Selling on Amazon: 9 Tips to get you started.

If you want to be found, you have to keep optimizing. These are the ten Amazon marketing success factors.

Nam Nguyen started with Amazon management tool ProfitWiser in 2015. He's been studying Amazon for years and has lined up these ten factors for Amazon marketing.

Amazon is by far the largest e-commerce platform in our neighboring countries. Companies want to take advantage of this and be already active on Amazon so that they are ready when You reach visitors on Amazon by advertising and by ranking organically within Amazon.

Advertising not only generates sales, but it also helps to obtain a bestseller label and to influence organic findability positively. Companies can advertise on Amazon through "Sponsored Products" and "Sponsored Brands."

For Amazon Vendors (product sales by Amazon itself), there is also the option for "Product Display Ads." The settlement model is based on cost-per-click based on an auction system. It is often forgotten that your ad campaigns' performance, unlike Google Ads, is influenced by external factors. Those who want to be successful with Amazon marketing should consider these factors.

An effective keyword strategy

It is good to realize that Amazon is increasingly acting as a search engine. We already see this clearly in Germany. There, 62% of consumers use Amazon when they search for a product. Google still has the largest share with 74%, but I expect Amazon to overtake Google. In 2017 this already happened during the Christmas period.

It is, therefore, important to work out a strong keyword strategy based on search volumes. The keywords must then be processed within the context of the specific product. This is the only way to be found organically on the relevant keywords. Choosing the wrong keywords will negatively affect the performance of your ad campaigns.

Content is king

When the consumer lands on the product page, he must convert. With good product information and clear images, you realize higher conversions, and the advertising campaigns perform better. But even when orders come in, it is important to keep optimizing product information.

Because if the product information is incorrect, you will have to deal with higher return percentages and bad reviews as a provider.

Keep the competition at bay

Anyone who wants to sell a product successfully must stay ahead of the competition. For each product, there is one product detail page with the purchase options on the right. At the top is the Buy Box, and you can "win" it. The Buy Box is the "add to cart" or "buy now" button. 82% of consumers buy the product through the Buy Box. The other providers are listed under the Buy Box. So it is essential to winning the Buy Box. The winner is determined by various factors: authority on Amazon, seller rating, pricing, and fulfillment method. As a Buy Box winner, you may also be the only one to create Sponsored Product Ads. If you use Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA), this also provides a competitive advantage.

Avoid Out of Stock

If a product sells well, it mustn't sell out. If a product is no longer in stock with you, you cannot win the Buy Box, which will result in no Sponsored Products advertisement. The ads are then automatically no longer shown, and your organic findability decreases. You lose some of your authority and have to rebuild it when the product is back in stock.

Determine a smart pricing strategy

Competing on price is bad for your margin and undesirable when you strive for stable pricing in the market. When other resellers sell your product through Amazon, it often creates price competition. Resellers become your biggest competitor when they start "stunting" with the price. This isn't good for your appearance and authority.

A strict selection of resellers is then worth considering. When you offer your products exclusively on Amazon, you win the Buy Box anyway and advertise with Sponsored Product Ads. Otherwise, the reseller with the lowest price often wins the Buy Box.

Positive reviews

Positive reviews create trust, better organic ranking, and higher sales numbers. You have to "earn" positive reviews. The best way to do this is to advertise and then do what you promise. Because advertisements generate extra sales and consumers write the reviews. When you have many positive reviews, you can include the number of stars in your ads.

Before you start advertising, you must ensure that your entire fulfillment is in order. Poor fulfillment is a major cause for a negative review, even if your product meets expectations. So make sure you adhere to all Amazon's terms and conditions. Respond quickly to consumer inquiries and deliver on the agreed day/time. Ultimately, multiple bad reviews can cause your Amazon account to be suspended.

The use of images and videos

A picture paints a thousand words. That also applies to Amazon marketing.

Products with good images sell better. Especially with fashion and lifestyle products, the images are viewed a lot and preferably zoomed in. Images that are too limited or small are disastrous for the ad campaigns. It is advisable for products, especially for the top sellers, to use all the possibilities of images and videos.

Take advantage of Amazon labels and promotions

Consumers like to buy recommended products. "Amazon's Choice" and "Bestseller" are well-known Amazon labels. You get the "Amazon's Choice" label when you have the number one position on the product keyword and the "Bestseller" label when you have the most sold product in the product category. The allocation of labels cannot be directly influenced, but you can give products with these labels an extra boost by advertising them.

Special promotions such as offers, discount subscriptions, and coupons provide the extra conversion. Advertising with products that are currently on promotion will improve your conversion.

Take advantage of Amazon's registered trademark tools

Companies with a registered brand benefit from additional marketing tools on Amazon: their own Amazon Store, EBC (Enhanced Brand Content), and Product-Display Ads. As a brand, you can set up your own Amazon Storefront on Amazon. Via the Amazon Storefront, you as a Seller can show your entire range and design the Store in your own look & feel. EBC is a premium feature that allows you to add experience, specifications, and images to your product page. Amazon Vendors (manufacturers) have an extra effective means of betting with Product-Display Ads.

This allows you to advertise your product with competing products. That also works the other way around. You can also advertise on your own product page, which prevents the competition from advertising there. This allows you to apply up to and cross-selling at the same time.

It is not enough to only look at the campaign performance when you sell through Amazon. It is important to view and analyze all parts as a whole. The keyword strategy and winning the Buy Box have a direct influence on campaign performance.

Other factors include pricing, product reviews, and seller rating. Success is only reserved for those who continuously optimize all elements. When you offer multiple products on Amazon, it is almost impossible to optimize manually. By using a special Amazon management tool, you have real-time insight into and control of all elements...