Tag: amazon fba

How To Sell On Amazon Without Inventory

Starting an Amazon business can be highly lucrative, but one of the downsides to selling on Amazon is needing space to store the products you sell.

As your business expands, so do the requirements for space. The need to streamline the process of getting products shipped to customers.

In this post, I will explain how to sell on Amazon without inventory and the different ways to run an Amazon store that require little-to-no involvement with actual physical inventory.

Amazon FBA

FBA stands for Fulfilment By Amazon.

FBA is the process of selling and shipping products through the Amazon platform. It is the most popular way of running an Amazon business with 96% of sellers choosing the FBA business model.

How does FBA work?

The seller sends all inventory directly to the Amazon Fulfillment centers, and then Amazon handles all aspects of selling, storage, and shipment for you.

This allows sellers to focus on the more important aspect of the business, like sourcing more products to sell and launching them to increase their profits.

The Pros Of Selling With Amazon FBA

There are many benefits of running an Amazon FBA Business, here are some of them:

  • You’re able to sell private-label products online without having to hold any inventory yourself.
  • Amazon will keep your products in their Amazon fulfillment centers and send them out to the customer as soon as they order.
  • Over 200 Million customers are searching for products on Amazon per month. The FBA business model allows you to take a slice of the very large pie that already exists.
  • Amazon FBA requires very little time commitment after the initial setup, making it perfect for those just getting started with online businesses.
  • You can access powerful analytics tools to track the performance of your products.

The Cons Of Selling With Amazon FBA

Selling with Amazon FBA is a great way to generate passive income, but it doesn’t come without its problems:

  • FBA is a competitive business model, but there are many great FBA courses that can guide you to get an advantage over the competition
  • Starting an FBA business can require a high financial investment in wholesale quantities of inventory.
  • You are not in control of the customer service experience for your products (although the FBA experience tends to be world-class)
  • You may find it difficult to differentiate yourself from other sellers on Amazon.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a business model where the seller doesn’t actually hold any inventory, but instead uses a third-party supplier to ship products directly to the customer.

Dropshipping is the best way to sell on Amazon without inventory. Not only do you not need to store inventory – you don’t even need to own any!

How Does Dropshipping Work?

You simply act as the middleman between your customers and the supplier who stocks the product.

Once a customer places an order on your Amazon store, you then forward the order to your supplier who will then send the product directly to the customer.

The Pros Of Dropshipping

• No need to purchase or store any inventory.

• Can offer a wide variety of products without investing in additional storage space or staff.

• You don’t need to worry about shipping or packaging orders.

• You can focus more on marketing and growing your sales rather than managing the day-to-day operations.

• Overhead costs are much lower as there is no need for additional storage space.

The Cons Of Dropshipping

• Less control over the quality of the products being shipped as you are relying on a third-party supplier.

• Highly competitive business model, so you may have lower profit margins in order to compete.

• The customer service experience is out of your hands and any issues relating to delivery or product quality must be handled by the supplier.

• There may be delays in getting orders processed

Use Third-Party Logistics Companies

Third-Party Logistics (3PL) companies are businesses that provide outsourced services such as warehousing, inventory management, and order fulfillment.

Essentially, A third-party logistics company would offer the same service as Amazon FBA.

3PLs help sellers save time, money, and resources by managing the shipping process for them and are a great way to sell on Amazon without inventory.

For some sellers, using a 3PL may not make the most sense. Amazon FBA could offer the same service, but more efficiently run and cost-effective for sellers.

Not to mention that a 3PL wouldn’t be able to offer the same next-day delivery service as FBA would to Prime members.

The best time to consider working with a 3PL is when you are a new seller. Especially a new seller who wants to increase their storage capacity during sales events, like Black Friday or Prime Day.

Sellers can add the FBM (Fulfill By Merchant) option to the product listing, and be able to offer higher qualities of products to allow for an increase in sales during the sales event.

The Pros Of Using 3PLs

Much like Amazon FBA, working with a Third-party Logistics company is a great way to run a passive Amazon business. Here are some of the benefits of working with a 3PL:

• No need to manage or store any inventory.

• Access competitive rates without having to pay for additional staff or storage space.

• Increased flexibility in terms of pricing. You won’t be paying for shipping costs upfront or storing your own products.

• You can focus on marketing and growing your business, rather than managing the day-to-day operations.

• You have access to powerful analytics tools to track performance and inventory levels.

• Scale quickly without having to invest in additional staff or storage space.

The Cons Of Using 3PLs

The downside to working with third-party inventory solutions is that Amazon already provides a world-class solution. This is very difficult to compete with.

Here are some of the other cons to working with a 3PL:

• You may not have as much control over customer service as you would if you were handling all of the processes yourself.

• Certain 3PL companies may require minimum orders, which could limit your ability to manage costs effectively.

• There is a risk that something may go wrong with the order fulfillment process and it’s out of your hands if it does.

Sell Digital Products

Selling digital products is the ultimate answer to “how to sell on Amazon without inventory”. Technically, your product doesn’t ‘physically” exist!

Digital products are any type of product that is available in digital forms, such as ebooks, video lessons, software programs, music downloads, etc.

Selling digital products is an attractive option for those who want to know how to sell on Amazon without inventory. It eliminates the need to purchase or store any physical inventory.

The Pros Of Selling Digital Products

• You don’t need to worry about shipping or packaging orders.

• You have access to a global market since you can easily deliver your product digitally in any corner of the world.

• No need to manage returns or defective products. You are simply delivering information rather than a physical product.

• You don’t need to worry about buying or storing any inventory, which reduces overhead costs.

• You can easily scale up your product offering without having to invest in additional storage space or staff.

The Cons Of Selling Digital Products

• Margins may be tight since customers are used to paying significantly less for digital products than physical ones.

• You will have to deal with digital theft, as it is easy for customers to copy and distribute your work without permission.

• There is a risk that the customer may not be satisfied with the product, which could lead to negative reviews or refunds.

• It can take time and resources to create high-quality digital products,

How To Get Started Selling On Amazon

Whether you decided to sell on Amazon leveraging the FBA model, or sell digital products, the process is similar in regards to set up.

If you’re a complete newbie and need some guidance on:

  • how to start an Amazon store,
  • how to source products,
  • how to launch your brand,
  • and how to scale your business,

Viral Launch has an incredible FREE course that will show you how to do all of these tasks and more:

In Summary

Hopefully, this post has shown you 4 ways how to sell on Amazon without inventory.

Selling on Amazon without inventory can be a great way to start or expand your business.

There are several options available, such as dropshipping, using third-party logistics companies, and selling digital products.

Each of these methods has its own pros and cons. It’s important to carefully consider which one is right for you before taking the plunge.

