September 1 - 7, 2020

A+ Content - Action Items

 ITEM #1:  Tips for an Amazon Sales boost

Tips to rank on Amazon.

• When doing a promotion, have participants find organically by keywords rather than with a direct link.
• Dropping price, even temporarily, can have a big boost with ongoing sales.
• Temporary Amazon "Promotions" will boost organic sales in the longer term.

 ITEM #2:  USPS, UPS & Fedex increasing rates soon

Rates are going up unexpectedly due to covid & other issues.

• USPS - increasing from Oct 18 through Dec 27, 2020 of a flat $0.40 per item.
• UPS will increase from Nov 12th through Jan 16, 2021 from $1 to $4 per package.
• Fedex increasing for those shipping more than 35k packages per week. Increasing Nov 2 through Jan 17, 2021 between $1 and $5 per package.

 ITEM #3:  Amazon Seller Conference Sep 1

Amazon Accelerate - first, virtual Seller conference hosted by Amazon Sep 1- Sep 3. Join here: https://register.amazonaccelerate.com/page/1559189/reg-landing-page

Other Recent Posts with Highlights

6 Steps to optimize product photos

• 1) copy competitors best shots 2) make into images most important benefits 3) tackle objections in photo 4) get professional photos 5) buy stock imagery to use 6) update quarterly

Buying or Selling an Amazon business during Covid. Here's how to value it.

• Sales and growth are probably up or down. Must evaluate increase & decreases based on future potential and risk.
• Consider an earn-out to equalize changes.
• Consider valuing each product separately.

How to launch a product successfully

• Keywords: look at the top performing competing ASINS and get their keywords. Use those for which you can still compete and get enough traffic.
• Use tools: use PPC, discounts, "search find buy" strategy, two step URL's, Early Amazon Reviewer Program,

Tips to Prepare for Black Friday.

• Deliver inventory by November 5th for Black Friday & Cyber Monday.
• Consider creating a deal for the BF & CM period. This costs 2x a normal deal.

The Runway Method to launch products.

• 4 weeks before product launched, start mentioning product topic multiple times per week via email, facebook, blog post, etc.
• Run Facebook ads to these, track who views this and retarget when launched.

Sell something before you actually create it to avoid risk. Don't overcomplicate.

• Scott sells an academy (to an existing email list) then only conducts it if it sells. Otherwise, will refund.
• Test by creating a landing page for a smaller paid product and see if it converts. If so, create a larger product around that.

News from Amazon, summarized.

• New IPI limitations (inventory limits) come into effect Sept 1st.
• New prepaid returns option is available for seller fulfilled products.
• New - Amazon launched a Listing Quality Dashboard found here: Inventory -> Manage Inventory
• Video uploads, previously reserved for Brands, are now available for all sellers and products.
• Project Zero is now available to all marketplaces.

7 tips to optimize seller messaging, listed below.

• Tips. 1. Use product-specific images in emails. 2. Add personality. 3. Only send one review request. 4. Keep emails short with clear call to action. 5. Use variables in emails. 6. Use repeat-buyer optionality to personalize. 7. A/B test emails.

Buy products, hold & sell at optimal time. Does this work?

• No - Bad Idea because: 1) no guarantee price will go up 2) storage costs 3) opportunity cost of capital tied up
• Yes if can sell within 30 to 45 days for 2x.

Automatic Repricing can double sales. Should be doing this after 40 SKUs.

• A tool can automatically change prices based on rules, competitors, inventory, etc.
• Amazon offers a free option called Automate Pricing. It reprices up fine, but does not raise it properly.
• Recommends Bqool. It doubled sales. It offers 228 ways to reprice.
• Bqool updates every 15 minutes. Plans start at $25 per month.