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Simple Tips To Boost Sales On Amazon

Key points

  • While Amazon has over 200 million customers worldwide, competition on the platform is exceptionally fierce, as there are millions of sellers.
  • If you want to boost your Amazon sales, you need to highlight what makes your products or brand different and convey those differences to your customers.
  • Other things that can help your Amazon business grow include having a large number of reviews, using a well-crafted SEO strategy for your listings, using social media to build a relationship with your audience, and buying Amazon ads to attract customers.

Ecommerce is a multifaceted process that is fraught with pitfalls. And when it comes to running a successful business, having a high-quality product isn’t always enough. Instead, your promotional skills and a well-chosen platform for selling your products can determine whether your business will succeed or fail.

When looking at statistics, it is easy to notice that Amazon is far ahead of other online marketplaces, so most retailers want to sell their products on this platform. But whether you already have a successful business and are trying to further increase your sales by expanding to Amazon, or this is your first experience as a retailer, there’s a learning curve that every new Amazon seller goes through. It means that once you’ve decided to sell your products on Amazon, you need to take time to learn how to sell on Amazon.

Today, we’ll give you simple tips for increasing sales and making your business more profitable.

Be Unique

It’s not a secret that the easiest product to sell is a unique one because there’s no competition. But not everyone can come up with a unique idea or develop a new product. So does this mean you can’t make money on Amazon or in the retail business in general?

Absolutely not! You simply need to set your company apart in other ways. For instance, you can look for competitors who sell similar products and see how their businesses operate. This will help you distinguish your brand from others by highlighting the things your customers like about your company and products. It is also an excellent way to determine what aspects of your business strategy should be improved and find ways to outperform your opponents.

Another way to create a distinct brand is to put yourself in the customers’ shoes. For instance, you will most likely research a product before purchasing it to find the best offer. And you will most likely choose the brand that has provided you with all of the information you were searching for as well as answers to all of your questions. Based on this notion, you can take several steps to make potential customers more likely to choose your products over similar items sold by your competitors:

  • Demonstrate the benefits of the product. Briefly outline the key features of your product that set it apart from the competition and demonstrate its worth. Then, figure out how to convey and highlight these benefits to buyers.
  • Find a place to share these benefits with customers. First, you should take time to create detailed Amazon listings that highlight all the benefits of your products to potential customers. You can also create a website for your brand where you will write blog posts, record videos on how to use the product, provide systematic feedback, or hold FAQ sessions with customers. It’s also a good idea to create social media pages for your brand.
  • Learn about targeting. Use different sources of traffic for your website to draw attention to your company. For instance, you can create social media pages on Instagram and Facebook and share information about your products while directing people to your website and Amazon product listings. You can also use paid PPC or social media advertisements to find new customers.
  • Create an email marketing campaign. One downside of Amazon is that sellers can’t collect their customers’ email addresses. So it’s very useful to have a website or social media pages where you can give out discounts to customers in exchange for their emails and then send out updates or intriguing offers to customers. Email campaigns can help you convert potential customers into buyers, get your old customers to make repeat purchases, and build a better relationship with your clients.

Work On Your Reviews

According to the statistics, buyers are more likely to purchase a product with a large number of reviews. Indeed, it boosts trust and provides some additional information about the product from the customers’ perspective. But, unfortunately, while Amazon sends automatic emails to customers asking them to leave feedback, few people do it. So it’s crucial to have a strategy for encouraging your customers to leave positive and helpful feedback about your products.

Here are some suggestions for getting customers to leave reviews:

  • Use email tools. Again, an email campaign can be helpful for reaching out to customers after they have received their order. If you have the buyer’s email, you can send them a message thanking them for the purchase and requesting that they leave feedback on Amazon. It is important to stress that the customer’s opinion is critical to your company, and each review plays a significant role.
  • Encourage customers with small gifts. Another good idea is to add a small present to each package together with a note asking the customer to leave feedback on the Amazon listing page. You could, for example, buy small chocolate candies and write this request on them. Customers are more likely to leave positive reviews and support your company this way. However, this will only work if you ship products yourself instead of using the FBA program
  • Be truthful. As much as you might want your customers to leave positive feedback about your products, badgering them with constant emails and social media posts asking for 5-star reviews is a bad idea. Instead, tell people that you need unbiased and thorough feedback, which will assist future buyers in deciding whether or not they should purchase your product. Your honesty and transparency about your needs and intentions will work much better than constant begging for positive reviews.

Use An SEO Strategy

A large percentage of Amazon customers know exactly what they are looking for. That is why it is crucial to use an SEO approach to help your products appear at the top of shoppers’ search results. To do this, you need to optimize the product listing by including all the necessary keywords that customers interested in your product might search for. But how do you figure out which words to include? Fortunately, there are numerous keyword research tools created specifically for Amazon sellers. You can use these tools to find appropriate keywords for your listings! Then, check to see if your descriptions have all these keywords and add the missing words and phrases.

There’s a lot to discover about Amazon search optimization. And if you want to use an SEO strategy that is 100 percent effective, you will need to invest a lot of time figuring out how to do so correctly. And by the time you find a good strategy, Amazon will have changed its algorithms countless times, so you will constantly need to monitor new trends and changes.

However, there is a much easier way to optimize your product listings without putting in any extra effort. Consider enlisting professional help! We recommend working with an agency that can set up your Amazon SEO correctly and perform countless other tasks to help your business grow.

Work On Product Names And Titles

There are some things you can do to make your products appear in more relevant search results. First and foremost, you should make product names as detailed as possible, as this helps draw customers looking for those exact products to your listings. However, there is no reason to include unnecessary keywords that may distract clients from the important information. Furthermore, keep in mind that Amazon has a 200-character title limit, and any descriptions that exceed this limit will be considered irrelevant.

While titles attract users to your product listings, descriptions convert them into buyers. As a result, product descriptions must be clear and detailed to provide a complete product overview. Take time to determine how to present this information correctly so that all potential customers can understand product features and have all their questions answered.

Utilize Social Media

Today, social media is essential for communicating with customers. And video is one of the most efficient formats. It’s an excellent way to describe your product while incorporating visuals or animation. In addition, videos help to establish personal relationships with customers, as they can perceive you as a close friend while watching your videos. Plus, using this format can help build trust with your audience. And if you use platforms such as TikTok or YouTube, your content may even go viral and help your business explode.

Here are the most useful types of videos for commercial purposes:

  • Production videos. They describe the product and provide key information on how to use it.
  • Promotion videos. These videos demonstrate the brand’s uniqueness in the market and highlight the qualities that set the brand apart from others.
  • Customer videos. These videos are excellent for boosting customer trust and helping potential buyers see the product from the perspective of a real customer.
  • Blog videos. These videos encourage customers to get to know the brand and help form personal relationships with the audience. You can use this format to tell the story of how your company came to be, interview company employees, or take a tour of your office.
  • Video tutorials. These are explanations on how to use the product or fix the issues that may arise.
  • Collaborations with influencers. You can pay influencers to review your products on video or give them free products in exchange for unpacking or reviewing videos. Customers enjoy watching reviews from reliable sources, and by seeking out these collaborations, you can significantly increase your sales.

Use Extra Tools For Amazon Sellers

There are numerous Amazon tools that can help brands attract new buyers, but two of them are particularly effective. First of all, it is a good idea to use Amazon Sponsored Products to increase your brand’s visibility. This paid advertising method allows your product to be displayed at the top of the list when consumers search for specific keywords. This method saves you time and allows you to attract more buyers to your listings. The downside of this method is that it can be expensive and quickly eat up your profit margins.

The next useful tool is the Amazon Buy Box. You have probably seen that white box located on the right side of the Amazon product page. It is one of the simplest ways to boost your sales but also one of the hardest ones to achieve. Amazon uses algorithms to rank all the sellers that carry the product in question and show only proven brands with an excellent reputation and competitive prices in the Buy Box. In addition, sellers who want to qualify for the Box should have fast shipping, a small order defect rate, and efficient customer service.

There are dozens of ways to make your brand recognizable and increase your sales on Amazon. In this article, we have included only the most effective methods that can be useful for your business. However, we advise you to seek professional assistance, particularly by hiring an agency that will oversee the growth of your Amazon business. To learn more about our agency’s work, sign up for a free discovery call or leave your email address so we can contact you.

FAQ

Is selling on Amazon profitable?

Due to the high level of competition in the market, new brands that join Amazon cannot always meet their revenue targets as quickly as they planned. As a result, companies need to put in significant effort to differentiate their brand from thousands of others and establish a reputation among customers. But once you find the right direction for your business, your profits will grow faster, and your business will become profitable. Over 60% of new Amazon sellers start making a profit within one year.

How do I promote on Amazon?

To promote a product on Amazon using paid ads, you must log into your account and find the “Advertising” menu. Then, select “Promotions” from the menu. In this section, you’ll choose the promotion type and set up the ad for your product.

What can I sell on Amazon to make money?

You can sell anything, starting with books and ending with wholesale goods. You can also sell your private label products, such as fitness equipment or self-care items. But remember to follow all the tips in our article to make your business profitable.

Is Selling On Amazon Worth It?

Key points 

  • Amazon is the biggest online retail platform in the world. Over a million new sellers join the website each year.
  • There are several pros and cons to selling on Amazon.
  • The pros of using the company to sell your products include its large customer base, easy expansion into foreign markets, an excellent reputation, the ability of sellers to utilize the FBA program, and more.
  • On the downside, sellers who use Amazon have to pay several types of fees to the retail giant, deal with a huge level of competition, and face stock tracking problems when selling on multiple marketplaces at once.

With 200 million unique monthly customers, Amazon is one of the biggest online retailers in the world. This marketplace offers an unparalleled level of service with their Amazon Prime memberships, 1 or 2-day shipping offered on millions of products, and their vast selection of products. The company’s huge customer base and simple requirements for becoming a seller are part of the reason why new businesses choose to trade on this platform over other options. However, like many other online marketplaces, Amazon has its own set of advantages and disadvantages that may influence the sellers’ business and ultimately cause your business to succeed or fail. This article will look at the potential upsides and pitfalls of doing business on this marketplace and help you decide if selling your products on Amazon is worth it.

Pros Of Selling On Amazon

Excellent Reputation

According to recent statistics, in 2025, Amazon’s global revenue reached approximately $716.9 billion, up from $638 billion a year earlier, which means hundreds of millions of people worldwide choose to shop on Amazon over other offline and online retailers.

