Amazon is a big deal and continues to be a market leader. As an online powerhouse, they offer some of the best tools in the world for selling products. New sellers can always bury their faces in the many tutorials, but these eight tips should always be the starting point. Temper your expectations of selling by keeping all eight of these tips on your mind. The biggest nightmare for any Amazons seller is being unprepared for what’s to come.
8. Amazon Is Not eBay
Sellers that have spent years on eBay will be in for quite a shock when starting with Amazon. They are completely different storefronts, especially when it comes to customer appeal. On eBay, customers expect wholesale prices while on Amazon you can get away with retail prices. Even the percentage they take from sales is different, along with the marketing extras provided. Whatever tactics you’re used to with eBay won’t carry over well when selling on Amazon. The biggest thing sellers have to get used to is lack of control when listing items. Without the option of an auction, this greatly lessens the chance you can sell items with low interest.
7. Make Your Storefront Attractive
Customers look at Amazon storefronts more than you think. Once they are in this mode, it gives a clearer picture of what type of seller you are. Having a sloppily put together inventory won’t look good to potential buyers. It is like opening the door to your room and having clothes all over the floor and the bed unmade. Put time and effort into making your storefront look professional. There are templates that you can copy to give it a more uniform look, but don’t use it as a crutch in place of creativity. Once you get used to the format, consider updating your storefront on a monthly/yearly basis.
6. Pictures Attract Consumers
There are three things you need for the perfect picture; a clear shot, angles and lighting. The more the better, but it is important to have all three of these things in each picture. Out of focus pictures will make the item look cheap and generic. Pictures done right will make any item look like it is worth more than you’re selling it for. Take a look at high selling items on Amazon to get a good idea of what you should aim for. And remember, bad pictures will show on your storefront.
5. Descriptions Seal The Deal
A picture may say a thousand words, but you still need the actual words to sell the product. Keep the feature list simple, and make the description straightforward. The easiest way to make a description is to combine the features of the product with your own made up FAQ. That way, as the customer reads it, their most pressing questions are answered. Recap your description with the most valuable features to remind the customer why your product is superior to the competition. Pictures can also be added to descriptions, so use the feature wisely.
4. Keep Inventory Up To Date
Nothing angers a customer more than finding the product they want, paying for it, and then getting a delay notice. This is a common problem with smaller storefronts that aren’t honest about their inventory. This is a bad practice, and should not be done on the Amazon service. If you don’t physically have the item available to sell, then don’t list it as a sellable item. Checks are in place if the customer wants an email about out of stock items. Sure, you’ll lose out on a sale to a competitor, but at least you won’t break Amazon policies. Too much breaking of the rules will get your storefront shut down permanently. You can use advanced tools like on this website to make the process more user-friendly.
3. Are You Selling Restricted Products?
Just because Amazon let you list a product doesn’t mean it isn’t restricted. Restricted products that accidentally get listed remains the fault of the store owner. It could be an Amazon restricted product by category, age, state law or many other variables. They have a list that is easy to follow but can sometimes be left up to third-party interpretation. Common sense plays a part in the listing, but don’t be surprised if there are some rules that blindside you after half an hour of listing. The offending restricted items are taken down automatically by Amazon when found. They will send a follow-up email about the incident, and usually, explain why it was removed. As long as it wasn’t a listing that egregiously broke the rules, your account will remain fine.
2. Market Outside Of The Amazon Ecosystem
Amazon sellers have a lot of great tools at their disposal when marketing the storefront. The best thing for you to do as a new seller has split your marketing with Amazon, Google and other related storefronts. Google Shopping consolidates all of the major shopping sites on one page. This works to your benefit if you mirror your inventory across multiple sites. It is more exposure for your Amazon storefront without having to spend a ton more in marketing. With the proper scripts set up, this is an automated way to market across the web.
1. Follow Up With Your Customers
When an email arrives, answer it within twenty-four hours. When a question gets asked about the product, be the first storefront to answer it. Little things like this will endear current and future customers to your brand. You’re competing with many other storefronts that will be more than happy to answer questions about a product. Be the familiarity that consumers trust and they will reach out to you before everyone else.
Wrap Up
Becoming a powerful Amazon seller depends heavily on your ability to separate fact from fiction. The moment selling becomes stressful, it is more likely that you’ll abandon proven guides. For the best experience, Amazon sellers should stick to the plan. Consistency is the answer when you want to become a great seller and not disappoint customers.