How To Increase Sales On Amazon

Introduction

Sellers need to go where the customers are.

Most people recognize this as a real estate phrase, but it also applies to product sales. In today’s digital world, that means major online platforms like Amazon since a large number of the world’s online shoppers scavenge the platform when wanting to purchase an item.

Such a deep customer base means there’s the potential for sellers to make a huge profit. However, it’s also an increasingly competitive marketplace. For every seller that crosses into seven figures’ income, there are dozens who struggle along in ranking obscurity. If you want to make money on Amazon—as in real money— you’ll have to overcome common seller challenges with a mixed bag of tools including research, applicable strategies and optimized store pages.

How Hard Is It to Get Sales on Amazon?

New to selling on Amazon? Maybe you are wondering how hard is it to get sales on Amazon? The difficulty of getting sales on Amazon can vary depending on several factors:

a. Competition: Highly competitive niches will naturally be more challenging to break into. However, with effective marketing and a unique value proposition, it’s still possible to succeed.

b. Product Quality: The quality of your product and customer service can significantly impact your sales. High-quality products with positive reviews are more likely to sell.

c. Marketing Efforts: Your success depends on how effectively you market your products. Sellers who invest in advertising, keyword optimization, and other marketing strategies often have an advantage.

d. Niche Selection: Choosing the right niche can make a big difference. Some niches are oversaturated, while others have untapped potential.

e. Persistence: Success on Amazon often requires persistence and continuous improvement. It may take time to build a reputation and a customer base.

Though yes, it can be challenging, it’s certainly possible to get sales on Amazon with the right approach, persistence, and commitment to offering value to customers.

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Why Am I Not Getting Sales on Amazon?

On the opposite spectrum if you are already selling, there could be several underlying factors on why you may not be getting sales.

a. Product Listing Optimization: To start, your product listings may not be optimized for search visibility and conversion. Optimization is an active thing you should stay doing. Ensure you have high-quality images, compelling product descriptions, and accurate keywords while assuming your consumer will look at only one piece of your listing. Will they be able to understand and pick up everything they need to know about your product from just the bullet points or just the A+ content? Are any seasonal. or new relevant words included in your listing to capture more sales? Take time to do some preliminary keyword research and consider how those keywords contribute to a larger picture be in new trends, seasonality and aesthetics. Then, gauge your search query performance to adjust.

b. Pricing and Competition: If your prices are significantly higher than competitors for similar products, or if there is intense competition in your niche, it can prove challenging to drive sales which is why it is that much more important that you have a killer marketing strategy in place. Perhaps you can consider using comparison charts on your product listing page. Showcase why your price point is worth it. Or, if your Amazon business relies on sending traffic via TikTok Shop, encourage purchases with user-generated content as an alternative to solely incorporating the best keywords in your listing. Don’t just hope that ranking on the first page for keywords you think your potential buyers will shop will be enough when you already know your pricing is not competitive enough.

c. Poor Reviews: Tomer Rabinovich, Founder of Top Dog, who regularly works with 6, 7, 8+ figure Amazon sellers often talks to sellers about delivering a six-star experience. At the very least, you want the product to work, but if you’re shooting for a five-star experience, you’ll end up with 3 or 4. Aiming for a six consecutively will help put you on top. In the case you’re still combating negative reviews or have a lack of reviews that deter potential customers, consider setting up ‘Request a Review’ using our Insights Dashboard. This allows satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. Take negative feedback in stride and remember to use it to correct and enhance the experiences of your impacted Amazon customers.

d. Limited Product Selection: As for having only a few products in your store, having a limited product selection might not attract a wide range of potential buyers. Expanding your product range can help. When you have more products in store, more shoppers can find your brand and equate you as more of an authority in the space on that niche. Do your market research to see what is frequently bought together, has decent profit margins, and it may help you boost sales if the items are in conjunction. At the very least, your bottom-line revenue has potential to grow.

e. Marketing and Promotion: If you’re not actively promoting your products through Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, social media, or other channels, you may not be reaching your target audience effectively. As they say, if you just build it, they won’t come.

f. Fulfillment Issues: If you’re using Amazon’s fulfillment service (Fulfillment by Amazon), ensure your inventory is well-stocked and shipping times are competitive. If your inventory levels are not well-stocked, you run the risk of running out of popular products. When this happens, your products become temporarily unavailable for purchase, which can lead to missed sales opportunities. Shoppers on Amazon often have a myriad of options, and if they can’t find your product when they want it, they may turn to a competitor’s offering instead. Regularly monitoring your inventory levels with the help of our Inventory Management tool and restocking in a timely manner can help prevent this issue.

