Many brands want to know: what sets Bobsled apart from other Amazon agencies? We’ve been recognized by Business Insider as one of the top Amazon firms, we are an official Amazon partner and our PPC work has been featured on the Amazon Advertising blog, and we recently made the Inc. 5000 list. Our glowing client reviews and testimonials also paint a fair picture of who we are and what we stand for.
But why would we be the wrong choice for a brand looking for an Amazon partner? Read on for 6 reasons why Bobsled Marketing is not the Amazon agency for you.
While Amazon may be the largest ecommerce platform in the world, we’re not blind to the fact that other major platforms exist and can play a role in driving overall growth for your brand. In addition to Amazon, Bobsled guides brands through other online marketplaces such as Walmart and Instacart.
Our team can help align expectations with realistic goals for each marketplace using our wealth of in-house performance data. In this fragmented omnichannel world, brands are confused about which platforms to prioritize. Bobsled will help you decide whether to double down or expand far and wide so you can smash your ecommerce goals.
If our team identifies an expansion opportunity for your brand, we’re going to approach that conversation with a wealth of relevant data points outlining all the major pros and cons, allowing you to make the best decision for your brand.
This is particularly relevant when it comes to Amazon PPC. The reason is simple; Amazon makes predictions based on historical data which simply can’t account for your brand’s unique growth goals. This means that:
The Bobsled PPC team analyzes account and advertising sales data against the backdrop of product category benchmarks. This allows us to make strategic adjustments for our clients that keep them ahead of the competition.
Taking your brand international can be a fantastic way to diversify and grow your ecommerce business. However, this can be an overwhelming process if you don’t have the right knowledge or resources at your disposal!
If potential exists on international Amazon marketplaces and expanding will help you reach your revenue and market penetration goals, we'll methodically begin adding new marketplaces such as Canada, Mexico, EU, Australia, etc on your behalf. This is by no means an easy feat, and the road to success is paved with numerous obstacles. However, the long-term payoff is well worth all the blood, sweat, and tears.
– Lauren Archibald, Left Coast Naturals
These expansion opportunities may not be relevant for your entire catalog. We’ll clarify that for you by identifying which SKUs have low, medium, and high potential within each new marketplace. Find some new marketplace research samples below.
Here are some of the questions we ask during the research phase of an international launch to determine the level of opportunity in a marketplace for your brand:
Once a decision has been made to move forward with expanding internationally, we’ll work with you to strategize the best launch plan, utilizing all the right software tools for each new marketplace.
We’ve facilitated great success with Amazon’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP), and we want our clients to truly grasp the power of the platform. DSP allows advertisers to programmatically buy display, video, and audio ads both on and off Amazon using Amazon’s proprietary customer data.
There are two main types of display ad inventory that can be purchased through DSP:
1) Amazon-owned and operated such as Amazon.com, the Amazon mobile app, IMDb, etc.
2) Third-party advertising exchanges. In other words, all other websites and apps that serve ads.
DSP allows advertisers to target anyone who has searched for, viewed or purchased your ASINs on Amazon. This type of retargeting leads to an increase in sales and fosters a closer relationship with both potential and existing customers. In addition to Amazon, DSP can boost sales on an advertiser’s DTC website or even within offline Whole Foods stores!
In order to avoid audience overlap, Bobsled’s PPC team defines dedicated DSP segments for product searcher, product viewer, or product purchaser excluding other audiences:
Many online shoppers implicitly trust the Amazon platform and appreciate the perks of fast Prime shipping, making conversion easier. Brands can decide for which products it makes the most sense to send DSP traffic to Amazon, versus other campaigns which should lead users to a DTC website.
The Bobsled advertising team have written extensively about DSP. For a deep dive, check out the articles below:
Every day we’re faced with new challenges as we navigate the Amazon marketplace. Bobsled works with brands across all product categories and which gives us exposure to all the key ‘Big Picture’ marketplace trends. This allows our project team to quickly identify whether challenges are widespread or isolated within a product category or single account.
Inventory management is an especially tricky aspect of selling on Amazon due to fluctuating storage volume and restock limits. If you’re faced with these challenges, our team can help you understand which products are most critical to restock, how to plan for replenishing more frequently, or alternate fulfillment options that may need to be implemented.
Other potential disasters we can help identify are product and account suspension issues. By identifying these types of problems early, we can be proactive and take action immediately, limiting the amount of time your offer is down and sales are lost.
Additionally, we’re familiar with the general challenges of Amazon and potential mishaps that come with things like:
To summarize, if you’re looking for an agency to be reactive rather than proactive, Bobsled is not the agency for you! If we see any possibility for things to go wrong, we’re going to raise a red flag and make sure you’re aware of the potential risk, consequences, and options at your disposal to avoid or mitigate the mishap.
– Raymond Wu, Founder & CEO at Wynd
It doesn’t matter whether you represent an emerging or established brand – it’s not possible to ‘fix’ or optimize your Amazon presence over a short period of time. Sustained success on Amazon takes time and depends on several factors including:
The majority of brands that Bobsled works with will see results in the first 2 to 3 months, however, each Amazon account has its own challenges. Brands need to decide whether they can commit to building a profitable and healthy presence over the long term, or whether they want to roll the dice and try to achieve instant results.