No matter what option you choose, with the right strategy in place, you can find success selling on Amazon without investing in any inventory.

Top 5 Profitable Amazon Product Categories: Find Your Niche Today

If you’re an Amazon seller, you already know that choosing the right product categories can make or break your sales. Some are simply more profitable than others, making it crucial to focus on those that are in high demand and offer good profit margins. In this blog post, we’ll explore the most profitable Amazon product categories and provide some insights into why they’re so successful. 

Finding profitable product categories can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With tools like Viral Launch’s Product Discovery or Market Intelligence, sellers can quickly and easily identify high-potential products and categories to target. These tools use data-driven insights to help sellers make informed decisions about which products to sell and which markets to target. By leveraging Viral Launch’s expertise and resources, sellers can stay ahead of the competition and maximize their profits on Amazon.

From electronics to toys and games, we’ll cover the categories that are making the biggest impact on Amazon and provide some tips for sellers looking to capitalize on these trends. So, whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your product offerings, read on to discover the most profitable Amazon product categories.

Top Amazon Product Categories

1. Electronics

When it comes to product categories that are consistently profitable on Amazon, electronics is certainly near the top of the list. Not only are electronics some of the most in-demand products on the platform, but they also offer sellers the potential for high profit margins. In fact, according to a recent report by Jungle Scout, the electronics category was responsible for more than $96.97 billion in sales on Amazon (US) in 2022, making it one of the top selling categories on Amazon.

Within the electronics category, there are a few specific product categories that stand out as Amazon trending products:

  • Laptops: These are a hot commodity, as remote work and online learning continue to drive demand for high-quality, portable computing devices.
  • Smartphone: People upgrade their devices seeking out the latest features and technology. 
  • Smart home technology: Devices like thermostats, security cameras, and voice assistants are increasingly popular.
  • Gaming consoles
  • Headphones
  • Home theater systems

What’s particularly appealing about selling electronics on Amazon is the potential for high profit margins. While it’s true that some electronics can be expensive to source and ship, the demand for these products can make up for the extra cost. Additionally, many electronics have a high retail value, which means that sellers can mark up their prices and still offer competitive pricing. 

Of course, it’s important to research each product category and carefully consider factors like competition and seasonality before diving in. With the right strategy, though, electronics can be a very lucrative Amazon product category.

2. Health and Personal Care

The Health and Personal Care category has emerged as a growing segment on Amazon. With the increase in health awareness among consumers, this category has seen rapid growth in recent years. The convenience of online shopping and competitive pricing offered by Amazon makes it an attractive option for customers looking to purchase health and personal care products.

Some of the best-selling health and personal care products on Amazon include:

  • Vitamins and supplements: Vitamins and supplements category has seen steady growth in recent years, with a wide range of products from various brands. 
  • Personal hygiene products: Shampoo, soap, and toothpaste, etc.
  • Medical equipment: This subcategory has seen significant growth on Amazon, with products like blood pressure monitors, thermometers, and nebulizers being among the best-selling items.

The Health and Personal Care category also has the advantage of the potential for high profit margins. Many of these products have a high markup, making it easier to generate a healthy profit margin. 

However, researching products in the health and personal care category is crucial. As these products may be FDA-regulated, they could require specific labels, disclaimers in their product descriptions, and other selling requirements. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in legal consequences, such as account suspension or even lawsuits, making it imperative for sellers to understand and follow all necessary guidelines. 

3. Home and kitchen 

It is no surprise the Home and Kitchen category is one of the most profitable given the demand for products that make our lives easier and more comfortable. According to Amazon, home and kitchen products have been among the top-selling categories for several years. This category includes a wide range of products from small kitchen appliances to furniture and home decor. In 2021, the category saw a surge in sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as people spent more time at home and invested in their living spaces.

Some of the best-selling home and kitchen categories on Amazon include:

  • Home appliances: Air fryers, coffee makers, and blenders have been trending products on Amazon due to their convenience and functionality.
  • Cooking utensils
  • Home decor 

Sellers can also utilize Amazon’s Best Sellers in Home & Kitchen page to keep track of the top-selling products in this category and stay ahead of the competition.

4. Beauty and Personal Care

The beauty and personal care category is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable categories on Amazon. With the rise of social media and influencer marketing, people are being ”influenced” to invest in high-quality beauty and personal care products. In fact, in 2022, beauty and personal care e-commerce sales more than doubled that of 2019.

Some of the best-selling beauty and personal care categories on Amazon include: 

  • Skincare
  • Hair care: Hair care products, such as shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, are also in high demand, especially those that address specific hair concerns such as hair loss, thinning, and damage.
  • Makeup

With the right strategy, sellers can achieve high profit margins in this category by offering unique and high-quality products that meet the needs and preferences of their target audience.

However, it should be noted that some of these products may also be FDA regulated and require more intensive research. For example, the FDA’s definition of a “medical device” is considerably vague meaning products like facial rollers and electric toothbrushes are regulated. Sellers should be aware of potential restrictions and requirements when selling products in the Beauty and Personal category. For more information on products that have been cleared by the FDA, check out Amazon’s permitted products list.

5. Toys and Games

Toys and games have always been popular on Amazon, especially during the holiday season when people are searching for gifts for their loved ones. 

The toys and games category is a diverse one, with products for children of all ages as well as adults who enjoy playing board games or building sets. The vastness and diversity of this category means more opportunity for sellers regardless of competition. According to eMarketer, the toys and hobby category on Amazon generated $33.38 billion in sales in 2022, and this number is expected to grow in the coming years.

Some of the best-selling toys and games categories on Amazon include: 

  • Action figures
  • Board games
  • Puzzles 

The potential for high profit margins in the toys and games category is significant, especially for products with a loyal fan base or popular licenses. 

Final Thoughts

We’ve covered some of the most profitable Amazon product categories including, electronics, health and personal care, home and kitchen, beauty and personal care, and toys and games. Each category has its unique characteristics and offers potential for success. 

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. With Viral Launch’s Amazon seller software suite, sellers can further research each category with real-time data to identify profitable opportunities and stay ahead of the competition. Choosing the right product category is crucial to step in the Amazon seller journey. 

Whether you’re new to Amazon or a seasoned seller, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and research each category thoroughly to find the right product to sell. By doing so, you can increase your chances of success and thrive in the ever-changing world of e-commerce.

How to Use ChatGPT to Optimize Your Amazon Listing

The tech story of 2023 has been the rapid rise of artificial intelligence technology such as ChatGPT. Find out how to use ChatGPT as a tool for your online business.

Writing an effective Amazon listing is crucial for attracting potential buyers and increasing sales, but it can be daunting for many sellers. Many sellers look elsewhere when writing their Amazon listing, whether due to a lack of confidence in writing skills, language barriers, or a lack of knowledge on creating copy that will be crucial to your Amazon success.

