Do you find it extremely time-consuming managing your own fulfillment? Would you rather spend less time personally packing and shipping your products to buyers? Are you tired of paying hefty shipping rates to get your products into the buyer’s hands?
If you answered yes to all those questions, then Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) might be the right solution for you.
What is Amazon FBA?
Essentially, you’re responsible for selling the product, and Amazon is responsible for shipping the product.
After enrolling into FBA, sellers can start to take advantage of Amazon’s shipping and fulfillment services. From the sellers’ side, they are responsible for sending their inventory to an Amazon warehouse for storage. Once customers buy their product, Amazon will then pick, pack, ship, and track the order.
Why Amazon FBA?
- Avoids logistical nightmares by outsourcing the entire process to Amazon.
- Spend your dollars on advertising instead of hefty shipping fees.
- Let Amazon manage the customer service and returns that can sometimes be troublesome.
- Unlimited storage space rather than using your basement.
- Increase sales with the trusted “Fulfilled By Amazon” badge of approval in the buy box.
That all sounds great, doesn’t it? However, there are some important things to note.
- Amazon picks, packs, and ships your products so you don’t have to. But, that comes with a fulfillment fee, which is worth it as long as you’re still profitable.
- Storage fees can add up quickly depending on the size and weight of your inventory. So make sure your product moves!
- Strict guidelines to follow before preparing to ship your products to an Amazon warehouse. Although once you get the hang of it, it won’t be as difficult moving forward.
How To Succeed with Amazon FBA
So after you’ve decided to enroll in FBA and have everything set up, you need to make sure you’re primed (pun intended) for success.
Amazon favors sellers who always have inventory on hand, and can move products quickly. Make sure you’re regularly reviewing your Inventory Performance Index on Seller Central. Here, you can monitor the health of your inventory, and find recommendations that will ultimately help minimize costs, increase sales, and boost performance.
Amazon will also inform you when stock is low, and the recommended order quantity based on your sell-through history, to ensure you always have enough supply to meet the demand.
What if my products aren’t selling?
If your products aren’t moving, you can be racking up storage costs fairly quickly. To avoid this, Amazon provides recommendations on improving sell-through. This can include optimizing your product details, offering a discount, or creating a campaign to increase traffic.
When optimizing your products, be as detailed as possible. This means writing a descriptive headline and product description (this also helps with your SEO!), having at least 5 high-quality images, more than 15 reviews, and at least a 3.5-star rating. Sellers should also take advantage of Enhanced Brand Content which provides more visually appealing content on the product detail page, and enables you to showcase more of the product through better images and videos.
I need more reviews!
Amazon offers an Early Reviewer Program, which costs roughly $60 for 5 authentic, genuine reviews from verified buyers. The best part is, you’re not charged until you receive a review through the program. If you’re having trouble earning reviews, this may be a viable option.
![Amazon packing boxes](jpg/prime-linkedin-1020x5124663.jpg)
If you want to move forward with enrolling in Amazon FBA, nows the time to do it. With Prime Day proving that Amazon is a powerhouse, it's time to get your Amazon marketing and operations strategy up and running.