Indeed, we cannot deny the importance of learning from eCommerce influencers. The fact that their names appear online signifies that they are authority figures in their respective niches. They’ve been through important experiences and gained substantial knowledge, skills, and wisdom that can and will help you bolster your eCommerce dream.

But while there are many self-proclaimed top e-commerce influencers, it’s imperative to choose wisely when deciding who to follow.

In this article, we’ll review some of the top-recognized experts in the ever-growing e-commerce industry who represent various niches.

Richard Lazazzera(A Better Lemonade Stand)

Richard Lazazzera is one of the top e-commerce influencers and the founder of A Better Lemonade Stand. Oops, don’t think of lemons here. A Better Lemonade Stand is an online incubator that empowers and assists thousands of e-commerce store owners in achieving sustained success in their ventures.

Richard began his career as a marketing personnel and later ventured into the e-commerce business. With his marketing background, Richard started A Better Lemonade Stand as a platform to communicate best practices, tricks, and tips that he learned as he built his businesses. It also aims to empower prospective individuals to become e-commerce entrepreneurs following a framework that he tested and succeeded with.

While doing that, he collaborated with Shopify and helped them to achieve over 200,000 merchants from a 60,000 benchmark. Partly thanks to him, Shopify is now the king of e-commerce platforms, and it continues to grow at lightning speed.

In 2015, Richard resigned from Shopify to commit fully to A Better Lemonade Stand in his pursuit of helping eCommerce sellers grow.

Mike Jackness(EcomCrew)

Mike Jackness and his partner Dave Bryant founded EcomCrew, an online platform that provides resources such as blogs, podcasts, and premium memberships for aspiring and established eCommerce entrepreneurs.

Since 2004, Mike has worked in online marketing and developed intensive experience in affiliate programs. He then launched his own eCommerce business via Treadmill.com. Surprisingly, he sold products worth over $1 million during his first years.

In 2014, he sold his first eCommerce venture and began several eCommerce brands with a consolidated annual revenue of over $7 million. His businesses continue to grow, and he has become an acclaimed model for many aspiring eCommerce geeks.

Through EcomCrew, Mike shares invaluable lessons, drawing from his own experiences in eCommerce.

Justine Gener (Cener Ecommerce Mastermind)

For sure, you’re a member of one or two Facebook groups, and for all you know, these most likely suck. Yes, most groups nowadays have severely deficient engagement and unsustainable page views. But that is not the case with Cener Ecommerce Mastermind.

Justine Gener is a full-time e-commerce entrepreneur, an e-commerce coach and consultant, and the brilliant mind behind the Cener eCommerce Mastermind. It is a private Facebook group about starting and earning via a Shopify store. Today, it has over 50,000 members who are actively engaging in the group. His reach continues to grow as the mastermind expands with the growth of the eCommerce industry.

Most of the resources Justine shares in the group focus on the print-on-demand eCommerce business model. He willingly discloses everything from scratch, from the methods, tools and product ideas he uses, to designing a Shopify store, as well as Facebook advertising.

Austin Brawner(Ecommerce Influence)

Austine Brawner hosts the Ecommerce Influence podcast, a leading resource provider for neophytes and advanced learners. The podcast reaches thousands every month and has become a source of inspiration for those who aspire to achieve financial freedom through eCommerce.

Austin interviews many successful entrepreneurs and online business owners of various backgrounds, struggles, and success stories throughout the podcast. Because of these diverse eCommerce business owners, anybody can relate to the viewpoints shared by these successful online business personalities. 

Whether you are lost on how to kick off an e-commerce project or e-commerce marketing campaign or struggle with maintaining growth in your online store or the e-marketing space, this podcast is for you.

The podcast also covers various articles on relevant topics such as digital marketing, email marketing, search engine optimization, and productivity hacks for eCommerce entrepreneurs. It’s your one-stop shop for the essential information you need to build a profitable eCommerce business.

With the growth of his audience and influence, Austin has also worked with premium brands such as Kettle and Fire, MVMT, and Four Sigmatic. Moreover, he runs another successful venture called Brand Growth Experts.

Gretta Van Riel (Hey Influencers)

In one of your searches, you must have come across Skinny Me Tea.

Founded in 2012, Skinny Me Tea is the world’s first “teatox” brand, having sold over 11 million cups of tea worldwide in just five years. Pretty impressive, right?

Gretta van Riel is the brilliant woman behind this very successful venture. As her first business grew, she expanded into building other profitable brands, such as The 5th Watches and Drop Battle.

Gretta is a prominent figure in social media marketing. On Instagram alone, she has over 16 million dedicated followers.

Alaa Hassan(Ecommerce Training Academy)

Why do you want to gain financial freedom through eCommerce? Are you passionate about the industry? Do you have this insatiable belief that it works and opens up vast growth opportunities?

Ask Alaa Hassan such questions, and you’ll get a resounding “Yes”. Among the influencers, Alaa seems genuinely excited by the eCommerce industry.

This desire pushed Alaa to start the E-commerce Training Academy, an online platform offering content, courses, webinars, and other resources related to e-commerce topics.

Alaa mentors over 30 eCommerce entrepreneurs worldwide and has been invited to multiple events and conferences as a keynote speaker. Alaa ensures that all of his students are given the keys to success, providing them with the tools and skills to build sustainable eCommerce enterprises and ultimately achieve e-commerce success.

Drew Sanocki(Nerd Marketing)

Sure. Some starters or even advanced sellers require a step-by-step approach to learning the industry and accomplishing desired results. If you’re one of them, don’t worry. Drew Sanocki has your back.