This is where ChatGPT comes in – as an AI language model, it can save you time and money regarding Amazon listing optimization.

ChatGPT can save considerable time and money by automating a significant chunk of your Amazon listing copy. If performed correctly, you can generate content that accurately describes your product and informs the customer of its key points, ultimately driving more conversions and boosting your bottom line.

Below, let’s dig in on how to use artificial intelligence tools for Amazon listings to advance your online business.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI. It is a deep learning-based model that uses a transformer architecture to understand and generate human-like language. It’s been pre-trained on an extensive collection of text from the internet and can generate human-like responses to a wide range of questions and topics.

ChatGPT is designed to assist and provide information to users, and can be integrated into various chat applications and platforms to provide an intelligent and interactive chatbot experience.

Launched in November 2022, it reached 1 million users just five days after its launch. In the months since its release, it’s generated a ton of buzz thanks to its popularity, concerns about its usage, and the future of tech.

How to get started with ChatGPT

First, go to chat.openai.com. Then, continue with your Google or Microsoft account, or manually enter an email address and password. Upon doing this, you’ll need to verify your email address, and boom, you’re all set up. You may be asked to provide a cell phone number for verification purposes, where you’ll receive a text with a confirmation code.

Due to its popularity and it being a free research preview, you may encounter issues with being unable to sign in or sign up due to servers operating at peak capacity. If this happens, try again shortly as it typically doesn’t remain inaccessible for long.

Before getting down to business, feel free to play around in ChatGPT for a bit. Testing out the technology to find its limitations and see how far it can go can pay off when it comes time to create a prompt for your listing. Since the copy will almost literally write itself, your skill comes not as a writer but as a prompter. The AI-generated copy will only be as good as the prompt you enter.

Take a second to see how ChatGPT responds to vague prompts and how you can be more specific. At this stage of the tool’s development, you’ll likely find there’s a sweet spot between vague and specific that will deliver the best response for what you’re hoping to receive.

Utilizing AI tools for Amazon Listings

Since ChatGPT specializes as an AI language model, it naturally makes sense as a time-saving assistant for writing tasks. While that may not assist with optimizing advertising campaigns or managing inventory (yet), it can save you time and money regarding your Amazon product listing copy.

Your Amazon listing copy serves many purposes, but typically the goals fall under two umbrellas; for SEO visibility and to inform the customer about your product. While ChatGPT won’t check off both boxes to perfection, it can help you save time and tackle most of the basics.

For example, you can prompt ChatGPT to create an Amazon product listing for whatever product you’re selling, and it will provide a solid facsimile of an Amazon product description. You may have to toy around with your prompt and be specific to receive the copy in the desired format.

Before entering the prompt, requests for Amazon product listing copy for teeth whitening strips resulted in a few formats that didn’t match the fields in an Amazon product listing. Once the specifics were included in the prompt, ChatGPT spat out the product description below.

Pretty impressive, right? And it took less than a minute to produce once given the prompt. In essence, the generated copy tackles what teeth whitening strips do. However, you may notice ChatGPT ran with the details quite a bit. The prompt does not mention the number of treatments, ingredients, or price, all directly or indirectly mentioned in the copy. This is where you come in!

The generated copy must be reviewed, edited, and fact-checked to ensure it’s accurate and within Amazon’s Terms of Service. For the teeth whitening strips example, you would want to ensure the treatment details, ingredients, and expectations are accurate to the product you’re selling.

You can enter specifics in your prompt, and ChatGPT will include them in the description. But you may be better served to stick with the generated copy as the technology matures through its infancy. Editing the generated copy may be more straightforward, inserting the product-specific details independently.

Optimizing ChatGPT Copy for SEO

Importantly, ChatGPT doesn’t write for SEO purposes on Amazon. Without access to search volume data from an Amazon-specific search volume tool like Keyword Research, the tool can’t optimize visibility through SEO. For this, you can use Viral Launch’s Listing Builder to cross-reference and edit for maximum visibility.

First, sign in to Viral Launch and open Listing Builder. Next, enter your primary keyword to generate a comprehensive list of keywords for your product.

We recommend skimming through the keyword list and removing any keywords that don’t apply to your product. Keywords like competing brand names, restricted terms, or information that just isn’t accurate for your product, as you won’t want to include them and risk suppressed visibility or lying to customers.

Once you’ve removed unnecessary keywords, copy and paste the copy for your title, bullet points, and product description into the appropriate fields.

Example

The AI-generated product description needs room for improvement but provides a solid start that can be easily optimized with just a few tweaks.

Take a look at your optimization score in the upper right corner. Is there room for improvement? Most likely, yes. From there, find spaces to insert unused keywords into your listing. An easy place to start would be replacing repetitive keywords if synonyms or variations with search volume appear as unused in your listing.

The ChatGPT product description also leaves plenty of space concerning character counts, allowing you to add more copy optimized for search without worrying about losing vital keywords.

After stretching the product title closer to the 200-character limit with the most-searched keywords, the score goes from Mediocre to Exceptional. Also, this is without fully filtering out inapplicable keywords or completing the backend search terms, which would only push the score closer to perfection.

You may need to add a sentence or two to incorporate all keywords, and even move words around to prioritize the title and bullet points due to their higher indexation value. In fact, we highly recommend utilizing all the characters Amazon allows for your product, even if you reach a perfect score with room to spare. In the crowded Amazon marketplace, any opportunity to inform the customer of your product, answer potential questions, and entice the customer to purchase should be used to your full advantage.

Conclusion

ChatGPT offers immense potential to change how we work, but it’s already serving purposes in the business world. While it isn’t a one-stop-shop you can copy and paste without worries, it can save you plenty of time and money spent on a Listing Optimization if you feel confident enough to take these steps.

While this method requires work on your end, it pales in comparison to doing this entire process manually. If you created a listing without ChatGPT, you would’ve had to do these steps on top of the writing process. Or potentially spend hundreds for an SEO expert to handle this for you. Depending on your product and writing experience, utilizing the copy from ChatGPT can easily cut your workload in half.

It remains to be seen how else generative AI applications can streamline an Amazon business. From customer service to Amazon communication, the possibilities appear seemingly endless. Early adopters will likely receive an edge over those arriving late to the AI party. Since Amazon is getting into the generative AI business with Hugging Face, an “Amazon ChatGPT” as some call it, the technology appears to be on the rise and entering the Amazon space.

Consider artificial intelligence as another resource, a new tool in your FBA toolbox. Savvy Amazon sellers comprehend the importance of owning an edge over market competitors. Whether saving money on expenses, expanding your visibility and conversion , or saving time to master other elements of your Amazon business, a tool like ChatGPT can give you that edge to streamline your Amazon success.

