10 Amazon Selling Tips You Need to Know In 2020
As a titan of e-commerce, payments, logistics, and media, Amazon is home to more than one million sellers. While there are many people to compete against, only a minority end up building a successful business, so if you’re about to start selling on Amazon, or you’ve noticed a decline in sales, here are some useful selling tips to be one step ahead and get the custom you want in 2020.
Optimize Your Product Details
There are over 12 million products that are listed on Amazon to purchase. Consumers must do their own research to find and compare products before deciding to buy. Many Amazon customers know their way around the internet, meaning they can narrow down their search to find the exact item that they’re looking for. The challenge for you as a seller is to ensure your products are displayed at the top of the product search results. To boost the chances of your products coming up first, make sure that you include a product title, thorough description of your items, as well as use product information tools to manage your data.
Take Professional Photos
When buying products online, customers need to be interested from the get-go. With so much choice on the market, if your photos aren’t up to scratch, consumers will likely go elsewhere. It’s important that consumers can physically see the items they are going to buy, so sellers need to have multiple, fresh photographs to showcase their items. Grainy pictures taken on an old mobile phone are not going to cut it. While it may seem time-consuming to take professional photos, you will be thankful in the long run. Consumers will not only see that you’re a professional seller, but they are more likely to trust your brand and become a loyal follower. Before taking pictures, it’s best to check out Amazon’s guidelines regarding product images.
Use Competitive Pricing
We all like to get excellent value for money when online shopping. With many customers shopping on Amazon to find the best deal possible, it’s important that you as a seller price your products at a rate that will entice consumers. Sellers need to have knowledge of what prices they are competing against, and how to list products at a competitive price. If you aren’t selling unique items, it’s important that you conduct thorough research into your competitors so you can get a better indication of what ball range to aim for. To help you match lowest prices continually, you may want to use Amazon’s match low price feature. This tool enables you to choose your own preferences, so you can always stay one step ahead.
Aim to Continually Improve Performance
Your Amazon business will not run itself, so if you don’t have the motivation, drive, and patience for success, it’s likely that your venture won’t get very far. If you are serious about selling vast quantities of items, you will need to regularly track your performance. Doing so will mean you can improve your efforts continually. Make sure that you pay close to attention to both your increasing and decreasing sales, as well as seller rating and return rate. All these factors are vital in establishing where you have gone wrong and what needs to be improved. There is always something new to learn, so whether you’ve been using Amazon for many years or you’re new to the game, keeping up to date with the latest trends and developments will show consumers that you will do everything you can to stay on top.
Consider Using Fulfillment by Amazon
When selling products online, fast and accurate fulfillment is critical. If you’re unable to deliver orders to customers on time, it’s likely that your business won’t succeed. Unfortunately, one of the main sore points for sellers is fulfillment. While you’re able to fulfill orders yourself, you may want to consider the option of using FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), which is a dedicated service provided by Amazon to fulfill your orders.
Abide by the Rules
While it may be obvious, you will be surprised at how many sellers don’t follow the rules and try and cut corners to their advantage. Amazon has strict rules and regulations that all sellers must adhere to. The last thing you want is an amazon account suspension. If you find yourself in such a situation, there are specialist companies like Thompson and Holt who have experience in getting seller accounts reinstated, having helped prevent over 3,952 Amazon suspensions so far.
Try to Own the Buy Box
Whether you’re a new seller or have many years of experience, your main goal should be to own the Amazon Buy Box, which is the box on a product detail page where customers can start the purchasing process by putting items directly into their shopping cart. For those who win the Buy Box, an increase in sales tends to be one of the main benefits they gain. The buy box is crucial for sellers who provide similar or the same products sold by others. There are several factors that can increase your chances of winning the buy box, such as fulfillment options, inventory availability, positive customer reviews, and seller ratings.
Control Product Reviews to Your Benefit
The reviews you receive on your products can be the difference between running a successful Amazon business or falling at the first hurdle. Naturally, the better reviews you get, the more buyers you will receive. Bad reviews can tarnish your reputation and result in a decrease in sales and trust. The biggest negative about reviews is that you’re unable to control what people think about your brand. There are lots of tips that you can take on board, which can provide some sort of control on product reviews, such as asking customers to leave feedback. When engaging with a customer, asking them to leave a review can be a great way to open a conversation and monitor how they found the whole buying experience.
Make Customer Service Your Top Priority
For your Amazon business to thrive, it’s critical that you put customer service above anything else. How you engage with consumers and display your products will have an impact on how much custom you get. Customer service is crucial for customer retention and transforming first time buyers into dedicated followers. You should never underestimate the importance of customer service, so make sure that you respond to all customer inquiries, act professionally when dealing with disputes, and handle returns with ease. No matter how much hard work you put into your brand, there will always be one consumer who isn’t happy, so trying to see things from their point of view and learning how to take criticism is key for success.
Proactively Manage Amazon Inventory
When selling items online, you will need to manage your inventory proactively. If a customer has placed an order with you and you find that you don’t have the item physically in stock, the last thing you want is to get negative feedback. To prevent this from happening, make sure that you keep a close eye on your inventory.
When selling products on Amazon or CoreCommerce, it’s important that you go above and beyond to keep a loyal following. No matter what kind of business you run, following all the guidelines above can help increase sales and keep customers interested in your brand.