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Hello Amazon Seller,
Sure my job paid well, but in the end, it cost too much.
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This email may contain affiliate links which means we may earn referral fees if you make a purchase through our links, without any additional cost to you.
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Amazon offers up more data to tell third-party sellers which items will be popular
Amazon has announced a tool that will give sellers access to information about what shoppers are currently looking for and help make it easier to choose which products to create next. Amazon calls it the Product Opportunity Explorer and says that it will give sellers access to data and trends that will help them “identify opportunities to launch new, high-potential products to serve unmet customer demand.”
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The tool will also give broader category and subcategory metrics, such as what people are searching for, pricing trends, and the like. In its press release, Amazon says that the tool gives sellers “rich insights into what customers are searching for, clicking on, and buying, as well as not buying,” along with “detailed data on search volume and growth, sales history, and pricing trends.”
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Sidenote: You will probably need to request access for now, but Amazon said it plans to roll out the Product Opportunity Explorer to all sellers in 2022, and it will live for free on Seller Central. I wonder how this will impact companies like Jungle Scout and Helium 10? It remains to be seen how helpful the tool will be. As we all know, a lot of Amazon's tools are really difficult to use.
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What You Need To Know About the Amazon Best Seller and Amazon’s Choice Badges
One of the key ingredients to a successful business is having a sound marketing strategy. We can even argue that, in the online world, marketing is everything. Amazon knows this full well, which is why their marketing strategies are precise, even to the smallest of details.
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Among the many ways, they try to catch a buyer’s attention is through badges, namely, the Amazon Best Seller badge and the Amazon’s Choice badge. What exactly are these badges? Are they good for your products? How can you get them?
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Important Date Change!
In a previous announcement, Amazon said to make sure that your inventory arrives at fulfillment centers by December 11 for Christmas. They have updated this date to December 2 to help better ensure that you have enough stock available for your most popular products.
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Sidenote: If you're in a highly seasonal industry like toys then I feel for you. Sending in 1000s of units in November to meet the December 2nd deadline with very little sales data to work from is fraught with risk. My immediate advice is to consider a backup FBM solution.
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Amazon launches in-store pickup option for items from local businesses
Amazon now gives sellers access to order tracking solutions to help manage local deliveries and in-store pick-ups for customers. It is fast, convenient, and flexible for customers. Currently available to select sellers who offer delivery services to customers' homes within local delivery areas and offer "buy online pick-up in store" (BOPIS) at your retail stores and warehouses.
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Offer your products to Amazon customers who live within certain zip codes and within a 25-mile radius of your retail stores or warehouses. By offering local delivery services and/or BOPIS, Amazon customers will be able to easily learn that your products are available for fast delivery or in-store pick-up.
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Your products available for local delivery or BOPIS will be visible to customers in Amazon’s store product search results and on product detail pages. Customers will be able to choose between home delivery and in-store pick-up options.
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Customers will receive messaging about delivery options, pick-up location, timing, and process, to help you manage either local home delivery to customers or in-store pickup. Sellers will be providing their own delivery in their own vehicles.
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Black Friday - Cyber Monday Dates
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Black Friday will be on Nov. 26.
Cyber Monday will be on Nov. 29
For as long as I can remember, Amazon’s Black Friday sale has always been a week-long event and this year is expected to be no different! Be on the lookout for the sale to kick off on the Friday before Thanksgiving and end on Black Friday itself, or while in-stock supplies last. Amazon typically puts out a press release a few days before the event (if they follow the same sales schedule then the press release will come on or around Monday, November 15, 2021).
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Estimated BF sale start date: Friday, November 19, 2021. That’s a full week before Black Friday.
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Estimated BF sale end date: The end of day on Black Friday, November 26, 2021, or while in-stock supplies last.
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Note: these dates are still preliminary estimates based on last year’s sales schedule.
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Cyber Monday is expected to go from November 29 through Dec. 5.
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Sidenote: Who are we kidding? Amazon has had a deal page up since October 4th.
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Here is a link to an excellent article from SellerEngine about all of this.
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Improve the Customer Experience: Think Like an Amazon Customer
One thing Amazon wants to be known for is having the most customer-centric online marketplace in the world. Amazon truly takes “the customer is always right” to the extreme – just look at their super lenient return policy if you need an example. They want happy customers. Customers who will come back again and again. Customers who trust Amazon. Customers who leave raving reviews. Customers who tell all their friends how much they love Amazon.
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Below is a link to another great article from Steven Smotherman at FulltimeFBA.com
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unBoxed 2021 by Amazon
Join thousands of advertisers and partners to hear inspiring keynotes, attend educational breakout sessions, and engage with experts. Gain exclusive advertiser insights, trends analysis, product deep dives, and networking opportunities to help you grow your business.
