Are you trying to figure out the best way to increase your online sales? The solution is a lot easier than you may think: just make your product available on Amazon. In doing this, you will see a significant increase in your revenue within just a few months!
Amazon is the largest online marketplace. Known mainly for selling books and music, Amazon also sells furniture, tools, hobby items and almost anything you can think of selling yourself! It’s basically a boundless online mall that attracts approximately 85 million shoppers to their website. So if you’re operating an eCommerce business and are not currently selling on Amazon, you might be missing out on doubling your revenue.
Address the Problem
It is a mistake to assume that your product serves a certain niche in the marketplace that most Amazon shoppers might not be interested in. For instance, a business that sells auto parts on their website might not see the value of offering their brake pads on Amazon. The truth is, there are many independent mechanics that shop online for their auto parts.
They might be looking for other replacement parts but discover that this particular company has a great deal on brake pads, which influences them to make a purchase. Simply by making the product available, paired with Amazon’s premium eCommerce services, this business has made a profit and maybe even gained a recurring customer if the purchasing transaction is executed flawlessly.
Find an Opportunity at Your Disposal
The benefits of pairing up with Amazon work especially well with businesses that cater to a certain product that may not appeal to the masses. Consumers typically use a search engine or ‘Google’ the product that they are looking for. Bigger businesses will have already paid to make sure that their name appears as one of the top search results. Smaller businesses might appear on the third or fourth page.
It is highly unlikely that shoppers will browse past the first page of any search engine result. Your business might not be one of the top listings in a search engine result, but your product can definitely have more visibility online in an Amazon store, and that might even be better.
Having the ability to strategically place your products online, going head-to-head with top competitors actually levels the playing field for all businesses, big and small. Amazon shoppers are typically more interested in the product itself more than in the actual business, as they tend to trust that since Amazon is selling the product, the business itself is in good standing.
Think Big and Simple
Those who have already made the smart investment of offering their products through Amazon might find themselves juggling to fill orders placed through both online stores. Most eCommerce sites that also sell through Amazon may have 50 products or less posted. The problem that businesses will most likely face when selling from their website and Amazon, is filling orders and managing inventory. It will feel like you are operating two separate businesses since money for the same product is streaming in from two separate sites.
Now, if you are recurring up to 20 orders a day and selling up to 100 products, it’s going to be an easy process to handle on Amazon’s administration. This is especially true for products that do not change.
For example, magazines will have an updated publication every week, month, or quarter. Clothing stores may change their seasonal inventory. On the other hand, a hardware store will sell a hammer… and a hammer is just a hammer—no change there! However, it is worth noting that if the amount of whatever you are selling ranges from 100-1,000, then it might be time to consider integrating your own eCommerce with Amazon. This will provide you with the profitable business solution of keeping your orders and inventory in one master.
So why would you want to integrate your Amazon orders with your Volusion store? To begin with, it’ll save you time and money… and yes, there’s more to that! The following are some other correlating reasons worth considering:
- Efficiently Process Your Orders. In the morning, rather than having to use two admins (Volusion and Amazon) when you’re ready to start processing your orders, you can just use one admin and one batching process. This will basically streamline your ordering process for that particular day and ultimately save a lot of time. You won’t have to waste time handling a group of tasks that can be prepared under one quick process, and you can save money by not having to hire additional warehouse personnel.
- Minimize the Room for Error. Due to the the fact that your inventory is updated from your master location, you can eliminate the risk of selling an item you don’t have on stock on either Amazon or your website. So it’s a win-win situation for both you and your customers. Nothing is more frustrating to a client who’s excited about an order they placed to later find out their desired item is not available. Not to mention that this error would cause negative reviews, which would in turn destroy your Amazon reputation. By having an accurate inventory, you can maintain customer satisfaction.
- Keep Track of All Your Orders. When you log into Volusion or Magento admin, you will be able to see all your website and Amazon orders in real time. Being able to track all your orders at the right time, can save you from having to deal with transaction hindrances, such as missing an order or not answering to a request in due time.
- Enhance Your Shipping Operation and Get Better Customer Reviews. As mentioned above, customer satisfaction is key. If a customer is given a delivery time of 5-7 business days, for instance, and it happens to take longer for them to receive their order, that can result in a bad review for your company. An unhappy customer will make for an unhappy business, as bad reviews and unsatisfied customers can lead to a high drop in revenue.
By using one simple process, you can make sure that estimated times of arrival are more accurate and your money as well as your products are going where they should be. In addition to the aforementioned, it’s essential that the new products you get in stock be listed automatically on Amazon based on a set logic condition. This will easily list your new products on Amazon without requiring any additional manual labor.
If you know you’ll be receiving 10 new products for your website, for instance, they will simultaneously be listed on Amazon automatically. This will completely eradicate double data entry, which will again save you time by not having to scrutinize the availability of new products.
Push Your Products from Volusion or Magento to Amazon
You may feel like you’re on information overload and be second-guessing whether this process would work for your business, but the reality is, having such an easy integration procedure on-hand isn’t difficult. At Optimum7, we have implemented this specific solution for numerous satisfied clients.
With our years of experience in eCommerce, our experts have tested, and continue to test different ways to enhance our customers’ online store platforms. This particular integration procedure has proven to result in increased sales, efficiency, and a more accurate shipping operation. So don’t delay putting your business’s reputation ahead of the competition. Contact us today to find out more on how to get the most out of your eCommerce structure.
