Selling is easy on Amazon. It’s making money from selling that’s the tricky part.
Although your products have visibility on one of the most recognizable e-commerce brands in the world, so do millions of other products. To cut through the competition, you need the power of branding.
Why Is it Important to Have a Recognizable Brand?
Whether you need to know how to sell on Amazon UAE or the US, branding gives your business a competitive edge. A strong brand differentiates your products from millions of others that are similar.
Customers immediately associate your business with a proposition that appeals to them: “Shave time. Shave money” (Dollar Shave Club); “Think different.” (Apple), and “Earth’s biggest selection.” (Amazon). With a clear value proposition, your business stands out.
A recognizable brand also builds customer loyalty, which is more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. An improvement in customer retention by 5% creates a profit increase of 25% to 95%. When you sell to existing customers, the success rate is 60% to 70% whereas selling to new customers yields a 5% to 20% success rate.
A powerful brand allows your business to make the most of investments in advertising and marketing strategies, like SEO, content marketing, and Amazon advertising in the UAE or the US.
Building Your Brand on Amazon
The three critical aspects of branding on Amazon are: selling a profitable product, knowing your audience, and developing a compelling brand story.
Your brand will ultimately be measured by the kind of products you sell.
What’s your product?
Other than making sure you’ve chosen a product that has a market or is in great demand, be aware of the limitations or requirements that will determine whether it’s easy to sell.
Some concerns to address include:
- Is it seasonal? (e.g., Christmas ornaments, Halloween costumes, etc.)
- Is it regulated? (e.g., baby products, food, medication, etc.)
- Is it complicated that it requires a user manual? (e.g., new technology, some assembly necessary, etc.)
- Is it easy to ship?
These are just some of the factors your customers might be thinking about before they click “add to cart.”
Who’s your audience?
Most e-commerce brands will sell to a niche audience. That market segment may be easier to sell to than selling to “everyone.”
Everybody needs a shirt, but everyone’s not going to wear the same type of shirt. Even a basic white T-shirt has to appeal to certain customers. Some white t-shirts are slim, which might appeal to the fit-conscious; others are loose and lightweight, which attract customers who prioritize comfort, and a few have moisture-wicking properties, which might be what athletic individuals need.
Although your product has universal appeal, your branding will still differentiate it from other businesses selling the same thing.
What’s your brand story?
Brand messaging will get you loyal customers because your story resonates with them. Buying your products makes them feel good, and it is that emotional connection that will make selling on Amazon easier.
To craft your messaging, develop the following framework:
- Product features – identify what attributes make your product stand out.
- Functional benefits – determine how your product will solve your customers’ problems.
- Emotional benefits – establish what would make customers feel good about their purchase.
- The connection – the core message that will leave a lasting impression on your customers.
Support your brand messaging with the right imagery. This includes your brand’s logo and trademark. You’ll need these to create an online store on Amazon that is distinct to your business.
Use Amazon Solutions
Amazon gives you enormous opportunities to sell to a wider market. The e-commerce brand also helps you succeed through several brand-building solutions that make online selling more manageable.
Among those solutions are:
- Amazon Brand Registry
- Amazon Stores
- Amazon Seller Central
- Sponsored Products
- Sponsored Brands
The brand registry is free for any business, even if you’re not selling on Amazon. It’s a way to protect your business’s intellectual property rights, ensuring no other businesses or individuals are using your logos and trademarks.
When you enroll in the brand registry, you ensure the accuracy of your product listings, improving customer experience and safeguarding your brand.
Amazon Stores are image-rich web stores that can replace a business website if it’s done well enough. As a landing page (i.e., a standalone web page that customers “land on” after clicking a link from another site), it can convert visitors to buyers and encourage further purchases from repeat customers.
Amazon is perfect for new businesses that want to build brand awareness. For one, you can use it for the branding of your business and it comes with analytics that help you make data-driven decisions to improve your store.
Amazon Seller Central is where you can manage everything that concerns your business on the e-commerce platform. You can add product information, update your inventor, and manage payments. Seller Central also features valuable content to help you navigate your Amazon business.
You can use the Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands options to help your target audience find your products on Amazon.
Amazon gives you enormous opportunities to sell to a wider audience. With the right branding for your business, you can outsell the competition.
