Selling on Amazon is a no-brainer. With an international network of buyers and sellers, along with 150 million global Prime subscribers, Amazon is an effective and lucrative eCommerce machine.
That being said, using a third-party platform means giving away a chunk of your profits. You pay for each individual product you list, a percentage of every sale made, and take the full loss on returns due to Amazon’s customer-first philosophy. If you want to keep your profits high, you need to direct your customers to your website and skip Amazon’s long list of seller fees.
Further, strengthening your bottom line means growing your email list consistently, remarketing to lost customers, and tracking your customer journeys throughout your sales process. None of this is possible on a traditional Amazon store.
Fortunately, with proper merchandising techniques and a dash of creativity, you can leverage Amazon as the high-traffic, eCommerce tool it is while continuing to grow your organic website sales. Once your Amazon store and your eCommerce stores are working together, you’ll have a healthier process overall.
One of the biggest downfalls of selling on Amazon is that you lose the ability to collect customer emails and create remarketing strategies. Having a strong email list can help you personalize your marketing campaigns and create stronger, more tailored funnels for your customers.
Luckily, you have the ability to download the purchase information from your Amazon customers. Although it won’t include their emails, it will include their name, address, and phone number. You can upload this information to Facebook and Google to see if you can find a match. If you do, remarket to them and save their email for future campaigns.
Amazon’s terms and conditions prohibit sellers from directing customers away from the Amazon sales channel. That means you can’t include an insert that asks a customer to visit your website or fulfill an action before their product can be used. You can, however, offer instructions, tutorials, or added features in a product insert.
For example, you could include a piece of marketing that encourages customers to register their products on your website for warranty opportunities or discounts on future purchases. You can also include contact information for your customer service team in case of any product complaints.
It’s also a good idea to promote your social media channels in your packaging inserts. Encouraging your customers to like, follow, and subscribe to your channels opens them up to your wider funnel. Make sure that any eCommerce links in your social channels go directly to your web store so that you benefit from directed sales. At the very least, you’ll get more website visitors and, if you’ve got the right tracking installed, improve your always-on journeys.
Bundling your products on Amazon will cut down on the SKU’s you need to upload and save you money on product listings. It also offers a direct incentive for your customers to visit your website if they are looking to purchase products individually.
An example of this tactic could be offering an entire outfit in a bundle, but each piece of clothing individually on your website. Or, selling an electronic product with batteries, applicable charging cords, and memory cards included. If a customer wants only one item from your bundle, they will need to purchase it from your eCommerce store.
Bundles add value to your Amazon store by creating a more streamlined, efficient purchasing process for your customers. They also add value to your eCommerce website by guiding customer sales back to your individual ecosystem, allowing you to better track, report, and remarket to your potential customers.
Customers want to feel seen and heard, so responding to their questions, concerns, and ratings can further build their trust in your brand. In addition, responding to feedback can be an effective way to lead them to your store. Try responding like this:
If they do decide to reach out, they will be guided further down your funnel with an opportunity to be directed towards your retail site. All of this is possible without violating Amazon’s conditions.
Ultimately, Amazon is a great revenue stream and an important strategy for attracting new customers. Let it be your first line of engagement and encourage repeat customers to become website customers to improve your overall revenue health.
If you’re still having trouble making Amazon work for you, reach out to us. We have an experienced team of Amazon specialists who would be happy to talk.
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