Posted on September 6, 2021 by admin
Sales on the world’s largest online marketplace exploded during the Covid pandemic. Amazon recorded record performance for 2020, with sales up 38% to reach a jaw-dropping $386 billion.
These results probably aren’t too surprising, given that most commercial businesses were forced to close in-person shopping. However, as we turn the corner on the pandemic, shoppers love affair with Amazon shows no signs of slowing down. Amazon’s second quarter sales were up 27% to a Q2 record of $113 billion.
But as Amazon’s performance continues to grow, so does the competition. Amazon pulled in more than 1.3 million new sellers in 2020 alone, with Amazon.com and Amazon.in accounting for roughly 26% of new marketplace retailers. There are now close to 10 million sellers on Amazon, and getting the exposure your business needs to thrive has never been more challenging.
The key to improving your ranking within the Amazon marketplace is understanding how the marketplace’s A9 search algorithm filters results. This complex algorithm has been adapted over the years and is now not only responsible for SERPs but also decides which listing will be featured, which will get “Buy Boxes,” and those that will appear as “Amazon Choice” results.
There are three factors sellers should optimize to increase their position and gain special status.
Visibility
For your listing to stand out from the competition, your products need to be easier to find. But unlike other ranking criteria, you have a great deal of control over how to optimize your visibility within the marketplace by simply providing enough information to help the search algorithms find you.
Factors that influence where your listing will appear in search results include your title, product description, availability, price, and sales history. Ensure your profile is as complete as possible for the best search results.
Relevance
How relevant a search result is one of the most important A9 criteria. Amazon isn’t only interested in clicks; they want to know what consumers are buying based on a given search term. Optimizing your page with as many relevant keywords as possible can help you draw in traffic; however, it is crucial to ensure that your keywords are, in fact, applicable to a particular search.
Unlike the Google search algorithm, Amazons’ algorithm uses consumer behaviour after visiting your listing as part of its basis of relevancy. If you are pumping your page full of unrelated keywords in the hope of driving traffic, but no one is buying, you may be doing more harm than good.
Conversions
Your conversion rates will directly influence your ranking in the Amazon marketplace. Listings with higher conversions for their targeted keywords will rank higher than those with lower conversion rates. So once again, the quality, accuracy and comprehensiveness of your content are crucial to your placement in Amazon SERPs.
Win the Buy Box
Do all of this, and you may become eligible for the Amazon “Buy Box.” This box appears to the right of your product listing and can help increase your sales by making buying easier. When multiple sellers offer the same product, the buy box will rotate between sellers until one outranks the other and “wins” the buy box.
To qualify, your business must have an Amazon professional account. Your order defects, cancellations, and late shipment rate will be considered – the better your performance across these metrics and the higher your visibility, the better your chances.
Thankfully there are ways to increase your listing exposure on Amazon and sell more. Here are strategies to help make it happen.
Optimize with SEO
A great product description and enticing call to action alone will not be enough to gain page one status on the marketplace; you need to optimize your listing with SEO. Search engine optimization will help you drive traffic both internally from the marketplace and externally from web searches.
Search algorithms have become much more adept at understanding the user intent behind online searches, so it’s crucial to choose your keywords carefully and consider the way a user might phrase a search.
Buy Sponsored Product Ads
As powerful a tool as SEO is, it cannot do all the work on its own. Other ranking factors like products rating, sales history, and price will also factor into your ranking. Purchasing a sponsored ad will place your listing higher in search results and could provide the boost in sales you need. Sponsored sellers only pay when a user clicks on their listing, so the potential promotion payoff is high.
Keep your users informed and build your brand reputation by regularly posting informative, helpful content to your social media accounts and include links to your Amazon listing as an indirect way to attract more attention.
Monitor the Competition
As always, keep a close eye on what your competitors are doing in the marketplace. To attract more customers, your product needs to win in three areas: price, presentation, and performance.
Shoppers are always looking for the best deal, so make sure you’re priced lower than comparable products. Consumers online are always very visual – they have to be – so don’t neglect your product presentation. Include many high-quality images and accurate, detailed descriptions.
If your keywords are not driving traffic or traffic isn’t translating into sales, carefully examine your content and keywords and compare it to that of higher-ranking sellers in your space. You may find that a few simple adjustments could have a significant impact on your ranking.
Maintain Your Ratings
The importance of your product and seller ratings cannot be underestimated. It’s essential to your ranking and directly influences your sales since over 90% of online shoppers read reviews and consider product and seller ratings when making purchasing decisions. On the Amazon marketplace, you need to closely monitor your product rating, shipping rating, and seller rating.
To eliminate any disappointed buyers and avoid excessive returns, ensure your product descriptions are accurate and representative of the product. Address issues quickly and professionally, and personally reach out to dissatisfied customers. If negative feedback has been left, leave a reply so that other potential buyers can observe your high level of customer service.
Strong shipping performance is not only important to client satisfaction, but it is also a metric Amazon considers for listing rankings. Many high-ranking sellers choose to use Amazon Fulfillment for their orders and also maintain inventory management software.
Despite the intense competition, most sales on the Amazon marketplace are actually owned by a very small fraction of retailers. Using these tactics, your listing can be one of the few to break into the category of successful Amazon sellers.
Are you looking to supercharge your Amazon marketplace strategy? If you need help boost your ranking, driving more traffic to your listing, and increase conversions, We can make it happen.