In the midst of all these crazy times, Amazon came out with a big announcement that will be affecting all sellers soon!
They have decided to officially move the Amazon PPC platform to the Amazon Advertising console. For those of you that have not used the Amazon Advertising console, it is very similar to Seller Central’s platform with just minor tweaks!
As Amazon makes this adjustment, your campaigns, stores, and all advertising related reporting will move to the console and out of Seller Central.
To access your PPC ads, you will continue to use the same login information and will even be able to access the new console through Seller Central. According to Amazon, the navigation between the two platforms will be simple and you will be able to access both from one or the other.
Amazon decided to make this adjustment to give sellers easier navigation and new notification and support features.
According to Amazon, sellers will start to see this migration in the coming months! This is great news for Amazon sellers because it shows Amazon is listening to feedback and will hopefully be able to provide additional support for PPC.
Our team is doing our best to keep you up to date with all of these updates coming in, and you can check out the latest updates and strategies by visiting turnkeyproductmanagement.com/corona.
The Latest and Most Up to Date Amazon Update Admidst COVID-19
Alright, let’s jump into these updates and how you can take action.
The first big update came last Thursday, March 26th, outlining how Amazon will be dealing with inbound inventory for the time being. They have expanded the types of products they will allow to be added to their inventory on a case by case basis.
They are choosing those products based on:
Demand of the product
Current inventory levels
Inventory in transit
Fulfillment Center Capacity
In order for you to see if your products are now eligible for restocking, please check your “Restock Inventory” page and your “Restock Reports”.
If you are able to restock inventory, send inventory in as soon as possible. Amazon may be allowing you to send inventory in now, but that can always change so it is important to send inventory in while you can.
If you are unable to restock inventory, continue to check your Restock page and Report daily to see if you can send inventory in. Hopefully, Amazon will continue to open this up to all sellers ASAP.
Another update… on March 30th, reports came in that certain Amazon fulfillment employees were staging a strike due to the unsafe working conditions in the wake of the Coronavirus.
That being said, it is now more important than ever to get FBM listings and fulfillment set up regardless of if you are able to send inventory into FBA or not. The reason being is there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Amazon FBA warehouses like potential strikes and month-long shipping times. Nothing is guaranteed right now with FBA, so it is important you are taking these precautionary steps to help your Amazon business stay active.
Our team is doing our best to keep you up to date with all of these updates coming in, and you can check out the latest updates and strategies by visiting turnkeyproductmanagement.com/corona.
Amazon has officially introduced Video in SBAs and our team is pumped! Like majority of new programs on Amazon this one is starting in beta but it is still an exciting development because it shows Amazon is one step closer to allowing more sellers to use video ads.
These video ads have a few different campaigns, here are the options Amazon is offering so far:
Product Detail Page Campaign
This campaign type drives traffic to your product’s detail page on Amazon. The video in the search ad unit would replace the primary product image and the headline text from the product detail page. It will look something like this:
Custom Landing Page Campaign
This campaign type drives traffic to your Amazon Store or a custom landing page located on Amazon. In order to use this campaign type you must have a custom image, headline, and a landing page URL for the product featured in the video ad. This ad will look like this:
What are the next steps?
First we suggest you check to see if you are apart of the beta program! You can check this out by pressing create a campaign within your advertising platform and selecting sponsored brand. Once you are in the sponsored brand section scroll down to see if video is under the ad format options.
Watch Jenna Lieber, our Director of Client Services discuss Amazon Live on this week’s Facebook Friday
Start streaming LIVE on Amazon!
Amazon Live is a live stream located in several locations on Amazon.com and the Amazon mobile app. The live streams can appear on the detail pages of the products belonging to your brand, as well as across various placements where Amazon shoppers browse. All live streams can be found on Amazon.com/Live and in the Amazon mobile app under ‘Amazon Live.’
Sellers can essentially use this feature to better connect with their customers through Amazon. There are multiple features within Amazon Live that will help you showcase your brand to drive sales!
This free feature is a way to connect with customers in real time. While these customers are watching a live stream they can see your products alongside the streaming player, shop your products with ease and also take advantage of any promotions you have to offer. You can talk to your customer directly while you are live streaming by answering questions or even asking for feedback.
Want to take this feature next level?
Brand owners are able to boost their Amazon Live through Amazon Advertising. This will get your live stream in front of more customers! Think of it as a way to offer video advertising without having to produce a brand new video.
In order to create an Amazon Live you use the Amazon Live Creator app, which is currently only available for iPhone through the App Store. Once you have created your Amazon Live it will be available on your channel for 48 hours for free!
So what are the next steps?
Our team would suggest you visit Amazon.com/live to see what other brands are doing for their lives, think of it as a competitor analysis. Once you have an idea of what live stream you would like to put together try it out for yourself and complete your first live!
Do you have videos on your Amazon product listing? If you are Brand Registered are not utilizing that capability, what are you waiting for? Using video to connect, educate, and explain about your product to a potential customer is an invaluable way to sell! It’s easy to sell your product to someone in person because they can touch it and ask you questions. However, on a sterile Amazon listing, it’s challenging to make your images and copy feel compelling. That’s why using the video slot on your listing is a critical component to any great Amazon listing. So whether you already have a video up and want to ensure you are making the most of that resource, or you’re looking to add video, let’s dive in on how and where to use videos on your Amazon listing the right way.
Make Sure Your Intro is Strong
How many times have you started a video and, within 3 seconds, you realize it’s going to be a snooze and you click out of it? That first impression is everything, so here are some tips for a strong introduction:
Make a connection with the viewer and establish a bond. Example: “Hi, If you are like me you already know a healthy breakfast is the best way to start your day…“
Establish that you/your spokesperson is in alignment with the viewer. You actually care about their wellbeing.
Show that you understand their problem and show them how your product is the solution. Don’t focus on talking about your brand too much. Customers just want you to solve their problems and make their life easier. Tell them how your product will do that.
Speak to Your Demographic
Is the tone you use, the models, the location all speaking directly to your target customer? As a mom of three, when I see supermodels with perfect bodies showcasing shapewear or a swimsuit, I feel a little insecure that the product isn’t truly made with me in mind.
Adding testimonials to your videos will give your customers the social proof they need that people like them also enjoyed your product. This greatly increases your conversion rate. Someone else talking about your product and edifying your product is more effective than you trying to convince someone about the value of the product that you are selling
Close Strong
Tell them what action to take: Example: “If you are ready to remove those unsightly skin blemishes, click the button below.”
We are big fans of really utilizing your assets to the highest degree. If you go to all the effort of making a video, you can use that video all over the place. On your website, in Facebook Ads, on Instagram… everywhere! When choosing which platform to run your video ads, choose your biggest competitors and see where their customers are most engaged and where their followers interact with them the most. When you are a newer seller without much data, learning from your competitors is huge.
In Episode 8 of the Playbook for Amazon Podcast, Jeff shares about three different kinds of videos you can make quickly and inexpensively. If you haven’t listened to that yet, we highly recommend you head over to check that out. But to piggyback on what he covers in that episode, here are some other options for videos.