Amazon customers have also come to expect fast and reliable shipping. If your products take longer to reach customers compared to competitors, it can be a significant deterrent. Buyers may opt for quicker delivery options from other sellers, even if it means paying a slightly higher price. Therefore, consider optimizing your shipping methods to expedite order processing and delivery times. By ensuring your products are consistently in stock and can reach customers swiftly, you can mitigate fulfillment-related issues and potentially see an uptick in your Amazon sales.

g. Lack of Branding: Have a recognizable brand on Amazon as it can help establish trust. Utilize Amazon Brand Registry to protect your brand from unauthorized use, gain access to valuable marketing features and have enhanced brand visibility on the platform. if you have the capability to do so, creating an Amazon store can also be a strategic move. An Amazon store allows you to curate a dedicated storefront that showcases your brand and products in a visually appealing and organized manner. This storefront serves as a hub where customers can explore your product catalog, learn more about your brand story, and make informed purchase decisions leading to a more immersive shopping experience, which can boost conversion rates and sales.

h. SEO and Keyword Optimization: Have related keywords included in your product listings. Amazon’s search algorithm plays a significant role in sales. When potential customers search for products, Amazon relies on these keywords to determine which listings to display prominently in search results. If your listings lack the appropriate keywords or fail to align with the language customers use in their searches, it can result in poor visibility, making it challenging for your products to be discovered by potential buyers. Consequently, investing time and effort in keyword research and incorporating these keywords effectively into your product details page can substantially improve your visibility and, ultimately, increase sales on Amazon.

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So What Drives Organic Keyword Rankings on Amazon?

Organic keyword rankings on Amazon are influenced by a multitude of factors with the top criteria being relevance. Products with higher conversion rates, those that are clicked on and subsequently purchased, tend to secure higher rankings and signify the relevance of your product listing to a specific keyword

It’s part of the Amazon flywheel. Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes products that closely match a customer’s search query on the search results page. The more conversions you make, the more positive customer experiences you provide, the less returns you will have and the better positioned you are to sell more and more. And it all starts with listing optimization.

I know this has been mentioned before, but elevating your conversion rate involves crafting compelling listings, optimizing product titles, and maintaining competitive pricing. To bolster your rankings, your product listing most definitely should incorporate pertinent keywords in your product title (even the ones with lower search volume), descriptions, and bullet points explaining features, benefits, and addressing concerns as thoroughly as possible with Amazon PPC campaigns running in conjunction. That includes Amazon product display ads and sponsored brand ads to enhance visibility and drive Amazon sales.

Moreover, do regular check ins to understand customer sentiment. Customer reviews and a stellar rating can considerably uptick your product’s visibility in search results. That goes for the product feedback and sellers feedback.

Of course, at the base of it all, is monitoring account health and addressing issues promptly to maintain a strong Amazon seller account. If your listing becomes suppressed all of a sudden or Amazon decides to level you for a reason you do not take quick action on, it will not matter what your Amazon sales were and they will crash as fast as they took off – something you do not want to happen.

Sustained sales performance over time is one of the most important things you can have. Show a consistent history of sales and your ability to maneuver issues will not only vocalize customer demand for your product and potentially boost your rankings, but also help you in the long run the day you decide to exit your brand.

The last two things are 1) consider using repricing tools as needed to stay competitive in the marketplace. Offering a lighting deal, or a promotion of sorts can help your product stand out more on the search results page and 2) if you are not already, use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to take advantage of Amazon’s reputation for reliable shipping and top-tier customer service.

By addressing these factors comprehensively, you can increase your chances of securing higher organic keyword rankings on Amazon and convert more on customer searches through your Amazon seller central account while effectively leveraging sponsored brands to pave the way to more sales.

Remember that Amazon’s algorithm is dynamic, so continuously tweaking your listings with the help of a keyword tool to renew your targeted keywords and monitor your performance will prove advantageous to increase Amazon sales.

