Amazon has made it possible for practically anyone to start an online business. The platform makes it simple to find customers and sell products all over the world, without the need to create a website.
However, it’s not as easy to attract eyeballs and make sales. There’s a ton of competition out there, and everyone is trying their best to get the attention of potential buyers.
Amazon currently has more than 2.5 million merchants selling actively on the marketplace. Plus, more than a million new sellers join the platform every year.
This means a key focus for Amazon merchants should be figuring out how to keep up with the competition and increase sales.
Whether you’re already selling or just sourcing product, we’ve got seven actionable tips to help you increase Amazon sales in 2020.
1. Optimize Product Images
Product images play a critical role in the success of an Amazon listing. Make sure that your images are clearly visible, boast a high resolution, and have enough diversity to attract the attention of potential customers.
Rather than capturing all your products on a plain white background, aim for 2-3 lifestyle photos each with a model holding your product in different poses and locations.
This can help people imagine themselves using your products.
2. Work with Influencers
Another way to boost Amazon sales in 2020 is to collaborate with influencers who are related to your industry.
For instance, if you sell fitness trackers, reach out to exercise enthusiasts or anyone who recommends fitness products on social media platforms.
The process involves asking them if they’d be willing to give a practical demo. And, if they find your product useful, recommend it to their followers.
In return, you can send them a free sample of your product.
The best way to find influencers is to search for keywords and hashtags related to your product category or niche.
If you’re selling cosmetics, for instance, you can search for “list of makeup influencers” on Google.
You can also search for hashtags like #makeupinfluencer, #beautyblogger, etc. on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
When you identify a pattern, i.e., people talking about your niche over and over, they might be worth contacting for a collaboration.
Did you know?
Amazon also has a native influencer program where influencers can create a storefront and sell directly to their followers.
For instance, if an influencer creates a YouTube video and talks about certain makeup items, they can send viewers to their Amazon store.
When viewers click the referral link, they find a customized storefront which makes purchasing simple.
You can find influencers with Amazon stores by using influence.co and other similar tools. You can then get your products listed through their shop.
3. Improve Your Amazon SEO by Using Better Keywords
If you want your product listings to appear at the top of Amazon search results, then you need to use the best keywords.
The best keywords for Amazon SEO are both:
- Long-tail: You’ll have a higher chance of appearing at the top of the results for “Avengers iPhone case” than just “iPhone.”
- Specific and rare: This could be the color and size, model number, or some other unique characteristic of the product.
You can use one of these Amazon keyword research tools to help you find the right keywords.
Additionally, you can request the Amazon Search Term Report from the dashboard of your Seller Central account. The report highlights the data collected by Amazon with regards to the phrases that people are using to search for items.
Make sure to use relevant keywords in the product title, description and main bullet points.
Note: Amazon’s search algorithm doesn’t require sellers to use relevant keywords multiple times in order to generate more traffic to their listings. Hence, there’s no benefit to using a keyword more than once.
4. Leverage Amazon Seller Central Promotions
In case you didn’t know, Amazon added several new promotion types to Seller Central accounts in Q4, 2017. The most popular promotions are:
- Coupons
- Buy 1 Get 1 Free
- Free Shipping
Here’s how each of them works:
Coupons
You can use this Seller Central promotion to target specific people with specific items.
Merchants are charged $0.60 every time someone redeems a coupon. Also, a discount amount (between 5 and 80 percent of your lowest price for an item within the last 30 days) needs to be set for the promotion.
In addition, Amazon requires you to set a “coupon budget.” This will be affected by the $0.60 referral fee and the total value of the discount.
For instance, if you’re selling a product for $20, and someone gets $10 off, the coupon budget will reduce by $10.60 each time a purchase is made.
So, make sure to choose a large enough budget to ensure the coupon can be redeemed multiple times.
You can run this promotion for everyone, or only for people who’ve already bought an item from your Amazon store.
Buy 1, Get 1 Free
Amazon lets Seller Central account holders run Buy 1, Get 1 Free promotions based on order quantity or amount spent.
However, you aren’t restricted to Buy 1, Get 1 Free deals. Sellers get quite a few options when they choose this promotion type, such as:
- Spend at least X dollars – for instance, if customers buy at least $100 worth of chocolates, they get a box free.
- Buy at least X (quantity) products – for example, if a person buys at least 2 boxes of chocolates, they get one free
You can schedule the Buy 1, Get 1 Free promotion by choosing a start and end date.
