Amazon has been around for awhile, and pretty much anyone who’s anyone in the ecommerce world has had plenty of experience with the platform. That means there’s plenty of advice out there on what you should be doing—look for a list of best practices for Amazon sellers, and you can spend days sorting through all the details.
We thought we’d take a different approach.
Instead of giving you our extensive list of positive practices we know can help you boost your Amazon sales, we’ve thought we’d identified the ten biggest mistakes we frequently’ve witnessed in the world of Amazon merchants. Fix any of these problems with your own approach to Amazon, and we all but guarantee you’ll see an uptick in business.
Don’t Miss Out on Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA)
Some sellers don’t want to participate in Fulfilled by Amazon because of all the additional requirements. True,While your sales are hands-off after you’ve shipped your products to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Plus, , there are added packaging requirements, stricter return policies, and so on, but here’s the deal:
54 million households have Amazon Prime, and they like the free shipping that comes with FBA. You’re missing out on a huge chunk of buyers if you aren’t participating in FBA, and your sales are suffering for it, period. The benefits far outweigh any hassle, so tackle those barriers to entry and get on board.get on board.
Don’t Leave Out the Pictures
Pictures generate sales, period. There’s no debate on this point, whether you’re talking about Amazon or any other sales/marketing channel, so leaving out pictures is the same as leaving money on the table.
Of course, you want good pictures. They should be big, clear, zoomable, and represent your products in the best light.
Don’t Forget Who You’re Talking To
The description and other copy on each of your Amazon product pages is a chance to talk to a potential customer—to not only tell them about your product, but give them a sense of your brand and show them how you can solve their problem.
Don’t just list your products’ specs and call it a day. Talk about the details, and do it in a way that will really entice your audience. Speak to them and their needs, not just about you and your stuff.
Don’t Skimp on Keywords
Having appropriate keywords in your product tags and in your descriptions is essential to surfacing in product searches. This is true when consumers are searching on Amazon itself and when they’re using third-party search engines like Google to start their shopping spree. Without appropriate keywording, there’s no question your competitors are getting plenty of business that could be coming your way.
Good keywording for Amazon sellers follows the same rules as keywording for other web content: make sure the keywords are relevant, make sure they flow naturally as part of your copy, and don’t overuse them.
Don’t Ignore Your Product Titles
Keywords matter in your product titles, too, both for search algorithms and for customers themselves. Your title should tell consumers exactly what your product is and/or what it does.
You might have a fancy proprietary name for a long-handled floor-cleaning device, but if shoppers can’t tell it’s a broom just from reading the title, you’ve got a serious problem.
Don’t get cute and don’t get fancy. Put the right keywords in the title to attract people who are looking for your product. It’s that simple.
Don’t Disregard the Fee Calculator
C’mon people. You’re here to make a profit, right? And you know Amazon charges fees, yes? So use the fee calculator and price your products to give you something left over. We’ve actually seen Amazon sellers who lose money every time they make a sale, and believe me, there’s no way to make that up on volume.
Don’t Leave Questions Unanswered
Answering questions promptly is one of the best ways to improve your perceived customer service, because it doesn’t just work with people who have already bought from you. It boosts your brand with those asking questions and with anyone who scrolls through looking for answers.
Fast, friendly, high-quality answers can lead directly to sales and, overall image boosts your overall image, plus theyand also lets you control the information out there about your product. Remember, if you’re an Amazon seller you’re in a service business, so be there for your customers! Check for new questions daily, at least, and more often if possible—sales windows may only be open for a few hours.
Check daily, answer promptly. Make sales, and control the information about your product.
Don’t Enter High-Competition Product Categories
There’s no point selling a commodity in an already-saturated market. If the thing you want to sell is the same as twenty other products already on Amazon, the only place to compete is price, and that’s a quick road to the poorhouse (see our note about the fee calculator).
Find a niche where your products can stand out, then provide outstanding customer service, too. That’s the way to categorical success as an Amazon seller.
Don’t Sell Heavy Products
If you’ve already built a booming Amazon business selling barbells and pig iron, we won’t tell you to stop, but if you’re looking to break into the world’s biggest ecommerce platform with something new, than heavier products are best avoided.
More weight means higher shipping costs. That means you have to drop your price—and thus your profit margin—if you’re going to convince buyers to purchase online rather than from a local brick-and-mortar seller.
Lower margins means less room for error and less compensation for the time involved, and we don’t think that’s good for any entrepreneur.
Don’t Assume Your Marketing is Done
Building a proper listing on Amazon isn’t the end of your marketing, it’s just the beginning. Many sellers assume that a great Amazon listing guarantees a steady stream of willing and interested buyers heading right to their page, but it just isn’tain’t so.
Do your outside marketing. Build yYour traffic. Take control of driving your own sales, and don’t just be another Amazon chump.
