Our upcoming Amazon conference, AmafestUK, is less than a month away! We’ve had a great response so far and tickets are selling rapidly. In light of this we thought we’d sit down with our event sponsors and chat about what people can expect from the conference. Up first we’ve got Greg Reynolds, founder of Zon Support.
Join us on the 23rd May 2019 at UKFast for a full day of expert Amazon insights. To claim your ticket, click here.
Greg Reynolds – Zon Support
1.What are you most excited for about Amafest?
There are not many Amazon focused events in the UK so the opportunity to attend one, especially not down in London, has to be a real advantage.
2. What is your best advice for finding a suitable product to sell on Amazon?
Here’s your 90 day challenge. Find any product and go through the process of sourcing it, shipping it and uploading it for sale. Writing your listing, organising images, researching keywords and many other moving parts on Amazon requires practice. You will learn a huge amount. Maybe just 200 pieces – look at this as an investment in your education, not a cost. You’ll probably be able to firesafe them at a cost if the product is an absolute dud anyway!
Here’s your 90-day challenge. Find any product and go through the process of sourcing it, shipping it and uploading it for sale. Writing your listing, organizing images, researching keywords and many other moving parts on Amazon requires practice. You will learn a huge amount. Maybe just 200 pieces – look at this as an investment in your education, not a cost. You’ll probably be able to firesale them at cost if the product is an absolute dud anyway!
3. In 2016 the amount of sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon rose by 70%, do you think it’s worthwhile?
There is no choice, you must go FBA which gives you access to millions of Prime members, many of whom select their option to only view Prime-available products. In addition, they will trust a Prime product far more than an FBM.
4. What is your opinion on Amazon private labels? Would you recommend it as a way of protecting and controlling your products?
Private Labels enable you to build a brand and a loyal following. If you want to protect your future PLUS have a saleable business in three to five years, this is your journey.
5. What’s the best way of dealing with negative reviews? Do they matter?
Absolutely they matter! Reply to a low-star review as soon as it lands. First take a big breath and a coffee will help! Strip away all emotion as you do not want to get into an argument online with this customer. Make it personal and encourage them to contact you to talk further.
6. Do you think drop shipping is a good idea or does it give too much control to someone else in terms of packaging, compliance with regulations and overall reputation?
I am not a fan of drop shipping although many Amazon sellers do very well with this model. I much prefer to build a brand with the ultimate goal to sell it so I get a greater return for my time and investment.
Andrew Norman – ShipStation
1.What are you most excited for about Amafest?
ShipStation has deep experience working with merchants selling across multiple marketplaces and we have a strong focus on Amazon so we’re looking forward to meeting merchants at this event in the UK, as we continue our European expansion.
2. What is your best advice for finding a suitable product to sell on Amazon?
We encourage merchants to research the market, using some of the great tools that show the demand and economics for your chosen products on Amazon. It’s advisable to work towards creating your own branded product to differentiate yourself and sidestep the fierce competition for more commoditised inventory on Amazon channels.
3. In 2016 the amount of sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon rose by 70%, do you think it’s worthwhile?
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a great option to access the Prime customer for your fast moving inventory and enables you to sell easily in multiple countries. Think carefully about using FBA for fulfilling orders when you’re selling on other channels as it might not be the best option.
4. What is your opinion on Amazon private labels? Would you recommend it as a way of protecting and controlling your products?
Amazon presents consumers with breadth and depth of inventory at aggressive price points. Competing in a crowded category where there are many other merchants competing for the buy box on a mainstream product does not drive long term value creation for the merchant. Creating private label products and / or diversifying your product range can help you diversify the business mix and insulate you from downward price pressure. Sponsored Products can help you accelerate the presence of your private label products in the search results and it’s also worth avoiding categories where Amazon own brand products e.g. Amazon Basics, as they are often prioritised in the search results and can create more competition in search and pressure on your margin.
5. What’s the best way of dealing with negative reviews? Do they matter?
Consumers expect mixed reviews and are suspicious of too many 5 Star reviews so I suggest merchants focus on creating good reviews to minimise negative reviews. Track the products that are creating negative reviews and understand the reasons and any potential impact to your metrics.
6. Do you think drop shipping is a good idea or does it give too much control to someone else in terms of packaging, compliance with regulations and overall reputation?
Dropshipping is a low risk way to experiment with new products and channels before you tie up valuable working capital in products that might be oversupplied or have low demand. Quality Suppliers that update product, price and stock data regularly can be an effective short term opportunity to experiment so invest time in researching the quality of the supplier, especially around delivery and return standards so you can ensure you keep your account in good shape.
