Become a better FBA seller in 5 minutes

ECOMMERCE NEWS

Of all the issues the ecommerce industry has faced, black hat sellers are among the crucial ones. PracticalEcommerce interviewed seller-turned-consultant Ken Freeman to shed light on the current status of competition and black hat selling on Amazon.

🍵 Freeman shared how intense Amazon competition is and what black hat tactics other sellers do to take down competitors. According to him:

• Rivalry is intense when you’re in the Top 10. This is where sneaky tricks appear because everyone wants a spot. To survive, you must watch out for signs like off-the-charts ad spending.
• Competitors use “impressive but terrifying” black hat tactics, such as reporting false violations, inflating their rankings, and intentional clicks on sponsored ads. What’s worse is they can fool Amazon’s fraud detection system.
• Amazon is a “pay-to-play” system. To succeed legitimately on the platform, you have to invest in sponsored ads and master the pay-per-click game. In addition to avoiding black hats, you should be finding “golden keywords.” ✨

🏆 To increase your sales and reach without staining your reputation, Freeman suggests doing these five things: 

• Learn things that can further your business.
• Surround yourself with people who share the same passion for learning. 
• Keep an eye out for trends.
• Optimize your keywords and analyze your performance data.
• Be present on Amazon.

Succeeding and making clean millions on Amazon is hard but not impossible. You just need to keep your eyes on the prize. If you have some dollars to spare, you can also ask help from direct-to-consumer consultants to improve your customer relationships.

HOT TOPIC

How often should you track your sales metrics?

Well, do you even track your sales metrics? If not, should you start doing it now?

📝 A seller attempted to answer these questions in a recent Reddit post. An interesting discussion about the key points in ASIN monitoring then opened up:

• Saas vs DIY: Many sellers argued that keyword and product trackers from SaaS (JungleScout, Helium10, SellerLabs, etc.) are more efficient than customized Excel worksheets. However, different programs use different methods to compute costs and profits (not to mention the subscription expenses). DIY-ing a report to fit your needs might work better.
• Daily vs Weekly: Some sellers prefer weekly checks, while others agree that daily checks are more efficient. If issues arise, daily ASIN checks can help curb unnecessary costs and losses, such as spending too much on a suddenly low-ranking keyword.
• Number of ASINs: Everything comes down to the number of ASINs you have. Investing in auto trackers would be the best option for those selling hundreds of items. But for sellers like OP, who only has three ASINs, assigning a daily checker can minimize costs.

📈 Trackers are invaluable to forming marketing and ad strategies. Plus, they will tell if you’re still on track with your goals. Analyze them carefully, as these numbers mean nothing without action.

BITES OF THE WEEK

• When it comes to innovative marketing, we have two wordsletters for you: A and I. AI is your current best friend in optimizing your Amazon listings - Jungle Scout
• Women’s month is not yet over. Let’s hear how to succeed in the Amazon world from another empowered female. - About Amazon
• If you’re all about NFTs, then hear this: Amazon will be launching an NFT marketplace this April! - PaymentsJournal
• Did you know Amazon Stock climbed last week? Yup, and it has something to do with satellite, Internet, and technology. - The Motley Fool
• Amazon Prime Air promised to deliver goods in less than 30 minutes. But regulations and weak demands can’t promise it will take off anytime soon. - CNBC
• One of your powerful weapons in ecommerce is updated information. Do you know what’s currently hot in the ecommerce world? - Helium 10

CASH CORNER

Increase your sales in 3 easy ways

Every Amazon seller dreams of multiplying sales. If you’re a new Amazon seller without a solid social media presence, getting this goal would be an uphill climb.

✏️ Even so, there are surefire ways to do this. Here are 3 sales-driving tips from an experienced Amazon consultant:

1. Hire Amazon influencers

Doing so will enhance your listings and make your content dynamic and engaging. Influencers can also direct traffic from their websites to yours. This is your chance to have ‘brand fans,’ a.k.a. solid customer base!

💡Tip: Consider your intent and budget when selecting influencers. Choose those with credibility and reasonable fees to optimize your influencer marketing strategy.

2. Use Google ads

Aside from promoting your products, you can use Google ads to analyze consumer intent, boost organic traffic, and find top-ranked keywords. And did you know about the Brand Referral Bonus Program? Basically, Amazon will pay you to run Google ads on your listings!

3. Be unique and creative.

It’s time to stand out by matching your copies and color psychology with your brand identity. Outside Amazon, you should also start building an email list, attracting social media followers, and driving traffic to your website.

💪 Selling on Amazon is only the basic step in a fruitful ecommerce journey. Whether you’ll be profitable will depend on how far you’re willing to go and how hard you work to build a strong brand.

BLACK MARKET

Scammers pose as Amazon affiliates to commit fraud

As the ecommerce world grows, fraudsters are becoming more daring. A report from Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC proved they can now create poser emails that are hard to distinguish from those sent by Amazon.

🥷 Reporter Joy Schwabach decided to find out what happens when you click a phishing email link.

• Upon clicking, she was taken to a mock-up of Amazon's site. The website address is "Amazon.com" and even has a security lock.
• The site says her credit card is unlinked from her Amazon account, and she should call the number listed. Now that’s sketchy because Amazon doesn't list its number on the website (take note of this in the future).

🚩 Millions of Americans have been victimized by fraud. And these scams affect not only buyers but also sellers! Failing to spot suspicious texts and emails can lead to unauthorized access to your business accounts and even identity theft.

To avoid these dangers, keep your financial information confidential and register your social security number. Most importantly, think before you click. 🖱️