Recently, we worked with a large retailer who were looking to regain control and increase their presence online. While they had a strong reputation offline, they were seeing little success on Amazon.
We’ve seen this happen quite frequently over the years – where established high street brands face setbacks as they diversify sales channels. Not only does selling on the Amazon marketplace stretch any existing resources, but many brands struggle to adapt to Amazon’s fast-paced e-commerce model.
For this particular client, we noticed a lack of control over listings, some issues with inconsistent branding, poor customer service compared to what they offer offline, and a fragmented sales process.
As an experienced Amazon agency specialising in helping businesses unlock marketplace growth potential, we knew that we needed an integrated strategy to bring the brand to life on the platform. The client saw 100% sales growth within the first month after bringing our team onboard.
Read on for a summary of how we achieved our goals!
Early on in our partnership, we took a deep dive into the inner workings of the business so we could understand the problems. Although the brand performed well offline, there were a number of issues that were setting them up for failure on Amazon.
These were the main challenges:
Over the years, the business had accrued various distributors. This led to the products being represented inconsistently across different sales channels, websites and platforms. There was nothing in place to ensure product listing consistency (such as product titles, product descriptions and product imagery).
In order for brands to be successful on Amazon, they must have consistent product listings. Doing so helps to build customer trust and brand credibility, while also improving search performance.
Not only were the listings inconsistent, but many of them had inaccurate or missing information too. This negatively impacted the customer experience and made it hard for traffic to convert into sales. When product information isn’t clear, it can lead to customer confusion – and a loss of customer trust as a result.
There was also a lack of cohesive branding within the listings. We found no real brand story that customers could feel any emotional connection to. Plus, no inspiring imagery to bring the brand to life.
Research indicates that high-quality imagery is important because it increases customer trust and boosts conversion, while improving product visibility in Amazon’s search rankings. Furthermore, when branding isn’t unified, it can also make Amazon a difficult channel to scale so it was crucial to get this nailed without delay.
Additionally, we noticed that there was a fragmented process to the client’s pricing and a lack of Buy Box control. Not winning the Buy Box is usually down to poor seller performance metrics, so we knew we had to successfully lift sales figures.
With multiple sellers competing in the same categories, fragmented pricing meant that there was an inconsistent customer experience too, which did nothing for building loyalty. When categories are highly competitive, customers can simply shop somewhere else next time!
Making it even harder to gain visibility was having no real strategy in place for paid ads. As a result, the client’s products were hard for customers to find. Without an Amazon PPC strategy, brands cannot increase their product discoverability.
On top of these key issues, there was also the fact that, like many traditional retailers, there was no dedicated in-house team to drive this channel. The Amazon model works differently from typical e-commerce, requiring specialist skills such as product listing optimisation, ads management for cost-efficient ACOS, and competitive insights and analysis.
After conducting a full audit of the business, we came up with a number of solutions to help our client regain control and increase sales. These solutions were implemented by our specialist team who have many years of experience turning Amazon seller accounts around.
This is what we did to help our client see success on Amazon:
Through enrolling on Amazon’s Brand Registry, we were able to regain official ownership of all listings, protecting all products that fall under the brand. This helps to safeguard the business from counterfeit products and Amazon provides tools to detect any suspected IP infringement.
Furthermore, by giving brands better control over how their products appear on the marketplace, it’s possible to have greater listing authority.
We also enrolled the client’s brand onto the Transparency Program, which is designed to ensure authenticity for sellers and their customers. This program proactively blocks unauthorised third-party sellers from FBA, while ensuring the brand maintains consistent Buy Box control.
Amazon features case studies that show the efficacy of Transparency, with many sellers reporting a significant increase in sales. So we knew this was a vital step in optimising our client’s account.
Another key step we took was streamlining our client’s catalogue by tweaking the structure, and also optimising product listings for increased ranking potential. Our team fixed errors, corrected inaccuracies, added important product information, and conducted thorough keyword research to make sure every listing was optimised effectively.
This approach was engineered to increase visibility and product discoverability, helping the retailer get seen within competitive categories.
To achieve consistency for the brand and make the business more scalable, we focused on making content shine. We did this by building consistent, on-brand and engaging product details pages, adding high-quality main and secondary images with the power to inspire and convert, and designing brand story content to show customers why this brand was different and unique.
Finally, we looked at the current PPC efforts and crafted a carefully considered strategy to elevate the retailer in its core categories. Our tactics included implementing target campaigns and leveraging Buy Box control, transforming listings so they appeared at the top of Amazon search results, and boosting conversion through optimisation.
