Would you like to set up your own Amazon store? There are a few factors to consider. Follow the advice of our Amazon advertising experts to get started in e-commerce and give yourself the best chance of selling effectively.
Why create an Amazon store?
There are a number of reasons to create an online store, whether as a private individual or as a business. Choosing Amazon to create your online sales platform has many advantages:
- High traffic rate: With millions of Internet users visiting the platform every day, you will have a better chance of increasing your visibility and sales;
- The “Shipped by Amazon” service: The main objective of this service is to simplify logistics by taking care of the processing, packaging and shipping of your products. The service can also provide customer service on your behalf;
- The Amazon FBA program: This allows merchants and B2B professionals to store your items in Amazon distribution centers.
Choose the right account
Now that you’ve made up your mind, all you have to do is open your Amazon account. There are two types of accounts:
- Individual account: This is reserved for occasional or second-hand sales. You could compare it to using Kijiji, for example. You don’t need a registration number to use it.
- Professional account: This type of account is intended for those who want to make their shop a regular source of income, do business and run a profitable e-commerce venture. There are two options for the professional account. The Basic Professional account with no subscription with a fixed fee per sale, or the Professional Pro account with a monthly subscription and less fees. You can switch from one to the other at any time. We recommend going for the Basic account at the beginning of your business while you familiarize yourself with your sales method, then switch to the professional account as soon as your business is really up and running.
Some practical details for opening your store
Since the vast majority of Amazon stores are professional, our focus will be on this particular type of account, which is a little more complex but much more popular. To create your Amazon professional store quickly without any problems, you will need the following things:
- An email address reserved for the professional business, which must be different from your buyer account;
- A valid credit card, otherwise the interface will be blocked;
- Two valid phone numbers. We recommend using a mobile phone number to easily receive text messages from your customers, suppliers etc;
- Scanned JPG files of your identity document and a document that includes your business number;
- Bank account information in the name of the company or in your name if you are a sole proprietorship;
- A proof of residence.
Once you have all the required documents, follow the rest of the steps before you start selling, it’s quite easy.
Going further: how to optimize your Amazon store
Content creators are constantly subject to the rules of SEO on Google in order to position themselves in the top results of search engines and increase their visibility and sales of their goods and services. The goal is the same for Amazon. There are a number of factors to consider in order for a list of products to appear at the top of the results when the consumer searches for a product. Amazon can therefore provide great opportunities for small businesses if all these factors are respected and effectively implemented by the seller.
Start selling your products
Have you just opened your Amazon store and want to sell your brand new inventory? First, you will have to focus on advertising: promote products in your articles or run contests on social networks. Launching a PPC campaign can also help you build your sales strategy. A PPC campaign is a digital marketing strategy in which you pay (per click) to display your ads in preferred locations, all targeted by keywords or audiences. You can also read these 5 tips for advertising on Amazon and give yourself the upper hand when you start selling your products.
How to choose and position your keywords
To continue improving your visibility on Amazon, you need to understand that users perform their searches there differently than they do on Google. On Amazon, a consumer can only find your item if their search is associated with the keyword contained in your products. Note that Amazon’s A9 Algorithm sorts the products displayed in search results by taking two things into account:
- Relevance: This means determining how well your product matches the consumer’s search. The relevance index will link the user’s search with the content of your product sheet in order to determine the relevance of your sheet to the keyword being searched.
- Performance: A product with a strong sales history will be positioned higher in search results
Since most consumers generally don’t look any further than the first page of search results, you need to continually optimize your keyword positioning to increase your product’s visibility on the platform.
Keyword placement is an important factor for SEO on Amazon. You should find as many as possible, and make sure they match the customer’s search. Conversely, if you forget to use keywords, you risk undermining your chances of appearing in Amazon search results.
On the e-commerce giant (and on search engines in general), customers want to find exactly what they are looking for as quickly as possible, which means that they tend to use many specific keywords from the outset. This type of search is best known as a long tail keyword search and represents more than 70% of all Amazon searches. Here is an example:
How to prioritize keywords in a product list
Keywords and their relevance are extremely important, since some will be more focused than others for your product. You have to place the most relevant keywords:
- In the product title
- In the different points and the product description: all keywords that cannot be placed in the title can be placed here. However, make sure that it is relevant and related to your content and that you do not over-optimize. The idea is to place your keyword or key phrase several times in the page without it becoming cumbersome for the user.
Increase your conversion rate and click rate
On Amazon, an e-commerce store’s conversion rate is the ratio between the number of transactions and the number of visitors. The click rate is the ratio between the number of clicks and the display of an element. In general, the higher the two, the better a product will be positioned in Amazon’s search results. To improve them, different solutions are possible.
Optimize your photos
Images play an important role in the conversion rate and click rate. Once the consumer finds the results that match his search and reaches your list of products, the image is essential because it influences their purchase. The Internet user wants to see the product from all its angles, to be able to zoom in at will and see the product in use. If you want to maximize your sales and choose the right images, be sure to:
- Choose a high-quality photo (minimum 1000×1000 pixels)
- Use images with a white background and/or good brightness
- Show the features and various uses of the product
- Make your brand clearly visible on one of the photos you have chosen if you are a professional reseller
It has been shown that the consumer’s eye focuses on the first 3 lines of their search results, so be sure to optimize your product list to reflect this trend. You should also know that writing a good product sheet is extremely important for your positioning on Amazon.
Consumer reviews matter
Buyers like to know the opinions of other users before buying, this is called social proof.
Reviews therefore play an important role in conversion rates since positive customer reviews have a great deal of influence. They are one of the main SEO factors for Amazon. The higher your product is rated, the more likely it is to be top of the search results. On the other hand, don’t expect to turn a profit if your customers aren’t satisfied! However, all is not lost if you have negative reviews. Be reactive and respond quickly to customer complaints by trying to solve the customer’s problem: refunds, exchanges or even an explanation when your product is used incorrectly. This way, users and other potential buyers will be less concerned about the legitimacy of your store.
Amazon’s virtuous circle
Amazon uses your sales rate to determine your ranking in search results. It’s a bit like a virtuous circle: the more you sell, the more customers you attract, the better positioned you will be and so on.
Get help from professionals to create your online store
Even though creating a sales account on Amazon is relatively easy, there are many factors to consider to maximize your sales and regularly increase the number of visitors. If you want advice on how to improve your marketing strategy and SEO, whether on Amazon or Google, contact us!