Best Practices for Holiday Selling on Amazon
Thursday, November 26, 2015Kelly Nelson
Amazon has become a hot spot for holiday shopping around the world and sellers can look at the marketplace as a great profit making opportunity. This however, can also be challenging for retailers if they are not properly equipped and prepared. Between juggling customer service issues, inventory, employees, shipping and fulfilment, retailers certainly have their hands full.
We have listed below a few best practices that will allow you to enjoy the holidays and make a few pennies selling on Amazon!
Focus on customer service:
We tend to harp on this a bit, but with good reason; customer service is everything. Take some time to make a good impression on your customers. This doesn’t mean fixing issues when they happen, it means fix the issue before it happens, be proactive. In addition, give your customers a reason to smile, with small gestures like thanking them through your communications. A small thank you letter in your package can and will go a long way as well. While doing so, keep in mind the participation agreement and don’t violate it.
Keep in line with your niche:
When deciding what to sell, conduct research and find products for which there is little competition for. Remember that you will always be included on the same page as your competitors. Therefore, the less there is on one page, the better change you have at being noticed. You can take it one step further during the holidays and offer a holiday gift set, or bonus item/pricing to really make you stand out.
Price is not everything:
Do your best to manage your reputation appropriately. Make sure you focus on getting positive ratings and reviews because they are extremely powerful in the long run. The buy box can be achievable through a strong seller performance rather than just a low price. It’s better to have a good quality product and good service at a higher price than it is to have a cheaper product at a lower price point.
Keep your inventory stocked:
This is commonly where marketplace sellers fall short – and not just on Amazon! When a retailer has stock being sold on their own eCommerce store in addition to their Amazon store (and maybe even other marketplaces), it’s easy for inventory numbers to be mixed up and not up to date. This is one of the quickest ways to a bad rating or review; and as we discussed above, a bad review could have a bad impact. An east way to avoid this is to integrate (Give us a call) and keep inventory stocked for your forecasted holiday sales.
Make security a number one priority:
Only accept payments through Amazon Payments. If you entertain payments done outside of this, your customers are no longer protected from illegitimate transactions. Only ship orders to the address that is provided to you by Amazon, nowhere else.
Holiday selling on Amazon is a great opportunity for online retailers, but it does pose its challenges. How have you overcome these Amazon seller challenges over the holidays? Answer in the comments below.