3 Must Have Tools for Amazon (FBA) Start-ups

FBA or “fulfilled by Amazon” is a growingly popular and profitable medium for online marketers and entrepreneurs. With the ease of access and the previous knowledge of search engines, many online marketers have taken it upon themselves to set-up an Amazon business and profit from these products without even seeing them.

Starting a business utilising FBA is a lot like starting any other business, you need to solve a need with your product or service. Amazon is just the platform that allows you to do this. So although all of these tools will aid you when it comes to having a profitable Amazon business, it’s important to remember the back-end of your business, such as your corporate website, social profiles and customer service. This is what will create repeat customers and selling to the same people is where extremely successful businesses are created.

Below are the 3 must-have tools for anyone looking to create a long-term profitable business with Amazon.

1.) Zonblast

Amazon’s ranking algorithm (unlike Google) is based on the number of sales a particular product makes. This means that when you initially add a product, you will be at the bottom of the search volumes with 0 sales, this will also be the case for all related product search terms. Regardless of your on-page optimisation on the product page.

This means you have 1 of 3 options. The 1^st is you can rely on people scrolling to the bottom of the search results and purchasing your products, which is obviously highly unlikely. The 2nd option is to generate sales through the Amazon ad network or personal contacts (AKA paid marketing and a manual product launch) although effective, this can be extremely difficult if you don’t already have a following. Or 3^rd you can utilise a service like Zonblast which helps kick-start your business with a product launch.

Zonblast is a tool that creates a semi-realistic “launch” for your product. You provide the company with a discount code for your product, and in return you receive hundreds of sales, which not only help kick start your business but also help to generate you positive reviews and hence boost your ranking inside the Amazon search engine itself.

Pros:

• One of the most effective ways to get quick sales through Amazon.
• Improved sales leads to improved rankings (and hence more sales.)
• Generates your product a number of positive reviews.

Cons:

• Currently only offered to customers in the US.
• Can be expensive at $400-$800 per product.
• Usually requires a discount code from the vendor, hence cutting profit margins drastically.

2.) Merchant Words

Similar to the Google Keyword planner, merchant words shows the total number of searches inside the Amazon search engine itself. The search volumes are based on individuals searching in Amazon.com solely and no other country specific Amazon sites. Although the majority of country specific data can be calculated by using general traffic ratios and applying the US data to your specific country.

This is the go-to tool for Amazon keyword research and should be used when writing your copy to discover new keywords as well as longer tail variations you may have forgotten. Unlike Google, Amazon’s search engine is based on sale volumes and hence including a keyword once in your description, bullet points OR title will lead to your product appearing in the search results for this term, and hence including a few extra keywords can lead to hundreds of extra sales that could have been lost otherwise.

Pros:

• Initial trials are free (5 searches maximum), after this pricing comes in at $30 per month.
• Can sort by search volume as well as refining into long tail keyword data.

Cons:

• Only pulls keyword data and search volumes from Amazon.com and hence only relevant to the US market. Although after speaking to a Merchant Words representative, they are looking to create UK and European specific services in the next 12 months.

3.) EmailOctopus

EmailOctopus is an online software that allows you to store and send emails to individuals who have purchased your Amazon products. Unlike competitors such as Aweber or Mailchimp, EmailOctopus doesn’t require any verification, all aspects are connected with Amazon SES, which makes the entire email marketing process more streamlined and very beginner friendly. Set-up takes less than 10 minutes and you can add contacts manually where needed, all without a verification process.

This makes email marketing a breeze for anyone who sells through Amazon, especially if you have your products fulfilled by Amazon. On top of the easy to use features, EmailOctopus is free up to 2500 contacts and above 2500 contacts remains cheaper by 90% compared to the next leading competitor.

Storing the emails and contact information of previous customers allows you to continue to sell to the individuals who have already purchased from your company and who are more likely to buy from you again.

Pros:

• Extremely simple to use and start up. You can send your first email within 10 minutes of signing up.
• Pulls all data and information straight from Amazon SES, meaning no tedious data entry or code integration, although manual entry options are also available, meaning you can be as hands on or hands off as you like.
• Fully automated set-up and 100% manual support. If you have any issues in set-up, simply contact us and we will take care of it for you.
• 100% free up to 2500 contacts and extremely cheap thereafter. No other company in the industry can compete on these price levels.

If you are looking to have a long-term sustainable business utilising the Amazon search engine and the FBA platform, I highly recommend these softwares. The initial prices are minimal but the profit they will generate for you months and years down the line will be worth thousands to your business, if not millions.

Thanks for reading.