But for most people, these numbers don’t mean much, so let’s use a real-life example of a choice most people who shop on Amazon face. Let’s say you own a pet store and need to purchase dog food wholesale. Now you have to choose between an unknown website that sells pet supplies and Amazon. The decision is obvious because no one wants to take the risk of purchasing something from a store they have never heard of. Amazon’s credibility and widespread trust in this platform often make it a clear winner when people choose between the retail giant and an unknown website. Plus, if you’ve ever had an issue with an Amazon package, you probably know that the company is generally very accommodating.

All of this undoubtedly boosts confidence in Amazon-based retailers, who are more likely to make their business successful there than anywhere else.

Worldwide shipping

Amazon is the world’s largest selling and purchasing platform. It has marketplaces in 13 countries, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, and others. And the retail giant is constantly working on expanding into new markets. But this is only a partial list of countries that have access to Amazon, as the online retailer delivers its products to over 100 countries worldwide. It means that buyers whose home country doesn’t have an Amazon marketplace can still make purchases. Indeed, they will have to pay a higher shipping fee, but this does not discourage most people from using this platform.

While other platforms typically require third-party sellers to create separate shop pages for each language and do not support automatic shipping to other countries, Amazon makes the process incredibly easy for sellers. By creating only one listing on your local Amazon platform, you can test whether your product would be of interest to a global audience and if the product succeeds, try selling it to buyers worldwide.

Plus, as an Amazon seller, you can take advantage of their localized customer service and an international shipping system, so you won’t have to figure out how to break into the global market on your own. You also won’t be responsible for local payment services, logistics, or other operations.

Increased Efficiency

Although you may see this as a disadvantage, Amazon will likely force your company to be more efficient. Every action a seller takes on the platform is monitored, and any deviation from the rules is strictly prohibited. So, while it may force you to change some of your business operations, the need to adhere to Amazon’s best practices will likely help push your company to the next level. Plus, you can be confident that Amazon services will assist you in providing fast and reliable order fulfillment and delivery, as well as high seller performance.

Perfect Research Platform

Amazon is often the first website customers visit when they begin their search for a product they intend to purchase. This is due to the fact that Amazon is designed to provide comprehensive product information. On the platform, customers have access to product descriptions, reviews from other customers, and they can compare products by competing brands. So even if buyers prefer to make their purchases offline, they may notice your brand on Amazon and contact you directly. As a result, your brand will be more recognizable than on any other online marketplace. And if you’re not on Amazon, you will be automatically losing potential customers to your competitors.

FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon)

Amazon FBA is a service that assists sellers with product storage, packaging, and shipping. Sellers use this program to ship products to an Amazon fulfillment center, where they are stored in warehouses until they are sold. Then, when a customer places an order, Amazon employees physically prepare, package, and ship the items. There are over 175 fulfillment centers worldwide in charge of receiving products in bulk, storing inventory, and sending it to customers.

With the Amazon FBA program, shipping is no longer the retailers’ responsibility, and as a result, they can devote their time to more important tasks while their sales continue to grow.

FBA participants also receive additional benefits from this program, such as Amazon Prime shipping and Buy Box priority. This usually increases the company’s sales because seeing the Prime logo is an excellent incentive for shoppers to purchase the product.

Cons Of Selling On Amazon

Even though there are numerous benefits to selling your products on Amazon, some of the retailer’s downsides may cause you to reconsider and seek out other platforms.

Competition

This is the most apparent disadvantage since Amazon is the most popular platform, with millions of businesses selling on it. So if your product isn’t unique and other people already sell it, you’ll need a brilliant strategy to outwit the competition.

You will also be competing with other sellers for the Amazon Buy Box. The Buy Box is a box located on the product detail page where customers start the process of purchasing an item by adding it to their shopping carts. The majority of customers prefer to make their purchases through the Buy Box. When a buyer purchases a product through this section, the seller with the highest Amazon ranking at the time will appear there. As a result, the Buy Box winner will get the sale.

So, what factors influence the way Buy Box winners are selected? It is a mash-up of dozens of things, but here are the primary factors you should keep in mind:

  • Outstanding customer service
  • Competitive pricing
  • Orders are processed and shipped on time
  • The order defect rate is at or below 1%
  • A high volume of sales

Ultimately, there is only one way to win this competition – you need to adjust and improve your business strategy constantly. Timely delivery, flawless management, and excellent ratings from customers are just a few of the factors that will determine your success. It is a heavy burden to bear, which is why you need the help of an Amazon growth agency to help your Amazon business grow.

Fees For Services

When you become an Amazon seller, your products instantly become exposed to over 200 million users. But of course, Amazon doesn’t give out its customers for free. Almost every step you take as a seller on the platform will require you to pay a fee. Let’s go over a few of them. Following the registration process, you can choose between two Amazon seller plans:

  • Individual plan with a fee of $0.99 per item sold. This plan is appropriate for businesses that sell fewer than 40 items per month or are unsure about their product catalog. You should select this plan if you do not intend to advertise your brand or use advanced selling tools.
  • The professional plan is priced at $39.99 per month. This plan is suitable for larger companies that actively use advertising tools or already have a good track record selling products on the marketplace. This plan is required if you want to qualify for top placement on product detail pages.

It’s also important to remember that for each item you sell, you will also pay a referral fee that does not depend on your plan. This price is different for different product types, and you need to visit the official Amazon’s Seller Central site to discover the size of the referral fee you will need to pay for each item you sell.

Another expense you should plan for is advertising. A few years ago, Amazon would sort products according to the organic product rating, which was compiled based on customers’ reviews. Now, when customers visit any product listings, the first products they see are advertisements. So if you want customers to find you on Amazon, you definitely need to use the platform’s paid ads services.

How Fees On Amazon Differ From Other Online Platforms

On Amazon and similar marketplaces, you need to pay a percentage of each sale. But there are some other shopping channels where sellers pay for every click, regardless of whether that click led to a purchase or not. That is why, if you’re selling goods in low-margin categories, you will be better off choosing Amazon.

Potential Stock Issues

Here is what the typical process of receiving orders from Amazon looks like:

  1. At the end of the day, the seller downloads an order list from Amazon.
  2. The seller packs and ships the items.
  3. Finally, they update product status on Amazon.

The main issue here is that stock is updated after the day’s orders have been fulfilled. So sellers often don’t know how many products have been sold (and therefore how many are remaining in stock) throughout the day.

This is not a problem if you are only selling your products on Amazon. However, if you also use other marketplaces, you can run into problems since there’s no way to integrate Amazon with other shopping cart systems. As a result, you will need to pay close attention to the number of items sold on Amazon and other platforms to avoid accidentally selling more products than you have in stock. This, in turn, can make it really hard to run your business.

Final Thoughts

While Amazon has lots of significant advantages over its competition, there are a few things that can make it difficult for sellers to grow their businesses on this marketplace, especially if you decide to do everything on your own. This is why we strongly recommend getting professional help.

FAQ

What proportion of Amazon sellers makes a profit?

Nearly 60% of new Amazon sellers start making a profit during their first year working on the marketplace. This proportion is even higher for people who have been selling on Amazon for longer.

How many Amazon sellers are there?

There are over 9 million Amazon sellers worldwide, but only 2 million of them are actively running their businesses. It is important to remember that this number is rapidly increasing, with more than a million new sellers added each year.

Selling on Amazon vs. Shopify

Key points

  • People who want to start an online retail business often end up choosing between selling their products on Amazon or using Shopify to create a dedicated storefront for their business.
  • Both platforms have numerous advantages and disadvantages.
  • Amazon is an online marketplace where sellers can list their products and compete with other businesses that sell identical or similar items. The biggest advantage of Amazon is its 300 million customer base.
  • Shopify is an e-commerce platform where sellers can easily create storefronts dedicated solely to their brands. The downside of Shopify is that sellers are responsible for driving traffic to their stores, which can be time-consuming and costly.
  • Ultimately, the best option for business owners is to try selling their products on both platforms at the same time to diversify sales channels, maximize profits, and minimize risks.

If you’re thinking of starting your own e-commerce business or expanding your existing brick and mortar operations into the world of online retail, you have a few big decisions to make. One of these decisions is choosing the platform you’re going to use to run your business. There are dozens of different platforms, but most entrepreneurs end up choosing between Amazon and Shopify. Both of these offer some excellent benefits, so in this article, we will talk about the differences between Shopify and Amazon, their advantages and disadvantages, and give you tips for choosing the best option for your company.

Amazon vs. Shopify – how are they different?

Amazon and Shopify are two services people most commonly use to sell products online.

Shopify and Amazon similarities

No need to register a business to become a seller

Both platforms make it very easy for sellers to sign up on the platform since they don’t require individuals to register their businesses before starting to sell products.

However, Amazon makes the process a little more challenging by asking potential sellers to submit a government-issued ID, valid credit card, and tax details before allowing them to create an account on the platform.

Simple process for adding products

You don’t need to have any programming experience or other special skills to add products on these platforms. The user interface is generally very intuitive, and both services give you a list of information you need to enter for each product to list it.

Low upfront costs

Both Amazon and Shopify make it really affordable for sellers to get started on the platforms. For instance, Shopify gives each new seller a free 14-day trial and after that, charges them $29.99 monthly under the basic plan. You can upgrade to more advanced plans if you want.

At the same time, Amazon gives you two plan options. Under the Individual plan, you have to pay a fee for each product you sell, so you won’t need to pay anything if you don’t make any sales. Alternatively, you can opt for the Professional plan, which costs $39.99 per month.

Resources and support for sellers

Starting a business is always challenging, so both Amazon and Shopify provide a lot of informational resources, articles, tools, FAQ pages, and even dedicated support teams to answer seller questions.

Differences between Amazon and Shopify

Different business models

One of the main differences between Shopify and Amazon is that the former is an e-commerce platform, and the latter is a marketplace. So when you sell on Amazon, you will have to compete with other sellers who have identical product listings. Most of the time, an Amazon product listing will have dozens, if not more, of sellers who all have the same product in stock. At the same time, the platform gives business owners limited tools to make them stand out from the competition.

On the other hand, on Shopify, you will have your own storefront with all of your products. This is very similar to creating a website from scratch to sell your stock. There will be no competition to distract customers from your brand, and you’ll have the chance to customize the way your storefront looks and its features.

Amazon gives you access to over 300 million customers

One of the most significant advantages of Amazon is that by joining the platform, you instantly gain access to its 300 million active users, half of whom have Prime memberships. This means that if you sell a relatively unique product that’s in demand with customers, you likely won’t need to spend money on advertising.