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Available to businesses of all sizes and accessible to marketers of every level of expertise, unBoxed provides ad solutions that help your business connect with customers at every stage of their journey.
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Podcast: A 30-Minute Hustle Playbook with Kristin Ostrander
Tim Jordan sits down with Kristin Ostrander, who’s been in the eCommerce selling game since 2003! Listen as Kristin recalls her selling experience throughout the years and more. It is very inspiring with lots of helpful, time-saving tips.
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How to Create Amazon A+ Content
Amazon A+ Content is a unique tool inside Seller Central that allows brand owners the ability to create beautifully designed Amazon product descriptions for their Amazon listings.
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Formally known as Enhanced Brand Content, A+ content is available for brand-registered third-party sellers and all vendors. This premium content feature is currently free to create.
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Without it, you are limited to 2,000 characters and cannot add any imagery or graphics to the content. And no one wants to read a large block of boring text!
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How to Contact Amazon Seller Support
That inevitable time comes in every Amazon seller’s business when an issue can’t be resolved in Seller Central, or a solution can’t be found for a tricky product situation.
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For this, Amazon created Amazon Seller Support, a dedicated team with a system designed to help sellers with their queries and issues regarding every aspect of their business.
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While not every Amazon seller can place their full confidence in Seller Support, there will be times when you need their help. Consider Amazon Seller Support as a resource available to you, that can help shed more light on your situation.
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Keep reading to learn more about what Seller Support can do for you, how to contact them, and some practical expert tips that can help you quickly resolve your seller issues.
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How is Q4 2021 going to shake out? What can we expect in 2022? How is Amazon hurting or helping you succeed? What tactics can put you ahead of the competition? Who better to theorize on these topics, and more, than a panel of eCommerce experts?
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- Supply chain issues in Q4
- How culture and trends are impacting eCommerce
- Strategies you should implement prior to 2022
- What you should expect in the coming months for your Amazon store
Tuesday, October 26th from 2-3 pm ET
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All about coupons and vouchers on Amazon
We all love a good deal when shopping, and the stats have backed this up! On Amazon specifically, sellers using vouchers and coupons have increased sales by 11% on average. Learn how to utilize these sales drivers in your Q4 marketing campaigns!
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5 ways to improve your Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) on Amazon
Amazon customers depend on tracking numbers to find out where their orders are and when they can expect to receive them. Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) is a performance metric that reflects those expectations. As an Amazon seller, you already know that a high seller rating is vital to your success in eCommerce.
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A high seller rating represents that you’re capable of getting orders right, keeping inventory in stock, meeting shipping deadlines, maintaining positive feedback from buyers — and more.
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Amazon PowWow Miami is here!
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Look forward to an action-packed day on November 2nd, when sellers and vendors from around the globe will meet in person to network, exhibit, and hear from leading experts in the Amazon and eCommerce space.
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The event will commence at 11 a.m. with an exciting opening ceremony by the event organizers, Mac Schlesinger, Yehuda Susskind, and Joel Wolh.
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The Tradeshow floor will be open all day from 11 a.m. -7 p.m. in the main ballroom. There will be entertainment, a variety of food options, and hot & cold beverages throughout the day. Feel free to network, and take a chill on the beautiful gallery overlooking the scenic Miami cruise ship port.
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Speakers will give their talks from noon to six.
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Don't Feel Bad If You Aren't Brand Registered
Amazon announced that 440,000 individual brands are currently enrolled in Brand Registry worldwide. For context, Amazon has around 1.5 million active sellers worldwide. There are 6.5 million sellers, so 5 million who aren't active.
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That 440,000 number is quite low considering how hard Amazon tries to get companies to sign up. Not only does it give analytics information to sellers, but it also offers a ranked report of the top-searched terms on Amazon. Further, brand owners can use the tool to create branded stores, run “sponsored brands” ads, and more. This week at Accelerate, Amazon also announced that it is expanding its brand analytics offerings to include more detailed information on which search terms lead customers to their products.
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As a regular seller, I always feel like the ugly stepchild seeing all that Amazon does for the brands. I am really surprised that less than a third of the sellers are actually brand registered. You might think Amazon would cater a bit more to the majority, not the minority. But that is just crazy talk! And on that note...
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Amazon to Launch the Search Analytics Dashboard For Brand Registered Sellers
The Search Analytics Dashboard will provide sellers with a wealth of anonymized data to better understand customers’ interests and shopping choices for their products. This information will help sellers optimize their listings, inform inventory planning, plan their product development roadmap, and grow their business both on and off Amazon. We are excited about what these insights will do for sellers, and we look forward to their feedback as we identify new ways to partner with them and improve the shopping and selling experience together.
