Author: Mike Catalano

FNSKU Vs. ASIN: Understand the Difference Between Them

When selling on Amazon, it is important to have your particular product properly registered so that it can be uniquely identified on the platform. Amazon has an extremely large catalog of products, so your product has to be differentiated from the rest. Now, that unique identifier can come in the form of an ASIN and FNSKU number. Your product will be assigned both of these numbers by Amazon, but what exactly do they mean? Oftentimes people confuse one for the other, but make no mistake, they each provide something different. We will delve into these differences below so that you have a better understanding of what they do.

What is an FNSKU? 

An FNSKU represents a type of barcode that Amazon uses to identify a product and connect it with a particular seller. It stands for:

Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit

Just like an ASIN, an FNSKU is also a unique 10-digit code assigned by Amazon. Only an FNSKU is for you, the Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) seller, and encompasses the specific products you are listing. (If you are fulfilling orders by yourself (FBM), then you do not need to worry about an FNSKU.)

Amazon uses the FNSKU code for tracking products within their internal fulfillment centers. After listing your product on Amazon and it shows up on your inventory page, Amazon automatically generates the FNSKU labels that you will need to print off and affix to the packaging of all products you send to Amazon. Any and all UPC or EAN codes that exist need to be covered up with a blank label or the FNSKU label to avoid any confusion or your products ending up in commingled inventory.

Sometimes an FNSKU is confused with a UPC code because they are both used to identify what a specific product is. The difference is that a UPC can be used in every store or online marketplace, whereas the FNSKU is unique only to Amazon.

What is an ASIN? 

An ASIN is one of the more common acronyms within the Amazon seller space. It stands for:

Amazon Standard Identification Number

Basically, every product on Amazon utilizes its own 10-digit ASIN, which can be found on its Amazon listing. Usually, the number is near the bottom amongst the “Additional Information” section. It is also present within the product page’s URL. 

Even variations of the same product still each get their own, unique ASIN. For instance, if you’re creating two variations of cellphone cases, by color, Black and Grey, you would end up having three ASIN’s: 1 for Black, 1 for Grey, and 1 for the main “parent” item that binds the two together. However, the parent ASIN is never seen in a search.

ASINs can be used by sellers to look up products on Amazon and check to see if they are eligible to list the products. An actual product name can also be searched, however an ASIN will provide a product’s exact match. 

FNSKU vs ASIN: The Printing Factor

A common question Amazon sellers have is whether both the ASIN and the FNSKU need to be printed onto their product’s labels. It all depends on whether you ship products directly to your customers (FBM) or ship your products to Amazon who then ships to your customers (FBA).

  • FBM: Because FNSKUs are generated by Amazon, you do not need to print them on your FBM labels. Feel free to utilize that space for anything else.
  • FBA: If Amazon is shipping out your products, then you need to follow all regulations it has set forth. In order to be a legit vendor with Amazon, you have to include both the ASIN and FNSKU somewhere easily visible for an efficient fulfillment process. 

In Closing

The main difference between an ASIN and an FNSKU is the purpose of the code. An ASIN code is used for identifying items on Amazon’s website as opposed to in the Amazon FBA warehouses. An FNSKU code is used for shipping products to Amazon warehouses and to make sure the products are properly identified in the Amazon FBA warehouses. It may not seem like it, but understanding the difference between ASINs and FNSKUs is very important when starting out as a seller on Amazon. Things can get confusing when there are so many numbers involved. At least now, you have some good sense on what number goes where!

How to Make Your Amazon Listing More Visible

Congratulations! You’ve developed a product and finally got it set up with an Amazon listing! All that hard work is now ready to pay off… but HOLD ON! Why isn’t your product showing up as one of the top items when you search for it on Amazon? If nobody sees your product, how are you going to make a profit? You’ve got to get seen! Fortunately, there are several simple strategies to put in place to greatly increase the visibility of your Amazon listing! Let’s get started:

Create Those Keywords!

You may have heard of keywords before, but if not, please listen up! Because they are a fairly simple way of amping up your listing’s notoriety as long as you know which ones to use. Let’s begin with the actual definition:

Keywords are the words and phrases people look for when searching for something online.