On the other hand, if you go with Shopify, you will be responsible for driving traffic to your store, resulting in significant SEO and advertising expenses.

Amazon will charge you fees

Since Amazon provides you with a huge customer base, the platform needs to find a way to make money from this model. This is where Amazon fees come in. When you sell on Amazon, you will be responsible for paying numerous fees for different actions you take on the platform. These fees can easily add up to over 30% of your total sales revenue.

Shopify fees are much lower, as you will only need to pay the price of a monthly subscription, payment processing fee, and the annual domain name registration cost.

Shopify pros and cons

In this section, we will take a detailed look at the advantages and disadvantages of selling your products on Shopify.

Shopify pros for sellers:

  • You can use the platform for free for 14 days to decide whether you like it.
  • You can create a completely customized online store using free and paid themes.
  • On Shopify, your brand will remain front and center when customers shop your products.
  • Shopify has a Fulfillment Network, which you can use to shore and ship your products, similar to the service Amazon FBA provides.
  • Shopify’s fees are very reasonable and affordable for any business.
  • You can make your store mobile-friendly to attract more sales.
  • You can add helpful features to your store by downloading readily available Shopify plugins.

Shopify cons for sellers:

  • Building a store is generally easy, but you will still need to spend some time learning how to do it the first time.
  • You will need to drive customers to your store from search engines, social media, etc. This can be expensive and time-consuming.
  • Most Shopify plugins are paid, and the selection of free themes is very limited, so you will likely need to spend money on a paid theme.

Shopify pricing

While Amazon has two seller plans which are pretty straightforward, Shopify plans are more complex. Essentially, sellers can choose from 3 options: the Basic plan, which costs $29 per month; the Shopify plan, which costs $79 per month; and the Advanced plan, which adds up to $299 per month.

The Basic Shopify plan allows you to create e-commerce websites and blogs, add an unlimited number of products to your store, use 2 staff accounts, utilize multichannel selling, fraud analysis, and contact Shopify support 24/7.

The Shopify plan includes everything available in the Basic plan, plus, it allows customers to purchase gift cards, sets lower credit bards fees for sellers, gives sellers access to 5 staff accounts instead of 2, allows them to create professional reports, and provides access to the point of sale extras.

Finally, the Advanced Shopify plan incudes 15 staff accounts, even lower credit card fees, advanced reports, and third-party shipping rates.

Amazon pros and cons

Now that we’ve discussed the advantages and drawbacks of Shopify, let’s look at the things sellers love and hate about Amazon:

Amazon pros for sellers:

  • Once you register as a seller, you immediately get access to a massive network of people ready to buy your products.
  • Customers are more likely to purchase products on Amazon than on any other e-commerce platform.
  • You won’t need to build a storefront if you don’t want to. You can simply sell your products as separate listings.
  • You can utilize the FBA to have Amazon handle product storage, packaging, shipping, returns, and even customer service for you.
  • Amazon allows you to use various types of paid ads to draw traffic to your product listings.
  • You can sell your products to customers all over the world without the need to set up a new store, figure out international shipping, etc.
  • Amazon is suitable for sellers with different business models, including wholesale and dropshipping.
  • You can gain access to even more tools and features by applying to the Brand Registry program.

Amazon cons for sellers:

  • Amazon’s fees are significantly higher than its competitors’. They can account for between 15 and 40% of your revenue.
  • With millions of active sellers, the competition on the platform is fierce.
  • You don’t have a lot of opportunities to make your brand stand out.
  • Your store can be removed from the platform at any time for breaking the rules. These decisions are sometimes arbitrary.
  • Many Amazon business owners complain that Seller Support is generally not very helpful.
  • Amazon can amend its regulations and increase its fees at any time.
  • Amazon ads can be expensive.

Selling on Shopify vs. Amazon – which should you choose?

All things considered, there’s no one correct answer to this question. It all depends on your business, priorities, and the amount of time and money you want to dedicate to it.

Amazon is generally a better option for people who source products from suppliers and then resell them at a profit. Since the platform most likely already has existing listings for your products, you will be able to start selling without spending a lot of time and money.

At the same time, if you create a unique product and want to keep your brand front and center, Shopify is a better option. People with dropshipping businesses also generally prefer Shopify over Amazon.

It’s also worth mentioning that Amazon has lower entry requirements, so it’s a better platform for beginners. If you don’t have any experience with online retail and want to try it out without investing a lot of capital, Amazon is a good option. That being said, even large corporations can benefit from having an Amazon presence, so it’s worth joining the platform even if your company is already successful.

The best course of action

As we’ve explained above, both Amazon and Shopify have a huge number of advantages for sellers. But, in the end, neither of the platforms is better or worse – they are just different. This is why we advise you to try both! In fact, this is a brilliant business decision since it will allow you to diversify your sales channels and reduce risks.

Sellers who use Amazon FBA and Shopify simultaneously can simplify their operations and minimize the amount of work they need to do by syncing their inventories on both websites and using Amazon FBA to ship their Shopify orders.

Hire an agency to grow your Amazon business

If you ultimately decide to start selling products on Amazon, you should consider hiring an agency to help manage and grow your business. Handling all Amazon operations in-house can be a huge pain, and it can easily prevent your business from realizing its full potential.

FAQ

Are Shopify and Amazon competitors?

Amazon and Shopify are not competitors per se. However, many new sellers decide between the two platforms when launching their online retail businesses.

Why should you use Shopify?

Shopify allows sellers to create online stores without the need to spend thousands of dollars on website development and support. Instead, you can quickly create a functioning Shopify store using their free or paid templates and plugins.

Is Amazon a Shopify?

No, Amazon and Shopify and two different services. Amazon is an online marketplace where people can sell products, while Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows the seller to create their own stores.

Is Selling on Amazon Worth It?

Key points

  • Many business owners who already successfully sell their products on their websites, social media pages, and other platforms feel hesitant about expanding their operations to Amazon.
  • The biggest concerns people have regarding selling their products on Amazon include sales cannibalization, loss of control over customer experience, and the need to dedicate additional time and resources to Amazon.
  • Taking everything into account, it’s often more dangerous not to sell your products on Amazon than to expand your operations to the platform.
  • If your brand is not on Amazon, your competitors can take out Amazon ads for keywords associated with your brand, and your company’s reputation can be hurt by third-party sellers who distribute your products or their counterfeit copies.

Did you know that nearly 50% of all e-commerce sales in the US happen on Amazon? With numbers like this, Amazon is clearly a force you have to consider if you sell your products online. But for many companies, this is a difficult dilemma. If you already run a successful business by selling your products on another e-commerce platform, in a brick and mortar store, on your own website, or on social media, should you add Amazon as another sales channel or avoid the e-commerce behemoth? In this article, we will try to help you find the answer to this difficult question.

Common concerns brands have about selling on Amazon

When business owners first start considering selling their products on Amazon, they have several main concerns. Below, we will talk about some of these concerns and help you understand how you can use these potential issues to your advantage.

Sales cannibalization

When thinking about expanding their sales to Amazon, many sellers worry that this will cannibalize a portion of their sales from other channels, whether it is their brick and mortar stores, website, social media platforms, etc. Naturally, this is a valid concern, and the truth is that expanding your business to Amazon will likely lead to a reduction in the number of sales you make on other platforms. However, there are two sides to this coin. The truth is that Amazon has such a huge share of the e-commerce market and so many customers in the US, UK, and worldwide that you’re likely missing out on a lot more sales simply by not being on the platform.

In fact, the current cannibalization concerts regarding Amazon sales are similar to the arguments many business owners made in the early days of the internet when online stores were only starting to appear. However, by starting your expansion to Amazon today, you can secure a place for your company on the platform, start building a reputation on the marketplace and protect the future of your business. After all, Amazon is clearly not going away any time soon. So think carefully about what the bigger risk is: having your website or offline sales cannibalized by your own Amazon sales or missing out on the chance to offer your products to over 300 million Amazon customers?

Time and resources needed to run a business on Amazon

Some business owners who already have their hands full with the tasks they need to accomplish to successfully sell their products on other platforms hesitate to expand to Amazon because they think they simply won’t have enough time or resources to do it. But in reality, setting up and running operations on Amazon is much easier than creating your own website to sell products. For instance, you can use Amazon’s FBA (fulfilled by Amazon) program to handle all the day-to-day tasks such as storing, labeling, shipping products, answering customer inquiries, and processing returns. Plus, Amazon already has a huge customer base, so you won’t need to spend time setting up advertising to attract customers, unlike when you sell products on your own website.

Sure, your Amazon business won’t grow and flourish on its own even if you sign up for the FBA program. And even if you have time and resources you can dedicate to it, becoming a successful Amazon seller is not an easy task, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with the platform.

Giving up control over the brand

Some business owners who have worked tirelessly for many years to create and shape their brand don’t want to give up control over some parts of the customer experience by starting to sell their products on a platform they don’t own and control. Of course, this is a valid concern, but you can take steps to minimize risks in this situation.

For instance, you don’t have to dive in headfirst and add all your products to Amazon. Instead, you can start with a few positions to gain an understanding of how selling on Amazon works, what adjustments you need to make, and what steps you can take to protect your brand’s reputation and ensure the best experience for your customers. Plus, you can get a better feeling of the benefits Amazon can provide for your business. In addition, by selling just a few products on Amazon, you can still maintain exclusivity with the rest of your product catalog.

It’s also important to realize that many businesses only sell a portion of their product selection on Amazon, masterfully leveraging the exposure they get on the platform to attract new clients.

While Amazon doesn’t allow you to have complete control over the customer experience, you can still tailor product pages to align with your brand’s style and philosophy. Plus, if you join Amazon’s Brand Registry program, you will be able to create your own storefront with a unique design, product images, videos, and more.

The dangers of not selling on Amazon

Even if you’re completely happy with your company’s existing sales and don’t see any need to expand your business or search for new sales platforms at the moment, the dangers associated with not being on Amazon are still enough to make most business owners reconsider their decision.

For instance, if your brand is reasonably well-known and customers often search for it by name on Google and other platforms (such as Amazon), your direct competitors who are selling on the platform can buy ads for your brand’s keywords. This means that when someone searches for your brand on Amazon, they will see listings from your competitors at the top of the page and buy their products. But if you were selling on Amazon, that sale would most definitely go to you.

Another danger is presented by authorized and unauthorized distributors who see your products on the platform. After all, these people most likely don’t care about the brand’s reputation you’ve worked so hard to build, and they can easily ruin in by selling knockoff products or providing a poor customer experience, answering user questions incorrectly, listing wrong information in product descriptions, etc.

