As the world's largest online retailer, it's no secret that Amazon is an e-commerce titan. There are over 100 million subscribers to Amazon's membership program, Amazon Prime. And that doesn't even include the millions of customers who purchase from the site without becoming a member!
Amazon brings in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue every year, from which its many sellers benefit. And you can get a piece of this as well!
If you're considering building an e-commerce business on Amazon, you first need to know how to sell on Amazon. To help you do just that, we've put together a guide to help you jumpstart your career as an Amazon seller and get the most out of your online store.
Keep reading to learn more about how to sell on Amazon successfully!
Choose a Type of Account
When you create a seller account on Amazon, you'll need to choose your plan or type of account. There are two types of seller accounts: individual and professional. With an individual plan, Amazon will take $0.99 per sale, while a professional account costs $39.99 a month, regardless of the number of items you sell.
If you have a large inventory with a variety of products, a professional account is probably the right choice for you. On the other hand, if you're just starting out in e-commerce and only have a product or two, you might make more with an individual account in the beginning.
For those who sell a great deal to or through Amazon, look into the move into Amazon EDI. It can save you time and help you to prevent errors. Don't stress too much about this step, as you can change your account type at any time.
Listing Your Product Well is Key
The most important part of selling on Amazon is offering quality products to your customers. However, assuming you have a product that will speak for itself once it's in the customers' hands, you need to put most of your focus on your listing.
There are four main facets of your product listing to pay attention to, and those are the image, the description, the search terms, and the pricing.
Product Image
Because customers aren't able to see and feel your products in person, high-quality images of the products are absolutely crucial. Your pictures need to stand out among the competition, particularly if you're selling something that's already on the market.
You'll also need to adhere to Amazon's image standards. The images of your products should be at least 500 x 500 pixels, with the product set against a white background. Additionally, the product needs to take up at least 80% of the area of the image.
Stellar photography can be, and often is, what makes or breaks your conversions from search. On top of your main image, you need to fill out the rest of your allotted image slots to stand out.
To help potential customers envision themselves using your product, try to include at least three photos showing the use or application of the item. And if you can, take advantage of the 360-degree image option.
Hiring a professional photographer can be an investment, but if you're not skilled in photography, it's worth it. Quality photos will pay for themselves in the long run.
Product Description
With a little research into your competition on Amazon, you'll discover that many sellers of similar products use almost identical product descriptions. Again, the goal is to stand out from other sellers, so you need to find a way to make your description better than the rest.
Take your time with product descriptions and channel your inner salesman. You need to convince potential customers that your product is the best available, how it can improve their lives, and what they can do with it.
Listing the features of your product is important, but put more focus on the benefits your product offers the customer.
Search Terms
Keywords and search terms are how customers will find your product(s) on the site. Your title and description should include your keywords, but you should also take advantage of backend search terms.
Now, you'll have a 250 character limit, so avoid any filler words, such as "for" or "by." Don't include any commas, as they count as a character, and don't use any words more than once.
Product Pricing
In order to be competitive on Amazon, you need to price your products perfectly. Good pricing will increase both your exposure and your conversions.
A common strategy in pricing is the "$0.99" rule, you'll see tons of products listed for $24.99 or $9.99. This is a trick designed to catch customers' attention, as $24.99 feels much cheaper than $25.00, even though it's only a $0.01 difference.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with this strategy, it's best to avoid it. First of all, everyone is doing it, so your prices won't stand out among the crowd. Second, you run the risk of making customers feel that you're trying to trick them.
Instead, experiment with other prices that are still attractive to customers, but don't end in ".99" with your Amazon product listings.
Use This Guide on How to Sell on Amazon to Create a Profitable Online Store
Because Amazon is such a large marketplace, it can be difficult to break into. But by using this guide on how to sell on Amazon, you'll be making money on your Amazon store in no time.
So if you have a great product to bring to the world, create your Amazon store today!
For more tips and tricks for taking your e-commerce skills up a notch, be sure to take a look at our blog! Visit the Sales and Marketing sections of the Frugal Finance Blog to learn more about how to sell on Amazon and other ecommerce platforms.