Try your hand at creating an optimized listing with ChatGPT and Listing Builder today to boost your visibility and conversions while experiment with a new wave of technology today!

How to Dropship on Amazon in 2023

If you’re looking to start a successful eCommerce business in 2023, then you’ll want to consider learning how to dropship on Amazon.

Drop shipping can be a very lucrative business model, and with low start-up costs and very few overheads, you can see why entrepreneurs are seeing big returns for small input.

In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about how to dropship on Amazon, including what drop shipping is, how it works, and how you can scale your business to great heights by leveraging the right tools.

What Is Amazon Dropshipping?

Drop shipping is a business model where you don’t have to keep any inventory. You simply act as the middleman between your customers and the supplier who stocks the product.

Whenever you receive an order from a customer, you place the same order with your supplier, and they will ship it directly to your customer.

Here Is How To Dropship On Amazon:

  1. You (the entrepreneur) source a product to sell
  2. You then find a supplier for the product
  3. You list the product on Amazon
  4. The Amazon customer purchases your product on Amazon
  5. You then purchase from the supplier and get them to send it directly to the customer’s address.

It’s all about positioning yourself as the middle person so you’ll never have to invest in large quantities of stock, pay storage fees, or ship container loads of inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers.

The Different Types Of Dropshipping:

When it comes to dropshipping on Amazon, there are a few different types you’ll need to be aware of:

Private label Amazon dropshipping – this is when you source a product from a supplier (usually in China), then customize and brand it with your own logo. You can then list the product on Amazon as your own branded product.

Retail arbitrage Amazon dropshipping – this is where you source products from retail stores, then list them at a markup on Amazon. When an order comes in, you purchase the product from the store and have it shipped directly to your customer.

Wholesale Amazon dropshipping – this involves finding wholesalers who offer large discounts on products. You’ll then list them on Amazon and take orders from customers. When you get an order, you purchase the product from the wholesaler in bulk and they ship directly to your customer.

Print-on-demand Amazon dropshipping – print-on-demand services allow you to list your own designs or artwork on products such as t-shirts, mugs, or phone cases. You don’t need to buy any inventory upfront and only pay for the product when an order comes in.

Is Amazon DropShipping Profitable?

Yes, Amazon drop shipping is still a viable business model that can generate significant profits.

The great thing about dropshipping on Amazon is that there are no upfront costs and the overhead expenses are minimal: all you need to get started is to source a product and list it on the platform.

How Does Amazon Dropshipping Compare To Other Amazon Business Models?

Dropshipping on Amazon is just one of many different ways to start an online store. Each model has its own advantages and disadvantages.

For example, with dropshipping, you have low start-up costs as you don’t need to purchase any inventory upfront. However, the margins are usually small and it can be hard to scale a business quickly due to the limited selection of products available.

Other popular ways to sell products on Amazon are Amazon FBA Private Label, Wholesale, Online Arbitrage, Bookselling, and Handmade.

What Are The Pros and Cons Of Amazon Dropshipping?

The pros of Amazon dropshipping include:

  • Low start-up costs – you don’t need to purchase any inventory upfront, making it a great choice for entrepreneurs who are just getting started.
  • You can offer a wide selection of products – you can source products from anywhere in the world, giving you access to a much wider selection than you’d be able to find in a physical store.
  • No need for storage space – since you don’t need to buy any inventory upfront, you don’t have to worry about finding a place to store it.

The cons of Amazon dropshipping include:

  • Lower profit margins – since you’re not buying the product in bulk, you’ll have to charge a higher price to make a profit, which can make it difficult to compete with other sellers.
  • Risk of counterfeit products – since you’re sourcing from third-party suppliers, there is a risk that some of the products could be counterfeit or low quality.

How Much Does Dropshipping On Amazon Cost?

The cost to dropship on Amazon will vary depending on your product and supplier, but generally, you can expect to pay for the following:

  • Shipping costs – if you’re using a third-party supplier, you’ll need to pay for the cost of shipping the product to your customer.
  • Amazon fees – Amazon will take up to 15% of every sale as their fee.
  • Advertising costs – if you want to get more sales on Amazon, you’ll need to invest in advertising campaigns such as Amazon PPC or sponsored products.
  • Platform fees – depending on which platform you’re using to manage your drop shipping business, there may be an additional fee associated with it.

Unlike private label and wholesaling, a dropshipping business doesn’t require you to invest in or hold any inventory of your own.

Instead, when the consumer pays for their purchase from your store, use a portion of the proceeds to buy that product from a supplier and have them send it directly to the buyer.

This drastically reduces your start-up costs and overheads, making Amazon Dropshipping one of the most cost-effective ways to get started selling products online.

Here is a list of things that you should invest in to run your eCommerce store efficiently:

  • Amazon professional seller account – $39.99 per month
  • Product samples from your chosen supplier
  • Amazon Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising
  • Viral Launch for product discovery, optimizing listings, finding the best-converting keywords, and PPC management

Typically, the average dropshipping profit margins are between 10-30%, depending on the product.

Which, for a relatively passive income is very good!

How To Dropship On Amazon

Now that you know a little more about the business model, he is the steps you need to take to learn how to dropship on Amazon.

Step 1 – Set Up An Amazon Seller Central Account

There are two options when it comes to selling on Amazon – you can use the individual seller Amazon account or the professional seller Amazon account.

Each has its own advantages, but the professional plan is best if you want to dropship products on Amazon as it will allow you access to their full PPC tools, run promotions, and create bulk listings easier.

The professional seller account has a capped fee of $39.99 regardless of how many products you sell, whereas the individual seller account charges a $.0.99 fee per unit.

Step 2 – Finding Products To Sell

This step is the most vital part of starting your online store, and it’s crucial you get it right.

Viral-Launch has made it much easier to find high-demand, low-competition products to start selling by leveraging the Product Discovery tool.

If you’re unsure how to get the most out of this tool, there are two tutorial videos on the Product Discovery tool page, showing you how to get the most of out it.

But in order to find the high-demand, low-competition products, I would recommend starting your product search off with the following criteria in the KEYWORD tab:

  • Price range between $40-$100
  • Minimum monthly sales of 500>
  • At least 300 reviews

To avoid any complications with restricted products or products with any other limitations that could slow your growth, I would recommend sticking to the 5 main categories that sell very:

  • Baby
  • Sports & Outdoors
  • Home & Kitchen
  • Pets
  • Garden & Outdoor

Once you enter these details into the Product Discovery tool, you will be given a list of potential product ideas, with a star rating Idea Score, along with the product’s average revenue and sales velocity.

The top product idea that came up from my very basic search was products for running.