It’s also worth mentioning that while Amazon does have an anti-counterfeiting policy, the company doesn’t really go out of its way to stop third-party sellers from marketing and selling poor-quality knockoffs on the platform. They will only get involved if a client reports that they’ve been sold counterfeit goods, and even then, there’s no guarantee that the complaint will lead to anything. At the same time, companies that sell on Amazon and are certified under the Brand Registry program have much stronger protection from Amazon.

Things that can set your brand apart on Amazon

Before you start selling products on Amazon, you need to understand what is important to Amazon shoppers so you can create an effective strategy for working on the platform. Generally, people who shop on Amazon choose it for its low prices, good customer experience, and fast shipping. The key thing to remember is that you’ll need to compete with Amazon on all of these. So if you’re planning to sell a product that Amazon itself already sells on its website, you will need to make sure that your average price on this product is lower than Amazon’s.

Final thoughts – is selling on Amazon worth it?

All things considered, our opinion is yes, you should definitely expand your brand’s sales to Amazon. It will help you gain access to over 300 million Amazon shoppers and secure your place on the platform before your competitors or resellers of your products can swoop in and take away your sales or even ruin your company’s reputation. While there are some difficulties that may make you apprehensive of the idea of selling on Amazon, the advantages of expanding your business to this platform strongly outweigh the drawbacks.

FAQ

Is it profitable to sell on Amazon?

Yes, you can definitely make a profit while selling on Amazon. In fact, over 60% of sellers start turning a profit during their first year on the platform.

Is selling on Amazon worth it in 2026?

Definitely! If you have a good product that solves a problem for the customer, you can quickly build a profitable business by selling products on Amazon.

Is FBA difficult?

While it may take you a little time to make sense of all the aspects of the Amazon FBA program, once you do, it won’t be difficult. After all, millions of people participate in the Amazon FBA program, so how difficult can it really be?

How much do Amazon sellers make a year?

The amount of money people make selling on Amazon varies greatly on their product, profit margins, reviews, the amount of time they’ve been on the platform, and other factors. According to some reports, new Amazon sellers who participate in the FBA program make between $26,000 and $810,000 per year.

In-depth Guide to Amazon Posts

Key points

  • Amazon posts are a social media feature the platform rolled out in 2019.
  • This feature allows select sellers to create posts featuring their products to help improve brand recognition and loyalty and attract new customers to their listings.
  • Amazon posts are usually displayed in carousels on product pages, brand-owned details pages, related posts feed, product details pages, and in the category feed.
  • Amazon posts are free to use, they help brands build lasting relationships with customers and attract new shoppers to product listings organically.
  • Sellers can view post metrics to track their performance and gain insights into their customers’ preferences.

In late 2019 Amazon launched a new and exciting project called Amazon posts. But many sellers are still unsure of what it is, how exactly it works, and what its purpose is. In this article, we will talk about all the features of Amazon posts in detail.

Amazon posts is a free feature that allows Amazon sellers to demonstrate their inventory in a shoppable catalog, helping their products become more discoverable. It is a great opportunity to attract more attention to your brand, which will result in an influx of customers and an increase in your sales. Amazon’s new combination of social networking features and e-commerce shows a lot of potential in terms of online selling, and Amazon posts are essentially free advertisements for your products. Of course, using only Amazon Posts won’t get you far, and it certainly won’t be enough for your business to stay competitive on Amazon. But combining Amazon Posts with other campaigns and business growth methods is an excellent way to boost visibility and sales on the marketplace.

What are Amazon Posts?

As mentioned above, Amazon posts is a free method of advertising your inventory on Amazon that was created to improve customer experience on a platform and allow users not only to purchase separate items but also become familiar with the brands that sell them, learn more about them, their history, and other products they have in their inventory.

The concept of Amazon posts resembles the way social media platforms work. Buyers can look through products using their mobile devices. For instance, they can scroll through their post feeds either using the Amazon mobile app or the mobile version of the Amazon website on a smartphone and discover new brands through posts related to their searches that appear in the feed.

However, despite looking exactly like social media posts, Amazon posts are quite different from them since they are directly connected to product listings within Amazon. However, you can still repurpose content from your Instagram and Facebook posts for your Amazon account.

Where Do Amazon Posts Appear?

As of late 2021, you don’t get to decide where exactly your post will be displayed. Amazon chooses the post’s location based on its relevance and customer engagement. Unlike an Amazon ad, you can’t target your post.

In most cases, posts show up in carousels located on product pages. But there are also four other spots where they can be found:

  • Brand-owned details page
  • Product details page
  • Related posts feed
  • Category feed

Let’s talk about each of these locations in a little more detail.

Brand-owned detail page

Brand-owned detail pages look just like a feed populated with posts from the brand listed in chronological order and containing your entire product line. This feed design lets customers easily find out more about the inventory you are selling by swiping through the feed. In addition, you can now obtain a unique link that will redirect customers to your brand’s feed.

Product details page

On the product detail pages, all posts appear in one carousel that shoppers can scroll through by swiping horizontally.

But be warned, these carousels may include your competitors’ posts and vice versa. That’s why it is so important to create interesting and convincing content and choose a suitable and attractive image to display your products. There is always a possibility that you may attract your competitors’ customers with these posts!

Related post feed

All you have to do to access this feed is click on a post in a product page carousel. Posts that show up on the related post feed will usually contain a lot of different products from other brands and your own products that the shopper may find interesting.

Category feed

Every Amazon post features a category tag that describes its relevant theme. This classification allows buyers to search and discover complementary and similar products within a given category. For instance, a customer going through the “Fashion” category feed can find any post related to clothes and accessories, starting from hats and ending with shoes.

Who Can Use Amazon Posts?

As of now, only sellers who are registered in Amazon’s Brand Registry Program and Amazon Vendors located in the USA can take advantage of Amazon posts since the tool is still being beta tested. Owning an Amazon store is also one of the requirements you will have to meet if you want to create posts on the platform.

Benefits of Amazon Posts

Today, customers are becoming increasingly more receptive to social media influence when shopping online. Recent estimates show that 54% of US buyers have purchased something they found out about on social media at least once, and 21% look for products they need on Instagram.

Social media’s capacity to display items in the most tempting and appealing way resonates with shoppers. Not only do Amazon posts recreate the settings and sensation of social media, but they also take it a step further by enabling buyers to view and purchase the desired product in just one short click.

Here are some further advantages of Amazon posts all sellers should know about:

Free to use

Posting on Amazon is absolutely free. In contrast to PPC or other advertising methods, there are no additional costs associated with the size or number of posts.

Improves product recognition

Amazon is a huge shopping platform that features millions of products. So it’s no surprise that a lot of customers get lost in this overwhelming sea of options. Even the most loyal customers who have been purchasing your products for years may not be aware of the entire range of products you sell.

However, scrolling through your brand’s feed filled with posts and pictures of your products will give them a chance to become familiar with the rest of your inventory and discover more information about the brand.

Helps your business become more competitive

As mentioned above, there is always a chance that one of your posts will end up in the “Related Posts” section on your competitors’ product details page. So some Amazon users may scroll down the listing detail page of one of your competitors to this section and discover your product through your post. This makes it possible for sellers to use posts to poach their competitors’ potential buyers. This is pretty similar to how Sponsored Display Ads work.

Customers can “follow” your brand

Amazon posts allow interested customers to “follow” your brand on Amazon to avoid missing updates or special offers.

How to Create an Amazon Post

  • Step 1: Sign up for Amazon Posts

As mentioned above, you have to meet a few requirements to be eligible to create posts. If your account complies with all of them, you won’t have any obstacles or issues when signing up for Amazon Posts.

All you have to do is:

  1. Visit https://posts.amazon.com
  2. Sign in using your Amazon advertising credentials (or create a new account).
  3. Create your posts profile and check your brand’s name.
  4. Upload your brand logo. It will appear on your posts next to the brand’s name, like a profile picture on Instagram or Facebook.

Once you’re done signing up, you will be able to post immediately.

  • Step 2: Tap the “Get Started” button.
  • Step 3: Enter your post copy and upload media.
  • Step 4: Indicate your product ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number).
  • Step 5: Check your post.
  • Step 6: Submit it for review.

Make sure to upload a high-quality lifestyle image of your product with an attractive background to go along with your post, come up with an interesting and eye-catching caption, and provide a few ASINs for relevant items in your product line. This will help Amazon to assign appropriate category tags to your post.

You also have the option to publish your post right away or schedule it for later.

Post specifications

There are a few technical requirements you have to meet with your posts:

  • Profile logo: Your brand logo has to be no smaller than 640×640 pixels.
  • Posts photos: Supports aspect ratios of 1×1, 16×9, and 4×3.
  • Caption text: Should be no longer than 2,200 characters.

Some additional tips for creating successful posts

  • Inspire buyers with a compelling picture that shows your product in action.
  • Do not use a white background, as it may drive customers away. Use a more realistic backdrop instead.
  • Try to make your images as simple as possible and avoid implementing unnecessary collages or text, buttons, and icons. If your picture is overcrowded and too complicated, customers will simply skip it.
  • Use only high-quality images.
  • Create a unique caption that will explain why your products are valuable and why customers should purchase them. Avoid copying your product description over and over again or featuring excerpts from customer reviews.

Track the performance of Amazon posts

This feature is another advantage of Amazon Posts. Amazon allows you to measure your content’s performance and view relevant metrics, which resembles social media analytics. For example, sellers may access engagement metrics such as views, clicks, and click-through rates from the dashboard. Tracking and analyzing what posts get the most attention from customers can help you determine what your customers like and how you can increase your sales.

Final Thoughts

Using Amazon posts can help you get new products off the ground and get more people to discover your brand. It also helps you to share exciting news and updates with your customers faster and increase the visibility of your existing products. If some of your products struggle because of low sales numbers and lack of traffic, creating a few posts that feature these products can help shoppers rediscover them. Maybe someday, Amazon will charge a fee to use this feature, but as long as it is free, brands have nothing to lose. So what are you waiting for? Ready, steady, post!

Don’t forget that selling products on Amazon is not always a quick and easy path. Even though there is an unstoppable stream of new possibilities, technologies, and updates designed to help improve your business, figuring out everything on your own can become a huge and time-consuming pain. Instead of trying to build your Amazon business entirely on your own and committing unnecessary mistakes in the process, you should consider hiring an agency to help manage and grow your business. Amazon growth consultants can help you develop an individual Amazon strategy for your company, solve Amazon-related business issues, and make your brand recognizable and successful.

