As Amazon continues its trek to world dominance, learn how you can also get in on the fun. 40% of Americans begin their online shopping journey on Amazon. Don’t to miss out on these key buyers.
If you have an e-commerce store or are just interested in selling on Amazon. We’ve compiled some tips for beating out the competition.
Step One – Category
Determine if you’ll need Amazon approval before selling your products. They limit access to these categories to ensure high quality and to give buyers extra confidence. If you want to sell in the below categories you will need to obtain a Professional Selling Plan Subscription and request approval.
- Automotive & Powersports
- B2B Business Products
- Collectible Coins
- Fine Art
- Fine Jewelry
- Grocery & Gourmet Food
- Industrial & Scientific
- Professional Services
- Sports Collectibles
- Video, DVD & Blu-Ray
- Watches
All other categories are open to all sellers. Amazon is currently not excepting new sellers in some categories, you can view the full list here.
Step Two – Choose a Plan
Individual plan – you will pay $0.99 to Amazon for every item sold in addition to other closing fees.
Professional plan – is subscription based at $39.99 per month in addition to referral and closing fees. A professional plan is best for sellers who sell more than 40 products per month.
Step Three – Set up Shop
Now the fun part can begin! Register for a Seller Account and list your products. For tracking purposes, all items will need SKUs and UPCs. Customize your Amazon page to attract more buyers with better visuals, this is technically a landing page. Treat it as such.
Step Four – Shipping
You can either ship items yourself or use Amazon Fulfillment. Why should you consider using FBA? Much less stress about logistics, as you pay to store items in an Amazon facility and Amazon takes care of the rest.
Amazon Prime – Prime customers tend to purchase more and selling through FBA increases discoverability to these high-value shoppers.
2% of the 150 million Prime subscribers purchase something every day. Amazon recently launched one-day shipping to these users.
Step Five – Encourage Reviews
Reviews are crucial to building audience credibility. Although reviews can’t be incentivized, you should send a follow up email after someone purchases asking to leave a review.
Step Six – Run Ads
Put some money behind your products so they show as “sponsored” and gain more visibility. Amazon has also opened up their advertising and analytics in recent years so you can see more of what is working in your store.
Vendor vs. Seller Central
Seller Central – sell as a third party to ensure you have control of marketing and potentially higher revenues. Even if you are on seller central you can take advantage of FBA to not stress about shipping logistics or choose to ship items yourself.
Vendor Central – sell in bulk to Amazon so they handle all the steps. From marketing, setting the price, and shipping. The only downside to Amazon Vendor Central is that it is invite-only and you do not have as much freedom with marketing.
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Need assistance with Amazon ads and running your marketplace? We have 7+ years of experience in helping our clients increase visibility and ROI on Amazon. Drop us a line if you’re ready to take you Amazon store to the next level!