I would then click the button below the product keyword and head to the Viral-Launch Market Intelligence page:

Viral-Launch Market Intelligence provides me with a deep analysis of all the product ideas within the Running keyword and gives them a more detailed idea score star rating:

These tools will give you a huge advantage in finding the best products to start your Amazon dropshipping business.

Step 3 – Finding Products To Sell On Your Amazon Store

Once you have a list of viable product ideas, you then need to focus on finding a supplier.

The first place to start would be AliExpress, as they offer a wide range of products and have thousands of suppliers all around the world.

When looking for new suppliers, you should focus on finding those that can create custom branding for your product packaging and labels. This way, you will be able to make your brand stand out from the competition.

Once you have narrowed down your list of suppliers, you should make sure to ask them for samples. This way, you can assess the quality of their products before committing to a large order.

Also, make sure to read the reviews and check out the ratings of any supplier you are considering working with – this will give you an insight into the quality of their products and customer service.

Step 4 – Create Your Listings On Amazon

Once you have chosen your supplier, it’s time to create your product listings in Amazon Seller Central, or you can also build your listing in the Listing Builder tool.

You will need to gather the following information for each listing:

  • A product title,
  • Images,
  • Bullet points,
  • Descriptions,
  • Pricing

Product Title

The key factors that Amazon considers when ranking products are the keywords in the product title, sales velocity, and the number of positive reviews.

So the best place to start would be finding the best keywords for your product title, and the rest of your listing.

The Viral Launch Keyword Research tool will help you find the most powerful keywords for both your Product Title and Product Description.

The product title should be structured in a way that the strongest keyword for your product, is at the very start of your title.

Product Images

The product photos on your listing are a great way to increase sales by showing customers the main features of your product.

The images should be 1000×1000 pixels and you should use all photo slots on your listing.

If you’re unable to take great photos yourself, you can always ask your supplier to provide you with high-resolution photos of your product.

Product Bullet Points

The product bullet points are the second most important part of the text on your Amazon product listing, after your product title, so they should be keyword rich.

Product bullet points are the best opportunity to tell your customers how purchasing your product will benefit them and solve their problems.

Product Description

The product description should summarize all the features and benefits of your product that you mentioned in the bullet points section, as well as any important information about how to use it. You can create amazing product descriptions using online AI Tools.

Pricing

Finally, you need to set a price for your product that will be competitive enough to generate sales without leaving too much margin on the table.

The Viral Launch Pricing tool will help you find the right price for your products by analyzing your competition and calculating the optimal price point.

Tips For Success In Your Amazon Dropshipping Business

Running a successful dropshipping business on Amazon can be a daunting task, so here are some tips to make sure you get the ball rolling.

1. Promote Your Listings

Running PPC Amazon ads will massively boost your exposure to your product listing, will increase your organic ranking for your chosen keywords, and will drastically increase your sales.

2. Set Up Your Storefront Properly

Make sure to create an attractive storefront with all of your product listings and images in place. This will give customers the chance to shop with ease, and it will also make a great first impression.

3. Utilize Social Media & Advertising

Social media is a great way to get the word out about your business and attract new customers.

You can post about sales, discounts, promotions, and other news related to your business on social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

You can also create ads on different platforms to promote your products and direct customers to your store. And more over, you can find your competitor ads & can create your ads better than them.

4. Monitor Your Products & Pricing

Make sure you keep an eye on competitor prices and adjust yours accordingly if needed – this will help you stay competitive and maximize profit margins for each product.

5. Offer Excellent Customer Service

Providing excellent customer service is an essential part of running a successful dropshipping business on Amazon.

Make sure you provide prompt and courteous responses to customer inquiries, as well as handle any product returns or refunds in a timely manner.

Round Up Of How To Dropship On Amazon

Hopefully, this post provides you with a clearer view of how to dropship on Amazon.

Dropshipping on Amazon is a great way to start an online business and make money without having to manage inventory or handle shipping.

The key to success in dropshipping on Amazon lies in:

  • Sourcing the right products
  • Finding great suppliers
  • Optimizing your product listing,
  • Use the right keywords for your title and description,
  • Creating attractive product images and bullet points,
  • Setting a competitive price,
  • and providing excellent customer service.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of success in selling products on Amazon as a dropshipper.

How To Dropship On Amazon FAQs

Who handles processing customer returns with Amazon Dropshipping?

The return policy is the same for anything you sell on Amazon.

Although, unlike the FBA business model – You as the seller will be responsible for the returns, not Amazon. The returns will need to be sent back to your location.

What are the upfront investments required?

Dropshipping on Amazon is a very low barrier to entry with regard to start-up costs. You would need to invest in:

– Amazon professional account – $39.99 per month
– Product samples from your chosen supplier
– Amazon Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising
– Viral Launch for product discovery, optimizing listings, finding the best-converting keywords, and PPC management

Do I need an LLC to start Amazon dropshipping?

No you don’t have to start an LLC to drop ship on Amazon, although it will be a good idea to set one up as your own eCommerce store grows in revenue.

Will the supplier send products in branded packaging?

Sending your products with branded packaging is something that I would highly recommend asking your supplier to work with you on.

I would also advise working with your supplier to create packing slips and inserts into your packaging with information on other products and offers.

Something that Amazon prohibits, is the dropshipping model of online arbitrage where you purchase products individually from other online retailers like Walmart and sell them on Amazon and the product arrives to the customer in Walmart packaging.

Do I need a professional amazon seller account?

It’s not essential to have a professional seller account, but you will experience far fewer limitations when you invest in a professional seller amazon account.

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! 

Amazon Sellers – How to Protect Against Cyber Attacks

As the digital landscape continues to offer exciting and enriching opportunities for entrepreneurs, the risks involved grow as well. This begs the question: How to Protect Against Cyber Attacks? Choosing to expand your eCommerce business through Amazon empowers you to engage more meaningfully with a global marketplace. Not to mention that in a tough economic climate for small businesses, capturing a wider range of consumers can help to push your company toward success.

Nevertheless, this isn’t to say expanding with Amazon eCommerce is always smooth sailing. One of the most common hurdles you’ll find is the prevalence of cybercrime. Even a single serious breach of security could cause devastating financial and reputational damage to your business. Not only could this disrupt your expansion, but it can leave your company unable to recover entirely.

While you can’t eliminate risk entirely, you can put your company in a better position to minimize your exposure. So, let’s look at how to protect against cyber attacks while still expanding your Amazon eCommerce business.

How to Protect Against Cyber Attacks

Recognize the Risks

One of the most important steps in protecting against cyber attacks occurs before you implement your expansion protocols. Your company can’t just set a blanket set of basic cybersecurity tools in place. Each business has its unique set of risks. It’s important for you to perform thorough risk assessments at the beginning of and throughout your growth to identify and prepare for them.