FAQ

What is the purpose of Amazon posts?

Amazon posts is a social media initiative that aims to improve customer experience on the platform and allow users to purchase specific items and become familiar with brands, learn more about them, and discover other products in their product line. Amazon posts are essentially a way for sellers to improve the discoverability of their brand and products.

How do I make a post on Amazon?

  • Step 1: Sign up for Amazon Posts on https://posts.amazon.com
  • Step 2: Press “Get Started.”
  • Step 3: Enter the post text and upload images.
  • Step 4: Input the product ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number).
  • Step 5: Check the post.
  • Step 6: Submit it for review.

Where are Amazon posts shown?

Amazon posts are often displayed in carousels located on product pages. But they may also show up on brand-owned details pages, product details pages, related posts feed, and category feed.

Addicted to Amazon – Amazon shopping habits explained

Key points

  • While most Americans have had to switch to online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, one group of customers stands out from the crowd.
  • These are Amazon superfans who place orders on the platform 7+ times per week.
  • Most daily Amazon shoppers have a limited budget and they use the platform to find quality products at a low price with fast and often free shipping.

There are two types of customers in the world of online retail: those that shop on Amazon and those who can’t live without shopping there. The COVID-19 pandemic has erased the boundaries between the two groups and made it more difficult to recognize the differences between the two. After all, how can you tell if you’re addicted to Amazon if it’s one of the few places where you can get everything you need to fulfill your needs?

Well, statistics can provide one hint. According to recent reports, about 15% of Americans place orders on Amazon seven or more times a week. This means they make purchases on the marketplace daily! So naturally, these shoppers are a coveted target audience for every seller. In this article, we will talk about why they buy so many products on Amazon and examine how they shop on the platform.

Amazon shopping addiction – why does it happen?

In early 2020, the lives of virtually every person in America have changed dramatically. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to stay at home, give up in-person communication, and start going online to purchase everything we needed, from toilet paper to home improvement materials for our pandemic projects. Even though today, most brick-and-mortar shops have resumed their in-person operations, many people are not rushing to return to them. Over the past months, we’ve gotten even more used to shopping online, and Amazon is by far the most popular and beloved e-commerce platform for Americans.

Amazon superfan statistics

One thing that separates daily Amazon shoppers from other people who make purchases on the platform is their love for Amazon. They don’t simply like to shop on the platform; they love Amazon and everything about it. People with moderate Amazon shopping habits often make purchases on different websites, including in-person stores. They generally believe that once the pandemic is over, they will return to shopping in physical stores with the same frequency as before. On the other hand, Amazon superfans often shop exclusively on Amazon, and they are generally content with never going back to brick-and-mortar stores.

Here are some more statistics to consider:

  • More than 90% of daily Amazon shoppers stated that they started buying more products on Amazon after the start of the pandemic, compared to 60% of other consumers.
  • Similarly, around 90% of Amazon superfans stated that they gained more appreciation for the platform throughout the pandemic compared to 60% of other consumers.
  • Nearly 95% of daily Amazon shoppers believe it is a good platform for customers compared to 74% of the general population.
  • Around 85% of Amazon superfans stated that they would choose Amazon if they needed to pick one place to make all of their purchases, compared to 56% of regular shoppers.
  • Over 80% of Amazon superfans said they would be okay with never shopping in a physical store again, while only 43% of the general population gave the same answer.

Amazon superfan demographics

You can get a few interesting insights by examining the demographics of daily Amazon shoppers. Over 60% of these shoppers have children, and more than 50% have a full-time job outside of their house. In addition, over half of Amazon superfans have a household income of less than $75,000 per year, and the majority of people in this group have fears of losing their jobs or not making enough money to pay for housing and utilities. This means that most Amazon superfans carefully think about how they spend their money and try to find good deals on products they need. This is backed up by statistics, as over 70% of daily Amazon shoppers try to save money on products they buy by finding good deals and spend a significant amount of time researching products before they make a purchase.

That being said, 8 in 10 superfans stated that Amazon allows them to buy products they can’t get anywhere else. Less than 60% of the general population makes the same claim.

In the end, many Amazon superfans love the platform for its convenience, fast and often free shipping, low prices, a wide selection of products, and the ability to find the best possible deal.

Final thoughts

Over the past years, more and more people have been shifting to online shopping, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only sped up this trend. While today only about 15% of Amazon consumers shop on the platform daily, this number will likely only continue growing in the future.

If you want to leverage these changes in the market to grow your business, you should consider hiring an Amazon growth agency. Professional Amazon consultants can help you navigate the rapidly changing trends and consumer preferences and guide you towards building a successful and profitable business on Amazon.

FAQ

Can you be addicted to Amazon?

Yes, people can get addicted to online shopping and specifically to shopping on Amazon.

What is an Amazon addict?

Generally, a person who shops on Amazon 7 or more times a week may be considered an addict, but each situation should be evaluated individually.

How many people shop on Amazon?

Over 153 million Americans have an Amazon Prime membership as of summer 2021, and even more people make purchases on the platform.

Everything you need to know about Amazon competitor analysis

Key points 

  • Amazon competitor analysis is a process during which you compile a list of your closest competition on the platform, choose the most prominent players, and take a detailed look into everything they do to attract customers and sell their products.
  • Competitor analysis can help you find gaps in the market that you can fill with your products and understand how you can improve your Amazon listings and business strategy in general to attract buyers.
  • You can identify your competition in the marketplace by searching for products that are similar to what you’re selling.
  • Once you’ve narrowed down a list of competitors, you should examine their prices, product listings, reviews, websites, social media pages, ad campaigns, backlinks, and sales volumes.

With each passing year, competition on Amazon is becoming more and more cutthroat. It’s not surprising, given that around 2,000 new sellers register on the platform every day. However, this means that sellers need to put in a lot more effort to keep their offers competitive on the platform. One tool you can use to gain an advantage over other sellers is competitor analysis. In this article, we will explain what Amazon seller competitor analysis is, how it can benefit your business, and how you can perform it.

Advantages of performing Amazon competitor analysis

Competitor analysis is often a boring, tedious, and time-consuming task. So at some point, you may find yourself wondering if it’s really worth all the work and time. The answer is yes! Researching your Amazon competition can have many significant benefits, as it allows you to:

  • Ensure that your prices are competitive
  • Get ideas for how you can make your products stand out from the competition
  • Understand how your listings are performing compared to your competitors
  • Choose which products to sell
  • Find and fill gaps in the market

How to find competitors on Amazon?

Before you can start analyzing what your competitors are doing to maximize their sales on Amazon, you need to figure out who those competitors are. Follow the steps below to identify your Amazon competition:

Perform keyword research

To figure out which sellers you’re competing against on Amazon, you first need to determine your target keywords. Let’s say you’re selling hairbrushes on Amazon. Your target keywords will be the words people will likely search for when they visit the marketplace. Even though sometimes you can figure out keywords intuitively, it’s a much better idea to use a keyword research tool such as SellerApp to get a complete list of keywords you should be targeting.

Find your competitors

Once you have a list of all the keywords you want to rank for, you need to find the sellers that are ranking for the same keywords, as they are your direct competitors. To do this, you need to search for each keyword and browse the products that show up on the first few pages of search results. Please note that it’s unnecessary to browse all the products, as there will likely be thousands of them. You should pay the most attention to sellers whose products are located at the top of search results.

Finally, compile a list of all sellers whose listings are in these results and repeat the process for other keywords on your list. Keep in mind that you can also perform this search on Google to find competitors who are not on Amazon.

Narrow down the list

Once you complete all the steps described above, you will be left with a long list of competitors. However, it’s impossible to research all of them thoroughly, so you should go through the list and pick out the sellers that are getting good results. For instance, you should definitely include all the sellers who have Amazon’s Choice and Amazon Bestsellers products, as these are the top listings in each respective niche. You should also pay extra attention to sellers with multiple listings on the first page of search results.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list, you should organize all sellers into three categories. The first category will contain your primary competitors. These are companies that sell products that are very similar to yours or target the same audience as you. The secondary competitors group will sell similar products to a different audience, or they could sell slightly higher or lower-end products than you. Finally, the tertiary competitors group will contain companies that sell products that are somewhat related to what you’re selling. For instance, if you’re selling pots, this category could contain companies that sell skillets.

In the end, you should have a spreadsheet with all competitors, their category assignments, lists of products they sell, and basic details about them, including strengths and weaknesses.

Analyze competing sellers on Amazon

Once you have a complete list of all your competitors, you should start analyzing them. There are numerous things you should specifically pay attention to:

Product title

Start by examining the titles competing sellers are using for their products. Compare titles of different products and take note of things that could be added or removed from the titles to improve them. You should also pay attention to the keywords other sellers use in the title to describe their products.

Product images

Images are one of the most essential parts of any Amazon listing, as people can’t see or touch your product in person. Therefore, you should strive to obtain the highest possible quality images taken at the best angle that show the product in the most detail. Examine the photos of your competitors’ products and make a note of things that do and don’t work. It’s also a good idea to think about how you can use images to make your product stand out from the rest.

Bullet points

Bullet points often contain the most crucial selling points of the product, so you should pay extra attention to them. For instance, you can see what advantages of their products your competitors highlight and find ways to counter those advantages in your own bullet points.

Product description

By reading a large number of product descriptions, you will be able to figure out what information a good description should and should not include, what the best tone for a description is, etc.

Questions and answers

This section of product listings can provide lots of valuable information to you as the seller. First of all, you will see what questions customers ask most frequently. You should highlight this information in your product title, bullet points, and/or description. You can also see whether other sellers take time to answer customer questions.

Prices

Price always plays a huge role in a buyer’s decision-making process. Ideally, you want to sell your product at a slightly lower price than your competitors. And if the product’s quality is a little better than your competitors’ products, its price should be the same or slightly higher. Keep in mind that you need to maintain a high enough price to ensure that you can make a profit and not lose money on your business.

It’s also a good idea to look at the price history, as most sellers use repricing software to adjust the price of their products.

Monthly sales

Some Amazon analytics software allows you to see how many sales your competitors are making each month. This information can help you understand if there’s a significant amount of demand for a product you’re planning on selling and how much money your competitors are able to make in terms of profit each month.

Customer reviews

Amazon product reviews can provide you with a trove of information about your competitors. Pay extra attention to negative reviews, as they will show you precisely what you need to do to beat your competition. Just make a note of all the things reviewers didn’t like about a competing product and use this information to improve the product you’re offering.

