Anything can happen on the internet, and you’ve got to be prepared for the things that can go wrong with your brand on Amazon. Whether it’s plummeting sales to publishing the wrong advertisement on your socials, or worse, getting your account hacked, you’ll need an active protection program that safeguards confidential data for your business.
We’re here to help you secure the image you are trying to protect for your brand, which is why this article will discuss the common mistakes of online sellers on Amazon, and how you can shield your brand on Amazon against any threats on the internet. These are all proven steps that have worked as a guide for various digital marketers and business owners, so if you’re interested to learn more tips (whether as an experienced business owner or as a startup) then read on!
Common Problems in Every Brand on Amazon
There are indisputably many challenges when it comes to selling on Amazon. While committing mistakes is a common occurrence amongst online sellers, when it’s something unnecessary, you ought to avoid it as much as possible before it becomes a serious issue. Below are some tips to remedy the most common problems associated with selling on Amazon:
- Selling the most popular products does not equate to generating more revenue: Riding the bandwagon doesn’t always apply to the marketplace. Your objective should be to sell unique yet relevant merchandise to stand out.
- Focusing solely on running marketing operations on Amazon: This is an online selling mistake because specializations like paid social media marketing, SEO, and influencer marketing increase sales as well. The key is to expand your business in and out of Amazon.
- Running marketing campaigns during peak seasons only: You need to be consistent with your marketing strategies and value the off-season in the same regard as the peak season. What you can do during the off-season is to build brand awareness.
- Failing to align your Amazon strategy with your brand strategy: This happens when you have multiple platforms to promote your Amazon shop and you forget to synchronize what you publish. Let’s say you have a Christmas-inspired theme for a social banner, logo, and featured products. You need to update your Amazon shop, website, and other pages with the same holiday theme.
- Having non-compliant claims in your product listings: Avoid having misleading or inaccurate information in your product listings and provide comprehensive details through your product descriptions. You need to ensure that your customers receive what was advertised on your Amazon shop, otherwise, you’ll need an Amazon suspension guide since false advertising is a marketing violation.
- Poorly managing your business inventory: Many online sellers tend to forget that storing products in a warehouse for an extended period has additional costs. This steals away opportunities to use the money from long-term storage (LTS) charges for profit-making. Poorly managing your inventory also includes keeping your products out of stock since it harms your brand’s marketing performance.
- Failing to understand profit margins on Amazon: Keep in mind that selling on Amazon is nothing like traditional retail. Do your research on profit margins and conduct an assessment of your business’s progression or direction.
How to Protect Your Brand on Amazon
Now that you know how to protect your brand from the most common human errors, let’s talk about more advanced mechanisms to keep your brand safe from external threats. We’ve listed five protective strategies that are continually being used by the most successful brands on Amazon. Check out what these strategies are and why they work so well.
- Promptly resolve issues related to unauthorized selling: Trademarks do not always work against counterfeiters so you need to work hand in hand with an Amazon selling solutions specialist. This professional’s expertise is anchored on directly contacting the Amazon system and suspending the unauthorized seller.
- Apply for the Amazon Brand Registry program: This is an easy program to enroll in and the entire process itself is mandated by one of Amazon’s core teams. By enrolling in this program, your brand’s safety is guaranteed and unauthorized sellers are immediately taken care of.
- Ensure that your brand identity is kept in front and center: To claim ownership of your brand, you need to be public about it through postings and other marketing strategies. If you don’t know this yet, under the Amazon Brand Registry program, your brand name or logo gets printed on your product packaging to increase visibility.
- Map out policies for all your distributor contacts: Have an agreement with your distributors, resellers, and retailers as to who may sell your products elsewhere. Put everything on paper in the form of reselling contracts, serialization documents, and so on. Maintain a sense of transparency across your business transactions.
- Publish a product listing with an official sticker: This is what most customers on Amazon look for: an authenticity label to guarantee that they are not paying for counterfeits. This isn’t free, however, and If you’re looking for a way to afford this feature, we suggest taking a look at our eCommerce budgeting tips.
There are various ways to protect your brand on Amazon regardless of the threats and barriers. The real question is how and when you’ll act on these improvements.
Did you learn anything new about brand protection practices on Amazon? Let us know what you think by commenting below!