Another month, another Amazon update. And as the holiday season approaches, there’s much to talk about as we head into the year’s most profitable quarter.
So here’s a list of Amazon FBA-related news and updates for November 2023.
Christmas in November?
Ah yes. It’s the merry time of year again. Ugly Christmas sweaters, cursing at tangled-twinkle lights, and a never-ending onslaught of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The holiday season is upon us!
But wait, we’re barely into November. What kind of Yuletide daredevil starts decking the halls before the Turkey’s dethawed?
It turns out, the festive season has indeed been getting an earlier start. Allow me to shed some light on this holiday head-scratcher.
Ever heard of the term “Christmas Creep?” And no, I’m not talking about Bill Cosby at the office party. It’s a retail trend that emerged in the early 2000s when chain giants like Lowes, Sam’s, Wal-Mart, and JCPenny began pushing the sales of holiday decorations as early as October.
This set the trend for other stores to follow suit until the lines have become so blurred that some say Labor Day is the informal kick-off to the holiday shopping season.
So here are my takeaways in terms of how this impacts Amazon Sellers.
- Like it or not, the holiday season is typically the busiest time of year for most Amazon sellers (really…most businesses). So an earlier perceived holiday “shopping season” only benefits us. From a strictly business standpoint, I’d be fine with an April start to Christmas.
- In my opinion, Amazon’s October Prime Day event was their “unofficial” start to the shopping season. I expect more of these. The best course of action therefore, is to learn to optimize around these events. That means adding coupons, optimizing your PPC campaign, A/B testing festive photos/imagery, updating content, staying on top of trends, and making sure your inventory is prepared for the added volume.
Important to note: Amazon delays the specific Prime dates for weeks after announcing so sellers can prepare accordingly. Check your Amazon account for updates.
- Take note of Q4 capacity limits, and increased storage fees when strategizing around this time of year. For example, Amazon raises processing fees between the middle of October through January keep up with higher fulfillment demand. Make sure to take those into consideration.
For whatever reason, Amazon sometimes tries to keep certain information hush-hush, so make sure you’re checking the news feed on Amazon Seller Central.
Amazon To Require Emissions Standards from Suppliers
Amazon recently announced that it’s joining other major retailers in adopting stricter emission standards for suppliers. Starting in 2024, Amazon suppliers will join other major retails in requiring emissions reports and goals for their suppliers.
Obviously, I’m fully behind the push for a cleaner planet, however, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the new policies don’t create additional hurdles for sellers in the form of increased fees, or additional headaches.
Retail Store Closings a Good Sign for Amazon?
Recent news that Target is closing a number of stores got me reading more into the increasing amount of retail closings around the U.S., a trend that Wikipedia calls a retail apocalypse.
A 2023 news article predicts the closure of 50,000 U.S. retail shops over the next five years. The rise in online shopping is cited as one of the three major causes of the downturn. One paragraph, in particular, caught my attention:
“The forecast is particularly troubling because, according to the National Retail Federation, about 70% of retail sales still come from brick-and-mortar stores, meaning retailers could suffer greater losses once they close off the places where customers physically stroll and shop.”
While I don’t expect online shopping to fully replace physical retail stores, it’s hard to ignore these trends when you make your living in the e-commerce space.
So what are my thoughts?
Obviously, as more physical stores close, people will turn to online shopping for their everyday purchases. That means there are ongoing opportunities to earn profits by selling products online if you know what to look for, thus putting to rest the myth that Amazon is over-saturated.
The article states that closures will mainly impact clothing, electronic, and furniture stores. While auto and home improvement retailers will be the least impacted.
Amazon Unveils Sponsored TV Ads
Amazon now allows for sponsored product ads on streaming platforms like Twitch and FreeVee. The move sounds like Amazon’s attempt to mimic YouTube style ads.The feature is currently in BETA for U.S. brand owners.
“Now, advertisers can easily get started with Streaming TV, with no minimum spend requirements, daily budgets, and evergreen campaigns. Amazon’s first-party insights help brands reach audiences based on likely content interests such as music videos, video games or dramas as well as product categories on Amazon like headphones or running shoes. Finally, Sponsored TV ads are eligible for interactive ad formats to help you connect with viewers as you reach new audiences.”
Social Media Influencers to Pitch Amazon Products?
I wanted to quickly mention how my team and I, along with members of my AWA mentorship, are testing out influencer marketing to get more eyes on product listings.
It works by hiring social media influencers to help pitch your Amazon products. In theory, it increases brand awareness by having a trusted persona to promote merchandise on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. This growing trend exemplifies the need to think outside the box on your Amazon journey.
There are a few different approaches to it:
Use websites like Perch HQ and Stack Influence to find and hire influencers, OR reach out directly; creators’ contact information is typically listed somewhere on their profile. Just make sure to lay out clear objectives, negotiate price, and agree on all fine details about the campaign.
Make sure to stay tuned to this blog for more updates on our findings.
Are You Ready to Start Selling on Amazon?
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So whether it’s solving issues with your Seller Central account, creative approaches to product research, scaling to new markets and niches, validating product ideas, customer service issues, and more, we’ve got you covered.
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