluation of your request must have additional information, such as receipts or invoices.
  • Suppose Amazon later finds the lost inventory or discovers they reimbursed you erroneously. In that case, they may replace the item or reverse the credit from your account.
  • You won’t get a refund for prohibited items and expired items.
  • Amazon will only entertain requests with sufficient information. You need to provide detailed and relevant data such as sales history, Amazon Standard Identification Number with an issue, Amazon’s average FBA selling price, and others.
  • Amazon doesn’t allow the submission of multiple requests at the same time.
  • Amazon has the right to dispose of or resell the item they reimbursed for you.

Note that these rules are for lost or damaged inventory only. You may want to seek a trusted Amazon account manager if you need further help exploring Amazon’s policies.

3. Different Classes of Reimbursements

The following are types of FBA inventory reimbursements, which can take place at any time during the fulfillment process:

  • Items Lost or Damaged in Amazon Warehouse

Amazon stores and retrieves items upon order placement. Unfortunately, lost inventory can occur due to misplacement or being placed in another seller’s stock, affecting business operations. Given the circumstance, Amazon has no choice but to compensate sellers for every lost unit.

  • Damaged Item During Shipment to Customers or Back to the Warehouse

Whenever Amazon employees pick and pack your orders, they do it quickly and efficiently. We can’t blame them because hundreds of orders are fulfilled each day. Add to that, there’s Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping, which they have to get done quickly. 

Since Amazon employees must move fast, accidents can happen. These accidents can cause damage to your items, thereby Amazon owing you a reimbursement. 

  • Customer Returned the Item 

While customer returns may sound common to you, one too many cases is a big problem Amazon sellers and employees face. But you can still make a reimbursement claim for the following reasons:

  • Customers received a refund but did not return the item.
  • Customer did not return the original item.
  • The returned product was not recorded.
  • Wrong refund amount was paid to customers.
  • Restocking fee was not credited.
  • Wrong Quantity of Orders 

Despite your utmost care, incorrect order processing can happen. A customer may receive double or triple the number of items they ordered. The sad part is that Amazon will not improve their order accuracy, and customers won’t return the additional items in most of these cases.

  • Overcharging of Amazon Fees 

Amazon FBA has its pros and cons. One of the disadvantages is the different types of Amazon FBA fees you need to pay, which includes storage, fulfillment, and commission fees. 

The fees depend on the category, dimension of the item, and the distance and type of shipping package. In some situations, you are charged the wrong fee. These overcharged fees can add up, and you have the right to claim reimbursement. 

How to File a Reimbursement Claim

Graphic depicting the steps of filing a reimbursement claim

Given the scenarios stated above, it’s unsurprising that sellers still have opportunities to bring back what they’ve lost in your business. But everyone must also know Amazon has become more meticulous in processing FBA reimbursement claims to ensure that all requests are legitimate and valid. 

Here’s how you can adapt to the FBA reimbursement process.

For Shipment and Inventory

Review your shipments and inventory adjustment reports regularly. These are the details you need to take note of:

  • Ensure that the verified shipment delivery date is within nine (9) months. 
  • Look at the Reconcile tab on your shipping workflow’s Summary page.
  • Before filing for claims, verify the contents of your FBA shipment, the quantity stated, and the other details in your shipping plan. 
  • Inspect any discrepancies on the Reconcile tab containing the fulfillment center’s information. 
  • Remember, Amazon may have already reimbursed you for the units you originally wanted to file. You can confirm this by visiting your Reimbursements report.
  • After reviewing your report, visit the Reconcile tab to claim lost inventory items. You may file claims for damaged units on the Contact Us page in Seller Central. 
  • Documents that support your claim should be readily available for Amazon verification. These include Amazon shipment ID, proof of FBA inventory ownership, and proof of delivery.

For Fulfillment Center Operations

Amazon's Fulfillment Centers are busy places, and accidental damages are more common than you think. As an Amazon FBA seller, you should know what to do if such a case happens to any of your products.