Drew started Nerd Marketing and hosts the Nerd Marketing podcast, in which he reveals the different facets of the eCommerce industry. He’s got it all covered, from how to open and design a Shopify store to scaling up profits through targeted Facebook marketing.

Before engaging in that, Drew launched DesignPublic.com and turned it into one of the best online design retailers. In 2011, he sold the venture and turned to marketing to boost other businesses, including brands such as SaaS company, Teamwork.com and Karmaloop.com.

Anton Kraly(Ecommerce Lifestyle)

Anton Kraly runs and hosts the E-commerce Lifestyle podcast, a rapidly growing resource that has gained traction, especially among employed professionals.

Unlike most e-commerce blogs and podcasts, Anton’s goal with E-commerce Lifestyle is to help his audience achieve financial freedom through online entrepreneurship.

For the past 12 years, Anton has worked with various eCommerce businesses. His specific mission is to establish and optimize growth systems that boost businesses while keeping them streamlined. That’s eCommerce efficiency at its finest.

Corey Ferreira (Shopify)

No doubt. Shopify dominates the web in terms of references for eCommerce blogs and compilations of related resources. Almost every eCommerce-related keyword you type in search engines will reflect resources from Shopify. Shopify ranks first for numerous pages and posts in eCommerce.

Corey Ferreira is one of the core teams that brought Shopify the huge success it is today. He’s one of the best eCommerce influencers you should follow, especially if you want to learn pioneering strategies.

Corey has written countless publications and hosted online training on Shopify, Social Media Explorer, and Entrepreneur. And it does not stop there. Major publications have also featured him.

Ezra Firestone(Smart Marketer)

Ezra Firestone founded Smart Marketer and now serves as its CEO. Smart Marketer is an online platform that provides both free and premium resources to help entrepreneurs create profitable eCommerce businesses while maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

Before that, Ezra launched his first online venture, My Costume Wigs, as a side hustle. Drawing lessons and skills from that, he then started his second and most successful eCommerce brand, BOOM!

With his growing business, Ezra began networking with fellow eCommerce entrepreneurs and marketers. In 2013, he co-founded Smart Marketer, a platform for sharing valuable insights about the eCommerce industry.

Dive Deeper with “Not Another eComm Podcast” by Seller Snap

In addition to following individual online influencers, consider tuning into “Not Another eComm Podcast” by Seller Snap on YouTube. You can also access their content through their website’s webinar and video library page. 

Seller Snap provides a wealth of informative videos covering various topics. These include but are not limited to Amazon repricer and repricing strategies, leveraging technology platforms, effective Amazon selling techniques, reselling, branding, expanding your business to a global market, and more. 

The insights shared in these podcasts extend beyond Seller Snap’s expertise. They feature insights from various eCommerce influencers, successful online business owners, seasoned entrepreneurs, and industry experts. Engaging with this content will help you gain valuable perspectives and actionable advice from some of the leading minds in the eCommerce sector.

Learn from The Best in eCommerce

So there you have it! Learn the best practices from these eCommerce influencers. No matter which eCommerce platform you use, their insights on influencer marketing, content marketing, and running online stores can provide valuable lessons and practical tips to help you succeed.

STEP 2: Once redirected, scroll down and look for the Make Money section. Click the SEE PRICING button below it. 

STEP 3: Once redirected to another page, scroll down past Selling Plans until you find the SIGN-UP BUTTONS for individual and Amazon FBA accounts. 

STEP 4: Once redirected, click on CREATE YOUR AMAZON ACCOUNT button.

STEP 5: On the create account page, fill in the required information. 

STEP 6: After submitting the information, you will be redirected to another page for email verification. 

Check your email for the OTP number and enter it in the designated section of the page to proceed with the Amazon Seller Account registration. Make sure to keep the OTP private when creating an actual Amazon seller account.

STEP 7: Select business location and business type, then click AGREE AND CONTINUE. Note that if you are an individual, choose NONE, I AM AN INDIVIDUAL from the selection and input your full name. 

After filling in the required information, click AGREE AND CONTINUE. 

STEP 8: Once redirected to another page, you will have to complete the information required for each section:

(1) Individual Information

After filling in the required information, click NEXT.

(2) Billing

After filling in the required information, click NEXT.

(3) Store

After filling in the required information and choosing the option that suits your business status, click NEXT.

(4) Verification

The verification process varies depending on your area. Those living in the United States will receive mail delivered to their business address.

The mail will contain a code that you will have to enter in your Amazon Seller Central account to fully verify your address and account in its entirety.

Once you have received the postcard, you may use this link to enter the verification code.  

An alternative method for verification, especially those outside the United States is the uploading of a passport and bank or credit card statement showing your complete address. These documents will serve as an alternative to the postcard verification process. 

You may upload documents on both IDENTITY DOCUMENT and ADDITIONAL DOCUMENT sub-sections as shown above. The details of your uploaded documents will be showcased on the right side of each sub-sections.

If you have any questions about each process, you can refer to the FAQ section on the right portion of your screen. 

5. Find a Product Source 

As well as how to become an Amazon seller, another crucial question from newbie sellers is – where to get inventory to sell on Amazon. 

With the help of the internet, finding products to sell on Amazon has become more convenient. Currently, the top destination for product sources is Alibaba.com.

Alibaba.com is the world’s largest B2B eCommerce marketplace. The company connects numerous suppliers and manufacturers in China with buyers across the globe on its unique online platform.

As an Amazon FBA seller, you can directly conduct business with suppliers, manufacturers, or approved agents. What makes Alibaba.com an ideal product sourcing destination for online sellers is suppliers’ lowest price or factory price offers. 