However, you must wait at least four hours before any campaigns can be run. If you try to do it within the 4-hour timeframe of setting it up, the promotion will be denied. So, be patient!
Free Shipping
This promotion doesn’t require a lot of explanation.
It is, however, worth mentioning that the Free Shipping promotion is only available to FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) items, and running it won’t improve your chances of getting the Amazon Buy Box.
Also, as with the Buy 1, Get 1 Free promotion, you can select certain conditions for buyers to be eligible for free shipping.
For example, you can tell Amazon that a person needs to spend at least X dollars or buy at least X (quantity) items to be eligible for free shipping.
5. Get Reviews
You’re probably aware that having Amazon reviews is the easiest way to build trust with potential customers.
A lot of people out there look at reviews, making it one of the key buying decision factors.
So, encourage any customers you get to leave reviews after the delivery of their orders. How? By taking the following steps:
- Request feedback via email: If you have a Seller Central account, you can email buyers asking for product feedback. To do so, go to “Orders” > “Manage Orders” > “Open an order” > “Contact buyer.” Now, in the window that pops up, write a message asking the customer to write a review.
- Use product inserts: These are tiny pieces of card or paper that communicate the value of your product directly to the customer. You can add a statement like “we’d love to hear from you on Amazon” on the insert to improve your odds of getting a review.
- Invest in high-quality packaging: Customers relate quality packaging to a more valuable brand, which in turn, enhances the customer experience. A satisfied customer is much more likely to leave a review than someone who receives their orders in cheap, no-frills packaging.
Buy Box Experts has a team of strategists and experts who have been educated by the internal team and Amazon to uncover the best practices to leveraging reviews for your store. Contact one of our consultants to learn how to create a great review strategy to boost Amazon sales.
6. Advertise on the Platform
Amazon gives you the option to create three types of ads for increasing the visibility of your product listings:
- Amazon Sponsored Product Ads
- Amazon Headline Search Ads
- Amazon Product Display Ads
The first of these are typically the most effective because they’re targeted at people who have done their research and are ready to make a purchase.
Amazon Headline Search Ads, on the other hand, are meant to aid discovery and help prospects learn more about the items.
Product display Ads, lastly, appear on competitor listings and other sites that have partnered with Amazon for people who’ve already viewed your items. Hence, these ads retarget those who are aware of your items but have not yet made a buying decision.
Based on your sales objectives and marketing budget, you can leverage one or a combination of these ads to improve Amazon sales in 2020.
7. Go After the Buy Box
The Amazon Buy Box is the box you see at the right side of a product page with an “Add to cart” button.
For any product category, only one seller’s product will be featured in the Buy Box.
So, how can you improve your chances of winning the Buy Box?
Besides sales performance, Amazon sees the price of a product as a major contributing factor. Therefore, you have to sell your product at the best price in order to have a chance of getting featured in the Buy Box.
Important: There are different Buy Boxes for used and new items. New items can’t be featured in the Buy Used Box, while used items can’t be featured in the Buy Box. Also, for both of these Buy Boxes, make sure you’ve got ample supply of the featured item. Why? Because if your product goes out of stock, Amazon will give the Buy Box to a seller who does have that product in stock.
Now, to offer the best price, you’ll need to find ways to source your items at the best rates. We suggest following the playbook of smart sellers to buy the item at the lowest rate. Smart sellers usually:
- Purchase directly from factories
- Use e-packet as the shipping method
- Request quotes from multiple suppliers
- Get trade discount by purchasing in bulk
You can learn more about the Buy Box opportunity by reading our in-depth guide titled The Buy Box.
Ready to Boost Your Amazon Sales?
Amazon represents a true revolution for merchants. It leaves the competition behind when it comes to international selling and attracting audiences on the internet.
However, while selling on Amazon’s website, you need to take steps to stand out from other third-party sellers.
The keys are to use great product images, find influencers that suit your niche, leverage the right keywords, run appropriate promotions, get reviews, advertise when possible, win the Buy Box, and leave the stuff you don’t know how to do well to the experts.
If you’re one of the estimated 20%–40% of brands who fire their agency annually, you can’t focus on that vision if you have to keep searching for the right support. BBE proudly retained >95% of our clients last year while applying focused dedication to our brand partners. If you’re ready to start over for the last time, contact us and find out why leading brands have partnered with us for so long.
