As a faithful reader of our blog — for which we’re always grateful — you’re already well aware of the tips and tricks you can use to further your success on your Amazon business. But using all tips from one source isn’t always the best idea, as putting all your eggs in one basket is too much of a risk. Instead, and especially when it comes to your Amazon presence, picking up tips from as many different sources is a sound business practice. Today, we’re going to explore some offline tips for Amazon sellers, what brick-and-mortar stores have going for them, and how you can translate that to Amazon.
The Customer May Not Always Be Right, But They’re Always Right
Your customers are the bread and butter of your business as without them, you’re nothing more than an idea. While you may not always agree with them, you should at least acknowledge their concerns and take steps to remedy them. Brick-and-mortar stores have the benefit of having realised this thousands of years ago, but online stores still have a bit more to go. What gives online retailers an “easy” way out is they have the protection of a glass screen: if they want to say something (mean and nasty) or nothing at all (ignoring), they have the luxury of dong that. Physical stores don’t, and have had to learn how to address their customers’ requests.
And For Amazon?
Many Amazon retailers sell in marketplaces where they don’t speak the language, creating a barrier of understanding between them and their customers. If your customer has a complaint or issue, what steps are you going to take?
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is one option for sellers, as they’ll be able to offer customer support to your buyers 24/7, and in the language they speak. However, if FBA isn’t an option, sellers should have a plan in place to deal with customers who speak a different language.
Put the Four P’s in Place
This isn’t a new thing, of considering the 4 P’s in business, but it sure is an oft-ignored one. It’s also one of the quickest ways of cutting into the fifth P, profit. Let’s take a look at what they are:
- Place: Your customers need to be able to actually buy what you’re listing, but you’ve got that taken care of with your Amazon business — or do you? How well written are your product descriptions? Do you have stellar SEO in place so that customers find your products?
- Product: Okay, so you’ve got an amazing product line, but is all of your inventory still in stock? Buyers on Amazon typically want their delivery yesterday, and if you’re items are consistently out of stock and listed with longer than usual delivery times (so you can bring in stock) it’s likely you’ll see a dip in sales.
- Price: Are you using repricing software to regularly compete with other Amazon merchants? Or are you stubbornly sticking to your guns about what you think an item should cost? There’s a saying: you can price it how you want, or you can price it to sell. Which one are you practising?
- Promotion: Once you’ve got the above three points in place, it’s time to mix up the game a little. Promotion refers both to actively trying to sell your product more aggressively, such as bundling it or lowering the price temporarily, as well as plain telling people about it.
Don’t Waste Anyone’s Time
You know where people appreciate fluffed-up, beating around the bush kind of explanations or descriptions?
Nowhere.
When you do this, you’re only selling yourself short and severing any chance of repeat business. You see it with university students typing in a larger font and 2.5 spacing each line, you see it with ads on TV that cover up an inferior product with noise and colours. If you can’t get your brand down to an elevator pitch, then you are either a) hiding under a layer of marketing because you believe it’s what your customer wants to hear, or b) you’re struggling to summarise what is great about your business and service.
With your Amazon business, you admittedly don’t have a lot of wiggle room to really customise what you’re about, but that doesn’t mean all doors are closed. Do you offer free shipping? Use Strunk and White’s advice of “eliminating all unnecessary words” and just say that you offer free shipping instead of dressing it up in fancy words. Does your product glow in the dark? Put that at the top of the list if it’s a cool feature. Will your sweaters shrink in the wash? Don’t phrase it quite like that, but do mention exactly and only how they should be washed. Honesty and directness with your descriptions, language and service is what Amazon and Amazon customers value.
We’d briefly mentioned one very important point you can practice that brick-and-mortar stores have been doing since they existed, and that’s repricing. By utilising this method, you’ll be matching your prices with what the market will bear, and keeping more in line with your competitors. But just as prices fluctuate, so do your chances at success. Grab RepricerExpress today, and enjoy a 15-day free trial.
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