Everybody who signs up to become an Amazon seller imagines becoming successful..if not instantly, then not far from it. After all, there are a number of advantages to being an Amazon seller, including:
1. You can take advantage of the brand name, and the traffic headed to Amazon, which runs into the hundreds of millions per month.
2. You do not have to bother yourself with setting up your own separate online shop (unless that’s part of your strategy).
3. There are tools that can assist you in promoting your products specifically on Amazon.
It’s easy to take a look at a few Amazon sellers and say, “there’s no way I can be successful as that seller.” It’s just as easy to say, “boy, his customers sure aren’t too happy about his product! I’m sure I could do a better job of selling a better product and giving better customer service.”
Both cases are not entirely true and not entirely false, because a) one can be very successful as an Amazon seller and b) saying is one thing and doing is another – you don’t know exactly what the circumstances of the seller are, so you can’t exactly judge, until you are in his shoes.
Are you ready to be in his shoes? Good!
Remember when Amazon used to be just an online bookstore? Now it’s the biggest online marketplace in the world, with marketplace homes in the UK, US, Mexico, India, Europe, and others. You can sell just about anything on Amazon marketplace, which makes it so enticing for everyday people to join it and become a seller. But, if you already become a seller, it’s worth it to know beforehand everything you need to know to become a successful Amazon seller.
Before you start, however, remember there are two key ingredients you need to have in order to have a chance to be a successful Amazon seller: time, and patience. If you have only one, or neither, your chances of success are really small.
Plan ahead
Like with many things in life, when you plan ahead, you’ll make life easier on yourself, or at least simpler, as your business develops. It’s not a good idea to sign up as an Amazon seller and then “learn as you go.” Not only will it be frustrating, but you’ll also find yourself wasting time, effort and money.
Pick the product that’s right for you to sell
It’s not enough to sell products that people might be interested in, you have to be interested in those products. Because if you’re not – how are you going to make a convincing show for others to buy them? Other considerations include: can you source that product on a regular basis, without interruptions? Is there a market for that product where you want to sell?
Decide what type of Amazon seller account do you want: professional or individual. Obviously, if you’re planning to make Amazon selling your #1 business or priority, you’ll want a professional account; an individual account allows you to sell up to 40 items per month.
Learn how to create a proper listing with clear descriptions, keywords that will match users’ search.
Investigate the niche product market to discover which are the best-selling products, such as fitness, health, pets, self-improvement, beauty, gadgets, etc. Check on Amazon itself to see which are the best-selling products. Or, if you have a particular affinity to a specific type of product, say, fitness equipment, see which are the top-selling items, etc. What are competitors doing to promote their products? How are customers responding to them?
Learn how to create & upload quality images to bring out the best of your product.
Make yourself familiar with the Amazon guidelines – this one is well worth your time, since you do not want your account to get suspended for something silly!
Make sure people can find your products
There are millions of products available through Amazon – that’s an understatement. So, how do you get people to find your item you put up for sale?
Make sure your products aren’t seasonal
You don’t want to get stuck with a warehouse filled with Christmas ornaments in March, or Easter bunny robots in July.
Research
Take a close look at competitor’s/similar products; see how they describe their products, what keywords keep popping up again and again. There are a few lesser-known features sellers are aware of – such as hidden keywords – of which you can take advantage. Only use phrases and words that describe your particular product.
Make the most of Amazon advertising opportunities
Don’t just settle for the basics that Amazon offers. To be successful, you need to take advantage of the wide assortment of promotion options at your disposal: whether it’s sponsored products, Amazon coupons, headline search ads and more, to “hit” potential customers when their browsing or ready to buy.
Use every marketing tool in the book
Promotions, discounts, holiday specials…anything that can give the appearance that the customer is getting an added value with no extra cost.
GIve yourself an A+ in Content
If you haven’t been introduced before to A+content, now’s a great time to do so: this feature allows you to add more descriptions, more images, charts, graphics, even video. With this feature, sellers can combine images with text, highlight top reviews, use subheaders, bullet points, and brief paragraph to make the content “skimmable,” meaning the customer can get a clear understanding what the product is about, only by skimming through the product description and image.
Put the customers first, always
You have to keep your eye on the product page to see the reviews: what customers like, did not like, what can be improved…and of course, negative reviews that can derail your business. Find out why customers are dissatisfied and offer to correct the problem – asap. Good customer service can get you loyal customers and get you additional ones.
Open up your very own branded store
Amazon offers sellers a DIY solution to promote their products: Amazon Stores. It provides you with its own Amazon address, unique design, multiple pages to promote your items (if you have more than one), social sharing, mobile and desktop layouts, and more.
Use the Amazon Marketplace Appstore
Not to be confused with the Amazon consumer app, the AMA, providing sellers with useful tools to manage & optimize their selling on the go.
Offer competitive prices
The world of eCommerce in general and Amazon selling, in particular, is a cutthroat one, so offering a competitive price can help sway indecisive customers, your way. This is a delicate balancing act, as you’ll need to sell your product in a price range that will satisfy your profit margins
Be dedicated to your eBusiness
This is one of the areas where time and patience are required: you must be active with selling your products – there’s no shortage of tools to help you improve your product’s description, create more attractive images, research keywords, etc. Get the word out through social channels, website (if you have) – always with a link to your product page(s).
Consider selling your products under a private label
Selling products under your own private label is another way to sell products. And if you ever wanted to sell soaps or scented-candles with your name stamped on it, this is your opportunity).
Use Amazon FBA for packing & shipping
Using Amazon FBA for handling, packing & shipping your products can save you a lot of time and headache, leaving you to focus on more crucial aspects of your business, such as promoting your items and handling customer support. Using FBA qualifies sellers to Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime shipping.
You’ll need to decide what type of shipping is best for you, financially. Learn the differences, their advantages and disadvantages, and which fulfillment is best suited for your products – and where you plan to sell. Storage & shipping costs are another factor you’ll need to consider. Is the convenience of FBA worth the cost? Or can you handle all the shipping, handling and customer support all by yourself?
Use a product analysis & research platform
Such a platform can make your Amazon selling life simpler and easier, as they can help analyze which product is more profitable to sell in the Amazon marketplaces, what products to stay away from, your potential profit margins, etc.
A good product analysis platform, such as Algopix should and must perform competitor analysis in addition to its other capabilities. After all, you want to know what your competitor is selling, how and where he is selling, what reviews he is getting (good and bad) and how can your product can do one better than his.