6. Place Inventory Orders

After finding a supplier for your Amazon FBA, you should prepare to place your orders. When placing an order from a supplier overseas, it would be best for your first order to be in small amounts or quantities. 

You can use your small order as a test order to scrutinize the product and get relevant feedback from potential customers.

When ordering overseas, always remember to be in constant contact with your supplier. Relay the instructions to avoid misunderstandings, which also means that key specifications should be stated clearly.

Always remember to do your due diligence when dealing with suppliers or manufacturers overseas. To keep your transaction smoother, you can also draft a purchase order (PO) for your supplier to check. This document will also set clear standards and expectations for your orders.

7) Determine Business Model

There are several business models for Amazon sellers. Selling on Amazon for beginners includes an understanding of some of the most popular business models for Amazon, such as:

• Drop-shipping
• Handmade
• Private Label
• Reselling
• Wholesale

To help you evaluate which fulfillment method suits your business goal, check relevant posts about FBA vs. FBM. 

8. Select Your Fulfillment Method 

As mentioned above, you can choose between Amazon FBA and Amazon FBM. If you want to take advantage of the services offered by Amazon, the FBA program is ideal for you. 

On the other hand, if you want to take charge of your business from storing, packing, and shipping, then the Amazon FBM program is right for you.

9. Create and Optimize Product Listing 

Once you have decided which fulfillment method to use, you are ready to list your product on Amazon.com. You can list your product individually, or you may also upload a spreadsheet containing each of your items if you have multiple products to list.

Aside from that, proper product listing optimization will aid in a higher search result ranking of your product. Hence, you need to become familiar with keyword usage, high-quality product imagery, and optimized description. 

Listing your product according to Amazon guidelines is critical to avoid being penalized by Amazon.

10. Perform Listing Price Optimization

Knowing how to become an Amazon seller is not enough; you should likewise know how to succeed in the business. One of the key factors in having a successful Amazon FBA business is to have a competitive pricing strategy. 

To have a competitive edge when it comes to price optimization, the use of an Amazon repricer is highly beneficial. With an Amazon repricer, you can increase the chances of winning the Amazon Buy Box at a higher price point and avoid Amazon price wars.

11. Manage Your Inventory

As an Amazon FBA seller, you should always be on top of your Amazon inventory. Your inventory levels should be closely monitored to avoid instances of products being out of stock.

Properly manage and replenish your inventory to ensure that you have enough Amazon products to sell, especially on peak seasons, such as Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

To ensure that you are on top of your inventory levels, you can use inventory management tools to overview your inventory status. 

12. Consider Amazon Global Marketplaces 

Currently, there are 18 Amazon marketplaces available globally. Amazon sellers are free to sell their products in any marketplace. However, experts recommend following these important guidelines:

• It is best for US sellers to sell on the US marketplace
• Sellers in the UK or EU, sell on the Amazon EU marketplace
• More so, if the seller lives elsewhere in the world, sell on the US marketplace.

Expanding to another Amazon global marketplace is an option if you have achieved successful sales in your current Amazon marketplace. 

The question of how to become an Amazon seller is not only relevant to Amazon FBA sellers. As well as Amazon FBA, you may also choose to incorporate the Amazon FBM program into your business. The processes mentioned above are likewise applicable with Amazon FBM, but with minor changes, especially pertaining to the shipping method. 

Amazon sellers need to consider product size, carrier, and method to ship products with FBM. Most carriers require sellers to have their own shipping supplies. Some of the supplies that are needed are:

• Box, Envelops
• Packing Materials
• Mailing Labels
• Printer
• Packaging and Scotch Tapes

Amazon will notify the seller if the order is ready to ship, the seller will have 24 hours to confirm the order. After this, choose a trusted carrier. Remember, the carriers have different shipping rates.   

Become an Amazon Seller Today 

Both Amazon FBA and FBM provide sellers with successful fulfillment options. The size of your operation and the weight and size of your products is often a deciding factor for sellers.

When it comes to your Amazon business, profits or how to sell products on Amazon should not be your only concern. The approach should be holistic, which is why the overall discussion about selling on Amazon for beginners should not be overlooked.

For financial institutions, commercial companies, entrepreneurs, and business owners alike, COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the global economy, as well as the obvious health consequences. Global stock markets fell as countries, states, and cities implemented a lockdown on their areas of responsibility. 

The points we will be discussing in the succeeding paragraphs will focus more on the impact of COVID-19 on the retail and eCommerce industry. We will also be sharing the observation of our Seller Snap team concerning the response of particular stakeholders during the global crisis. 

How COVID-19 Impacted the Retail Sector

Along with the manufacturing, tourism, and transportation industry, the retail industry is among one of the highly affected sectors during the pandemic. Malls, shopping centers, and retail outlets had to reduce their operating hours or even totally stop their operation amidst the pandemic.  

It is not only the companies and business owners that felt the impact of the pandemic. Even consumers have been affected, which has led to changed shopping behavior. 

The purchasing habits of retail consumers changed at unprecedented speed. We have observed that a portion of the traditional channel through which goods and services are ordered has been diverted towards the eCommerce industry. 

The Surge of eCommerce    

As a result of the measures taken by local authorities to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing were implemented. Such implemented solutions quickly became part of the new normal. In response, consumers stormed various online platforms for their retail needs.

With limited access to grocery items and other essential products, consumers turned to eCommerce stores like Amazon for their necessities. Such shopping practices resulted in increased online store activity. The eCommerce industry has experienced a surge of patrons amidst the pandemic.  

Amazon Responding to the Crisis

As a trusted brand, Amazon made necessary adjustments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health and safety of employees and customers have seemingly become the top priority of the tech-giant.  