It is very important to compile a list of keywords relating to your Amazon listing. From there, you can enter these words into the backend of your listing’s search engine optimization (SEO) bar. BUT FIRST, how the heck do you discover which keywords are YOUR keywords? Here are some helpful tips:

  • In the Amazon search bar, type in a range of words to see what the drop-down suggestions are. Compile a list of whatever words are relevant to listings like yours. 
  • Check out any competitor results to see what is already out there and then compare what you learn.  
  • Utilize long-tail and short-tail keywords while making your list. Long-tail keywords are rather specific and usually have a low search volume. They may have a higher conversion rate because the customer typically knows exactly what they are looking for. Short-tail keywords represent broader searches that typically have high search volume and may have lower conversion because the customer is browsing for different options.

Do you need help finding the right keywords? Check out our Keyword Research tool to help get your listing higher on Amazon. 

A Great Title!

GRAB YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMER’S ATTENTION with a catchy title. The product title (product name) is one of the primary fields used by Amazon and search engines to measure the relevance of a detail page as part of a customer search. To increase the chances of someone clicking on your title, try incorporating the following:  

  • Your title should consist of only the minimal amount of information needed to identify the product.
  • Keep the length of your title somewhere between 60 and 80 characters for optimal efficiency. Longer titles usually are tougher to read than shorter ones. It’s also a good idea to check the titles of similar products that land at the top of an Amazon search page. 
  • Make sure the title matches what is on your product’s physical packaging.
  • NEVER use all caps in your title. Rather, just capitalize the first letter of each word except for prepositions (in, on, over, with), conjunctions (and, or, for), or articles (the, a, an).
  • If your title contains numbers, list them as numerals (1,2,3) instead of spelling them out (one, two, three).
  • Lastly, your title can include proper punctuation, like hyphens (-), forward slashes (/), commas (,), ampersands (&), and periods (.). You can also use abbreviated measurements like “cm”, “oz”, “in”, and “kg”.

Nail That Description!

Be sure and deliver a detailed explanation of your product’s usage, features, and benefits in the bullets and description sections. Also, add any specific product information that may not be explained anywhere else in the listing. Here are some helpful particulars on precisely what to put in your product description:

  • Include any brand names.
  • Add in all sizes when applicable.
  • Add what type of material the product is made of, like polyester for a shirt.
  • Include important details like colors, packaging, and quantity.

For an even more comprehensive list of product description details, check out Amazon Seller Central for every guideline.

High-Quality Images!

If you want to increase your product’s visibility, then you’d best make sure its images are of the highest quality. Make certain your product looks great and has all of its features showcased front and center. This is going to help make your product stand out from a crowd of competitors, which will help boost your overall Amazon visibility. 

To get high-quality images of your product you can either hire a professional photographer or utilize a wide range of online tools to create images yourself. 

The Price is Right!

The price of your product can greatly influence its sales growth and conversion rates, which leads to better visibility. By researching your competitors, you can understand how to give your product a competitive price and make compelling price point adjustments along the way. 

You can adjust your product’s pricing automatically through Amazon’s Automated Pricing page, without having to revisit the SKU every time you want to make a change. There are also other ways you can optimize your price point such as:

  • Take shipping costs into consideration. Offering free shipping is a great way to increase your sales. Be sure to clearly spell out your shipping policy and utilize Amazon’s Info & Policies page to adjust shipping settings. 
  • Create a Competitive Buy rule or a Competitive Lower Price rule through Amazon’s Compare Prices page. This will allow you to automatically match your product’s competitive price which will increase your chance of being featured in the Buy Box.
  • Run A/B testing with different price points to see if it makes a difference in your sales.
  • Keep track of your product’s Brand Dashboard ranking and manage your product reviews. Positive reviews lead to a better search ranking, so be sure to follow the best practices for maintaining positive feedback/ratings.

In Closing

Congratulations again! In addition to having a soon to be bestselling Amazon product listing, you now have some helpful tips for getting it seen by the widest customer audience possible. Take some time to research the above suggestions and see what works best for your particular product. Remember, you have already laid out the groundwork by getting your listing up and running. Now is the time to finesse its finer points to give online customers a proper representation of how wonderful your product truly is! 

The Influence of Social Media on eCommerce Sales

As of October 2022, there were roughly 4.74 billion social media users around the world. That equates to 59.3% of the total global population. That is an increase in 190 million people from the same time last year (and that number will continue to grow). THAT is why utilizing the influence of social media to advertise your eCommerce business is a good idea. Of course, there is more to it than my mere blanket statement of opinion, but never fear! I will be uncovering the blanket with a list of interesting facts to help prove my point below. Let’s get started!

