Amazon sellers are constantly innovating and finding new ways to get their brand and products in front of shoppers. The goal is to stand apart from the competition by harnessing the right type of marketing strategies on offer.
There are multiple Amazon programs and initiatives that brands can choose to be a part of – the challenge is picking the right ones and leveraging them accordingly. In today’s blog post Bobsled’s Gary Hammerschlag has provided a helpful overview of this complicated process!
We as humans are wired to prioritize visual content before text, so let’s start with the seemingly obvious. Any seller can attach photos and videos to their listings. But using the appropriate specs and uploading content generated by industry pros will set your brand apart.
A recent case study done by Profitero shows that brands can lift Amazon.com sales 15-58% on average by improving product content to meet bestseller benchmarks in their category. The biggest boost comes from adding video (+58%), followed by adding images (+45%).
Another factor is that content updates generally result in fairly substantial traffic increases. This illustrates the role that content plays in Amazon’s flywheel: better content => more sales => higher search placement => increased traffic.
Source: Profitero – The ROI of improving product content
A 360-degree image is created by stitching together a sequence of still images – anywhere from 24 to 96 – to create a fluid and seamless three-dimensional view of a product. This innovative 360-degree photography ‘spins’ a product so that shoppers can take it in from all angles. You can also enable unique effects such as zoom and pinch allowing shoppers to see hidden subtle elements they would typically miss out on.
This technology offers a way for online sellers to represent one aspect of the in-store shopping experience in a very tangible way. Two benefits of creating such a unique and customized customer immersive digital experience are increased traffic conversion rates and fewer returns.
Some important 360 image guidelines:
Brands that don’t have this capability should reach out to Snap36 as they have a unique relationship with Amazon to help companies get their 360-degree images published quickly.
To add an image to an existing listing:
To add an image to a new listing:
Posts are social media-style posts with product images and captions that are native to Amazon. By clicking on a Post, shoppers get redirected to a product detail page where they can purchase the product in question. Shoppers can also elect to ‘Follow’ a brand by clicking the button at the top of the Post.
According to Amazon, “Posts is a new way to help drive brand and product discovery and consideration with curated lifestyle imagery in a shoppable feed on Amazon."
Participating in this program means that your brand story will be shared with relevant shoppers while they browse relevant categories on Amazon. They can click through to explore your brand's feed, discover product pages and more. Amazon Posts appear on the Amazon mobile shopping app (available for iOS and Android) as well as on the mobile web version of the site.
Example of an Amazon Post from VKTRY Gear on Amazon.com
Like the majority of other content marketing channels, the most important items to keep in mind when building out your Posts strategy is engagement and consistency!
Due to the similarities between different platforms, piggybacking off your social media accounts is a no-brainer. Align your content calendar and add in some additional Amazon-specific dates such as Prime Day and Turkey 5. And don’t forget to keep things fresh by regularly uploading new content. Having old posts linger on your feed may negatively impact your engagement and ROI.
A Bobsled client recently saw a traffic conversion rate increase of 25% since implementing Posts.
In order to access Amazon Posts, you will need to sign up for the beta program on the Amazon Posts page. Sign in using your Seller Central login or Amazon Ads credentials. You can create a profile, upload your brand info, and start creating posts.
Amazon Live works similarly to the QVC network or televised shopping in general, and brands can engage with actual Amazon shoppers in real-time through interactive live streams. As customers watch the broadcast, they have the ability to browse and purchase the products featured.
Customers can follow creators on Amazon and receive notifications when they go live, so they never miss a stream. When a stream is live, customers can chat with the creator, ask questions and redeem live-only promotions.
Bobsled CEO Kiri Masters is bullish that Amazon's Live video feature will play a significant role in online shopping going forward. “I was glued to my computer screen,” Kiri recently said on Forbes. “Not because I was hunting for deals, but because I was watching Amazon Live."
Example of an Amazon Livestream broadcast
'Live Now' video feed
As discussed on a previous Bobsled blog about the MYCE tool, many parts of the Amazon ecosystem have become aggressively pay-to-play. Each month brands need to invest more marketing dollars into the channel in order to keep up with the competition.
Therefore, when a new tool allows you to boost sales on Amazon without spending a dime, it’s guaranteed to turn heads.
According to Amazon, the Manage Your Customer Engagement allows sellers to:
“Customers love to be the first to learn about new products from their brands. They feel even more appreciated when a brand shares promotions. And once they know and follow a brand, they are more likely to become loyal and engaged repeat customers.” – Amazon
Manage Your Customer Engagement (MYCE) is a free tool in beta that is available to brands who have a stores page and followers. With MYCE, brands can easily launch email marketing campaigns to followers on Amazon by simply selecting the product they want to highlight, customizing the email with their logo and product imagery, and choosing a timeframe that works best for them. Brands can use campaign performance metrics to inform future marketing efforts.
Example of a new product email alert that was facilitated by the Manage Your Customer Engagement Tool
To be clear – Amazon is not handing over any of their customer email data to brands. Campaigns are created within the ‘Manage Your Customer Engagement’ tool, and then Amazon sends out the alerts on your behalf.
To utilize the tool, brands must participate in Amazon’s Stores Program and have followers of their Brand. Stores allow you to showcase your brand and products in a multipage, immersive shopping experience on Amazon.
Once you have an Amazon store, a great way to gain followers is to start developing Amazon Posts. Be sure to create quality content often, follow these best practices.
In today’s world of cutthroat ecommerce, if you aren’t trying to grow and elevate your business to the next level, you’re not gonna make it. So how do you get your products noticed in an overcrowded market?
Brand Stores have tiles illustrating the different types of products on offer and a navigation menu underneath the banner.
Image source: Amazon
Brands have access to daily and aggregate views of their store’s performance through a new program – Amazon Store Insights.
Amazon A+ Content is the tool that enables brand owners to describe product features in an advanced way. You can add detailed descriptions, charts, videos, high-quality images and custom copy e.g. brand stories. A+ Content is designed to help sellers and vendors increase traffic, conversion rate and sales.
According to Amazon, A+ Content has the potential to increase your sales by 3-10%. More specifically, adding more visuals and copy to your product listing can result in:
A+ Content caters to the more discerning online shopper, someone who wants to learn as much about your brand and product line before making a purchase decision.
A+ Content from Baby K'Tan on Amazon.com
When building out A+, remember this is your opportunity to provide as much information to your customer as possible. They can’t go into your store to feel your product with their own hands, so try to provide the closest experience possible online!
As Amazon continues to elevate and build new opportunities for sellers to thrive on its marketplace, the onus is on brands to leverage these opportunities and make the most of them.
Coming up with a comprehensive Amazon marketing strategy isn’t easy. Start small, and learn from each experiment. Or call in the Bobsled team if you want to supercharge results quickly!