As a testament to their concern, they are expecting to “invest approximately $4 billion on COVID-related initiatives,” as posted on the Amazon Blog. 

Apart from that, we have also observed that Amazon has also made some adjustments to its operations including the delivery schedules and prioritization of particular customer demographics who are in dire need of essential goods and care.  

Amazon likewise extended their kindness to the global community as a whole. By launching a “$20 million AWS Diagnostic Initiative,” Amazon hopes to accelerate COVID-19 research. Similarly, the company committed €21 million to support countries ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Response of Other eCommerce Participants 

As we have mentioned earlier, a large number of consumer groups opted to shop online for their necessities and other consumer needs. As a result of such a shift, other active participants in the eCommerce industry quickly made some adjustments on their own. 

Online financial service giants, PayPal and Payoneer, likewise had their way of responding to the current global crisis and the demands of the so-called new normal. 

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Payoneer implemented proactive measures to secure the safety of its employees and likewise ensure the continuance of their operation for the safety and security of customers’ funds. 

On the other hand, apart from operational and managerial changes, PayPal also worked “with the US Federal Government to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program to provide access to loans for [our] merchants.”  

How Seller Snap Responded to COVID-19

As one of the trusted Amazon repricers in the industry, our company has also made some adjustments to improve our services during this trying time. 

On the technical aspect of our service, we have been constantly monitoring major changes and concerns in the Amazon seller space.

Research and investigations were conducted by our team here at Seller Snap to provide a clearer picture of issues such as the observed Amazon FBM preference over Amazon FBA. 

Similarly, the issue of price gouging was also monitored by our team. Hence, allowing us to equip customers with more sensible and ethical repricing strategies.

And just most recently, our dedicated support team probed into the issue of Amazon Buy Box Non-Rotation. If you want to learn more about this recent concern, you may CLICK HERE.

Successful Amazon sellers tend to run efficient operations. When it comes to using Amazon seller tools, using the best products available on the market is highly recommended. This is especially true if you are planning to utilize an Amazon repricer to implement a successful Amazon automated repricing strategy.

Seller Snap helps Amazon sellers establish a consistent and reliable Amazon automated repricing strategy. What makes Seller Snap unique from other third-party Amazon repricing tools is the fact that it is one of the few self-learning repricers and it’s inspired by the Game Theory principles.

Based on Game Theory tactics, Seller Snap is capable of assessing marketplace situations and competitor behavior in order to deliver an optimal strategy for each listing and specific market scenario. However, despite having an automated default function called the AI repricer, Seller Snap also offers avenues for Amazon sellers to implement specific rule-based repricing strategies to use as an alternative to the default AI algorithmic repricer setting.

Default Setting

Seller Snap’s default repricing method is the AI Repricer seen in the image below. This particular setting is widely used by Seller Snap customers who want to free themselves from constant checking and manual repricing. This automated repricing strategy has been proven effective in helping Amazon sellers capture their entitled share of the Amazon Buy Box at the highest possible price while avoiding price wars.

The default AI repricer is capable of scanning the competitive environment. Seller Snap gathers information based on competitor’s behavior and provides an automatic repricing strategy specific for each situation.

Win Buybox Repricing Method

As with the AI repricing method, the Win Buybox repricing setting is also popular. When your chosen listing is set to Win Buybox, Amazon sellers may select their desired Amazon Buy Box share, the maximum of which is 95%.

This particular method follows a simple yet aggressive strategy of repricing Amazon items. Although not as sophisticated as the AI repricer, the Win BuyBox method shares a similar feature with the basic rule-based repricer in its function to decrease the price of an item to win the Amazon Buy Box.

That is why this type of method is highly recommended for Amazon sellers who don’t have any problem in dropping the price to the very minimum level.

Best Time To Use:

What is unique with this repricing setting is that it undertakes steps to optimize the winning price. Thus ensuring that the Amazon Buy Box price is still captured at a high price, in relation to its competition.

This is best used when you want to liquidate inventory, or even as a more competitive default repricing method.

Fixed Price Method

This is among the simplest type of alternative setting to that of the default AI repricer setting. As its name would suggest, you will be setting a fixed price for a particular item, taking into consideration the listed price and shipping price. The amount of the landed price, which is the listed price + shipping price, will not be set by an algorithm, but rather by the Amazon seller.

Best Time To Use:

This method also works well for liquidating inventory.

Follow Related ASIN

ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number. It is a form of ID system that uses 10-alphanumeric characters for identification purposes. When you choose this type of repricer setting, the software will check the Amazon Buy Box of the related ASIN and adjust the product price of your Amazon listing according to your specified rules.

Best Time To Use:

This type of repricing method is best used in instances where you are the only seller obtaining 100% of the Amazon Buy Box. This usually happens when you are selling private items or white label products.

To apply this type of repricing setting, you must specify the relevant ASIN you want to follow in order to make pricing decisions on your Amazon listing. You may also CLICK HERE for some ideas of white label products for your Amazon listing.

More Rule-Based Repricing Methods

What makes Seller Snap interesting and reliable is the opportunity it offers to Amazon sellers when it comes to Amazon repricing strategies. Although widely regarded as a top Amazon automated repricing platform, Seller Snap provides an avenue for sellers to apply some rule-based repricing methods if need be.

Apart from the aforementioned Win Buybox strategy, which may be considered as a hybrid rule-based repricing method, other rule-based repricing options are as follows:

• Matching

This type of rule-based method comprises various approaches. This repricing setting will allow Amazon sellers to match, undercut, and even go beyond specific prices laid down in certain categories. When using this kind of repricing approach, users are given the opportunity to match, undercut or go beyond the lowest or highest FBA or FBM and Buy Box price. Similarly, you may also use this setting to match the price set by the lowest competitor.