The risks to information technology (IT) security for small businesses are varied and growing. Some of the most prevalent cybercrime methods include the use of malware, phishing, account takeovers, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Gaining an understanding of how these attacks are performed can empower you to better identify which are likely to be problematic for your eCommerce business moving forward.

You should then take both a short- and long-term approach to your risk assessments. Consider what cybercrime you’re vulnerable to both now and as you start to bring on new tools, staff, and processes in the future. It can be wise to gain insights from cybersecurity professionals with a background in eCommerce here. They should also know the ins and outs of Amazon’s platform. They’ll be able to implement effective ongoing assessment methods specifically matched to your business model. Indeed, it’s worth considering either a full-time expert or an occasional consultant to be among your first resource investments.

Adopt Targeted Tools

When you first start a small eCommerce business selling on Amazon, you may find that generalized security tools are sufficient. However, as you start to develop further, these tend to be less suitable. The bigger you get, the more sensitive and valuable data you’ll handle. You’re also likely to become a more attractive focus for a range of cyber criminals. As such, it’s important to adopt specialist protective tools that target particular issues.

This may include artificial intelligence (AI) driven threat management software. This automatically scans your business’ systems for signs of any suspicious behavior or potential breaches. It could involve adopting virtual private networks (VPNs) for staff to maintain security when operating in public places. As your staff numbers grow — particularly if you’re using remote operations — identity management software can be appropriate for keeping multiple accounts secure and visible.

Nevertheless, it’s also worth considering that not all targeted tools are pieces of software or hardware. In some cases, having access to knowledge is a powerful resource. As your small business grows, it can be vital to identify threat intelligence tools that can keep you up-to-date on security issues your company needs to look out for. This is vital given that many businesses are unable to withstand even a single attack. Open-source intelligence-sharing platforms tend to be free to utilize and are regularly updated by both security experts and other businesses.

Market Mindfully

Any successful eCommerce growth is dependent on effective digital marketing techniques. Your business faces a significant amount of competition in a truly global commercial space. This means that you have to understand how to use digital marketing tools like Google Analytics and responsive HTML emails to capture your demographic’s attention. Not to mention that gaining skills in web design and graphic design can give you better control over asserting your brand voice in the market.

In many ways, this represents a key benefit to moving to and growing your business on Amazon. You have opportunities to take advantage of some of the most accessible and impactful marketing tools around. With some knowledge and consistent effort, you can develop successful campaigns.

However, despite the prospect of enhanced engagement, it’s vital to understand how digital marketing can represent a cybersecurity risk. Some of your online materials — particularly websites and applications — may offer gateways to your networks when insufficiently secured. Indeed, popular online content you make may become a target for DDoS attacks or hackers seeking to piggyback on your web pages to infect consumers with malware.

It is, therefore, vital that you approach your digital marketing strategies mindfully. Consider the potential cybersecurity risks during the planning of every campaign. Build protective measures into the design of your materials, such as posting content only on Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) pages. This both helps to keep your company secure and boosts confidence among consumers.

Strengthen Your Workforce

When you’re expanding your Amazon eCommerce business, this usually means you’ll need to invest in more staff. This is a valuable opportunity not just to gain the technical skills of professionals but to work with diverse contributors to your success. The choices you make here can lead to a range of unique perspectives and talents that may result in innovation.

That said, adding staff can also widen the scope of cybersecurity risks. One recent study found that 88% of data breaches are caused by human error. As such, the behavior and security knowledge of your growing workforce has an impact on your company’s vulnerability. It’s vital to make certain that your staff has the skills to prevent potential breaches.

At the most basic level, this means you need to provide solid security training to all staff members. This should include helping them understand different types of cyber attacks and how to recognize them. Some of the focus should also be on communicating how their behavior is a key influencer of risks. Pass on cybersecurity best practices and provide clear protocols for data handling. Training should be reiterated and updated at least annually.

Maintain Encryption Protocols

A key part of growth as an Amazon seller tends to include investing in new equipment and software. Usually, this is geared toward making certain you can maintain efficient operations as your prospects expand. You might implement project management software to ensure effective collaborations between remote staff. Increasingly, eCommerce businesses that choose Amazon merchant-fulfillment are also investing in devices in the internet of things (IoT) to streamline warehousing processes.

That said, introducing this new equipment can also provide additional gateways to those who seek to breach your business. A key part of the solution here is to make certain you maintain stringent encryption protocols on new and existing tools. This is not necessarily difficult to do. Many devices come with built-in encryption tools, but these need to be manually activated. A mistake too many companies make — particularly with items in the IoT — is as simple as neglecting to switch these on.

On devices that don’t have built-in encryption capability, it’s worth investing in reliable encryption software. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that encryption tools are often only as strong as the passwords you utilize with them. It may seem basic, but be sure to change from the default passwords your device is loaded with. Utilize a complex password that you’re not utilizing on any other accounts. Change this regularly, too. Wherever possible, utilize multi-factor authentication on these devices and indeed any other password processes you use.

Conclusion

How to protect against cyber attacks?

Implementing cybersecurity protections can help to ensure your Amazon eCommerce expansion continues on solid footing. Commit to regularly assessing specific risks to your operations and utilizing tools most suited to your needs. Build security protocols into your marketing materials and ensure your growing workforce is well-educated on best practices. Alongside strong encryption methods, these steps can help reduce vulnerabilities and influence your trajectory toward success.

E-commerce and Advertising

Corey Gary is Viral Launches amazing Demand Generation Strategist and Advertising Manager. This guest post written by Corey highlights the importance of E-commerce and Advertising in how they go hand in hand.

The beginning.

I started my career in Digital Marketing as an Analyst at an agency located in New York City. I joined an account with separate teams for programmatic, paid social, and E-comm. Since we rarely communicated with each other, I felt siloed and inefficient. 

A few years and a few clients later, I’ve worked across almost all facets of Digital Marketing. I’ve run Display & Video as well as Search & Social ads. There have also been opportunities to buy programmatic podcast ads and CTV (connected TV ads). I also purchased a programmatic Digital-Out-Of-Home campaign where the vendor claimed they could change ads at a bus stop based on the interests of the people walking by. We ran this campaign before iOS 14.5 and increased privacy regulations.

Working on a channel-agnostic team of digital marketers not only rounded out my Working on a channel-Agnostic team of digital marketers not only rounded out my skill set but was best for the client’s expanding needs. Having multiple types of marketers on one team helped us own all stages of the digital marketing funnel.

Awareness campaigns matter for E-commerce and Advertising.

