Amazon Guide: 10 Do's and Dont's for Amazon Sellers

One of the biggest mistakes new Amazon sellers make is launching an almost identical product into a market. If a customer is going to choose between a new product and essentially the same thing with better reviews, they’ll go for the latter.

So, before you start selling, do some market research. Look at the reviews for similar products and see what customers didn’t like. Use this to inform your product description, selling points and, of course, the product itself.

Professional photography is a must on your Amazon listings. Amazon has photo requirements, so start with these. Make sure you add lifestyle pictures, too.

One of the best Amazon selling tips is to hire a professional photographer. Sure, it might seem expensive, but the difference it makes to your product’s professionalism is worth the money.

This is one of those age-old vague statements that’s easy to overlook. However, a cornerstone to any Amazon business is showing customers what your product will do for them.

State the product’s benefits for the consumer so they can imagine themselves using it. One of the easiest ways to do this is with A+ content if you have access to it.

Any Amazon guide will tell you to use keywords. Finding them out is one thing, but implementing them effectively is another thing entirely. One of the biggest Amazon mistakes is to chuck some keywords in the product title and call it a day.

You have got so many other opportunities for keywords, such as product features, back-end search terms, the product description, and more. Do your research and implement a coherent keyword strategy to make the most of this effective tool.

Keywords also help with PPC campaigns, which can be a useful way to test which work best for you. Set up different PPC campaigns using different keywords and review which ones generate the most impact. You can then add these to your listing.

Keywords and storytelling are important, but so is great, readable content. During your product research, you might have noticed listings with content that fills a space and doesn’t do much more.

Do not be that kind of Amazon seller. Everything on your listing should add value and answer customer questions. The more you can say, the fewer reasons your customers will have to not buy your product.

If you are an FBA seller, it can be tempting to bulk up your inventory for more efficient selling. But this can be one of the most expensive Amazon mistakes because you need to pay for the storage of excess inventory.

A better option is to use effective forecasting models and sales estimates. You will have plenty of data, so do something with it. It’s generally better practice to adapt to demand rather than excess inventory.

This is probably one of the most obvious Amazon selling tips. Amazon has a Terms of Service agreement and breaking rules can be expensive or get your account suspended.

Sure, you might make the occasional mistake, and that is usually fine. If it was something minor and unintentional, Amazon can be lenient. But if you knowingly and repeatedly break the rules, they’ll shut down your account, removing a major revenue stream.

Reviews are one of the most important tools in an Amazon seller’s inventory. Customers use previous reviews to gauge a product’s relevance – they influence 92 percent of customers into making a purchase.

Make sure you create a plan for getting early reviews, and for continuing a strong review pattern moving forward. Remember, you can’t be pushy, and Amazon has plenty of guidelines for how you ask for reviews. However, it’s worth devoting your time to developing a review strategy because they can make or break an Amazon listing.

We have touched on a few of these points so far in this Amazon guide, but it is so important that it deserves its own. Do not underestimate the power of effective listing optimisation.

Amazon is, after all, a search engine for products. Therefore, optimisation should be at the heart of everything you do if you want to be seen. We can break it down into different areas, including photography, keywords, titles, written content, and Store Fronts. Everything on your product listing should help Amazon understand what it is and why it is relevant to your potential customers.