Amazon Pro Merchant Consulting


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Amazon retail store manager

Amazon Pro-Merchant Consulting

Mariano Marketing has extensive experience in managing Amazon Pro-Merchant store accounts for consumer products, but we do not manage book seller accounts.

Amazon has been aggressive in adding new sellers and it has become increasingly competitive within the Amazon marketplace. They have also increasingly consolidated products listings into shared product pages, pitting sellers against each other within a single product page. As a result, the deck is initially stacked against the new seller, as accumulated sales history and feedback are key factors. You must have patience and make a long term commitment before you can determine your potential in Amazon.

Formula for Success

From our experience, we have observed the need for the following to be truly successful in Amazon:
  • A unique product offering
  • If not unique, one with the depth and breadth to reach a large market
  • Sufficient inventory always on hand
  • Ability to buy large enough quantities to get the best wholesale price
  • Low operating costs allowing for tight margins
  • Very liberal return policy
  • Competitive shipping costs
  • Ability to ship products the same day ordered or the next
  • Highly focused and responsive customer service
  • Willingness and ability to appease disgruntled customers at (almost) any cost
  • Dedication to stay on the Amazon program in terms of years
Necessary Abilities
  • Unfortunately, when all sellers of the same product are forced to share the same product page (the Buy Box), the seller with the lowest overall cost (price plus shipping) usually (see next point) gets preferential treatment. This means you need the ability to sell at a slim margin
  • In addition to pricing, you need to maintain a very high customer satisfaction rating. Even if you are the lowest cost seller, a poor reputation will lose the sale and Buy Box position
  • In terms of reputation, you pretty much live and die by shipping satisfaction. You need to ship orders quickly and get them delivered within the estimated delivery time, preferably before. It's the #1 thing customers leave positive or negative seller feedback on
  • While you can easily add products to Amazon simply by matching them to existing products, you need to upload product and categorization information for unique products. However, it benefits you to add as much information as possible for all your products, whether you need to or not. This means you should spend the time necessary to add your products other than by simple matching or uploading only the minimum required data
  • The Amazon system picks one or two sellers to provide product descriptions and photos. It is often the seller with the best overall rank, but sometimes not. At any rate, it is in your best interest to see the best product information used. Merchandising is critical and you should be prepared to provide high quality and multiple product photos and highly descriptive and accurate product information. The better the merchandising, the better the sales potential
  • The most successful sellers are monitoring their best selling products daily and responding to every competitive move. You must stay on top of the competitive environment
  • We have found that often the best way to gain ground in Amazon is by having one or two "winners" in your product offering. These are products that initially account for the majority of your sales. Sometimes it's hard to determine what those might be and why, but if you have a winner, the trick is to build from there
  • We have also found that sales tend to move to and stay at a higher level after a seasonal sales period. For most, this is the Christmas season. If your products are seasonal, it is important to make the strongest showing possible during that time
What We Can Do

Mariano Marketing knows about all the strategies and tactics listed above and many more. Amazon is a unique environment. As we often say, There's e-commerce and then there's Amazon. If you can successfully tap into the power of Amazon, it can become one of your biggest sales channels. But, while Amazon has made great strides in building it's system, there are still many inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies remaining. Only after years of experience can you fully understand how the system---and organization---operates and use it to your advantage.

Initial Uploads

The initial upload is the most difficult part of selling on Amazon, especially if you have a large number of SKUs. Many people ask us to undertake just this part. This is a time consuming, labor intensive process. Mariano Marketing is primarily seeking long term clients, but we may consider initial upload projects, so feel free to contact us about this.

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