Awareness campaigns are excellent for large brands, but how about those small Amazon start-ups who don’t have millions of dollars to spend on billboards that connect to the Metaverse? That’s where e-commerce advertising is essential. Buying for conversions is where marketers can gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns. E-commerce advertising becomes essential once a consumer is familiar with a brand. As a consumer, if I allocate myself $150 for a new pair of running shoes, I can choose between big brands such as Nike or Adidas and Asics. Or, I can shop with up-and-comers like On and Hoka. These two shoe brands are agile and efficient in their digital marketing. Both On and HOKA have extensive running shoe digital marketing campaigns while the big brands are nonexistent on the SERP (Search Engine Landing Page).

As a consumer during the evaluation process of the marketing funnel: I decided to allocate my $150 depending on a wide range of criteria such as cost after taxes & shipping, quality of the product, reviews, merchant (Amazon or EastBay), and color. For the digital marketer on the other end of the purchase, yes, people buy running shoes based on color, guilty as charged.

The seller can optimize their ads to account for all these criteria to meet the customer when they’ve allocated time to research and budget. It takes time for the Digital Marketer to A/B test which ads perform best on a specific channel. Here’s one example.

On Amazon, an ad for the keyword [running shoe] could perform vastly different than an ad for the keyword [racing running shoe]. The first keyword is for buyers who want a running shoe but aren’t necessarily intense runners. However, [racing running shoe] clarifies that the buyer could be participating in this year’s New York City Marathon in addition to their local Turkey Trot. Viral Launch has expert-level keyword analysis software to help e-commerce marketers discover the best keywords to target for their online advertisement.

Conversions mean results.

So, why is it essential that all Digital Marketers learn E-commerce Advertising? Conversions drive business results, and ultimately the purpose of marketing is to have a positive return on investment. Marketers can spend all day ideating grand awareness campaigns. Still, conversion marketing is where CMO’s can go to stakeholders exclaiming, “look at how my campaigns drove an increase in sales with a positive.

Accessibility in Digital Marketing: Amazon Advertising

Accessibility is an integral part of a fair and just society; this does not exclude the online experience. Accessibility in digital marketing is frequently overlooked.

Without accessible goods and services, millions of people will be cut off from the products they need. In the US alone, 61 million Americans live with a disability that impacts their shopping and buying experience. 

You can incorporate accessibility in digital marketing by accounting for the diverse needs of all users and consumers. This will improve your reach, strengthen your brand image, and ensure that all users can buy from your eCommerce site.

Common Mistakes

Offering accessibility in digital marketing isn’t just the right thing to do — it can save you from expensive litigation fees, too. Even major brands like Netflix and Nike have been sued for failing to provide an accessible web presence. As a growing brand, the last thing you need is legal battles and fines. 

When developing your Amazon advertising, try to avoid common accessibility mistakes like: 

  • Missing alt-text on images;
  • Using non-descriptive text for links;
  • Embedding non-accessible documents;
  • Using a low color contrast.

Avoiding these mistakes will ensure that most users can use your web content. However, you may still need to complete an accessibility audit with a licensed web developer to ensure that your content meets today’s standards. 

Accessible Listing

As an Amazon seller, the listing is the most important piece of the marketing puzzle. Your Amazon listing has to double as a point of sale and a marketing opportunity. As such, you must ensure that your listing is fully accessible to all users. 

Fortunately, Amazon itself is an accessible website. This means that you don’t have to worry about the code behind your listing or headline advertisement and can focus on the visual and written elements of your Amazon listing. 

Ensure that you provide multiple images of your product so that visually impaired users have the best chance of seeing your offering. Fill out the keywords field, as this will be used as your alt-text for your product. While alt-text doesn’t need to be grammatically correct, it should make sense for users who are using screen readers. 

Use a color-blind simulator to ensure that color-blind users can see your products. Keep your descriptions short and ensure that any anchor text you use is descriptive of the link’s destination. 

You should also account for neurodiverse users who will come across your Amazon listing. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that “covers multiple diagnoses” like autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and ADD/ADHD. You can help neurodiverse users interact with your Amazon listing by avoiding unnecessarily explosive language and metaphors and using better organization. 

If you’re looking to increase traffic and convert more visitors into customers, we can help. Our listing optimization software tools will compile a comprehensive list of keywords for your product and title, helping you to reach new audiences and drive more traffic to your product listings. Assuring you’re able to produce high-quality, vivid product descriptions that highlight specific product information not located elsewhere on the listing – helping potential customers find and buy your products faster.

Social Media

Social media is an invaluable tool for Amazon eCommerce sites. A successful social media strategy can improve your reach and drive traffic toward your Amazon listing. However, you need to ensure that your social media posts are fully accessible before you begin your next campaign. 

Start by choosing the right social channel for your business. Choosing the right platform will simplify your approach and make it easier to craft effective, accessible marketing. If you’re new to social media, consider creating a business page on Facebook and working with an influencer on Instagram or TikTok. These platforms will help build your brand awareness and gather vital customer reviews. 

Make your Facebook page accessible by following social media accessibility guidelines. Caption all of your video content before you post it, and give context for animated GIFS. This will ensure that visually impaired users can understand and interact with your content. If you use emojis on Facebook, be aware of how screen readers will present the emoji to users. 

Work with your chosen influencer to create accessible branded posts on Instagram or TikTok. Encourage them to capitalize each new word in their hashtags, as this will improve the screen reader’s effectiveness. A short description of the content can also help users understand the context of the post. 

Websites and WCAG

If you host a website in addition to your Amazon listing, you need to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. WCAG 2.0 is designed to help all users navigate web-based content with ease and independence. WCAG has four major indicators for accessibility: 

  • Perceivable: can users tell that your content exists? Is your content perceivable to folks who are color blind, deaf, visually impaired, etc? 
  • Operable: can users navigate your content? Is your website keyboard accessible? Do users have enough time to navigate the site before they are timed out? 
  • Understandable: do you use unusual words or explosive language? Will all users be able to understand the abbreviations you use? 
  • Robust: will your content be accessible in five years? Is it compatible with new models of screen readers? 

Meeting these WCAG 2.0 standards ensures that your website is authentically accessible. This will drive more traffic toward your Amazon listing and will improve your digital brand presence. 

Conclusion

Accessibility in digital marketing, specifically in Amazon ads, is an important part of your Amazon advertising strategy. Start by reviewing WCAG 2.0 guidelines and work with influencers who already understand how to create branded, accessible content on social media. You can also rewrite your alt-text and double-check your anchor text to ensure that your marketing is understandable and operable for all users. 

If you’re still having trouble boosting traffic to your Amazon listings, you can also compare it to your competitors with the Viral Launch Google Chrome extension. You can also analyze which keywords you’re striving to rank for, and other Google trends.

Amazon Black Friday 2022: How to Prepare

Believe it or not, the most wonderful time of the year is upon us yet again: the Amazon Black Friday 2022 season!

