We finally have a date: Prime Day 2024 will happen on July 16 & 17! 🥳
Amazon must have been receiving a lot of queries about the dates that it decided to drop it and end the “suspense.”
Of course, we’re sharing this with you to give you as much time to finalize your strategies—along with other steaming pieces of information that might help you get ready.
- A potential hurdle on Prime Day (and how to solve it) 🚧
- A FREE tool to become viral on TikTok Shop 🗣️
- TikTok’s newest milestone ✨
- Two secrets to staying competitive on Amazon 🤫
BLACK MARKET
Gating on Amazon is a system meant to protect brands by controlling who can sell their products. But the policies are so vague, it often leaves many Amazon sellers scratching their heads.
One seller shared on Seller Central their disappointment after all of their products on Amazon suddenly became gated! 🔒
What happened?
- The original poster (OP) has been an active seller on Amazon for 4 years and maintained a perfect account health score.
- Despite this, the products they have sold for years became suddenly restricted. Now, they need approval to continue shipping inventory and selling their items.
- There’s no clear cause as to why this happened, but some sellers believe that brands might have become stricter over who can sell their products on Amazon. Others think it might be a technical glitch.
- An Amazon rep responded and offered to look into the case further. He also explained that some brands require approvals after the product is listed.
📝 How to get ungated?
If you find yourself in the same boat as OP, here’s a cheat sheet to boost your chances of getting ungated:
- Improve performance metrics. Maintain good customer service and keep refunds or returns minimal.
- Choose reputable wholesalers known for their quality and reliability. Consider those who handle different product categories to save time on supplier research and ordering.
- Source products you can sell. Verify if the ASINs are active on Amazon to make sure you can sell these products.
- Have your recent invoices ready. Amazon requires various documents before you can get your request approved.
📍 Most importantly, seek technical support as soon as you notice something wrong.
FYI, Amazon’s support staff are most responsive on weekdays, from 9 AM to 5 PM (PST).
TOGETHER WITH INSENSE
FREE Template: How to brief for viral TikTok Shop campaigns
The #1 TikTok pain point for Amazon sellers is effectively briefing TikTok Shop affiliates to produce high-quality videos that drive sales. Insense, an official TikTok Shop Partner, can help with that.
Insense and its team of TikTok Shop experts will help:
- Produce effective creative briefs for flawless content delivery
- Match you with vetted creators FAST within 2 days
- Deliver killer shoppable videos in 10 days or less
And they’ve published a FREE Creative Brief Template!
You can use the free template to:
- Accelerate your TikTok Shop video content creation
- Receive flawless content deliverables the first time
- Effectively explain your brand and product for high-impact shoppable TikTok videos
BITES OF THE WEEK
- Shoe-In: You can now ship shoes to Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD).
- Super ‘eero’: The eero company debuted on Amazon Launchpad and gave everyone Wi-Fi.
- Retail’s Going Red: Sales are falling progressively—a typical warning sign of consumer stress.
SOCIAL PULSE
TikTok just achieved its first $1 million shopping livestream
TikTok just made its first $1 million sale in a single shopping livestream. Marketplace Pulse reported how beauty brand Canvas Beauty achieved this milestone during a 6-hour livestream on June 8, with a peak of 10,000 viewers tuned in!
Trivia: Just the day before, Simply Mandys, another brand, pulled in $730,000, briefly holding the record before Canvas Beauty took over.
🌟 Big goals
Live commerce has been huge in other parts of the world, especially in China, but remains a niche in the U.S. In fact, big platforms like Facebook and Instagram have stepped back from it. Amazon has also been in the game for 5 years but hasn’t been the game-changer many expected when it comes to live commerce..
But it looks like TikTok is taking a different path. The platform aims to hit $12 to $13 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in the U.S. alone during the second half of 2024 for its live commerce online. That’s a lot of livestream shopping! 🤑
They’re doing this by:
- Working closely with select creators and prioritizing live video broadcasts in their algorithm.
- Leveraging an asset unique to them: content. Users stumble upon products while being entertained, making for an effortless shopping experience.
📱 Entertainment first, shopping second
At its core, TikTok remains an entertainment platform. Sometimes, it doubles as a discovery engine for new products. However, it's not poised to replace Amazon or other major retailers anytime soon.
Even so, it seems like TikTok has found a feature that seamlessly fits its environment—live commerce—and is maximizing its potential. Who knows? Perhaps the next time you hear about TikTok, it will be for another groundbreaking livestream sales event.
ACTIONABLE ADVICE
How SEO and loyalty programs help you stay competitive on Amazon
There are many strategies to help you stay in the ecommerce game; eCommerce Fastlane lists 23 ways to do so. But for now, we’ll concentrate on two very effective strategies that even Amazon still uses today: SEO and loyalty programs. ☑️
SEO
- What is it: In a nutshell, SEO is all about using the right keywords to rank in search results.
- Why should you use it: An optimized website, product listing, and other publishable content make it easier for customers to find you.
- How to make the most out of it: Update your content frequently. Also, build reputable backlinks. No spam! 🗑️
Loyalty programs
- What are they: Loyalty programs are a way to retain customers and engage with them. It can be in the form of exclusive offers, rewards cards, or a paid membership, with benefits surpassing the subscription fee.
- Why should you use them: These programs create a community and build brand loyalty. Plus, it improves your lifetime value for shoppers.
- How to make the most out of it: You can reward points for every dollar or every purchase. You can also offer exclusive discounts, freebies, or early access to merchandise.
💡 Learning from Amazon
Amazon didn’t grow to become an ecommerce behemoth overnight. It has its own algorithm that constantly screens through millions of listings to help customers find exactly what they’re looking for. Then there’s the Prime program—one of the best examples of a well-established loyalty program.
Our thoughts about this? It’s not just Amazon who can come up with these gimmicks. Big AND small brands can develop smart strategies to attract and retain customers.
🫵 Yup, we’re talking about you. If you’re cooking something up for Prime Day 2024, you know you can let us know by replying to this email—or not if you want it to be a surprise (we totally understand!).
