Amazon & Marketplaces
In an ecommerce world increasingly dominated by Amazon and other huge marketplaces, we address how independent merchants can best use those channels to grow their businesses and brands. We analyze selling tools, listing optimization strategies, multichannel selling options, back-office efficiencies, pros and cons, common mistakes, and much more.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Using Amazon Ad Attribution to Track Offsite Campaigns
October 8, 2019 • Phil Masiello
Sellers who run Amazon advertising on other platforms such as Facebook and Google have been unable to track performance easily. But no more. Amazon has just released a beta for advertising Attribution for marketplace sellers.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Copywriting Tips for Amazon Product Pages
September 27, 2019 • Armando Roggio
Well written product detail pages can convince an Amazon shopper to buy your business's mattress topper, omega-3 supplement, or wooden bocce set — instead of your competitors'. Here are some tips to improve your company's Amazon product pages.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Alters Small-business Strategy; Competitors Take Advantage
September 26, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan
Amazon has told many small merchants that it would no longer accept bulk wholesale orders from them for its Vendor Central program. Several companies have seized on this change and are trying to attract smaller merchants who may be looking for alternatives.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Retail Arbitrage as a Closeout Strategy
September 12, 2019 • Armando Roggio
Retail arbitrage is a booming business. Some practitioners are making six-figure incomes buying low-priced or clearance items and reselling them on Amazon. Mimicking or encouraging the practice could help retail merchants manage closeouts.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Survey of Amazon Sellers Offers Insights for 2019 Holiday Season
September 10, 2019 • Phil Masiello
My firm surveyed roughly 1,700 sellers with annual revenue from Amazon of at least $5 million. We received 218 responses. I'll focus on the results in this article.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Book Excerpt: ‘Three Secrets to Great, Sustainable Success on Amazon’
September 5, 2019 • Timothy Seward
As you consider how best to build your brand on Amazon, think broadly about your game plan for optimal success. Here are a few key strategies to help you focus your efforts on finding even greater success in commerce — whether you’re celebrating your fifth year in business or your 50th.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
How to Write Amazon Product Titles That Drive Clicks
September 3, 2019 • Armando Roggio
On Amazon's marketplace, a product's title can be the difference between getting a click or being ignored. Next to a compelling product photo, a title is likely the most important aspect of the description. Amazon emphasized this when it enacted new product title requirements in June 2019.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Ads Boost Marketplace Search Rankings
August 27, 2019 • Armando Roggio
Amazon Ads will not only help spur marketplace sales but could start a virtuous cycle of revenue growth. Amazon favors high-converting products on its search result pages. One of the ways to improve a product's conversions and sales is to advertise it on the platform.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Don’t Bet Against Amazon in India
July 30, 2019 • Jaydip Parikh
Since entering India in 2013, Amazon has faced entrenched competition and restrictive government policies. In this post, I'll provide an overview of the ecommerce industry in India, including recent regulations, local competitors, and Amazon's performance to date.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
How to Obtain UPCs for Selling on Amazon
July 25, 2019 • Armando Roggio
Amazon requires private label brands and direct-to-consumer manufacturers that sell on its marketplace to have universal product codes or similar for virtually all products. Fortunately, for as little as $250 just about any company can register a UPC prefix and obtain the required code.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Prime Day 2019 Breaks Records; Other Merchants Benefit
July 19, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan
While Amazon does not provide sales data for Prime Day, it did state that during the 48-hour 2019 event on July 15 and 16, sales surpassed the 2018 Black Friday and Cyber Monday revenues combined.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
4 Steps to Prepare for Holiday Sales on Amazon
July 11, 2019 • Phil Masiello
Selling on the Amazon Marketplace is a huge opportunity, especially for brands. The all-important holiday selling season on Amazon begins in early November. Start preparing now with the following four steps.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Create a Branded Amazon Store in 6 Steps
June 3, 2019 • Phil Masiello
Selling on Amazon is an excellent opportunity for brands to gain visibility and sales. One of the tools is an Amazon Store, a mini-website for brands on the Amazon Marketplace. In this post, I will explain the steps in setting up and building an Amazon Store for your brand.
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Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
A seller is never bulletproof on Amazon
May 10, 2019 • Richard Stubbings
Relying on one or two platforms for ecommerce revenue is risky. It is relatively easy to build a business on Amazon and eBay. Both marketplaces can present your merchandise to millions of potential customers. But the tradeoff is becoming vulnerable to their foibles.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Do Amazon’s New ‘Dynamic Bid’ Ads Improve Sales?