• Follow Competitor

Another rule-based method Amazon sellers may use in lieu of the AI repricing function of Seller Snap is the Follow Competitor. As the name of this setting would suggest, you will be following a certain competitor, including Amazon itself, and set a specific amount or percentage to compete by.

If you are an Amazon seller with Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) listings, using this repricing method can be really helpful to your Amazon business. With this type of rule-based strategy, you can set a rule to increase or decrease by a certain amount or percentage when the Buy Box winner is FBM, FBA, or Amazon.

If you are thinking of becoming a seller with SFP, here is a quick overview of Amazon’s suggested steps to qualify:

• Qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime and complete the trial period
• Store inventory in your own warehouse
• Process your orders and buy shipping labels from approved carriers
• Pick, pack and ship your orders same day
• Seller Fulfilled Prime carriers collect and deliver orders in two days to customers

• Set to Min Price/Max Price

As its name would suggest, with this method Amazon sellers can choose to set a listing price either to the maximum or minimum level in relation to factor function. Worth noting, that as with all Seller Snap settings, the listing price will never go beyond your minimum or maximum price range.

Other Non-Pricing Factors to Consider

One of the main reasons why Amazon sellers make use of Amazon repricers is to get ahead of the competition and compete for the Amazon Buy Box. However, you should understand that in winning the Buy Box or appearing in organic searches, there are also other factors to consider apart from repricing. This may include but not limited to effective Amazon listing, proper use of Amazon SEO, consistent positive feedback from consumers or Amazon shoppers, and more.

Customer feedback is important for the growth of your business. Amazon feedback, for example, is an essential tool for every seller aspiring to stay ahead of the curve in the industry.

Amazon feedback is a way for Amazon sellers to understand the perception of an Amazon shopper concerning their product or brand as a whole. To simply put it, customer feedback is the best way to hear the voice of a consumer.

In general, feedback contains information about the satisfaction level that the customer experienced not just through the product delivered but also the method of delivering it. In a sense, customer feedback showcases the customers’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a certain product and/or service.

Feedback from customers should not be ignored, despite the fact that only 1 out of every 26 unhappy customers  will likely have a complaint. Businesses, whether traditional or operating online, should remember to always listen to their customers’ demand, clamor, and/or praise.

The movie streaming giant, Netflix, can easily attest to the adverse effect of ignoring customers’ feedback. Back in 2011, there were some comments about Netflix dividing its movie rental service into two, “one offering streaming movies over the Internet, the other offering old-fashioned DVDs in the mail.”

However, despite the clamor from its subscribers, Netflix pushed through with their plan. As a result of the introduction of such a business platform, it was estimated that Netflix lost around 800,000 subscribers in 2011.

To emphasize the importance of feedback or reviews for online sellers, including Amazon sellers, it was revealed by BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey that 89% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. With that in mind, feedback or reviews have a great influence on your company’s engagement and much more its sales.

What is the Correlation between Amazon Feedback and Sales?

To give you a better understanding of the impact of Amazon feedback or reviews on sales, we will discuss in particular the correlation of feedback and sales in the context of Amazon business.

In general, feedback aids in the increase of sales because it helps drive traffic to an online retailing website. Similar to word of mouth, positive feedback coming from customer reviews and surveys in a way lures potential buyers to an online selling platform.

However, in the context of Amazon sales, Amazon feedback functions more than just as a facade for a particular product or Amazon store. Feedback also affects sales in relation to a product ranking. And such, product ranking is designated through the Amazon A9 algorithm.

One of the considerations that the A9 algorithm takes into account when ranking a product apart from Amazon SEO is customer reviews. When positive customer reviews outweigh the negative ones, your Amazon product is likely to show up on organic searches.

In a published transcript online, an Amazon insider was cited detailing the correlation of organic search and Amazon feedback rating, mentioning “that the threshold is about 96 or 97%.” Thus, suggesting that if your feedback goes below such threshold, your Amazon ranking in organic search will drop as your feedback rating continues to take hits.

Although not the only factor to be considered, Amazon feedback is also examined by the Amazon A9 algorithm for the Buy Box. And worth noting that products appearing in the Amazon Buy Box have higher chances of being bought by a shopper. Therefore, achieving increased sales.

Alternatively, apart from sales, the Amazon Buy Box also serves as prime real-estate for products to be easily noticed. It also serves as a form of endorsement to deliver the best possible shopping experience for Amazon visitors.

How to Improve Your Amazon Feedback for Better Sales

Now that you understand the importance of feedback, be it on Amazon or any other online retail platform, you should learn different methods on how to increase positive feedback on your platform, especially on Amazon. To help you improve your Amazon feedback in 2020, and lessen the repercussions of Amazon negative feedback, you may try the following.

• Be Your Own Customer

The best way to understand a customer is to be one. That is why when it comes to improving your feedback in general, it would be best to access your online platform and check your own user experience. Try to judge what needs to be improved on your website or should be removed from it.

In the context of Amazon stores, you may also check your own product in comparison with the other products that customers normally see online. Try to compare the pricing and product listing quality of your own item.

For example, you could check the quality of the image you are using, and the level of information you are providing potential buyers and compare this with other Amazon sellers. Similarly, you may also check the pricing of your product and whether or not it’s within the current marketplace price range.

If you wanted an automated Amazon repricing tool, you may try Seller Snap to ease the requirements of manual repricing. If you wish to outbid others in the race for Amazon Buy Box, you should consider upgrading your current Amazon repricing tool. Seller Snap can provide you with a quick and easy to navigate interface that can display relevant data through reliable analytics with just a click of the mouse.