Here are Some Of The Best Strategies to Increase Sales on Amazon

Since we’ve talked a little bit about why it may be hard to get Amazon sales, why you might not be getting sales and how to improve keyword rankings, let’s now discuss some strategies on how to increase sales on Amazon.

Find High Search Volume/Low Competition Products to Sell

Finding high search volume, low competition products is pretty standard. Doing so will allow you to target product listings that are already in demand – listings that users are actively searching for with the intent to purchase. It’s akin to having a marketplace with more eager buyers and fewer Amazon sellers vying for their attention, resulting in a situation where the competition is less fierce and your chances of success are significantly higher.

Sell Through FBA Rather Than FBM

I briefly touched on this above. Selling through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) means offering Prime-eligible listings, making your products available to millions of Amazon Prime members who prefer fast and free shipping.

This is a fast way to take some tasks off your plate while increasing the attractiveness of your products. If you didn’t know, Prime customers tend to convert more often due to the convenience and trust associated with Prime. FBA also takes care of storage, packaging, and shipping, allowing sellers to focus on their core business activities rather than logistics. This efficiency leads to improved seller metrics, including faster shipping and higher customer satisfaction, which can positively impact search rankings and buy-box placement, ultimately increase sales.

Conduct Thorough Keyword Research

Your product listings should integrate a mixture of top keywords and supplementary keywords.

Using a keyword research tool like Cerebro can help you locate keywords most of your competitors are using, opportunity keywords that perhaps not all of the other sellers in your niche are competing for, brand analytic keywords if you are brand registered, keywords associated to products that are bought within the same cart and so much more.

Going after long-tail keywords is especially great because they are niche-friendly, low-traffic lanes of the internet highway. With fewer competitors vying for these keywords, your content or products have a better shot at making it to the top of search results. This is your golden opportunity to connect with a specific group of people who are actively seeking exactly what you offer. Instead of trying to convince someone searching up “office,” you are now showing your product to a warm lead who is typing in the search terms for the exact same product you are selling.

Those prospective buyers know precisely what they want, and they’re closer to hitting that “Buy Now” button. When your content or product lines up with their specific needs, the odds of them taking action in your favor are much higher. All you have to do is be more attractive than the other Amazon sellers by having killer copy – bullet points, product descriptions and marketing strategy.

In today’s world of voice-activated gadgets and voice searches, we’re all getting chatty with our search queries. Long-tail keywords, with their conversational flair, are like a friendly chatbot that understands exactly what you’re asking for. So, if you’re using these keywords, you’re more likely to stay relevant and on top of evolving search trends. When you create content centered around these gems, you are that much closer to long-tail keywords as your ticket to becoming a trusted expert in your field. You’re diving deep, offering valuable insights and information. This not only positions you as the go-to authority in your niche but can also attract natural, high-quality backlinks, which, in turn, boost your search engine rankings.

Optimize Your Listings With Those Keywords

Don’t make the mistake of approaching listing optimization as a one-time thing as an Amazon seller. The process is never really done.

Incorporate the search terms you found into the meat and bones of your product listings. From your product title to your A+ content to your product images, each component should reflect why the product is of importance to the consumer.

Run Amazon ads for them if you feel they are relevant keywords that have the propensity to be heavy hitters in acquiring more sales.

Add Backend Keywords to Your Listings

Adding backend keywords to your Amazon listing just refers to including additional search terms or keywords in the backend or hidden section of your product listing. These backend keywords are not visible to customers but are used by Amazon’s search algorithm to index your product and determine its relevance for search queries. This is a great place to input keywords you find inside of Cerebro or Magnet that are misspellings or perhaps did not fit your listing buildout.

Enhance Your Product Images & Description

Have an engaging, benefit-rich description complemented by professional images that cater to what customers seek. Your description should not merely list features but should vividly communicate how the product addresses customer needs and desires. Incorporate FAQs and user feedback to ensure you address common queries and concerns, thus enhancing the overall shopping experience. Regularly update the content to reflect any product improvements or changes and to maintain relevance. By presenting what customers value most in a clear and appealing manner, you can secure trust, credibility, and ultimately, higher Amazon sales.

