The opportunity presented by the Amazon marketplace is huge – access to millions of customers across the globe
However, many retailers who have listed their products on the marketplace are failing to see as many sales as they hoped for. Competition on Amazon is high, especially for the resellers of branded products that are sold by multiple retailers at any one time. To succeed on Amazon you really need to stand out from the crowd. So here are our 5 tips on how you can set yourself apart from the competition by improving your product listings and customer experience, informed by our experience in marketplace management.
Visibility on Amazon
First of all, to succeed you need to be found. Most shoppers on Amazon start their journey by using the search bar, so if you aren’t showing up in the search results for the relevant customer queries then you’re unlikely to be found.
To encourage Amazon to list your products in the search results, make sure that you are:
- Composing your product names and descriptions with keywords in mind. Be as detailed as possible and think about the phrases Amazon customers might use when searching for your products. If the product is designed for a certain gender or age range mention this. Include the year or model where applicable. Avoid abbreviations – unless widely and commonly used by your target audience.
- Populating all 5 search terms. This is a great place to add phrases or keywords that don’t fit naturally into your product names and descriptions. It’s also a place to add common misspellings of your products without them showing on your product listing.
- Stick to Amazon’s product guidelines and provide all the required and recommended attributes you can. Regularly check and fix any issues causing suppressed or failed inventory.
Winning the Buy Box will further increase your visibility. Amazon awards the Buy Box to sellers who they see as providing a great buying experience.
This means that you need to be considering things like:
- How competitive your prices are.
- How positive your seller and product reviews are.
- The shipping options you offer, including cost and timescales.
Customer Expectations
To better set customer expectations and reduce your level of returns, make sure that your product descriptions are as detailed as possible. Provide high-quality, professional photography including close-ups of all key details and features so that the customer can confirm that they have found the correct product and knows exactly what they will receive.
Pay attention to any reviews where customers say that the item they received is not as described. You may need to review your description and photography to provide more precise information.
Amazon Product & Seller Reviews
As mentioned, the product and seller reviews you receive are crucial to your visibility and performance on Amazon. They increase trust in you as a seller and allow the user to determine whether the product is the right one for them.
They also provide you with valuable insight into how customers perceive your listings and highlight any missing or misleading information.
To increase the number of reviews you receive make sure that you’re requesting reviews from customers on any post-purchase emails you send out.
Always reply to negative reviews. If possible, it’s good to do this publicly to show customers that you read all reviews and are willing to put any issues right. Be careful not to respond emotionally but be clear that you’ve taken on board the customer’s feedback. Provide details of what you plan to do to rectify issues and prevent them from occurring again.
Marketplace Management
Make sure that you have a robust system in place to manage your Amazon marketplace orders and stock levels. This can prevent many customer service issues such as overselling or delayed dispatch. Issues which could cause cancelled orders, poor reviews and poor performance metrics.
Our marketplace management software, M3, integrates directly with retailers’ Venditan Commerce installations to create a truly omnichannel eCommerce solution. Fluctuations in stock levels as a result of sales, returns and deliveries across all marketplaces are updated in real-time so that stock levels on Amazon are as accurate as possible. Depending on the size of the retailer and their stock-holding, stock level buffers are often put in place to prevent overselling.
M3 marketplace management software ensures that all orders flow down from Amazon Seller Central into a retailer’s Venditan Commerce installation. Amazon orders can then be processed alongside orders from the client’s website and all other marketplaces. Returns, refunds and exchanges are also processed in this one central location.
Fulfilment By Amazon
Using Fulfilment By Amazon (FBA) significantly improves customer service as it means customers have access to support directly from Amazon 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This includes support in local languages across Europe.
Final thoughts
Products fulfilled by Amazon are also automatically eligible for Amazon Prime. This is a huge competitive selling point, improving convenience and customer satisfaction.
Get in touch to discuss how our M3 Marketplace Management software could help you to streamline your operation and improve your customer service.
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