How Your Brand is Affected by Amazon

In today’s constantly evolving, post-apocalyptic retail industry, every brand has heard in some shape or form about both the perils and opportunities of e-commerce. We’ve talked at length about how Amazon plays a pivotal role in this new industry. Even if your brand is not selling on the platform, you’re still affected by the online behemoth. With over 100 million households paying for Amazon Prime, it’s become alarmingly clear that the long-term ‘winner’ in this industry is the Amazon marketplace, and brands that sell their products on the platform are in the perfect position to succeed. Below are a few ways brands are affected by Amazon, whether they’re currently selling on the platform or not:

Increased Opportunities

If you’re not leveraging the Amazon marketplace, let’s get this out there – you’re missing out on sales. With a huge portion of today’s population buying everything from plants to dish soap to clothing on Amazon, brands who don’t have a presence on the platform are severely missing out. Amazon will account for almost 50% of all online purchases by the year 2021. It doesn’t matter If you’re just thinking about stepping into the e-commerce space or if you’re an established online seller, remember that if your products aren’t on Amazon, then you’re going to miss critical sales opportunities.

Luckily, Amazon makes it easy to get up and running as a seller — as long as the brand has the time and resources available to go through the many steps in the process. Selling on Amazon is a world of its own, which is why many small and mid-size brands are so wary. In the end, however, the benefits definitely outweigh the risks.    

Reduced Fraud Risk

One negative retail trend that has grown out of the Amazon era is fraudulent sellers and vendors. Even if a brand is not selling on Amazon, its products are likely to end up there anyways through grey market distributors or even through Amazon itself. Without any brand integrity behind products, these sellers can list products for wildly different prices (both too high and too low), misrepresent product details and descriptions, and post incorrect or skewed photographs — all which can lower product reviews and ratings and influence the credibility of your brand.

Selling on Amazon recaptures your brand integrity and reduces the risk of any fraudulent listings or sellers. While some brands are cautious of taking the time to develop detailed online selling strategies, many work with a single partner third party seller to handle all aspects of the Amazon selling process. This way, the brand doesn’t have to worry about any of the minute details but can rest assured that it’s completely protected and safe when it comes to online representation.

Grow your Audience

 When it comes to growing an online audience, spreading brand messaging, and increasing visibility in the marketplace, there is no better platform than Amazon. According to BloomReach, 55% of product searches start on Amazon, while only 28% start on search engines like Google. This means more than half of all Americans learn about new products, brands, and buying opportunities while they’re already on a full-service e-commerce platform. Brands who aren’t on Amazon are missing out both on the sales and the brand opportunity afforded by the sheer size of the Amazon audience.

Take Advantage of the Amazon Experience

 A successful Amazon strategy depends on whether or not you own your brand presence at every step of the selling process. This can take a substantial amount of time and energy, which is why third party sellers are so valuable to brands looking to grow a profitable, values-based Amazon footprint without putting the necessary overhead or resources into the process. Let SupplyKick help your brand build a winning presence on Amazon – learn more today.