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Ensure Your Listing Is Buy Box Eligible & Win the Buy Box

Maintaining competitive pricing, having enough stock, using Amazon fulfillment centers to fulfill your orders, keeping good performance metrics when it comes order defect rate, late shipment rate, and response time to customer inquiries. Meeting or exceeding Amazon’s performance targets improves your chances of winning the Buy Box. FBA listings are often favored for the Buy Box due to their strong track record in terms of shipping and customer service.

Set Competitive Prices

Leveraging Helium 10’s Market Tracker and Insights Dashboard will allow you to actively monitor and analyze price fluctuations among your competitors, granting you valuable insights into market trends.

In fact, we just added the ability to select competitors and add thresholds so you know when a competitor changes pricing or has a promotion, etc.

By employing this data-driven approach, you can adapt your pricing strategy dynamically, aligning it with the ever-changing market conditions. This agility not only helps you stay competitive but also attracts budget-conscious shoppers, ultimately amplifying your Amazon sales and market presence.

Increase Your Number of Reviews

If your product is brand new, enrolling eligible products in the Early Reviewer Program, which encourages customers who have purchased your products to leave reviews in exchange for small incentives, such as Amazon gift cards might be a good option for you.

Or check out the Amazon Vine program and if you are eligible, trusted reviewers will provide authentic and unbiased feedback on your products at a cost.

Other easy wins are 1) including a polite and concise product insert requesting a review in your packaging ensuring it complies with Amazon’s guidelines and doesn’t offer any incentives, 2) delivering outstanding customer experiences through fast shipping, accurate product descriptions, and 3) prompt responses to inquiries or issues will impart a positive impression on buyers is an easy win to help generate positive reviews.

You can also use Helium 10’s Follow Up tool to create customized email sequences that will be sent to your customers after their purchase.

Tailor these emails to be polite, concise, and engaging. Configuring the tool to send emails at optimal times, such as a few days after the product has been delivered. Avoid sending emails too soon, as it might annoy customers, and too late, as they may have forgotten the purchase.

Respond to FAQs and Reviews

When sellers actively address frequently asked questions, they demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction and provide valuable information, alleviating concerns and uncertainties. Additionally, engaging with both positive and negative reviews showcases a seller’s dedication to customer feedback, helping potential buyers make more informed purchase decisions. By establishing this trust and offering excellent customer service, sellers create a positive reputation, ultimately increasing sales as shoppers are more likely to choose a trusted and responsive seller for their purchases

Provide Great Customer Service

When customers encounter issues with their purchases, such as receiving damaged or defective items, offering a prompt refund or replacement demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction. It can help resolve customer concerns and prevent negative reviews or returns.

For positive reviews, expressing gratitude and acknowledging the customer’s satisfaction can strengthen your brand’s reputation. For negative reviews, addressing concerns and offering solutions in a professional and empathetic manner can sometimes lead to customers updating or removing their negative feedback. Always maintain a respectful and courteous tone in your responses to reviews, as this reflects positively on your brand.

By consistently providing refunds and discounts when necessary and actively responding to reviews, you can enhance your reputation on Amazon, improve customer relationships, and ultimately increase sales and positive feedback.

Run Promotions/Giveaways/Lightning Deals

Running promotions, giveaways, and/or a lightning deal on Amazon can increase sales as well, but it requires a well-planned strategy to maximize their effectiveness as giving away too much for less can burn a hole in your pocket.

Promotions involve offering discounts or bundle deals on your products, attracting price-sensitive buyers. Giveaways, on the other hand, create excitement by offering free products to lucky winners, generating buzz and word-of-mouth marketing. A lightning deal is a limited-time, highly discounted offers that create a sense of urgency.

The process begins with selecting the right products for these promotions, ideally focusing on items with healthy profit margins. Carefully calculate your promotion pricing to ensure profitability, and make use of Amazon’s built-in promotion tools to set up and manage these campaigns efficiently.

Shoppers generally appreciate discounts, but it’s important to strike a balance between providing value and maintaining product quality. Clearly communicate the temporary nature of the deals to create a sense of urgency, and leverage social proof by displaying the number of units sold or positive reviews. Transparency is key; make sure the original price is visible alongside the discounted one to showcase the actual savings.

