Amazon

There are millions of sellers on Amazon. But because it is one of the world’s highly competitive selling platform, only a few end up starting a successful business.

The platform is a competitive space that is driven by price and product visibility. So, whether you are relatively new to the platform, or looking for ways to step up your game, here are the seven important things that you need to know before selling on Amazon:

Improve Your Performance

Your business on Amazon is not going to run on its own. If you are serious about selling items in large bulks, then you have to monitor your performance regularly. This helps you continuously improve your efforts.

You also need to focus on your sales, seller ratings and return rates. All of these are vital to improvement.

Understand the “Buy Box”

When you head to the platform and find a product you like, did you come across a yellow “Add to Cart” button? That’s the “Buy Box,” the button where the majority of sales on Amazon go through.

So, how do you win the Buy Box? Well, the truth is, no Amazon marketing agencies have a straightforward answer to that. Not to mention that Amazon tries to keep its algorithm a secret.

However, there are a couple of helpful tips that can increase your chances of winning the Buy Box:

  • Keep your prices competitive and low
  • Maintain your high seller ratings
  • Get as many positive customer reviews as possible
  • See to it that you have inventory availability
  • Offer unique bundled items, such as three related products that are being sold as one.

Consider Using Fulfillment By Amazon

You need to be accurate with your fulfillment when selling online. If you cannot deliver the orders right to your customers, then you will not be in the business long.

You can do the order fulfillment on your own, or you might want to consider utilizing Fulfillment by Amazon. This is a service offered by Amazon, wherein they fulfill the orders for you.

However, keep in mind that FBA isn’t for everyone. There are some cases where you’ll find that the fees are simply too expensive.

Follow Amazon’s Rules

This should be an easy one for you. All you need to do is to follow Amazon’s rules simply.

You will not be able to get away trying to cut corners and “take advantage” of the platform. What you can do is stay up-to-date with its policies so that you will not commit any mistakes. Also, try to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s Terms of Service as they tend to change yearly.

As a seller, you need to stay on top of these changes to make sure you are not violating any of their rules. When you do not go by the platform’s rules, then your account could get penalized or, worse, suspended.

Use Professional Product Images

Because your customers are buying online, it is crucial that they can physically see what they want to buy. You should have high-quality and professional photos of your products taken.

Grainy photos simply would not cut it anymore.

Professional-looking photos help build your credibility and foster trust with your customers. They know that you are a professional, and could trust you to deliver the products that they want.

Check out Amazon’s image guidelines, as well. That will help you create the right quality and image size that you need.

Use Competitive Pricing

A lot of people who shop on Amazon shop for the lowest prices. As a seller, you must be aware of the prices that you are competing against. You also need to price your products competitively.

So, do your research on the items similar to yours that are also available on the platform. Selling your items at a lower price could help it be featured on the top of the search results.

You could also utilize Amazon’s Match Low Price feature to help you match the lowest prices for your products. This feature lets you set your preference so that you are able to price your products competitively.

Make Customer Service a Top Priority

Impeccable customer service can go a long way when selling your products online. Customer service is crucial if you want to retain your customers and turn first-time buyers into lifelong customers. People would like to shop in an online store, knowing that the business is willing to go the extra mile to ensure that their needs are met.

So, when selling on Amazon, make sure that you respond on time to customer inquiries, deal with disputes professionally, handling them with ease. In short, you have to learn how to put the needs of your customers first.

So there you have it. At this point, you have all of the information that you need to be able to optimize your listings on Amazon and rise above your competitors.

Bryan Mixon is the owner of AmazeLaw, the website building for solo and small firm attorneys. He has been building websites since 1999 and has spent his last four years helping companies like HubSpot, Mill33, and LivingSocial. Bryan knows from his personal experience how difficult it can be for small business owners to get their digital marketing off the ground, so he built AmazeLaw as a great super-simple place for solo attorneys to build their sites, collect leads and get on with their days of doing lawyerly things.

Amazon stock photo by Hadrian/Shutterstock