It wasn’t before long that we saw a turnaround in sales. Very quickly, we were able to achieve greater visibility on the marketplace and successfully turn traffic into meaningful conversions. In addition to an impressive sales increase, we were also able to gain some longer-term wins, which will indeed set our client up for growth and scalability in the future. Here are some of the wins we had:
To our client’s delight, we were able to deliver tangible and measurable results very quickly in the optimisation journey. In the first month alone, the retail business had a 100% increase in sales.
In addition to the immediate sales growth, we also helped the business develop a much more effective brand presence on Amazon. This is important for Amazon sellers – even established brands that have performed on the other channels – because the Amazon model is highly competitive.
Consistent visuals, messaging and pricing ensured that the brand was getting noticed for the right reasons, growing trust within the shopping community – and ultimately, this is what leads to customer loyalty and repeat sales.
With accurate product information, helpful content that answered customer questions, and consistent branding, we were also able to enhance customer trust. The customer experience and journey matters on Amazon because there is so much competition that shoppers can easily jump ship. When product information aligns more accurately with the product itself, this creates a space for positive reviews.
An increase in sales is the dream. But actually, what we really want to achieve for clients is long-term growth. When we first partnered with the retailer, we noticed that they lacked control over how their products were being represented on different channels, due to having multiple distributors and no brand guidelines in place for resellers.
Our goal was to make their Amazon brand work a gold standard for other areas of their business too. We created consistent branding, including an emotive brand story, and helped them regain control over distribution and Buy Box ownership on the marketplace.
One of the most important takeaways for clients with similar stories to this one is being able to adapt to the Amazon e-commerce model. It works differently to other e-commerce models in the fact that it is highly competitive and very price focused – often with price wars.
The aggressive pricing competition means that sellers must make their brand and their listings stand out. Just because a brand performs well offline or on their own retail site doesn’t mean they will be able to navigate the Amazon sales channel effectively.
Here are some learnings that every retail business can take from our case study:
Amazon is highly lucrative, but only for brands that are visible and searchable. When you work with our agency, we will prioritise optimisation activities on getting your products at the top of search results. We also know Buy Box control is critical for simplifying the buying process for prospective customers and gaining an edge over competitors. The Buy Box also boosts performance of paid ads, so these areas will work together for better overall results.
Make sure you take advantage of the Brand Registry and the Transparency Program as enrolling on these will safeguard your brand from rogue sellers and counterfeits. We know that reviews matter – high-volume positive reviews not only boost click-throughs and improve customer experience, but they can enhance ranking capabilities. And when you protect your brand reputation with the tools available, you can encourage more positive reviews from customers.
Our expert content team can conduct keyword research and optimise your listings for SEO. Together with cohesive branding, this approach will attract relevant traffic to your listings and directly drive higher conversions.
Clear, compelling language can inspire customers into buying your product. The right words and information build trust, enhance customer experience, improve brand awareness, and can even potentially lower advertising costs.
For retailers that are looking to drive exponential growth, or for brands that want easy scalability on the Amazon platform, we always recommend an integrated strategy.
For long-term success, it’s vital to develop a comprehensive plan, combining multiple activities into a unified operation. We believe in a multi-pronged approach to maximise results, including catalogue streamlining, important branding activities, listing optimisation and enhancement, as well as paid ads.
Are you looking to boost sales and nurture your bottom line on Amazon? If you’re a retailer who is having decent offline success, but you’re struggling to get the same results on Amazon, we can help you diversify your sales channels more effectively.
Seller Presto has years of experience working with Amazon sellers, growing revenues through optimisation and paid ads. Our ad experts can fully manage your ad campaigns, with a focus on delivering cost-efficient ACOS and better ROAS (Return On Ad Spend). While our Amazon writers work behind the scenes to create keyword-rich copy with our listing creation and optimisation services.
This case study is a great example of how a retail business can quickly see success, going from fragmented chaos to controlled, profitable growth.
If you’re a retail brand facing similar challenges, get in touch with Seller Presto today. We can provide Amazon consultation to help you strategize, and we can also provide complete Amazon account management for business owners who lack the in-house skills and resource.
Ready to chat? If your brand is losing control on Amazon, we can help you take it back – and grow your sales. Call 01642 054694, email info@sellerpresto.com or drop us a message using our online contact form.
If you want to unlock your Amazon growth potential but simply don’t have the time, Seller Presto can manage your entire Amazon operations. Get in touch to find out how we can transform your product sales today.