 
Image: Seller Snap Interface

• Stick to the Facts

When it comes to online selling, providing your customers with factual information is a must. If you wish to avoid comments like “the product delivered is different from the description” or “seller was not honest about product quality,” you should only state facts about your item’s quality, performance, or even quantity. Never oversell, for it will unnecessarily increase the expectation of a potential buyer.

To avoid Amazon negative feedback, you should always check the quality of your Amazon listing. If you want to have a precise check, you may use Amazon Listing Quality Analyzer to help optimize your listing and drive more sales.

• Build Accountability

Lastly, recognize that one of the main purposes of feedback, comments, or reviews is to establish a conversation with your customers for better performance and improved behavior. Since a single negative concern or comment is unavoidable, you should make some plans ahead of time on how to manage such feedback.

Don’t let an issue stay stale or left unresolved. Always see to it that you reply to comments and reach out to your customers if issues surface. By doing so, you are not simply creating avenues for sales and increased positive feedback, but you are ultimately building a relationship with your customers. To help you remove Amazon negative feedback on your account, check the video here.

Attaining the Amazon Buy Box is generally the main goal of all Amazon resellers. However, not all Amazon sellers are automatically listed in the Buy Box, since sellers need to be Buy Box Eligible. Once eligible, seller’ listing can now be part of the buy box rotation. 

Buy Box Eligible Sellers 

The main purpose of the Amazon Buy Box is to provide a platform where a comparison of multiple offerings is available to customers. Hence, Amazon buy box rotation occurs. 

To simply put it, professional sellers who have met the performance-based requirements set by Amazon are eligible for the Buy Box and participate with the buy box rotation. 

Amazon Buy Box rotation is critical in keeping the platform fair and competitive at the same time. The buy box rotation also gives sellers chance to compete with leading brands.

Sharing the Buy Box 

When it comes to popular consumer items, numerous sellers are likely to compete for the Buy Box or be on top of the Amazon buy box rotation. However, the Buy Box is not always awarded to a single seller. In regards to the Amazon algorithm, based on our experience as a software solution, we assume that Amazon distributes Buy Box share between relevant offers that are equally competitive. Hence the term, Buy Box share.

There are many factors being considered in such a process, the most prominent basis would be price, fulfilment method, seller history, and overall customer shopping experience. 

Seller Snap Repricing Method  

As mentioned above, pricing is among the factors being analyzed by the Amazon algorithm and the only factor that you have immediate control over. With emphasis being placed on product price, Seller Snap provides an advanced repricing strategy to help optimize the Buy Box winning rate. 

In scenarios where there are multiple sellers at the same price and with the same fulfillment method who are competing for the Buy Box, Seller Snap takes a conservative approach to repricing. Meaning that we will match the price (specific fulfillment method), under the assumption that Amazon will distribute the Buy Box in a fair way. 

In a way, the Seller Snap algorithm “holds the line”. 

Why Hold the Line?

Holding the line is arguably the best strategy in a scenario where there are multiple sellers offering the product at the same price as the current Buy Box winner.

Trying to gain more Buy Box share by lowering price will almost certainly cause the other sellers to lower price as well, ending up with the same Buy Box share at a lower price.

In contrast, raising the price on such a crowded listing will unlikely encourage all competitors to increase their price. 

Buy Box Algorithm Dynamics & Current Concern

Recently, it has come to our attention that some of our clients observed a change in Amazon’s Buy Box algorithm behavior. Upon investigating several customer requests, we also noticed that Buy Box distribution seems to no longer be happening as it was. From our experience and the experience of our clients, competitive sellers whose products are at the same price point are not getting their “entitled” Buy Box share, as previously experienced. 

Looking at the price change history of various products, we are finding that relevant sellers are having to decrease the price of their listing by more than just a few cents below the current Buy Box price in order to attain it. For example, where a 1 cent decrease used to be enough to win the Buy Box, a seller will now have to decrease price by 15 cents to get the same result.

In Seller Central Forums, Amazon sellers have been discussing the issue in depth and it’s interesting to note that some sellers did receive responses from their Amazon account managers confirming that there is some sort of a Amazon buy box glitch and it is being worked on.

We are still investigating the reason behind such behavioral changes in Buy Box rotation. This article should not be construed, nor be cited as an origin of a potential Amazon Buy Box algorithm glitch claim or change. Our technical team is still looking into the concern that has been recently observed by clients. 

Suspected Factor Causing Change

Although based on pure conjecture and surfacing reports online, the Amazon A9 algorithm allegedly received an update, dubbed as Amazon Algorithm A10. And with such a rumor, it would be tempting to assume that it might be one of the reasons behind the so-called Amazon buy box algorithm change.

Despite the silence of Amazon about the A10 algorithm or even the alleged Amazon buy box algorithm change, it is believed that the new update now gave more importance to seller authority. Sellers’ authority and standing is now viewed as one of the factors affecting Amazon buy box changes. 

Therefore, suggesting that Amazon now places more weight on product return history, selling tenure, and positive feedback. Allegation of changes in Amazon algorithms is nothing new. In retrospect, Amazon also disputed last year The Wall Street Journal report stating that “Amazon Changed Search Algorithm in Ways That Boost Its Own Products.”

In view of such previous reactions, it would be wiser to wait for Amazon’s feedback about the algorithm update, while our team here Seller Snap also continues investigating the concern relating to Amazon Buy Box algorithm change.

