Marketplace Blueprint: Product Marketing Strategies for Amazon

In this special episode of the Marketplace Blueprint Podcast, Robyn speaks with Michael Zagare, Founder and CEO of PPC Entourage, and creator of a wonderful program called 12 Days of Nuggets. Join Robyn and Michael as they go over this great initiative and how it provides sellers a unique opportunity to learn and grow their business while helping a worthy cause. 12 Days of Nuggets brings together some of the top minds in the eCommerce space to create content or "Nuggets" that provide straight forward valuable information designed to help Amazon sellers and entrepreneurs improve and grow their businesses. The idea behind this initiative is to raise awareness and support Operation Underground Railroad, an organization that is fighting to end human trafficking, especially among children of all ages. The Amazon community has come together to support this cause and provide sellers with a plethora of insight from Amazon experts. For more information go to daysofnuggets.com Connect with Robyn at MarketplaceBlueprint.com

In this episode, we have Liran Hirschkon, who is well known in the Amazon space, not only for his expertise and his insight, but he's also a well-renowned conference speaker. He shares from his experience building and working with brands.

In this episode of the Marketplace Blueprint podcast, Robyn speaks with Gary Huang regarding his experience interviewing over 20 Seven Figure Ecommerce Sellers and Experts. #1 Successful Entrepreneurs Get Around Excuses #2 Get off of Amazon to find profitable products #3 Apply the 80/20 rule to save time and increase profits #4 Build a superstar team #5 Building a brand is more critical than ever to rank products, get reviews, and sell your business for a higher multiple #6 Keywords for PPC campaigns - need to balance data with common sense, so you don’t pay the “idiot tax.” #7 Whatever gets measured gets managed #8 Split Test ideas cheaply and quickly #9 Focus on the BOTTOM line, not on the Top Line. #10 Selling a business - need to be smart to get a higher multiple

On this episode of the Marketplace Blueprint Podcast Robyn speaks with Jeff Lieber from Turnkey Product Management. He shares his insight on the Amazon Demand-Side Platform (DSP) and how it enables clients to buy display and video ads programmatically.

Have you been trying to consider if you should invest in external traffic for your products on Amazon? In this episode, Robyn speaks with Mike Jackness of Ecomcrew as he shares his view on marketing strategies during these uncertain times.

In this episode of the Marketplace Blueprint Podcast Robyn talks with e-commerce futurist, John Lawson, about how the coronavirus is affecting online business, online sales, and things that we should be considering as we sell online. What considerations and steps do you need to take in your business? What Steps Should I Take? Cash- Make sure you are completely clear on how much cash you have. Look at any potential cuts you can make to expenses or staffing. Inventory- Review your inventory and look at restocking. Know that traditional forecasting is likely not going to work. If you have existing stale inventory, look at what options you have to liquidate or encourage sales. Pricing- Remember that increasing pricing as little at 10% (without increased costs to you) is illegal in many states. Review your repricing software to avoid any potential legal issues in regard to price gouging.

Hiring someone, whether it's local or virtual, can be intimidating. In this episode, Robyn speaks with Nathan Hirsch, formally at FreeUp, now at Outsource School on how to navigate through that process and have that hire be successful and produce excellent results for your business. A lot of entrepreneurs make the mistake of continuing to add tasks to their plates. Still, they don't realize that eventually, as they add tasks, they need to be delegating, and have a process for assigning tasks to other people and give those people ownership of those tasks. That's how you scale your business.

In this episode, Robyn goes over keeping the right stock levels with our senior analyst at Marketplace Blueprint Nate Johnson. Staying In Stock Is Vital On Amazon Amazon, compared to other eCommerce platforms, requires a different managing strategy when it comes to stock. Because of the ranking/sales system, if you run out of stock and you start to slip and lose sales. Then you begin to move down on the organic rankings, which reduces your conversions. This, in turn, hurts your search ranking. It's a slippery and vicious cycle, so staying in stock is crucial. You can optimize your listings, spend on advertising, and do everything to achieve the coveted first result page; however, you can lose all your hard work and ranking by running out of stock.

In this episode, Robyn interviews Sue Warfield; she is the director of member relations for ASTRA (American Specialist Toy Retailing Association). She shares how manufacturer associations can be a great resource for knowledge and support as you grow your business. Find a support network. Growing a business can be isolating. Knowing where to turn for help and support can make the difference in the success of your business. Sue shares first about what ASTRA is and no matter what type of product you make, there is probably a similar association for your category or product type. ASTRA helps its members connect and do business with great manufacturer reps, connect to brick and mortar stores, and talk with others about how to handle online sales like Amazon.