Explore keywords

Just like you, your competitors are also trying to optimize their listings for target keywords, so you should carefully examine their listings to see if they are doing something you’re not. You can do this manually, but the entire process will go much quicker if you use a keyword research tool such as Keyword Scout.

Backlinks

Getting backlinks for your Amazon product listings won’t help them rank higher in Amazon search results. However, it will help them rank higher on Google. Figuring out what strategies your competition is using to build backlinks can help you determine what you need to do to grow your business in the long term, as link building doesn’t give immediate results, but it can definitely help grow your online presence.

Ad campaigns

Before you start running ads on Amazon, you need to analyze your competitors’ Amazon ad campaigns. You can only remain competitive if your ads cost the same or slightly more per click than what other sellers in your niche are paying.

You can use programs such as Cerebro to analyze other sellers’ Amazon ad campaigns and find out what keywords they are targeting with ads and the search volumes of those keywords.

You should also find out where other sellers are running Google Shopping ads. Simply enter one of your primary keywords on Google and see whether you see any ads for Amazon products in the Google Shopping ads section. If you don’t, you can take advantage of this situation and start running these ads for your own products. However, this could be a risky move, as your competitors might be staying away from Google Shopping ads for a reason.

Website

Many of your competitors will likely have their own websites in addition to selling products on online marketplaces. You should examine these websites paying attention to their design and user interface, the types of forms and pop-up windows used to provide information, offer discounts, request email information, etc.

If you already have a website for your brand or are planning on creating one in the future, you can consider the downsides of other sellers’ websites and improve on those things on your website.

Social media

Many competitor brands may have pages on various social media platforms, so you should do the same. This is especially important if you’re targeting a younger demographic that spends a lot of time on these platforms. Social media pages can be a great source of organic traffic to your Amazon listings.

When browsing your competitors’ social media accounts, you should note the platforms where the accounts are located, the type of information these companies are posting, the frequency with which they post, and the amount of engagement each post gets on average.

Use the information you’ve gathered

Once you complete your competitor analysis, you will have a massive amount of information. Now, you need to make sense of all that data and figure out how to use it to your advantage. There are several things you can do with it, but here are a couple of ideas to try:

Find or create the right products to see

Once you’ve analyzed all the information about the products other Amazon sellers are offering, you should be able to see gaps in the market. You can use this data to create or source products that will fill those gaps. If you can find some niche where customer needs are not fulfilled and find a way to meet them, your business will likely thrive because your products will have lots of demand without facing any competition.

Price your products appropriately

Once you know how your competitors price their products, you can set competitive prices on your inventory. You should also consider using repricing software to ensure that you’re offering the best prices possible at any given moment. Since most sellers use this software for their listings, competing with them without utilizing these methods will be challenging.

Optimize your keyword strategy

After conducting Amazon competitor analysis, you will have a good understanding of the products people are searching for, so you can build up your inventory to include the products customers search for. Plus, you will clearly understand all the keywords and advertising methods you should be using.

Expand your business outside Amazon

Finally, you should consider creating a website and social media pages for your brand to grow your business outside Amazon. Keep in mind everything you’ve learned from your research and avoid making the same mistakes your competitors made with their social media accounts and websites.

Final thoughts

While Amazon competitors analysis is an extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive task, once you complete it, you should have a clear understanding of your niche, its top performers, reasons why those companies were able to become so successful, and all the strategies you should be using to become a leader in your market.

FAQ

What is Amazon’s biggest competitor?

Of all e-commerce companies, Walmart, eBay, Apple, and The Home Depot, are the biggest competitors of Amazon.

What is Amazon competitor analysis?

Amazon competitor analysis is a process during which sellers identify and evaluate other brands that sell similar products and compete for a similar audience on the platform. Analyzing your competitors is essential if you want to gain an advantage over other sellers.

How do I analyze an Amazon competition?

To analyze your Amazon competition, you will need to examine your competitors’ product listings, evaluate their prices, reviews, look at their websites and social media pages, and otherwise analyze everything you can about how they do business on the marketplace.

Best Ways To Get Amazon Reviews

Key points

  • Amazon reviews are one of the most crucial deciding factors for most buyers. They also play a significant role in helping sellers win Buy Boxes, so you should strive to get as many positive reviews on your Amazon products as possible.
  • Amazon has strict rules regarding reviews that all sellers should adhere to. For instance, you’re not allowed to promise customers gifts or discounts in exchange for 5-star reviews.
  • You can try to get more ratings on your products by using the “Request a Review” button, using third-party software to send feedback requests to customers, or including inserts in your product packaging.
  • You can also utilize the Amazon vine program if your brand is registered on Amazon and some of your products have fewer than 30 reviews.

The pandemic has touched virtually every person on the planet and significantly changed how we live our lives. Our shopping habits have also changed dramatically, and the percentage of purchases we make online has skyrocketed over the last two years. More and more people prefer to go on Amazon and make a purchase in two clicks instead of searching other websites for alternatives or shopping in physical stores.

Since customers cannot touch and examine the products they are browsing in person, the vast majority of them rely on reviews from other users. In fact, 72% of buyers do not add a product to their shopping cart until they read the reviews. As a result, it is crucial for Amazon sellers to work on gathering customer feedback to increase trust and boost sales as a result. In this article, we’ll go over the best ways to get those reviews and cover different Amazon programs and strategies you can use to increase the amount of feedback on your products.

Amazon Reviews Policy

Before we discuss different methods of getting more reviews on Amazon, we need to talk about a few rules and updates to the Amazon reviews policy that you should be aware of.

Reviews Are Being Replaced

In 2020, Amazon replaced Reviews with Ratings. With the new update, customers no longer need to write a text review to evaluate a product. Instead, they can simply leave a star rating ranging from 1 to 5. As a result, getting ratings on Amazon has become much easier, which has a positive impact on the sellers’ reputation.

Product Rating Calculations

Many sellers have a difficult time making sense of the way product ratings are calculated. Unfortunately, this is done through a complicated process in which ratings and reviews from different customers are not weighted equally. Amazon has recently developed a new weight-average algorithm to calculate product ratings, and it’s unknown which variables influence the calculations. However, here are some factors that undoubtedly play a role

  • Whether the rating or review came from a verified or unverified buyer;
  • The date when the review was left;
  • The number of reviews written by the buyer;
  • Whether there is a deviation from the mean rating.

Therefore, a recent review left by a verified customer with a long purchasing history will likely have the most weight.

Messaging Policy

Previously, it was customary for sellers to overwhelm customers with emails asking them to provide feedback. However, in 2017, Amazon enabled customers to cancel their newsletter subscriptions and opt-out of receiving millions of unsolicited letters. Amazon has also changed its messaging policy in 2020, stating that sellers can only request one review for each order. As a result, the Amazon review system has become far more complicated and significantly less beneficial to sellers.

Amazon Restrictions

To ensure transparency and fairness, Amazon has provided plenty of restrictions and rules that prevent review manipulation. If you attempt using black hat tactics to get reviews, you will be skating on thin ice, as Amazon could suspend your business. That is why sellers must be familiar with Amazon policies regarding reviews and understand the difference between permitted and prohibited methods. You don’t want to be suspended for breaking a rule you didn’t even know existed. Here are some examples of these rules:

  • Do not ask your friends or family to write reviews, and do not do it on your own;
  • Do not provide any freebies or discounts in exchange for feedback;
  • Do not “cherry-pick” reviews. The “cherry-picking” method involves soliciting feedback from customers who had a positive experience while ignoring those who had a negative or neutral experience.

No matter what your situation is, it’s always better to work on improving your products and service instead of looking for illegal ways to get new reviews. Of course, organic reviews are always preferable, but how can you get more of them?

How to get more reviews on Amazon?

Note: All methods described below are legal and allowed by Amazon’s rules and policies, so you don’t need to worry about your account being banned if you use them.

“Request a Review” Button

Amazon has made some positive changes that have helped retailers promote their business on the platform in recent years. For example, in 2019, Amazon gave sellers the option to increase the likelihood of a customer leaving a review. According to statistics, after the “Request a review” button was introduced, the average number of reviews a seller had increased from 3.6 to 25.9. This button has a lot of power, which is why we recommend you start using it. Here are some more details about this tool:

  • You can now use the “Request Review” button within four to thirty days after the customer receives your product.
  • Product rating and seller feedback requests are automatically sent in the same email.
  • You are not permitted to use templates or customize the message.
  • After clicking the “Request a review” button, you can still send a separate review request.

Ask for reviews using third-party software

The most effective way to obtain reviews on Amazon and other platforms is to simply ask for them. Many customers forget to leave feedback and are happy to do so if the company reminds them. We’ve already mentioned that Amazon only allows you to send an email request once. So how can sellers ask for more reviews? You can use specialized software to create your own email template that will include your brand logo, product imagery, and any other information you want to use. Some Amazon review software gives sellers the ability to target customers who are most likely to leave a positive review. ​​These programs look at whether customers bought a product that usually gets positive reviews, whether they received their order on time, and whether they previously left positive or negative feedback for products sold by other brands.

Tips For Sending Amazon Review Requests With Third-Party Software

Because feedback software will not write a message for you, you will need to find the appropriate words to engage the customer on your own. Here are some simple tips you should take into account when requesting feedback from Amazon customers:

  • Choose the right time. There are certain hours or days of the week when the customer is more likely to respond to your request. As a result, you should research time zones, weekends, and other days to determine the best time to send a message.
  • Be selective. For example, you may be aware that the package was shipped to the customer late or that the order contained a fragile product that is difficult to deliver. If you are unlikely to receive positive feedback from a customer, it is best not to send them additional requests for reviews.
  • Make a good impression. You can include additional resources that will assist the customer in leaving a review when sending them a message with your request. It could be a video tutorial, a detailed description of how to use the review system, or a list of common questions and answers. These minor additions may persuade the customer to award you an extra star.
  • Pay attention to the negative feedback. If you receive a negative review, apologize to the customer to lessen the impact. Try to find a personal approach and emphasize with the person to show them that their opinion is important to you. This will help to improve the situation and reduce the customer’s anger.

Build an Amazon Email List

Creating your own email list is one of the best ways to gather a list of your regular customers or people who are simply interested in your business. The easiest way is to use social media to build it. For example, you can ask people to leave their email addresses in the comments to receive up-to-date information or special offers about your products. You can also start your own blog or website and ask people to visit it. After creating a mailing list, you can ask for feedback from those who have purchased from you.