With Halloween officially behind us, the always-hectic holiday season spearheaded by Black Friday is near. For those selling on Amazon, hopefully, you’ve already taken time and steps on how to prepare for Black Friday and crush it for the remainder of 2022 and start 2023 off right.

Whether you’re on top of your planning or an inexperienced seller unsure of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday seller tips, we’ve got you covered with important dates and details to make this holiday season one to remember.

Should Amazon sellers prepare differently for Black Friday?

Unquestionably and without a doubt, yes.

When ranking the biggest shopping days of the year, Black Friday likely comes to your mind first. For decades, Black Friday has established the Friday after Thanksgiving as a day for shopping.

Steep discounts and special one-day-only deals make it a prime choice for shoppers to start or finish their holiday shopping. Every year, news stories about customers lining up at stores hours before they open and the ensuing pandemonium once doors are opened command attention across the United States.

Beyond the obvious influx of traffic and sales to be made on Black Friday, the date is also important for secondary reasons. Black Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season, with days rivaling Black Friday sales showing up over the next few weeks.

Cyber Monday and Super Saturday (also known as Panic Saturday, the Saturday before Christmas) are both on the calendar’s short list of top sales days. When we mention being prepared for Black Friday, we also mean being prepared for the rest of the major sales events that follow Black Friday.

How to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2022

  • Check your inventory restock limits
  • Ensure your inventory can meet the increased consumer demand
  • Be aware of shipping deadlines
  • Optimize your product listings
  • Plan your advertising strategy
  • Consider creating coupons and promotions
  • Monitor performance and adjust accordingly

Check your inventory restock limits

While utilizing all of your inventory limits throughout most of the year can be costly, it may be worthwhile or necessary during the busiest time of the year. To find out what your restock limits are, go to Inventory > Shipments in Seller Central. Below, we’ve included a few links to updated 2022 fulfillment fees.

If your inventory restock limits are less than satisfactory, you may consider going outside FBA and looking into third-party logistics (3PL) services as soon as possible.

Check out our podcast with Michael Sene from Deliverr one of the most popular 3PL providers for Amazon sellers and more.

Skyrocket Your Amazon Business with FBA Alternatives Like Deliverr

Ensure your inventory can meet the increased consumer demand

If you’ve been selling for more than a year on Amazon, go back to your reports for last year’s holiday season and see how your sales were impacted by the holiday season.

If this is your first year in FBA, it might serve you well to check out a product research tool with historical sales data such as Market Intelligence.

Market Intelligence shows a peak for the “bartender kit” over the holiday season, showing the need for increased inventory during the period.

Because we know not all sales are distributed evenly in a category, you may want to look into how specific sellers have fared in the past over the holidays if their business is mature enough to have historical data.

When comparing sales with individual products, look for common competitors or similar-sized sellers in your market.

The seller in the 10th organic rank position for “bartender set” in Market Intelligence’s sales over the past two years.

Be aware of shipping deadlines

Unfortunately, it’s too late if you haven’t already made your fulfillment order for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. The last day an arriving order could be guaranteed in stock by Black Friday and Cyber Monday was November 2nd.

On the bright side, you can do your part to avoid any issues for Christmas by making sure your inventory arrives at Amazon’s fulfillment center by December 1st to ensure your product is available and stocked up by Christmas to avoid your product being out of stock for holiday shoppers.

While Amazon is usually very thorough with these dates, it never hurts to stay on top by checking Seller Central’s announcements periodically to keep track of any changes.

Optimize your product listings

Often overlooked until it’s too late, ensuring your product listing is optimized can be incredibly valuable during the holiday season. Additionally, the term “optimized” can admittedly be vague when used as a catch-all term, so let’s get specific on what that means.

When we say optimized regarding your listing, we mean a few different things. Overall, you want your products to be presentable, easily understandable to customers, informative, attractive to shoppers, and visible to anyone looking for your product.

You can achieve these aspects by enhancing your product photography and copy. The perfect product photography for your product listing takes care of the presentability and attractiveness while helping with the informative aspect by showing potential use cases for your product. Also, it’s a good time to double-check that your product photography meets Amazon guidelines and avoid any potential issues during this critical time.

The other half of optimizing your listing involves the written copy on your product detail page. This entails utilizing tools such as Keyword Research, Listing Builder, and Listing Analyzer to make certain your listing indexes for all search keywords customers might use to find your product. Just remember your customers are human beings, so don’t sacrifice readability for keyword indexing and utilize all the space Amazon gives you to inform and sell your product.

Plan your advertising strategy

Recently, we took a look into how sellers should handle advertising during major sales events in the run-up to the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale. Check it out for key insights and invaluable data on how significant increases in traffic and sales can skew your advertising campaigns juxtaposed to more standard sales periods.

Needless to say, the competition for eyeballs will be fierce. Understanding how the math and trends will change during Black Friday through New Year’s Day will yield dividends by preventing wasteful spending and racking up sales through the right strategies.

Consider creating coupons and promotions

It’s easy to lose track as a seller, but consider how you make your purchases. Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes is often overlooked with all that’s on a seller’s plate during these hectic times.

And we all love a good deal, right?

Especially during the holiday season as sales volume can increase drastically, it may be worth including coupons and promotions to increase sales.

A major chunk of the Black Friday and holiday shopping audience are hunting for deals, steals, and major markdowns. Giving them what they’re looking for can give your product the edge over the competition, especially those with a cheaper price, brand name, or better reviews.

Of course, selling on Amazon is a business so don’t go too crazy with the coupons. But depending on your product, the sales volume could very well lead to more profits for your business by providing your product at a cheaper price. For many shoppers, seeing that markdown price and the money saved by buying now is one of the most important factors that can lead to a purchase.

Monitor performance and adjust accordingly

As always, monitor sales performance throughout the holidays and adjust your plans appropriately. And not just the performance of your own products, but the competition as well.

Tracking competitors in Competitor Intelligence becomes even more crucial during this time when the stakes are the highest.

The Competitor Intelligence dashboard shows a variety of key performance metrics for your competition.

Within Competitor Intelligence, you’ll be able to track rank changes, price changes, and virtually everything you could want to know about a competitor. You can even set up notifications, so you can stay informed and react accordingly to competitors offering deals.

Amazon Black Friday 2022

Although time is running thin to make changes to make Black Friday 2022 one to remember, there’s still plenty you can do to go into the core of the holiday season with confidence.

By checking off these steps and monitoring performance, and making intelligent, data-backed decisions, you can put your products in a prime position to walk away from this season as a major winner.

Best of luck to you this Amazon Black Friday 2022 and beyond!

Get started for FREE with the entire Viral Launch software suite today!

Exit mobile version