It goes without saying that Amazon is the undisputed king of e-commerce. The platform is currently taking almost half of the e-commerce market.
There are many good reasons to seek website sales from Amazon. The platform provides access to more than 300 million users worldwide. You’re selling on a website that has a good reputation and that consumers trust.
When people shop from your Amazon store, they’re not really your customers. They belong to Amazon. While there are definitely a lot of benefits, however, there are also some disadvantages that come your way.
This comes with many drawbacks. First, you lack control and must comply with the company’s rules. If Amazon decides to drop you, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.
Second, not owning the customer means you can’t communicate with them. Upsell them. Find additional ways to add value and interact with them.
While we aren’t discouraging you from selling on Amazon, what we do recommend is that you have a strategy for directing Amazon customers to your store – without breaking any rules.
So, without further ado, here are the best tactics you can use on Amazon to get more sales on your own website:
5 Tips for Success
1. Sell Product Bundles on Amazon While Offering Individual Products on Your Website
A great way to combine the best of both worlds is to offer bundles on Amazon but make individual products only available on your website.
For example, let’s say that you’re a company that sells razor blades and shaving accessories for men. On Amazon, you could sell bundles that consist of blades, cream, and gel.
If the customer wants to buy one of the products individually, such as the razor blade, they must go directly to your website.
2. Make Your Username on Amazon Your Website Name
A simple way of driving more traffic to your website via Amazon is to make your username on the platform the same as on your website.
For example, your website’s name is “coolsocks.com.” You can use the same name for your Amazon username if available. If not, you should do your best to make sure your username approximately resembles it.
Along with making the username the same, make sure to frequently refer to your company’s name on your Amazon profile’s different pages. That way, if the customer were to research your name on Google, they’ll easily land on your website.
3. Include Inserts into Your Amazon Package
It’s worth noting that Amazon has strict rules against inviting customers to visit other sites. However, there’s still a way you can get around this while remaining compliant with Amazon.
As part of your package, for example, you can include a thank you note with some info that connects the buyer with your customer service team.
Another tactic you can use is to encourage customers to register their products on your website. When doing this, however, don’t give a direct link to your store. Instead, create a separate landing page and link to it on your card.
If you link directly to your website, Amazon can close your business on its platform. You can always include a link to your home page on the product registration site.
4. Encourage Customers to Follow You on Social Media
As an e-commerce business, you’re likely marketing your brand on social media. While you can’t link Amazon customers to other sales channels, you can still invite them to follow and like your business on social.
For example, you can include your Instagram or Twitter username on your package. Even better, if branding is part of your packaging strategy, you can encourage customers to share a picture of their box on social media.
To get the best results with this tactic, you want first to make sure that your social media pages are on point. Check out our blog post on how e-commerce brands can get the most out of social media.
5. Use Amazon Buyer Data to Run Facebook Ads
Amazon’s platform comes with buyer data that shows you which type of customer has purchased from you before. Brands can use the same data to run Facebook ads for their target audience and win more sales on their website.
With Custom Audiences, you can target users with similar demographics. As a result, you’ll be reaching people with the same interests and attributes as your Amazon buyers.
Wrapping Things Up
Directing your Amazon customers to your website can be like walking through a minefield. A straightforward misstep and boom, Amazon could take down your store in a second. With these five tactics above, however, you can still get the best of both worlds and leverage website sales from Amazon for your site.