Work on Product Inserts and Packaging

Many sellers include inserts in the product package. To use this tactic, you should simply insert a card asking the buyer to leave a review into each package you mail. However, you should avoid manipulating customers by asking them to leave positive feedback or offering a discount or warranty in exchange for a 5-star rating, as this is strictly against Amazon’s rules. Reminding the customer to leave a review is acceptable; however, you cannot ask them to leave a positive review.

Just remember to be cautious and keep the following points in mind:

  • Maintain your neutrality. Do not be overly excited or ingratiating in your feedback requests; instead, simply ask for feedback politely.
  • Provide excellent customer service. Emphasize the fact that customers can easily contact you if any problems arise. Paying more attention to your customers’ concerns will help to avoid negative product reviews.
  • Don’t get caught up in the reviews. Reviews are not the only important things for business. It’s a good idea to ask your customers to leave their email addresses or subscribe to your newsletters. It will impact future sales and help you gain regular customers who are willing to write positive reviews.

When leaving a review, don’t forget to consider product packaging, which creates the first impression and plays a critical role in the customer experience. You don’t need much time or money to buy kraft paper or print stickers with your brand logo. The design should depend on the product you’re selling since you obviously don’t want to wrap an electric drill in pink paper and ribbons. You can also include user manuals and inserts with useful info in packages, and you’ll be well on your way to a five-star rating!

Try Amazon’s Vine Program

If you’re enrolled in the Brand Registry program on Amazon, and some or all of your products have fewer than 30 reviews, you should consider using Amazon’s vine program. As part of the program, you will need to give 30 products to vine reviewers free of charge in exchange for reviews. Reviewers (people with a long history of leaving informative reviews) will receive the item, analyze its benefits and drawbacks, and then write honest reviews. Amazon checks the people who participate in this program as reviewers, so you don’t have to worry about getting fake feedback.

Sellers were able to use this tool for free in the past, but now Amazon charges a fee to participate in the program.

How to Use Amazon’s Vine Program?

First, you need to enroll your product in the program through Seller Central’s Advertising menu, paying a fee of $200 for each item. Keep in mind that only products that have fewer than 30 reviews are eligible. After that, you will distribute your products to reviewers.

Remember that Amazon vine feedback is typically more critical than average customer reviews, but it is still the fastest way to increase the number of reviews your product reviews.

Take Care of Dissatisfied Customers

This method will not help you get more reviews, but it will help you resolve some issues that could harm your reputation. Until recently, sellers were not permitted to contact customers who had left negative feedback. This way, you can establish a personal connection with the customer, take steps to fix the situation, and encourage them to revise their feedback. However, to use this tool, you must have a registered brand.

Keep in mind that Amazon will also contact unhappy customers on its own, and you won’t be able to send a custom message until Amazon receives a response from the buyer. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that the customer will revise the view, but it’s another chance to improve the situation.

Final Thoughts

This article has discussed the most effective legal ways to increase the number of Amazon reviews. As a seller, you should be cautious and try to abide by Amazon’s rules. This is the only way to ensure that your Amazon business remains safe and continues expanding its reach on the platform.

Surely, all of this can be a heavy burden on your shoulders, which is why we recommend hiring a professional Amazon growth agency to assist you in developing your Amazon business.

FAQ

Can I review my own product on Amazon?

No, it is against Amazon’s stated rules and restrictions. You, your family, and your friends are not permitted to write reviews on your product, or otherwise, your product listing will be removed from Amazon.

Are Amazon sellers allowed to pay for reviews?

Amazon prohibits all types of paid reviews. However, you can only participate in Amazon’s vine program to obtain customer reviews without breaking the rules.

How long does it take for reviews to show up on Amazon?

Statistics show that most reviews are posted on the site within 72 hours. However, some reviews take longer to post than others (4-5 days). Amazon controls the entire process, and if any problems arise, you should contact Amazon’s support service directly.

Top Tips to Prepare Your Amazon Business For This Holiday Season

Key points

  • The holidays are the busiest and most important time for most Amazon sellers.
  • The first thing you should do in preparation for the holiday shopping season is analyze your sales from last year, keyword search trends, and other data and determine how much inventory you need to have available.
  • It’s also a good idea to make changes to your product listings to include holiday-themed images and related keywords.
  • Sellers should also consider increasing their ad bids and offering holiday deals and discounts to customers.
  • Finally, you should keep the post-holiday season in mind and get ready for an influx of returns in January.

Check And Analyze Your Product Inventory

The ability to correctly calculate inventory quantity is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to run a successful Amazon business. Accurate forecasting is essential during peak seasons. After all, you don’t want to run out of your products just before Christmas and miss out on a significant number of sales. On the other side, having too much inventory that you can’t sell will result in high storage fees and cause you to lose a lot of money. So how can you avoid these situations and determine precisely how much inventory you need to have before the holiday shopping rush?

  • Analyze whether your product is relevant during the season. If you sell Halloween costumes, Christmas trees, or garlands, it is no secret that you will see peak sales during the holiday season.
  • Make use of the knowledge you gained last year. Get out your inventory records for the same quarter previous year and calculate how many products you will require now. Don’t forget to check your sales: have they increased or decreased over the past year? Another good idea is to see which products sold the best last year and analyze what keywords you used in those listings. Perhaps some strategies worked well, or while others didn’t deliver the results you expected. Don’t forget to review all of the results at the end of the season; this will help you determine how to improve your business plan for the following year.
  • Examine your competitors’ sales history. This is a good method for those new to the Amazon online marketplace who don’t yet know how to accurately calculate how much inventory they need for the holiday season. Another thing to keep in mind is that the best time to order your inventory is between the middle of September and the beginning of October in preparation for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other upcoming holidays.

Optimize Your Listings

To increase your sales and improve your business strategy for holiday sales, it is vital to check whether your listings are optimized specifically for this period. You need to make the listings as convenient for customers as possible to help them rank better and convert more customers. Here are some more pointers to help you prepare your listings for Q4:

  • If you are a Brand Registry Program member, use the Brand Analytics tool to see which keywords performed well during the holiday shopping season last year. Choose the most relevant phrases and test them in your listings right away.
  • Refresh the images. Use your creativity and Adobe Photoshop to add some holiday-themed stickers of pumpkins, Christmas trees, deer, and other holiday symbols. Organizing a themed photoshoot for your products is another great idea. First impressions are essential, especially when people are shopping online, and you can significantly increase interest in your product by making your listings extra festive.
  • Holiday-related keywords are also a good idea if you want your listings to rank high. For example, you can use the words “Christmas,” “Gift,” or “holiday.” You should also look over the current Amazon trends to see if there is anything relevant to your products. Choose the best keywords for the many options available.
  • Check all product descriptions to ensure that there are no misstatements. Things like product size, weight, color, material, etc., are crucial, so try to provide as much accurate product information as possible.
  • Keep track of time because some customers begin looking for gifts in early fall. So the best time to work on your listings is at the end of September, when buyers are just starting to think about the upcoming holidays.

Increase Your PPC Bids

Like most online retail platforms, Amazon experiences a significant increase in traffic during Q4. This causes a large increase in the amount of competition on the platform, and as a result, sellers need to revise their PPC campaign budgets in advance to ensure that their advertising campaigns can run consistently. As much as you may want to avoid it, you will need to raise your keyword bids during the holidays to stay competitive. For example, if a $2 big is sufficient to maintain a good PPC campaign during the year, it is unlikely to work during the holiday season. Do not ignore this fact, or you will risk losing your positions.

Your ads will also likely see a significant increase in clicks, so you should review your daily budget because it may run out sooner than usual. It’s a good idea to increase your budget to ensure that your ads remain active all day. Then you can properly configure your finances and not be concerned about running out of resources.

Tip: instead of changing the bids for each keyword your target, use “Dynamic bids – up and down.” You can find this bidding feature in the Seller Central’s Campaign Manager. This strategy will automatically adjust your keyword bids. The bid will increase if Amazon believes your ads will result in a sale and fall if Amazon thinks it will not.

Keep Calculating

You should determine your target ACos and RoAS before the holidays and continuously monitor how your campaigns are performing in Q4. It is an expensive time of year, and because you will need to increase your budget, it is best to keep the numbers under control to avoid risking your business becoming unprofitable.

Use A+ Content

If you’re a brand registered seller, you should start using A+ Content as soon as possible, as this tool has been shown to boost conversions significantly. You can use it to customize your listing page and make it more appealing to customers. Use your creativity to create a holiday-themed listing page or work under a minimalist aesthetic.

Try Out Different Strategies

If you are a member of the Brand Registry Program, you are incredibly fortunate because you have access to a variety of tools that ordinary sellers do not have. The holiday season is an excellent time to try something new, and many strategies can prove successful during the holidays and in the long run. Here are a few examples:

  1. Sponsored Brands ads allow you to create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for your customers. After clicking on your ad, Amazon will direct them to a custom page where they can learn everything about your product without being bombarded with competitor ads.
  2. Sponsored Display ads. With this method, you can place your ads on competitors’ listing pages and retarget customers who previously have visited your shop but didn’t buy anything.
  3. Sponsored Brands Video ads. This ad type allows you to use videos as an advertisement, and it is one of the most effective advertisements you can buy on Amazon. Customers will at the very least take notice of your product, and many of them will be interested in purchasing it.

Create Holiday Deals

This tip is especially handy for sellers who don’t participate in the Brand Registry program. One of the features on Seller Central allows all sellers to create coupons and deals. If a customer likes your product and you offer a discount on it, there is a good chance that the customer will purchase this product. We all love getting a good deal, so offering coupons and discounts is a great way to get more sales. Running Black Friday deals and coupons will also help you engage more people and attract new customers.

So, how do you create deals and coupons on Amazon? You need to go to the Advertising tab, find the “Deals” section and click “Create a new deal”. There are various types of deals, and Amazon will automatically determine which of them are appropriate for your products.

Just like with all other actions you take on Amazon, you will have to pay to run deals. The cost will vary depending on the type and duration of the deal you’re running. Conventional deals will cost you $300 per week, but you will need to pay $150 per week if you want a lightning deal.

You should also consider utilizing clippable coupons which appear in search results for customers. Go to the Advertising Tab and select either a percentage discount or a price discount to create a coupon. The redemption fee for running coupons is set at a minimum of $100, and you will have to pay an additional $0.60 for each coupon used by customers.

Plan The Post Holiday Season

Do you have a lot of products left in stock after the holidays? There’s no need to panic, as it’s time for after-holiday sales! These sales give you a great opportunity to sell all leftover products and remain profitable after the holiday season.

