Random Tuesday FYI: By 2026, grocery is expected to become the largest ecommerce category.
If you’re not selling grocery items and you want to start building your market, let us know if you want more information on how to do that. We’re always ready to help you become better sellers. 😉
For now, here are some Amazon controversies and optimization hacks for your business.
- Amazon South Africa’s ‘dirty’ practice 👈
- The all-in-one tool you need to grow your Amazon business 🧰
- Solutions to high website bounce rate 🎱
BLACK MARKET
Just 2 months after its launch, Amazon South Africa was caught in a controversy involving “dirty reseller tricks.” A South African reseller group accuses Amazon of forcing them to lower their prices, as reported by MyBroadband. ⬇️
What’s happening in Amazon South Africa?
According to the report, Amazon wants sellers to change prices to match or beat their listings’ prices on competing platforms like Takealot.
- Takealot has low prices. The price difference between the two marketplaces was significant until recently.
- Sellers are losing the “Add to Basket” button because they are no longer the “best price.” Without the button, shoppers are less likely to push through with their purchase.
- A seller revealed that they had to lower their prices on their Amazon listings when Takealot held a promotion. Only after the promotion were they allowed to return it to the original.
❓ But why is this happening?
Well, we can’t speak for Amazon. But it’s possible this has something to do with maintaining its customer-centric reputation.
While Amazon claims they don’t offer price matching, some experts say it’s murky water. The retail giant doesn’t match prices post-purchase, but it adjusts prices in real-time to give a “better” value. The downside is sellers may have to sacrifice their margins, as well as their participation in other marketplaces’ sales events.
Some takeaways for sellers:
- Amazon may remove the “Buy now” box from your listing if your product is not priced competitively (cheaper). This is called Buy Box suppression.
- However, you can use tools, such as a Buy Box tracker or a repricer, to monitor if you’re losing the Buy Box (and why you’re losing it).
But no matter what, always know your worth. Weigh your decisions, and report suspiciously low-price items. This way, you won’t be sacrificing your business’ growth and you get to help rid of counterfeits. 🏭
TOGETHER WITH SMARTSCOUT
An all-in-one tool that can launch your Amazon business to success
Selling on Amazon is overwhelming enough. But what they don’t tell you is how equally overwhelming tools for sellers are!
Of all the recommended tools out there, which should you invest in?
As a new Amazon seller, we recommend SmartScout. It’s the perfect tool to have, especially if you haven’t done your product research yet. This is the first step to selling on the platform, so if you have a trusty tool for that, then everything else will follow.
What can you do with SmartScout?
- Explore all Amazon’s categories instantly
Imagine being able to explore all 25,000 subcategories on Amazon without hassle. Well, SmartScout makes this possible with its easy-to-use file directory system. It allows you to quickly analyze products and brands in related subcategories, enabling you to find the most profitable categories to sell in.
- Get realistic estimates with the Amazon FBA calculator
Amazon handling order fulfillment for you is a big burden off your shoulders. But have you ever felt like FBA fees are holding you back? This tool gives you a crystal-clear view of those fees. Make sure that you’re not overpaying for FBA services and maximize your earnings with the FBA calculator!
- Know the “frequently” profitable items
SmartScout’s Traffic Graph feature reverse-engineers Amazon’s recommendation engine to help you understand competitor traffic. Moreover, you can use it to identify "frequently bought together" products and locate the best ad spots.
- Scrutinize a product’s true potential with a UPC Scanner
This tool eliminates the tedious task of analyzing products one by one. You can import entire product lists with an Excel file and instantly identify the most profitable items.
- Bonus: User-friendly Interface
SmartScout stands out with its simple yet sophisticated design, enhancing the user experience. This design choice ensures seamless navigation, allowing users to focus more on extracting insights from the data rather than wrestling with the interface.
We’re making it even better for you!
SmartScout has partnered with SellerBites to give you a 25% DISCOUNT for the FIRST 3 MONTHS. See how you can use their services to your advantage.
Click on the link below to claim your 25% discount!
Make my product research easier
BITES OF THE WEEK
- Listing Lounge’s Lookback: Amazon forums review and reflect on the shared info for Q1–Q2.
- Gen Z Wants Social: Gen Zers say social commerce and livestreaming commerce are crucial to shopping.
- Tech Tools: Here are the top 10 tools and programs to help you ensure ecommerce success.
ACTIONABLE ADVICE
High website bounce rate? Here’s how to fix it
Do potential customers leave your online store almost as soon as they arrive? It’s not just frustrating; it’s a red flag that something needs fixing. 🚩
A high bounce rate means visitors leave your site quickly without exploring other pages. This can hurt your sales and ranking on Amazon.
⏳ Search Engine Journal discussed several reasons behind high bounce rates and how to fix them:
- Slow page load time. If your page takes more than a few seconds to load, visitors might leave before they even see your products.
- How to fix this: Optimize your site speed by improving your technical SEO strategies. For example, you can compress images and eliminate unnecessary plug-ins.
- Misleading titles or descriptions. When visitors come to your site expecting one thing but finding another, it can lead them to leave immediately.
- How to fix this: Ensure your titles and meta descriptions accurately reflect the content on your page. If your page is about eco-friendly water bottles, don’t use clickbait titles that mislead visitors.
- Poor mobile experience. Many people shop on their phones. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, visitors will have a hard time navigating and might leave.
- How to fix this: Optimize your website for mobile devices. Use responsive design, test on various devices, and ensure that buttons and links are easy to click on small screens.
- Too many ads or pop-ups. Ads and pop-ups can be annoying, especially if they block the content visitors come to see.
- How to fix this: Limit the number of ads and use pop-ups sparingly. Make sure they’re easy to close and don’t cover the main content.
- Low-quality content. If your content is not useful, interesting, or engaging, visitors will leave quickly.
- How to fix this: Provide valuable information, use clear and concise language, and include images or videos to make the content more engaging.
💻 Bonus hack: Keep everything simple
Especially with the information you’d ask visitors. If you ask for too many details, you’d risk customers suspecting you have not-so-good intentions of using those against them.
The good news: with a few simple tweaks, you can keep your visitors engaged. Just make sure you also offer high-quality content to really encourage them to explore AND buy your products.
