We here at RepricerExpress feel a little guilty for mentioning the holidays so early (well, not really — we love Christmas, and will happily say so, even in October) because we know a lot of people don’t like to think about it until December officially arrives. But for you, the Amazon merchant, there’s no other choice: you’ve got to start thinking about the holidays now without letting another day go by. The earlier you can start configuring your holiday business plan, the better equipped you’ll be when it hits. And should anything need your attention, it’ll be a lot easier if you’ve taken care of the heavy load ahead of time.
More Holiday Shopping is Being Done Online
This is great news for Amazon merchants, because it means that instead of hitting up brick-and-mortar stores, 13.5-14% of buyers are looking at you as the first option (in the United States). Stores and malls get crowded, people are in bad moods, it’s hard to find a parking spot, the lines are long, they get hot walking around in coats — all of those problems are erased when they shop online. It’s comfortable, easy and quick, and it’s the only time you can hold a hot little drink in your hand while you’re paying for a Christmas gift.
Unfortunately, the holiday rush and the additional shoppers who are making the switch to the online world mean that you’ll be extra busy during the lead-in to Christmas. This is not a time to try and pick up new things, or be at critical capacity. If you normally run business on a “I’m-fine-if-nothing-out-of-the-ordinary-happens” philosophy, you will run into difficulties. There is bound to be at least one thing that takes you by surprise, and the more flexibility you can afford yourself in dealing with it, the better.
It May Be Time to Start Looking at Fulfilment by Amazon
One of the greatest things Amazon ever introduced was Fulfilment by Amazon, the service where they’ll take care of the product picking, packing, shipping and delivering, all so you don’t have to burden yourself with extra work.
Take advantage of it.
It’s a useful service, especially around Christmas time. Amazon hires thousands of seasonal employees to handle the load, so you reap the benefit of extra hired hands without having to pay for it. And because there are more employees there, ready to take on your orders, this frees you up to solicit more business, which, as we all know, is definitely a good thing.
Learn the Art of the Email Campaign
Even on Amazon, where you can’t quite set up an email marketing campaign the way you would with an independent ecommerce site, it’s still more than possible to keep in contact with your buyers. Send them friendly reminder emails asking for feedback or reviews, which helps you keep in contact with them.
If you’re an independent merchant using the services of Amazon, then you can definitely create your own email marketing campaign independent of feedback/review emails. Last year, an online broadcast-based company called Jewelry Television discovered that using email marketing campaigns targeting days other than shopping “holidays” (i.e. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc.) still worked to generate a bump in sales. Just because Christmas is one of the biggest shopping events of the year doesn’t mean you have to target that in isolation, but just don’t go overboard on ordinary days, either. Use it sporadically and as part of a target business approach, and watch your sales go up.
For purely Amazon merchants, the equivalent of this would be offering timely specials and deals (or repricing, to a degree!). For instance, you can advertise that your sunglasses now come with a BOGOF deal, or upsell them with lens cloths or containers for a reduced price.