However, there is something else you should be aware of. The weeks after the holidays are also the hot season for product returns, which is impossible to avoid. While December is the best month for sales, January is the best month for returns, thanks to Amazon’s Extended Holiday Return Policy. The best way to deal with the influx of returns is to be courteous to customers and understand that it is just another aspect of being a seller.

Final Thoughts

By following the suggestions we’ve outlined above, you can prepare for the holiday season and ensure that your business strategy for the holidays will be successful. Of course, you will have to put a lot of effort and time into holiday preparation, but it will be worth it in terms of increased sales and profits. Just make sure that you work on your strategy, analyze the data, and experiment with various marketplace features without being afraid to make mistakes.

However, competing with millions of other Amazon sellers can be difficult at times, which is why we recommend that each Amazon seller seek professional assistance by hiring an agency to help grow their Amazon business. Sign up for a free discovery call with one of our Amazon experts, or leave your email address so we can contact you and tell you more about the services we offer.

FAQ

How long do Amazon holiday deals last?

Your Amazon deals can last up to 7 days before you have to pay a fee to reactivate them.

Why is the fourth quarter so important for sales?

Q4 is one of the busiest times of the year, with all sellers attempting to end the year with as much profit as possible. Customers’ demand also increases in the run-up to the holiday season. As a result, the fourth quarter is frequently regarded as the most crucial for retail.

How strict is Amazon’s return policy?

Amazon has a pretty generous return policy. There is no specific return limit, but the customer must provide a reason for returning the product. Amazon’s return policy does not permit buyers to return damaged or used items.

Amazon Split Testing – Everything You Need to Know

Key points

  • Split testing or A/B testing is a marketing technique used to determine which image, product description, price, ad copy, etc., results in more sales and increased revenue.
  • A/B testing is essential for Amazon sellers because it allows you to increase conversions and profits without spending any money.
  • You can conduct Amazon split testing manually or use the Manage Your Experiments tool if you’re a brand registered seller.
  • You can also use various third-party tools for A/B testing on Amazon. These include Splitly, Cashcowpro, Listing Dojo, and PickFu.

If you’ve been working in retail for some time, you probably know that two people selling identical products can have completely different results because they have different product descriptions and selling approaches. Yet, at the same time, a company can significantly boost its sales without making any changes to its products or service. All that’s needed is a few tweaks to the product description.

The main rule of online marketing is “Test everything”. It doesn’t matter what you prefer, what your intuition is telling you, or what strategies you’ve read about online. When you’re selling products online, you have the opportunity to test absolutely everything, so why would you leave anything to chance? AB testing gives you the opportunity to optimize your Amazon product listings to perfection. And in this article, we will talk about what it is, explain how to perform product testing, and give an overview of different tools you can use to perform AB testing on Amazon.

What is AB testing?

A/B testing or split testing is a marketing tool that compares two versions of a website, landing page, product, image, product copy, etc., and records a variety of metrics such as conversion rate, traffic, and of course, profits. In traditional split tests, the tester creates two versions of a web page, product description, ad, etc., and directs a portion of all traffic to each version. So activity on both versions is compared simultaneously. However, only sellers who participate in the Brand Registry Program on Amazon can utilize this type of simultaneous testing. All others have to run consecutive tests. This is not a big issue, but there are a few rules you have to follow to do them correctly, and we will discuss them further in this article.

Split testing is essential for Amazon sellers

Split testing gives you one huge advantage – it allows you to increase your revenue without making any significant changes to your products or spending money on advertising. Let’s take a look at an example of a typical Amazon split test.

Let’s say you’re selling skincare products and the current conversion rate for your top product is 5%. This means that 5% of all people who view your listing purchase the product. At the moment, the product description in the listing focuses on the product’s features, for example, its natural ingredients, cruelty-free testing, etc. You can keep this description for 1 month and track all the crucial metrics such as sessions and conversions. Once that month is up, you will change the description to one that highlights results that consumers were able to see with your product and their positive reviews. You will then keep this description for another month, tracking the same metrics. At the end of the month, you will compare the results you got with both descriptions and choose the one that resulted in a better conversion rate. This simple tool can result in a significant increase in revenue and profits.

Features for A/B split testing

Each Amazon listing consists of several parts. You can split test all of them to find a combination that brings in the most sales. However, you should keep in mind that you should only test 1 feature at a time to get accurate results.

Title

Naturally, the product title is one of the most essential parts of any listing. A good Amazon product title should not only contain the name of the product you’re selling and your brand, it should also give all other information customers may need to know upfront, such as size, number of items in the product, etc. Otherwise, people may click on your product and then immediately leave the page because they discover that it’s not the right size or count.

That being said, you should always stick to Amazon listing guidelines when composing different titles to try.

Images

Product images are arguably one of the most critical parts of any Amazon listing. No matter how many details you include in your product description, people will still get most of their information about the product from images since they can’t see or feel it in real life. Plus, product images are the first thing a customer sees on the search page when looking for a particular product on Amazon. So naturally, good images will attract customers to your listing, while bad ones will discourage people from clicking to view your listings in more detail.

You can try testing images on different backgrounds, with different compositions, etc.

Price

You may think that setting a lower price will attract more people to your products, but this is not always the case. Of course, people like getting good deals on things they purchase, but if the price is too low, you’re risking scaring people off because they may think that your product is low quality. Split testing your products at different price points can help you find the optimal price.

Bullet points

Many people who purchase products online tend to read bullet points but skip the product description. This means that you should put a lot of thought into their composition and include all the info customers need to know about the product in the bullet points. A lot of sellers test different bullet point lengths and orders of features to see what works best. If you suspect your bullets may be too long, you can try shortening them. Alternatively, if you don’t think they contain enough information, you can try rewriting them with more specs and product features.

Product description

Users who are browsing Amazon using a computer or mobile browser will see actual product descriptions only if they scroll down the page, as this information is not shown on the so-called first screen that the users see immediately after the page loads. On the other hand, people who use the Amazon app will see descriptions first, so product descriptions can play an important role in converting people to buy your product. Most product descriptions include the same information as bullet points but expand on it in more detail. You can also try including information about your brand, its philosophy, etc., in the description. Plus, product descriptions could be used to include all the necessary keywords for listing optimization.

If you’ve had the chance to join Amazon’s Brand Registry program, you will have the option to replace the regular description with A+ Content.

How to conduct an A/B test on Amazon?

There are a few ways you can do split testing on Amazon. If you’re not enrolled in the Brand Registry program, you will need to perform manual testing, but if you are part of the program, you will have access to the “Manage Your Experiments” tool provided by Amazon. In addition to this, you can use several third-party tools for Amazon A/B testing.

Conventional Amazon split testing

Split testing product listings on Amazon by hand can take lots of time, but it can also significantly increase your revenue and profits. We’ve already described the manual testing process earlier in this article – you simply need to record listing metrics using the current version of the listing for a set period of time, such as a month, then change one parameter and record metrics once again. Then compare the metrics for the two periods of time and see which version performed better.

You can find your Amazon listing metrics by logging into your Seller Central account, going to Reports, and selecting Business Reports. Then, choose “Detail Page Sales and Traffic By Child Item” in the menu on the left. You will see a spreadsheet with numerous data columns, including Product Sales, Units Ordered, Sessions, Unit Session Percentage (the conversion rate), and Buy Box Percentage. You can also customize the dates for which you want to view the report.

Remember to only change one listing parameter at a time to keep the results accurate. You should also choose a long monitoring period since you won’t get accurate results if you change the listing after a few days or a week.

Conduct Amazon A/B testing using the Manage Your Experiments tool

This tool allows you to conduct simultaneous A/B tests on Amazon. Unfortunately, it is available only to the Brand Registry program participants. This tool will enable you to run traditional split tests, meaning that some people who view your article will see one version of the listing, while the rest will see the other version. You can test different titles, main product images, and A+ Content using this feature.

If you’re a brand registered seller, you should open the Brands tab and press Manage Experiments. Next, select the experiment type, pick a product you want to test, provide all the information that will be used in the test and set the duration of the test. Finish by pressing the Schedule Experiment button.

Interestingly, you don’t need to wait until the end of the experiment to see its results. You can browse them after each week.

Split testing tools for Amazon listings

In addition to Amazon’s own A/B testing tools, you can utilize third-party software and testing products. Here’s an overview of the most popular Amazon split testing tools available on the market today:

Splitly

Splitly allows you to conduct A/B testing directly on Amazon. However, you need to sign up for their paid monthly plan to start running tests. Keep in mind that you can only use Splitly and other similar tools if you have at least a few sales per day on the product in question, so these tools won’t be suitable for new sellers.

Splitly allows you to test a variety of product prices, images, titles, bullets, etc.

Cashcowpro

In addition to allowing you to conduct split testing, this tool also provides lots of analytical data about your Amazon product listings, sales numbers, etc.

Listing Dojo

Unlike other software listed in this section, this is a free tool for split testing. Thus, it’s perfect for people who want to try split testing for the first time and don’t want to spend lots of money on it.

PickFu

This split testing tool is different from the other programs mentioned in this article in that it doesn’t actually test Amazon sales. Instead, it allows you to poll PickFu users on which image, iconographic, etc., they prefer. The platform enables you to select which groups of people you would like to poll according to their gender, age, and other parameters. You can even choose to show your poll only to Amazon Prime users. In addition to the poll results, you’ll also get the reasons why users preferred one option over the other.

Final thoughts

Even though split testing can seem like a tedious and time-consuming task, it is something each seller has to do to ensure that they can stay ahead of the competition on the platform and make a profit. But if you don’t have a lot of marketing experience or want to focus on other aspects of the business instead of spending your days doing split testing, you can hire an Amazon growth agency to take care of this and other business tasks for you.

FAQ

How do I split a test listing on Amazon?

If you’re not enrolled in the Brand Registry program, you will need to conduct manual split testing on Amazon. To do this, you need to record the number of sessions and conversions for your current listing version for a set period of time. Then, change one part of the listing, such as the product image, title, bullet points, etc., and record the same metrics for an identical period of time. Finally, compare the two sets of data to discover which version of the listing performed better.

What is AB testing in Amazon?

A/B testing or split testing is the process during which a marketer creates two versions of a product listing that vary in one characteristic, such as product images, title, etc. Next, each listing is used on the platform for a set period of time (usually several weeks), and the conversion rate for each listing is recorded. The listing that performed better is used in the future.

How do you perform Amazon title testing?

You need to create two titles for your Amazon products and use one title for several weeks or a month while recording the number of sessions and conversions for the products. Next, change the title to the second version and record these metrics over an identical period. Compare the results.

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