A Covid eCommerce Miracle?

Let me first be clear that nothing was good about the world being under quarantine for over a year. However, it would be tough to argue that eCommerce did not receive a significant boost during that time. And thank goodness for it because people were still able to purchase food, medicine or any other types of supplies needed without risking their health.

During the span of Covid, eCommerce sales increased by an astounding $244.2 billion. This ended up altering the consumer landscape, shifting the dominance of in-store shopping towards the online experience. In turn, eCommerce businesses started stepping up their game by updating their search functionalities, payment methods, and the personalization of a customer’s experience through artificial intelligence. These positive changes in convenience left a lasting effect that has lingered on after the pandemic ended.

It’s Easy to Connect!

Over the last decade, people’s attention spans have been steadily decreasing. Advancements in technology have left little wiggle room for retailers to make their products known. As of 2022, the average U.S. household has approximately 20 smart devices that includes smartphones, computers, tablets, and TVs. That is a large number of potential connections that can be made through social media. The ease of having access to the World (wide web) at your fingertips is too high a commodity to dismiss. A customer is much more likely to purchase a product or service if the accessibility is easy!

The Advantages of Social Media

Depending on who your target customer is, a strong social media advertising strategy can be a helpful proponent for great success! Here are some of the great social media advantages that can benefit your eCommerce business:

  1. Low Cost – Fortunately, most social media ad models operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) system, which means your business only has to pay when someone has actually clicked on your ad or video. Essentially, you only have to pay when your advertisement is working, which means your chances of earning money increase and could even offset any ad costs! Plus, the average cost for doing a PPC ad on a social media platform such as Facebook is only $1.68.
  2. High Brand Awareness – Social media ads give your brand instant awareness, even before any potential clicks, by showcasing it to millions of people online. Having your business ad up on social media feeds helps keep your products and services fresh in people’s minds, even subconsciously. Increased exposure like this can bring about fresh leads and high conversion rates.
  3. Healthy Brand Loyalty – In addition to promoting your business, social media provides a great opportunity to engage with your audience and develop a strong connection. You can also share testimonials from satisfied customers to help build a positive reputation for your brand.  
  4. Detailed Analytics – One very helpful advantage of social media advertising is its ability to quickly provide analytics and statistics regarding how well your campaign is performing. This will help you design future campaigns to optimize what works best. You even have the option of utilizing live campaigns and A/B tests to further refine your strategy.  
  5. User-Friendly Software – Yes, again, it’s easy! The majority of social media advertisers provide a simple, user-friendly platform to work with that will walk you through each step for getting set up. You just have to choose an objective, input your audience’s requirements, and specify your budget. Some platforms even allow you to create your own rules and customized reports that should make managing your campaigns even easier! 

TikTok Customer Trends

It is being forecasted that in 2023, for the first time, more than half of U.S. social media users will make purchases via social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and especially TikTok. These platforms seem to have mastered the logistics for putting out strong, easy-to-maneuver eCommerce sales content. However, TikTok has by far the largest audience. But how has an app that was known mostly for creating silly dance trends catapulted itself into the eCommerce spotlight? Well, it all started with TikTok providing a different type of eCommerce environment that included native shopping, payments, logistics, and fulfillment. The process benefited from the following:

  • The app’s commerce monetization follows a unique structure developed by their sister-app, Douyin, based in China.
  • Douyin already has eCommerce customer fulfillment centers, which enable them to operate like a true retail company. TikTok is looking to open their own fulfillment centers in the U.S. which would make their eCommerce platform even more streamlined.
  • The majority of TikTok users are younger people whose thoughts and behaviors are more impressionable and more receptive to purchasing products directly through the app.  

Brands have also taken note of the advantages of advertising on TikTok and some have seen tremendous, if not overnight growth due to it. The influence of social media has never been more obvious than on TikTok; users frequently saying “TikTok made me buy it”.

Social Media’s Influence: In Closing

The influence of social media is clear and only growing. I hope that you now feel a bit more comfortable engaging your eCommerce business with a social media presence. It truly is a wonderful way of optimizing your brand’s reach without breaking your budget. Next time you’re on any type of social media platform, take a look at how many ads for things you may be into actually show up. You may be surprised how many there are, but know that YOU can have your own wonderful company/product/service up there as well, ready to help the right person who truly needs it! 

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