Worth noting that these reported Amazon buy box changes should not be directly equated with an Amazon buy box glitch. For such an alleged algorithm change is calculated to address pressing issues during the pandemic.

With that in mind, it is important that you understand how Amazon product ranking algorithm works. Thus, making it necessary for you to learn not just Amazon SEO, but also the dynamics of the Amazon ranking algorithm. Understanding how Amazon A9 search engine works will guide you on how to optimize your Amazon listing for better results.

The Product Ranking Amazon A9 Algorithm Dynamics

According to Statista, Amazon’s combined mobile and desktop visits from 2019 to 2020 amounted to over 2.44 billion. Thus, making it the most visited eCommerce platform in the United States. Amazon.com leads by a wide margin over other online selling platforms, with 214.8 million users.

With such statistics in mind, it is crucial for Amazon sellers to rank their product on the first page of the Amazon A9 search engine result if they want to take advantage of the numerous online transactions. To serve as a starting point, having a better understanding of how the Amazon A9 algorithm works would be beneficial. Without a clear understanding of the Amazon A9 search engine and how it works, Amazon sellers don’t always maximize the full potential of their business.

Similar to the Google algorithm, Amazon ranking algorithm performs data analysis, which includes the analysis of historical traffic patterns, since Amazon’s searches are not informational, but rather more transactional in nature. Apart from data analysis, the Amazon A9 algorithm also performs indexing, for it indexes the inputted text in the Amazon listing.

When performing a search, the algorithm takes into consideration the most optimal matches to that of the customer’s search keyword/s and the item relevancy. What makes the Amazon algorithm unique from other online selling platforms is its capability to automatically learn the combination of various relevant features. It is also capable of analyzing past search patterns in order to adapt to what is relevant to the customer’s search.

To simplify its functionality, the Amazon algorithm focuses more on relevance and performance. The “relevance” aspect of its search relates to how products are optimized, especially in its description and use of proper keywords.

On the other hand,  the “performance” aspect relates to the historical performance of a product in terms of its sales history. That is why products that are well-optimized and have been generating sales in the past are more likely to rank higher, as Amazon product ranking algorithm favors both

To boost the historical performance aspect of your product or its sales performance, make use of Amazon seller tools, like Amazon repricers. Amazon repricers will help secure your profit margin and potentially increase the Amazon Buy Box winning rate.

Reliable algorithmic repricers like Seller Snap will deliver an automated repricing strategy to help maximize your profit potential. To learn more about AI repricers, CLICK HERE.

Effective Optimization for Better Amazon A9 Search Engine Ranking

Successful sellers on Amazon understand that in order to rank higher in Amazon search results and increase chances of winning the Amazon Buy Box, an Amazon SEO strategy should be established. Amazon SEO is one of the factors that the Amazon A9 algorithm takes into account. In order to improve your Amazon SEO campaign and for your Amazon listing to be more A9 algorithmic friendly, here are some particular elements to check and optimize.

Handle Title & Brand Name Well

Using the correct title on your Amazon listing has a huge impact on your product ranking. In order for your title to be A9 algorithm friendly, it is suggested that titles should mimic the text found on the physical packaging of the product. In terms of length, titles must not have more than 200 characters, including spaces. To know more about policies for writing listings, CLICK HERE.

The product title should be keyword rich and identify the item you are selling. Take note that the wording employed on your title will determine your potential spot on the Amazon search result page.

Similarly, consideration should also be assigned to the brand designation. Your brand name should be included in the title format. This will increase the chance for your product to rank on searches that are filtered by shoppers according to brand.

Deal With Back-end Keywords

When it comes to ranking your product on the Amazon search engine results page, you should also consider back-end keywords. Back-end keywords do not appear to shoppers checking your Amazon listing page. They are hidden terms that can be inputted in the back-end search field when preparing/editing your Amazon listing.

To help you access the back-end keywords section, here are simple steps to follow:

STEP 1: Click the “Inventory” tab on your Seller Central account

STEP 2: Go to the right side of the page and look for the “Edit” button beside your active products. Click the “Edit” button

STEP 3: You are now in the “Edit Product Info” screen and will automatically see the “Offer” navigation tab

STEP 4: Click on “Keywords” to open the “Search Terms” section

Back-end keywords will help your product reach more relevant traffic. If you are familiar with the WordPress plugin, Yoast, the concept of back-end keywords are somehow closely related to “Keyphrase Synonyms.” For example, if you are selling a hand moisturizer, one potential back-end keyword to use would be hand lotion; for other users may use such terms as their search keyword. To know more about the effective use of search terms, CLICK HERE.

Improve Bullet Points

Another avenue for optimization would be bullet points. Amazon allows you to include at least 5 bullet points in order to quickly highlight your Amazon product. The best Amazon sellers are fully aware of the importance of bullet points.

Bullet points found on the “About the product” section of the listing serve as a quick and substantial preview for shoppers. Bullet points should be used efficiently to effectively convey what your product is and why it stands out over its competitors on the Amazon marketplace.

Product Description

As mentioned above, one of the main basis for ranking a product by the Amazon A9 algorithm is conversion or sales history. For that matter, you should optimize your product description well.

In optimizing this section, mere keyword stuffing will not work. Since your goal is to attract more potential buyers, your product description should be informative, brief, and engaging. Make use of marketing language and strategy that will help answer the query or need of a shopper. Make your description look natural while maintaining proper keyword balance.

Although the threat of cyber attack or cyberwar should not be overlooked, system glitches should not be underestimated. A much bigger and more imminent threat to data security and processing efficiency is the so-called software glitch. One of the reasons for such occurrences is the vast amount of data stored, which makes it difficult for a system to regularly refresh or run tests to immediately spot and fix errors.