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And since Amazon can't do enough for one-third of their sellers...
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New Contact Customer feature for brand owners
Great brand owners provide exceptional customer service, especially in situations where the customer is unhappy or disappointed. Amazon has launched a new communication tool that gives you the ability to contact customers after they leave a 1, 2, or 3-star product review. Now, you can choose what level of support you want to offer your customers by either offering a full refund or requesting additional information on their orders to help resolve their issues.
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As a brand owner, you can access this new tool by going to Seller Central and clicking Customer Reviews under the Brands tab. You can view all reviews that have been left on any of your products, and filter by star rating or brand. The new Contact Customer feature is enabled for qualifying critical product reviews.
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Note that sellers aren’t allowed to ask for a customer’s personal information, including email or phone number, and customers aren’t expected to change their reviews due to this outreach or any potential resolution.
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How awesome for the brand owners...I'm not bitter.
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Extended Holiday Returns Policy
The Amazon Extended Holiday Returns Policy for 2021 requires that most of the items purchased between October 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, be eligible for return through January 31, 2022. We will automatically authorize returns on your behalf to reflect the Extended Holiday Returns Policy.
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This link takes you to a page with the return rules for various kinds of products.
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The Unsexy Side of Amazon
As you’re growing your catalog, how do you ensure consistent naming conventions for your products? When it comes to advertising campaigns, how do you name them to ensure everyone knows the goal of the campaign? With the proper processes and documentation in place, you’re able to scale faster and function more profitably.
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This presentation is the foundation necessary as you’re scaling from $1M to $10M in annual revenue. But it is probably something we should all be doing even if we are just starting out. This informative video is from Vanessa Hung and Talal Asad at Powerhouse Amazon Management.
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Tidbits:
- Amazon Logistics, the arm that delivers packages to customers, has eclipsed FedEx in the share of the volume of packages shipped. Amazon now has a 21% market share beating out FedEx's 16% market share but behind UPS's 24%.
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“Follow” buttons have begun popping up on the Amazon marketplace, and in its seller report. Amazon highlighted the fact that customers who opt to follow a brand “spend more than double” than those who don’t follow the brand. The “Follow” buttons are tied to Amazon Posts, an Instagram-like product hosted on the Amazon platform that is only available to sellers in the Brand Registry. Right now, Amazon Posts is essentially “free advertising".
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- The House Judiciary Committee warned Amazon that it risks a “criminal investigation” for allegedly misleading Congress. Amazon previously claimed to Congress that it doesn’t use third-party seller data to design its own products, but recent reporting on Amazon India says otherwise.
- Amazon has announced new product types for many categories and three new mandatory attributes required on product listings starting October 26th. Amazon suggests you make sure to review all updates to keep your listing as optimized as possible!
- Starting October 26th, non-FBA sellers who list under the Fashion category will have to pay for return costs, in an attempt to regulate this high-return category.
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Inventory Planner is an analytics and reordering tool for eCommerce. It can forecast sales to provide replenishment suggestions, create purchase orders, identify overstocked products, and track inventory KPIs including revenue, profit, turnover, gross margin, and more. It can integrate into other inventory and accounting systems such as Brightpearl, DEAR, eBay, Linnworks, Ordoro, Quickbooks Online, StitchLabs, and TradeGecko.
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It can also keep up with inventory counts across a multitude of online marketplaces and shopping carts such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and many others. Update stock quantities across all channels when you mark your products as received.
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With Inventory Planner, you will see sales and revenues for categories, vendors, and brands for a selected time frame. You can see trends and correlations between sales, revenues, and product page views. Optimize your cash flow and time with an inventory forecast based on sales trends, vendor lead time, and targeted stock levels. Easily see what, how much and when to order with Inventory Planner’s data-driven forecast. Easily create purchase orders based on inventory forecasts. Inventory Planner is mostly a read-only service and doesn’t create, edit, or remove any products or sales orders or process orders.
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Deals we know about....
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NOTE: Above offers are subject to change.
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Thank you for reading. I wish you unbelievable success. Selling on Amazon can be challenging sometimes, however, goals can be achieved by working hard and not giving up.
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Any suggestions about our site or this newsletter are welcome. Just hit reply and let us know your thoughts.
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Keep sourcing, keep selling, keep learning, keep growing.
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You can do this!
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Visit our website for all sorts of Amazon resources:
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And more.....
Happy Selling on Amazon.
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Making Sense Of Selling On Amazon
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