February 24, 2019 • Phil Masiello
Last month Amazon announced improvements to its Sponsored Product ads with the addition of dynamic bids and the option to adjust bids by placement. My firm has been testing these additions. Are they driving sales and profits or do they simply increase ad spend?
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Posts Stellar 2018 Financial Results; 2019 Not as Bright
February 14, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan
Amazon reported its 2018 fiscal year and fourth quarter financial results on January 31. As expected, the company surpassed last year's results with a superb performance. Amazon is cautious in its 2019 guidance, however.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
How PopSockets Prospered after Leaving Amazon
January 7, 2019 • Phil Masiello
PopSockets opted not to be a direct vendor to Amazon. Instead, it chose one major reseller to represent it on the marketplace. But, Amazon would not allow it. So, PopSockets walked away.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Will Amazon’s Private Labels Squeeze Out Smaller Brands?
December 13, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan
Amazon is aggressively expanding both the number of private label goods it sells and the product categories it offers. Besides dominating online sales, Amazon is the source of over 50 percent of all online product searches, surpassing Google. Amazon's private label strategy is simple.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Resellers on Amazon Can Damage a Brand
November 8, 2018 • Phil Masiello
Selling on Amazon can generate revenue, reinforce your brand’s reputation, and expose your product to 8 million U.S. visitors per day. Using the Amazon marketplace, the opportunity for success is ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
4 Myths about Amazon’s Private Label Brands
October 8, 2018 • Phil Masiello
To date, Amazon has introduced roughly 70 private label brands. This has rattled many observers. But private label products are not new. The only difference between Amazon and other retailers is that consumers shop on their computers instead of physical stores.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Indian Grocery Sector Embraces Ecommerce
September 20, 2018 • Manish Dudharejia
An increasing number of young Indians are switching to smartphones with 4G data connections and making online purchases. Thanks to this ever-increasing consumer base, the Indian ecommerce sector has witnessed a steady growth in the recent years. It's the food and groceries segment that is fueling much of this growth.
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Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Accessing Amazon’s and eBay’s delivery services
September 12, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
As far as Amazon is concerned, a parcel is tracked only if a seller uses a delivery service that Amazon approves of — one it can interface with to confirm the tracking number and delivery. Any other service is not tracked as far as Amazon is concerned. This has consequences if you use a service that does not integrate with Amazon.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
4 KPIs to Improve Results from Amazon Ads
August 29, 2018 • Phil Masiello
Advertising on Amazon is challenging for many sellers. There are many KPIs that will help manage your seller account on Amazon. For advertising, I focus on four metrics: advertising cost of sales; search term impressions; conversion rate; and order acquisition cost.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Growing a Business on Amazon — and Beyond
August 1, 2018 • Phil Masiello
Success on Amazon requires work, effort, and time. Don't believe the get-rich-quick peddlers. If they were as successful as they claim, they wouldn't be selling you their secrets.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
58 Leading Online Marketplaces Worldwide
July 23, 2018 • Gagan Mehra
In this post, I will list all major worldwide marketplaces — B2C and B2B. I have categorized the marketplaces by their home continent.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon’s 2018 Prime Day Sets Record Despite Glitches
July 19, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan
Amazon’s 2018 Prime Day event got off to an inauspicious start at 3 p.m. Eastern time on July 16 when eager shoppers received error messages due to overwhelming site traffic.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
One Click Retail Exec on Amazon’s Private Label Brands
July 19, 2018 • Armando Roggio
Amazon has made significant investments in its own private label brands, in areas such as diapers, dog food, and paper towels. The company’s private label strategy could be indicative of ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Using Amazon to wind down a retail business
July 13, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
There are many blogs on how to improve sales on Amazon. In this post, I’ll address the opposite: how to wind down and stop selling on Amazon entirely. It is becoming ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Are Amazon’s Private Label Brands a Trend for Other Merchants?
July 2, 2018 • Armando Roggio
Amazon has made significant investments in its own private label brands, such as diapers, dog food, and paper towels. The company’s private label strategy may be indicative of a burgeoning ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
The Real Benefit of Amazon Reviews
June 19, 2018 • Phil Masiello
I’m a longtime seller on Amazon’s marketplace. I also mentor many sellers and help brands to improve their marketplace sales. And I belong to various Amazon forums. The topic of ...