And with a multinational company like Amazon that operates globally, eliminating the possibility of an Amazon glitch, including Amazon price glitches, is somehow virtually impossible. There are tons of variables to be considered, including interactions of hardware & software components, and not to mention those third-party applications whose development is beyond the control of Amazon.

Third-Party Software Amazon Glitch

An Amazon glitch, particularly price glitches on Amazon, mainly caused by a third-party software is more than just a possibility. For in 2014, such an incident actually happened. For easy reference, we will be calling the incident the Amazon Price Glitch.

It was on December 12, 2014 that the said pricing glitch was noticed by Amazon shoppers. On the Amazon UK website, numerous items were priced at one penny (1p).

Clothes, toys, furniture, games, and electronic devices were among the products that were listed on sale and were priced for 1p. As a result of such a massive discount, Amazon shoppers quickly took the bargain. One online seller shared that during the price glitch, he had received a total of 1,600 orders for his toys and game items.

“People were buying 10, 50, 100 copies of everything. It is £50,000, £60,000, £100,000 of stock; we can’t even work it out,” Amazon seller Martin Le Corre told The Guardian.

Upon checking, it was found out that the said Amazon price glitch was caused by a third-party Amazon repricer. Repricers are used by Amazon sellers to help them automatically adjust prices of their Amazon products to ensure their product stays competitive online.

However, despite the fiasco, sellers were not penalized for such pricing errors or Amazon price glitches, and the vast majority of placed orders were canceled.

Amazon Price Guard & Price Rule

The incident cited above is just one of the many examples wherein glitches are caused by third-party softwares. And with the case of Amazon, solutions to safeguard the safety and security of both sellers and shoppers were quickly implemented. To avoid experiencing a similar incident of price glitches on Amazon, the company added a price guard. This helped avoid repricing tools adjusting the price to the point that losses will be incurred by sellers.

In relation to that, creating a price rule has been highlighted by Amazon as well. Sellers may create a rule that sets the price to stay a certain amount below the Amazon Buy Box price as an example. To know more about creating a price rule, you may CLICK HERE.

Amazon Repricers

Although Amazon offers a repricing tool of its own, there are other Amazon repricers that are more advanced and feature-packed. One of the reliable and trusted Amazon repricing tools on the market today is Seller Snap.

Unlike rule-based repricers that would require you to manually set up rules against competitors, Seller Snap is an algorithmic repricing tool that is based on the Game Theory principles. This means that it uses algorithms and principles behind Game Theory to continuously optimize the prices and to completely automate the repricing process.

Seller Snap offers a dynamic repricing strategy, taking various factors into account in order for it to come up with the best solution in a given market situation. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE TRIAL!

Subsequent Amazon Technical Difficulties

The Amazon price glitch is just one of the many examples of technical difficulties encountered by the company. In the subsequent years, other issues were likewise reported, including the ones we have outlined below.

• Amazon Email Glitch

This particular technical issue happened in 2019, and mainly concerns third-party sellers who were suspended by Amazon. The said merchants were trying to make an appeal to Amazon in order to be reinstated, but they encountered some technical difficulties along the way.

The suspended sellers were trying to send an appeal through email but were being redirected to Amazon’s Account Health. In a report made by CNBC, one Amazon merchant claimed to have spoken with a support team who then confirmed that the email was caused by a system bug.

However, Amazon was quick to respond saying that the emailed response was not caused by a technical error, and sellers are encouraged to file their appeals through the Seller Central portal.

• Amazon Food Delivery Glitch

Just this March of 2020, Amazon encountered another system glitch. The Amazon glitch affected the delivery of food and grocery items. In a statement made by an Amazon spokeswoman, Bloomberg quoted her saying that:

“As COVID-19 has spread, we’ve seen a significant increase in people shopping online for groceries. Today this resulted in a systems impact affecting our ability to deliver Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market orders tonight.”

Panic buying due to the Coronavirus has affected the efficiency of Amazon and has also caused technical issues as has been pointed out in a company memo. Thus, resulting in a queue to enter delivery stations, and ultimately delayed the arrival of customer ordered goods.

• Amazon Order Glitch

Still, March this year, another glitch was reported. According to surfacing reports, military families overseas were refused delivery for certain items, including but not limited to clothing, electronics, and diapers.

However, the Amazon glitch that hindered the delivery of goods to families living in Japan, Italy, and Bahrain was quickly fixed by Amazon. In a report by Military.com, an Amazon spokeswoman was quoted stating that:

“We noticed an unfortunate glitch in our system on Wednesday that did not allow some items to be shipped to military addresses…We worked quickly to fix the issue, and thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”

Needless to say, Amazon is not just the only company experiencing such issues, for companies like Walmart, Google, Facebook also have their own share of technical issues. It is somehow normal to encounter system glitches, especially if your operation is global. What is not normal is when companies take no actions to resolve those system issues. And Amazon should be credited for their quick response to any issues they notice or reported to them.

Secure Your Amazon Business Today

In terms of securing your Amazon Web Services or AWS accounts and workloads, the tech-giant offers Amazon GuardDuty. As an overview, Amazon GuardDuty is a service offered by Amazon that will monitor any malicious activities or unauthorized behavior that are potentially threatening to your account. With Amazon GuardDuty, you will have “an intelligent and cost-effective option for continuous threat detection in the AWS Cloud.”

Alternatively, on the business and marketing aspect, if you require a secure and safe repricing tool for your Amazon store, you can always turn to Seller Snap. With years of experience in the industry and numerous satisfied customers, you can trust Seller Snap to perform an optimum repricing strategy that will help protect your profit margins.