June 7th, 2021
Although 2020 certainly has gotten off to a rough start. As business begins to stabilize it is more important than ever to continue to invest in strategies that will help your listings generate the maximum profit so that when a rough patch hits, you will see less of an impact to your sales revenue. With an estimated 2.5 million (and counting!) sellers actively participating in the Amazon marketplace, it is essential to set yourself apart from your competition. Long gone are the days when a photo or two were all it took to be successful on the eCommerce platform. Buyers today are incredibly tech-savvy, and as eCommerce business grows exponentially over the traditional brick-and-mortar shopping model, buyers are demanding cutting edge content and larger product selection when shopping online. With proper planning, you can help increase the visibility of your product listings and cultivate a seamless shopping experience.
7 Tips to Get Noticed on Amazon
1. Showcase Your Product Using All of the Available Picture Slots
It’s true what they say - a picture truly speaks a thousand words. Many sellers aren’t even aware of the small changes that can have a massive impact on product visibility. Because we are visual creatures by nature, utilizing the maximum number of photos is a quick and easy way to help boost your visibility on Amazon by increasing your Listing Quality Score (LQS).
While the first image must be on a plain white background and fill 80% of the frame, the other images should ideally be a mix of informational and
lifestyle photos that explain how the product works, what it does, directions for use, and the types of places or situations where the product might be used. Effective lifestyle images can help people imagine themselves using your products. Suggestion is a powerful form of advertising, and the more information that you have to give your potential customer, the better.
2. Address Common Concerns in Your Listing Copy
While all sellers should try to anticipate and address common complaints or queries concerning their products. This is extremely important for sellers who are facing a constant barrage of negative reviews. It is important to set expectations when writing listing copy and snapping product images, as it prepares the buyer for the experience of receiving your product.
Although we all want our products to be portrayed in the best light possible, it is important not to embellish details that aren’t true and to steer clear of anything that resembles false advertising. To say that your collagen powder is “completely tasteless” when customers have submitted numerous complaints about a fishy taste, is probably not a smart move and will most likely backfire if the claim doesn’t accurately represent the product you are selling. Find creative ways to address common concerns and complaints while still accurately representing your product. This will pave the way for success, as it will cultivate an awareness around your product and will help potential buyers know what to expect.
Utilizing listing optimization techniques ensures that shoppers can find your product and encourage conversions. Keyword research and implementation along with product images and graphics to showcase the product and tell the product story are important in order for the shopper to first find your product but then be educated on what your product does and offers for their life. Over 12 months this client increased their units sold by 20% by solely focusing on listing optimization.
3. Keep Your Amazon SEO Fresh and Up-To-Date
With over 45% of Prime members purchasing on Amazon at least once a week, it is vital that your keywords are up-to-date in order to keep your product as close to the top of the search results as possible, with an emphasis on tailoring them for visibility, relevance, and conversion. It is no surprise to anyone, however, the Amazon A9 algorithm changes and updates on a regular basis, so if you have noticed a decline in sales revenue or a sharp drop in ranking, you may want to consider doing a fresh round of keyword research to ensure that your listings are using the best assortment of high-ranking keywords in the title, bullet points, description, and back end search terms, and subject matter. Remember to use only relevant keywords, and avoid stuffing your content full of keywords that are popular but irrelevant as it can lead to confusion and it is more likely to get your listing flagged by Amazon for violating listing page policy.
4. Take Advantage of Amazon Promotions to Increase Sales
This may sound like an obvious tip, but so many sellers do not take advantage of these features nearly as often as they should. Starting with your current product listings, doing a quick evaluation of products to see if they fall into seasonal or evergreen categories which can help you plan ahead by knowing which holidays and seasons to consider running promotions for.
For example, a silicone popsicle mold will be most likely to sell in the warmer months, so you may want to plan promotions for holidays like Memorial Day or the 4th of July to increase visibility and gain traction over your competitors. For products that sell well all year round, such as toothpaste or coffee beans, scheduling regular promotions can help drive additional traffic and increase visibility throughout the year.
The following promotions are currently available to Amazon sellers:
- Social Media Promo Code - Create a custom promo code with this feature and receive a unique marketing page to share with customers through social media, emails, or influencer marketing. You control how to market the promotion and how many units and transactions customers can redeem.
- Percentage Off - This feature is used to set up a promotion with a tiered discount structure to encourage the customer to buy more because they get a better discount.
- Buy One Get One - Set up a limited-time, "buy one (or many) get one free" offer to spotlight a new product or to get your current customers to buy differently.
5. Deliver an Outstanding Experience and Garner Positive Reviews
It goes without saying that the more positive reviews a product has, the more likely it is that a customer will purchase that product. Social proof has a massive impact on people’s shopping behavior, and 9 out of 10 shoppers say that they put as much stock in online reviews as they do recommendations from friends and family.
Keep in mind that quality and quantity are equally important. As long as your overall rating is strong, it actually helps to have a few not-so-wonderful ratings in the mix. This makes your listing look more real and reliable to potential customers. Numerous studies have shown that products with more Amazon reviews tend to make more sales than products with fewer reviews, even when those reviews were better on average.
6. Get Ahead of the Competition with Sponsored Product Ads
Sponsored Product ads are keyword-targeted pay-per-click ads that appear above and within search results and on product detail pages on both desktop and mobile browsers and devices. This ad type offers the most granular control over ad targeting precision and is a great Amazon PPC management tool for boosting your sales and product visibility. Simply choose how much you’re willing to bid for a click, set a daily budget to help control your ad spend and only pay when your ad is clicked on. We’ll help you determine which keywords and bidding strategy are best for your products to help ensure you’re getting the most for your money.
7. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize - Go After the Buy Box!
The Buy Box is a feature coveted by every Amazon seller. It is the box to the right of the product detail page that allows customers to click to add an item to their shopping cart. Every seller wants to have the Buy Box because it exponentially increases your chances of making a sale. In fact, we would say that the Buy Box is the best way to increase your sales.
How does one obtain this sought-after Buy Box? Amazon assesses sellers offering the same item and selects one seller for the Buy Box. It uses criteria like price, availability, shipping options and overall seller performance to make its selection. Keeping your listing, inventory and customer service in good standing gives you the best shot at claiming that Buy Box for yourself.
Take Your Amazon Business to the Next Level
At the end of the day, staying on top of your performance, as well as that of your competition, is key to any successful business. We recommend that you conduct periodic audits of your Amazon listings to see where you need to improve and which strategies would help take a listing from just “good” to “great”.
Compare these features to those of your competitors to see where you are excelling and where you are falling short. Identifying your areas of weakness and correcting them early on will significantly improve your sales over time. It takes a lot of time and effort to do Amazon the right way. Sellers who take a “list it and leave it” approach to the platform rarely, if ever, see success over time.
At Awesome Dynamic, we have more than 10 years of experience working in, studying and perfecting the nuances of the Amazon marketplace. Our team of consultants, writers, designers, managers and more are dedicated to improving your Amazon presence and helping you navigate the ins and outs of the platform. Schedule your consult today and learn how we can help you on your journey toward greater Amazon sales.