Selling on Amazon can boost your sales significantly. Amazon has 150 million Prime subscribers searching for products in various marketplaces around the world. By starting to sell on Amazon, you get access to all of these customers, and together with other companies, you can offer customers a large selection of products.
Amazon has made it easy for you as a seller to get started and sell your products. If you’re new to this, read below and find out the essential steps to getting started with your sales on Amazon.
Choose A Sales Plan, Register A Sales Account, And Upload Your First Products
Before you start registering your sales account on Amazon, you must first choose which sales plan to use. Amazon has two different sales plans: individual and professional. If you choose the individual plan, you pay Amazon $0.99 per unit sold. The individual plan is best for people who sell less than 40 items per month. If you choose the professional plan, you can sell an unlimited number of units at the same time as you only pay $39.99 per month. This plan is best suited for sellers who sell over 40 items per month.
Amazon has a thorough registration process and it’s important to follow all the steps and fill in the correct info and upload the correct documentation, otherwise you risk getting stuck in the registration process.
When it’s time to post your products, there are two options. If your product is already sold on Amazon, you will use the existing product page that exists, several sellers can sell the same product on Amazon.
If, on the other hand, you’re going to start selling a completely new product, you’ll need to create a product listing in Seller Central, which needs to include a product ID, offer and product details, and keywords that will allow buyers to easily find it.
Review Your Logistics Solution
An important part of sales on Amazon is that you choose the type of logistics solution you want to use. There are two models to choose from, Amazon FBA and Amazon FBM.
Starting an Amazon FBA business is the most common model. FBA stands for Fulfillment by Amazon, which means that you send a larger batch of your products to Amazon’s logistics facility. Amazon handles and stores your products, packs them and sends them to end customers, and handles any returns and customer service. Products that use FBA also become FBA eligible and gain access to the Amazon Prime brand, which brings a lot of benefits for Amazon Prime members, such as fast and free shipping.
The other model is Amazon FBM, which stands for Fulfillment by Merchant, which means that you’re responsible for the entire logistical flow, everything from handling, packing, sending products, and managing returns and customer service. Your products are also not FBA eligible, which means that they are not as attractive to Prime members who are some of Amazon’s most loyal customers, which can be negatively reflected in your sales.
Sell And Market Your Products On Amazon
Once you’ve chosen your delivery options, you are ready to start selling on Amazon. To attract as many potential customers as possible, you must create compelling product lists that have clear and appealing titles, detailed descriptions, and vivid images.
Amazon’s advertising platform is also a crucial part of the success of your Amazon sales. Your ads are placed directly in search results and mainly use a PPC (Pay per click) model. Amazon offers several different ad formats which allow you to vary your advertising and find your perfect ad mix to sell your products on Amazon.
However, this doesn’t mean you have to neglect other forms of marketing. Since competition can be fierce on Amazon, you’ll need to find other ways to stand out. For example, you can consider advertising your Amazon business on social media.
Encourage Customers To Review Your Product
Reviews are crucial to increasing sales on Amazon. More and better reviews lead to higher credibility on the platform. Amazon allows you to send follow-up emails to your customers after they receive your product. So, feel free to take the opportunity to ask your customers to leave a review. You can automate the process, but Amazon requires that you follow their rules, which means that you may not include marketing, links to other websites, or explicitly request a positive review in these emails.
Final Thoughts
Before you decide to expand your presence on Amazon, it’s useful to know a little more about the platform. Successful sales on Amazon require time and commitment but by following the above-mentioned steps you will soon discover the benefits of selling on this globally established platform.
