Click here to download a pdf of the slides, Nov 10 2020 Amazon Webinar
Amazon is at the forefront of making online retail more convenient and effective. Keeping up with those changes is almost a full-time job, so Navazon is here to help you navigate those issues and give you the knowledge to make them work for your business’ success. This month’s webinar covered a variety of interesting topics!
Key Takeaways
- Prime Day results
- Preparing for holiday sales
- ASIN suppressions from images
- The importance of glance views
- Amazon Day Delivery
- Operational updates
- Amazon video marketing
- Amazon Pharmacy
Amazon Recent Developments and COVID Response
Amazon Growth – In Q3 of 2020, Amazon had a 37% year-over-year increase. Even without their usual Amazon Prime in Q3, they grew from $70B in 2019 to $97B this year.
COVID Responses – Amazon can now test 50,000 employees across 650 sites to identify and isolate possible affected individuals before they infect others. Overall, they have invested about $4B into various preventative measures. Their other employees are working from home at least until June 30, 2021.
Prime Day – Amazon still reached about $7B in sales, despite one of their biggest sales events being shifted to October 13-14, which has kicked off the holiday sales season. While most Prime Day shopping increasing every category, this year’s event had the most increases in the electronics and toy categories as we approach the gift giving season of Q4.
Holiday Sales – Deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) hare already being posted on Amazon here. Expect big discounts for Amazon devices such as the Kindle, Fire, Ring doorbell, and Echo. Keep in mind that Amazon will often match deals from competition at its own expense. This tactic can boost short term sales, but keep that in mind if Amazon tries to claim that the product is not profitable later on during negotiations.
Content
Image Suppressions – One of the top reasons for product suppressions is images which do not conform to Amazon guidelines. Restrictions on the main images are the most specific, but they are often rejected for having text or logos, no white background, blurred or pixelated, and cropping the product. Secondary images may sometimes include clarifying text or other items, but pictures with adult content or other unacceptable inclusions can also suppress the listing. See the full guide from Amazon here.
Store Links – Amazon is driving more traffic to store pages, where brands can better showcase their catalog. One way they are doing this is by including links to the store on detail pages that are large, attention grabbing banners.
Operations
Vendor Central Updates – Starting January 31, 2021, Amazon will no longer support Internet Explorer for Vendor Central, but will still work with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. Also, the Shipment manual for vendors in North America has been split into the NA Preparation and Receive Manual and the NA Transportation Manual.
Pesticide Attribute – Many items are now being flagged as product possibly containing pesticides, which require extra information before they can be retail ready. If a product is flagged, it will need an EPA Registration Number, EPA Establishment Number, or an exemption. Without these requirements, the item will be suppressed. If you have potentially flagged products, it is best to get that information ready for Amazon to avoid suppressions. And don’t be surprised if an item is flagged that has nothing to do with pesticides, as it is happening across almost all categories.
Glance Views – This metric is recently available from Amazon and can be helpful for your operations. Glance views occur when a single customer views a detail page. Amazon tries to screen out bots from contributing to this metric. Glance View numbers can offer a useful perspective on tracking traffic, inventory, lost buy box sales, and effective conversion. With this information, vendors can track the impact of advertising or content to prioritize future actions.
Amazon Day Delivery – One way Amazon is trying to increase customer convenience and reduce its own costs is by offering Amazon Day Delivery to its Prime customers. By consolidating all deliveries to a single day in a week, the customer can schedule a single convenient day to receive their packages.
Truckload Proof of Delivery – As an added COVID safety precaution, Amazon will not be providing stamped bills of landing (BOLs) to truckload deliveries. If vendors need Proof of Delivery (POD), they can request a digital screenshot of the delivery appointment.
Marketing
Amazon Sponsored Promotions – Amazon may sponsor promotions for vendor products on their own, such as Subscribe and Save (S&S). By testing these discounts and promotions, they can discover how to make products successful and profitable. Because they sometimes do this without vendor involvement, an S&S agreements with Amazon is not always necessary. Keep in mind, this can factor into an item’s CP, making Amazon claim that an item is unprofitable.
Holiday Marketing Now – Moving Prime Day to Q4, Amazon effectively kicked off holiday shopping in a big way. With the projected increase in online shopping and possible delivery delays, shoppers are starting to buy well before the surge of Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Post deals and promotions now to grab the attention of shoppers and have a higher priority in their mind when they decide to click the “buy” button. There are many other tips for advertising through the holiday season, including aligning Brand Store pages with promotions, increasing daily budgets, and testing. Watch the full webinar for more.
Amazon Video Marketing – Video marketing has long been known to be very effective, and Amazon is increasing the ways in which vendors and sellers can use videos to grab the attention of shoppers. Videos on detail pages, in Sponsored Brand ads, and all across the Amazon marketplace are engaging and attracting more customers as the products never have been able to before. Successful videos can connect with their audience through emotion and lifestyle visualizations that shoppers wish to have, educating them on the product, and creating urgency.
Amazon Frontier – New Tools & Programs
Amazon Pharmacy – After acquiring PillPack in 2018, Amazon is now offering prescription ordering and delivery through their online store. There, customers can purchase their medications, and Prime members can get discounts and two-day delivery. With 50,000 participating pharmacies in the network, Amazon is transitioning into a significant health care presence.
All the needed updates, new tools, inside tips, and more to keep up with Amazon can be a bit overwhelming. Navazon is specialized in knowing the best methods of achieving success and profitability on the Amazon marketplace. If you have questions on how we can help boost your online retail growth, contact our experts today.
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