If you find a good Amazon agency it could pay real dividends
While the last few years have certainly been tumultuous, there have been some notable winners.
As many businesses stalled during the pandemic, internet giant Amazon, continued its march toward world ecommerce domination.
In the first quarter of 2020, Amazon recorded a staggering $75.5 billion in sales revenue.
Now is the time to find a good Amazon agency.
Click and connect
Across the globe, 2.6 million sellers and vendors are jostling for attention on Amazon; a number which grows by the day. With such a massive level of competition, gaining traction as a seller can be akin to trying to nail jelly to a wall and, it's easy to become disillusioned. So, how can a seller possibly gain a competitive edge? We’re glad you asked. The most effective way of achieving success as an Amazon vendor is by making use of a dedicated Amazon agency. An Amazon agency can help you gain an advantage in a number of ways:
- Product listing optimisation
- Operations strategy
- Amazon ads
- Amazon Creative including Amazon Enhanced Brand Content and Amazon A+ Content
A great Amazon agency will not only help you to improve your sales and ranking but will also lend a hand in shaping your brand. As with so many things, not all Amazon agencies are created equal so, how do I find a good amazon agency that's right one for my brand?
Finding the perfect partner
Every Amazon vendor has different goals and different requirements and it's important to find an Amazon agency that ticks all the right boxes. Before starting your search for a good Amazon agency, you’ll need to be able to answer the following questions:
- Which parts of your Amazon business pose the greatest challenge?
- Are your products listed on Seller Central, Vendor Central or both of these?
- How do you currently manage your channel?
- Which optimisation tools are you currently using?
- Which fulfilment methods are you currently using?
- Do you have a budget in mind for your Amazon advertising?
- How much do you usually invest per month in Amazon advertising?
Having the answers to these questions at the ready will help an agency to work out the best strategy and metrics to help you to grow your business. Now that you’ve done your bit, it's the agency’s turn - the following are the questions that you should be asking an agency - and the answers that you’ll be looking for:
Do you have relationships with key people across different areas of Amazon?
You’re looking for an agency that offers more than just Amazon advertising and so, the answer that you’re after is that the agency has touch points all across Amazon including inventory, pricing, third parties, brand registry and A+ Content.
Are you able to provide demonstrable experience and capabilities?
Your agency should be able to provide evidence of its capabilities in the form of tangible results for its clients. An agency who is reluctant to provide evidence may not have the kind of experience that you need in order to put your confidence in its abilities.
Which optimisation tools do you use to gain results?
Here, you’re looking for an agency who either uses the very latest technology for optimisation or, even has its own in-house optimisation and analysis tools.
How will you gauge the success of your brand on Amazon?
This is an important question as some Amazon agencies will focus solely on sales, whereas, you really want an agency who looks at profitability and zooms in on your brand’s entire presence rather than just ROAS/ACOS.
Do you have any questions about my business?
A proactive Amazon agency will be looking to glean as much information about your brand as possible in order to be able to create the right strategy. If an agency doesn’t have questions for you, this could be a red light in terms of commitment.
As an Amazon Vendor, finding an agency should never be a ‘quick fix’ but rather a long term partnership and, as such, is not a decision to be taken lightly. The above questions are a great template when starting your search and will help you to sort the wheat from the chaff when producing a short list of agencies for your brand. Additionally, it’s always a great idea to put in the legwork in terms of research; review sites, forums and groups on social media can be a great resource and will allow you to take advantage of the benefit of other sellers’ experiences.