To file for reimbursement:

  1. Check the Inventory Adjustments report and verify that the unit was lost or damaged no more than 18 months ago.
  1. Ensure that the unit was not restored or found in a sellable condition and not defective.
  1. Review your Reimbursements report to determine whether or not the unit has already been reimbursed.

Use your transaction item ID in the Inventory Adjustments report for damaged items. Use the Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) for lost items. These two will help you determine if you can file a claim.

For Customer Return Claims

You should file a claim within 45 days and not later than 18 months after the customer has filed for a refund or replacement.

  • Verify item refund/replacement status in Manage FBA Returns report and inventory.
  • Go to the Reimbursement report and see if you have already been reimbursed. `

Provide your customer order ID and other additional information during the application. Afterward, you have to wait until Amazon approves your claim.

6 Tips to Achieve Stress-Free Amazon Reimbursement Claims

Although filing an Amazon reimbursement claim can be time-consuming, there are ways to streamline the process. The following tips can help you maximize your reimbursements while simplifying your business operations.

  • Be wary of FBA seller reimbursement systems. Amazon may not like automated and bot-like responses. 
  • Don’t forget to create a template per category. Remember, filing multiple claims at one go makes you a candidate for account suspension.
  • Send status requests regularly to ensure that Amazon acknowledges your claim.
  • A disorganized FBA warehouse system can put your reimbursement claim at risk, so optimizing your inventory management process is essential.
  • Make a habit of re-checking the accuracy of the details you received, such as the address and order quantity. It minimizes order inaccuracies and saves you the hassle of filing reimbursement claims.

Amazon FBA is Still a Full-Time Job

Besides optimizing your listings and PPC ad campaigns, your responsibility is to manage your inventory and deliveries. Yes, Amazon FBA is there to assist you, but you must prevent setbacks like lost and damaged inventories by being as organized as you can.

Seller Interactive can be your partner agency if you are looking for the best Amazon experts. We’re here to help you protect your account and maximize your profits with our FBA reimbursement service for Amazon. This way, you won’t spend long hours cross-checking your inventory reports and wondering how long it will take for Amazon to reimburse you.
Free yourself from this burden. Book a Discovery Call today!

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How To Use Amazon Advertising Reports To Improve Campaigns

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

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.

 

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Is Amazon FBA Worth It? Uncovering the Pros and Cons for Sellers

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.

A smartphone showing the Amazon FBA page lying on top of an Amazon Prime delivery box

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.

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Achieve Business Success With an Amazon PPC Expert  

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:

annotated sample of a sponsored product - ultra speed HDMI cable

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.

annotated screenshot of semi matte sponsored brands on amazon

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.

an annotated screenshot of a sponsored display on amazon

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.

amazon ppc expert shaking hands with a client

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.

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Is A+ Content Worth It for Your Amazon SEO Strategy?

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 LogoAdd a standard brand logo to your content.
Image TextThis is the standard image with text. You can add up to four.
Four Images QuadrantGet 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 ChartCreate a chart of up to six product ASINs and lay them out for comparison.
Single Image and HighlightsLets you put an image to the left side of the section with the headline and the text to the right.
Image with SidebarAllows 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 TextGives you three images, each with a headline and a 1000-character text caption.
Image and Specs DetailAdd a single image with product information or specifications.
Text (Standard)Gives you a standard headline and description.
Image Header With TextAdd a large image with a headline and description text
Standard Product Description TextGives you the capacity to add up to 6000 characters of description.
Standard Technical SpecificationLets 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.
An excited young woman wearing a white shirt and an apron holding parcels with one arm while leaning in front of her laptop

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. 

An infographic containing four advantages of A plus content

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.

A miniature rocket launching up and away from a laptop; smoke from the rocket’s tail blows on the screen and the keyboard

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.

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How an Amazon consultant Would Benefit Your Business

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].

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PPC for Ecommerce: What Your Ecommerce Business Needs

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.

A woman wearing a black turtleneck sweater with her hair pulled back pops out of a laptop screen, cheering as she holds a megaphone in front of her face

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!

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