Targeting high-value customers by. analyzing your customer data beforehand to understand the buyer persona of who frequently purchases or spends more will assist you in making these offers worthwhile. Amazon provides tools like Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands to target specific customer segments. Tailor your promotions to cater to the needs and preferences of these valuable customers, potentially offering exclusive deals or early access to promotions. Personalize your marketing messages to make these customers feel appreciated and recognized.

Run Amazon PPC Campaigns

Ideally, you want to run PPC campaigns for products with the highest organic sales and at least 4+ stars in reviews.

Create tightly themed ad groups based on keyword relevancy to ensure your ads are highly targeted. Having compelling ad copy that emphasizes your product’s unique selling points and encourages clicks in conjunction with high-quality, eye-catching images will make your ads visually appealing.

Set competitive bid amounts for your keywords and be proactive in monitoring your campaigns regularly, doing well to adjust bids based on their performance as needed. Focus on the keywords with the highest conversion rates and adjust bids to maximize visibility for these terms.

Leverage Amazon’s ad types, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display, to reach a wider audience. Sponsored Products are ideal for promoting individual products, while Sponsored Brands can help boost brand visibility. Sponsored Display is effective for retargeting and reaching potential customers off-Amazon.

Implement negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic and reduce ad spend wastage. Analyze your campaign performance metrics, such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS) to refine your campaigns continually.

As a more advanced seller, you can turn to ad strategies such as dayparting (scheduling ads for specific times of day) and audience segmentation, to see if they are right for your products and target audience.

Run Social Media Campaigns

This all goes to say that Amazon doesn’t have to be your entire marketing strategy. Depending on your target demographic, you may want to set your sights on generating external traffic as well. Amazon loves external traffic so having it can help with organic rankings, increase sales and your overall Amazon strategy.

Comprehending your target audience’s preferences will assist in selecting the most appropriate platforms for engagement be it TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Develop compelling content, encompassing product visuals, videos, and customer testimonials, and contemplate using paid advertising for broader reach. Organize contests, collaborate with influencers, and strategically employ 25-30 hashtags to enhance visibility. People love knowing there’s a real person on the other end of your brands. Consistently engage with your audience whenever possible.

And of course, once some time passes, you will want to evaluate campaign performance using social media analytics, adapt strategies based on data, and occasionally cross-promote Amazon-specific promotions.

Maintaining a regular posting schedule, experimenting with various content and ad formats, and monitoring competitors’ efforts while prioritizing legal compliance with Amazon’s policies and regional advertising regulations will help you build a robust social media presence that can drive traffic to your Amazon marketplace.

To Summarize:

To increase your Amazon sales quickly, focus on these top 5 strategies:

1. Amazon PPC Advertising:
   • Invest in Amazon’s Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising to boost product visibility.
   • Create targeted ad campaigns and continually optimize them for better ROI.
2. Product Listing Optimization:
   • Optimize your product listings with high-quality images, keyword-rich titles, persuasive descriptions, and bullet points.
   • Use A+ Content for enhanced visuals and information.
3. Competitive Pricing:
   • Regularly check and adjust your product prices to stay competitive.
   • Use Amazon’s pricing tools to automate adjustments if possible.
4. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA):
   • Consider using FBA to provide customers with fast and reliable shipping, which can lead to higher sales and the “Prime” badge.
5. External Promotion and Marketing:
   • Promote your Amazon listings on social media, your website, and through email marketing to drive external traffic.
   • Use discounts, coupons, or special promotions to attract more customers.

These strategies can help you quickly increase your Amazon sales by improving visibility, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.

Hurdles Are a Natural Part of Any Business

Remember, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Hurdles are a natural part of any business and it is in staying persistent, asking the more productive questions that lead to solutions and building up your seller’s brand, that will let you tap into those profits.

Amazon is a booming platform and a competitive one for practically every product niche. You’ll have to work with the search engine algorithm and stay on top of market trends and customer feedback to grow.

But that’s where Helium 10 comes in. Helium 10’s all-in-one suite of tools and our Serious Sellers Podcast, can set you up for success on Amazon. With these tools, you can research keywords, optimize your listings, figure out your sales and fulfillment strategy, and more. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll build momentum and start out earning more established competition. To your success, my friend!