In this episode of the Marketplace Blueprint podcast, Robyn interviews Dylan Carter from GoAura, as he shares his insight on pricing strategies and using re-pricers. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

In this episode of the Marketplace Blueprint Podcast, Robyn speaks with Melissa Burdick President and cofounder of Pacvue and Matt McGrory Senior Account Marketing Manager at Pacvue about how to get the most out of your advertising dollar on Amazon. Matt and Melissa share from their experience of working with a large number of advertisers. Pacvue is a third-party tool that allows sellers and brand owners to automate their ads on Amazon. To be successful in advertising on Amazon it is about making sure that you are using a strategy that will maximize your budget and existing traffic for your product. We also recently published an article in Search Engine Journal on the "Top 11 Amazon Advertising Mistakes To Avoid," that we recommend for those looking for ways to be more effective with Amazon advertising. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

Amazon has been actively working to expand the grocery and gourmet category. In addition to acquiring Whole Foods, Amazon has been actively incentivizing sellers to make grocery items available with a fee discount for food items under $15. Selling Food can be particularly complicated on Amazon as there are very specific guidelines about expiration dates, packaging, and meltable items. In this episode of the Marketplace Blueprint Podcast, Robyn talks with Ryan Yaple to highlight some of the considerations before listing your food item on Amazon. Ryan is a high volume seller that specializes in grocery items on Amazon. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

In this episode, Robyn speaks with Tom Jerige, CEO and founder of Clean n' Brew. Tom gives us the inside story and tips on his company's journey into Whole Foods while also growing his online sales presence. In the interview, Tom shares the process his brand, Clean n' Brew, took to gain placement in multiple Whole Food locations. For most brands, selling in brick and mortar stores can be a fantastic way to increase their cash flow and enhance their visibility to new potential customers. The increased distribution can help with new customer acquisition and brand awareness. This can, in turn, boost your sales and ability to scale your business on Amazon as you have the additional branded search you can leverage for selling online. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

In this episode, Robyn speaks with Jim Christian, who is the CEO and founder of Blush Digital, a boutique agency that focuses on helping enterprise and mid-market companies around the world. Jim shares about his journey in digital marketing from working at GoDaddy to owning his own digital marketing agency and running the Advanced Search Summit. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

Does adding keywords to a listing really increase sales? Amazon tells us that people find products primarily through search. Adding additional keywords gives your products more doorways for customers to find your product. Adding keywords to the backend of a listing or to the existing bullets or title of a listing can make a significant difference in the sales velocity and potential advertising costs for a product. You can add additional keywords for your product in the title, bullets, and backend keywords for a product. The impact these changes will have on your sales velocity will depend on: How the listing was before being optimizedAmount of research that went into the keywordsCompetitiveness of the keywords added In this episode, Nate and Robyn share about adding additional keywords to your listing, what type of keywords to prioritize, and what you should avoid when updating your product detail pages on Amazon. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

In this episode, Mark Buringer of Qubit Toys shares his company's experience and what it was like being featured on the first season of a national show like Shark Tank. Mark tells us about his path to get on the show. Mark goes on to explain how the show's dynamic worked in his case, the contingency deal he was able to obtain, and how that initial deal developed after the show. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

Variation listings on Amazon can help you increase sales, conversion, and lower your ad costs. We share the fundamentals of parent-child listings on Amazon. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

Moving from Vendor Central to Seller Central on Amazon There are specific considerations and timing that has to take place when considering moving your sales on Amazon from Vendor Central to Seller Central to make sure that you do not jeopardize your relationship with Amazon during the transition. If you think you may need to move to Seller Central in the future, there are also steps you can take to make sure you can quickly transition if your items were to no longer be carried on Vendor Central. In this episode, Peter Kearns of 180Eccomerce shares from his experience moving brands from Vendor Central to Seller Central. We also cover some of the specific considerations you need to consider as you consider moving your Amazon sales from a 1P to a 3P relationship on Amazon Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

How do you list products on Amazon without a UPC? Amazon has specific rules on what type of UPCs that they will accept as valid. In this episode, Nate and Robyn talk about GTIN Exemptions, UPCs, and the GS1 Barcode database. Do I need a UPC to list my product on Amazon? The answer to that problem can depend on a few factors. One of these factors is the category of your item. While Amazon requires a UPC for a majority of categories, there are some categories on Amazon that do not require a UPC. Amazon has a list available with the requirements for GTINs (Global Trade Identification Numbers)in Seller Central. If a UPC is required, you want also to note that Amazon has specific policies around UPCs. Amazon's policy about UPCs states that: “We verify the authenticity of product UPCs by checking the GS1 database. UPCs that do not match the information provided by GS1 will be considered invalid. We recommend obtaining your UPCs directly from GS1 (and not from other third parties selling UPC licenses) to ensure the appropriate information is reflected in the GS1 database." This means that technically, for your UPC to be valid to create a listing on Amazon, it should be a GS1 barcode registered to the company that makes the product. There are a few categories that do not require UPCs at this time. For those products, you generally need an MPN (manufacturers part number) to create your listing. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.

Have you noticed a recent drop in sales you can't explain? Amazon has recently changed its search algorithm to increase the importance of geo ranking for both SERP ranking and Buy Box percentage. If you have noticed a dip in sales and you cannot identify an apparent reason why geo ranking might be impacting your sales. While the location of the buyer and the inventory has always been a part of Amazon's algorithm since Amazon rolled out one day, shipping, the importance of the location of the search query has increased. Amazon now looks at the ability to get an item delivered with one-day shipping for both SERP ranking and buy box rotation. This has caused a sub-section of Amazon sellers to have a sudden deceleration in their Amazon sales. In this episode, Nate and Robyn share about what Geo Ranking is and how it could be affecting your sales on Amazon. Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central. You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.