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No-Frills Beginner’s Guide to Amazon Advertising

Every e-commerce business has leveraged advertising to fuel their sales, with Google and Facebook Ads being the most popular. But many are missing out on what might already be staring them in the face: Amazon advertising. 

Amazon has gained a massive following in the e-commerce industry ever since its launch back in 1994. In fact, 66.4 million households in America have an Amazon Prime subscription. That’s more than the number of people who go to church on Sundays! 

This fact alone shows how massive the opportunity is for e-commerce owners to advertise on Amazon, and it’s one that they shouldn’t miss. But first, how do these businesses get started? 

Amazon Advertising: How Does It Work?

Amazon Ads work the same as Google Ads. They are displayed in different areas of the e-commerce platform when a user types in a related search query on the Amazon search box. You can differentiate them from the regular search results as they are labeled subtly with text like “sponsored” or “ad.”

Amazon advertising has a similar process to Google Ads. Advertisers bid on specific keywords to increase the visibility of their products. These are pay-per-click ads, which means the advertiser will only pay for the ads that a user clicks.

While Amazon advertising is an excellent opportunity for e-commerce businesses, they can boost their advertising strategy with Google Ads.

Online consumers are now smarter than ever. Around 53 percent of shoppers do a Google search before purchasing products online. And if a business isn’t advertising on the world’s most popular search engine, they’re going to lose the advertising game to competitors.

Entrepreneurs who don’t have the time and expertise to place their ads can outsource the work to Google Ad specialists. These services take the work off their plate and put their advertising budget to good use.

How to Advertise on Amazon 

  1. Make out your goal 

Before anything else, businesses should determine their advertising goals. Amazon allows advertisers to set their success metrics based on their goals, such as increasing their sales or promoting their brand.

For example, they can monitor the Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS) to drive more sales. On the other hand, impressions are a great determining factor for boosting brand awareness.

Knowing the goal beforehand also helps advertisers determine which ad type will work best to reach their goal.  

  1. Pick the right products 

Now, it’s time to choose products to advertise. For retailers that have a vast inventory, selecting the right ones can be tricky.

But the most fail-safe trick is to advertise the most popular products. These will more likely gain conversions. Before placing the ads, merchants should stock up on these bestsellers to avoid buyer issues.

Of course, they need to ensure products are priced competitively. Otherwise, they’ll be losing to competitors who are selling the same items for a lower price.

  1. Optimize your product pages

Ads can get you clicks, but they won’t guarantee conversions. This means advertisers also need to improve their product pages to drive checkouts.

Shoppers will look at these pages for accurate and persuasive details about the product. These include a clear, compelling product title and description, high-quality product photo, and other specific information on the product. 

For example, clothing brands are more likely to convert shoppers by placing the right measurements of their products. People need to know if they’re getting something that’ll fit them just right.

Entrepreneurs that don’t want to deal with product procurement may consider dropshipping on Amazon. This allows them to open up shop, set up sponsored ads, and earn a portion of the sales from a main seller.

  1. Determine the right ad type for you

There are different ad types on Amazon, and each of them doesn’t work the same or provide the same results as others.

  • Sponsored ads – use automatic keyword targeting that leaves it up to Amazon’s algorithm to use the most relevant keywords to the product

  • Headline search ads – also known as sponsored brand campaigns that feature up to three of the brand’s products in the ads

  • Product display ads – PPC ads that appear on product pages, on top of offer listing pages, and below search results

  • Video ads – displayed on devices, websites, and other Amazon-owned assets across the web

  • Stores – an Amazon store lets you display all your products on one convenient page for free

5. Choose between sponsored brand and sponsored product 

The difference between a sponsored brand and a sponsored product listing on Amazon lies in the products displayed, and ultimately, the ad’s goal.

A sponsored brand will display three or four of a brand’s products in one row, which helps boost awareness of its product range.

Meanwhile, a sponsored product post only promotes an individual product. This means advertisers that use this type of ad are focused on generating more sales for that specific product. This also benefits those whose goal is to target a niche audience.

6. Use advanced targeting features 

By using category-specific targeting, you can display ads only to interested shoppers that’ll likely give clicks.

For instance, users clicking on a Nike sportswear might also be interested in exploring other sportswear brands. Because of this, they’re more likely to click on sponsored products related to that item.  

Amazon allows advertisers to target products by category, providing them greater control on where and when their ads appear on the platform’s search results.

7. Do keyword research 

Before bidding on specific keywords, ensure that they’re the correct terms your target audience is looking for. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your ad spend paying for clicks that don’t get enough conversions.

To target your ads at a smaller yet more high-intent audience, try to be more specific by bidding on phrases or exact match keywords. For instance, instead of targeting a broad keyword like “scented candles,”  you may want to target “soy wax scented candles” if you’re offering a more eco-friendly option.  

Test the Waters

E-commerce marketing is a rapidly growing field with increasing numbers of job openings.  Advertising is all about trial and error, whether you’re a beginner or not. With the tight competition, it’s hard to achieve a goal overnight. But following these tips will help narrow that room for error and boost our chances of success. 

5 Reasons How Customer Retention Can Help Promote Your Brand

Marketing strategies make it possible for a brand to be globally-known, despite being new to the market. The logic behind marketing strategies is for people to know and remember your brand, so every time they think of buying something, your brand name will come first in mind.

Customer retention can be acquired through several marketing tactics and how you take care of your customers before, during, and after a transaction. One of the reasons brands use several marketing strategies and offer after-sales care is to increase customer retention. It’s difficult to penetrate the competitive industry of eCommerce when you are not known by many, let alone when you don’t have repetitive customers. With the variety of products and services offered through eCommerce today, it’s hard for customers to be loyal to one brand only. Most people would try various brands before they stick to one that they can fully trust.

So how does customer retention make your business grow? Here are five reasons how customer retention can help promote your brand:

Customer Retention Build Profitable Relationships

Finding ways to retain customers must be one of a brand’s primary goals, as the business can benefit a lot from repetitive customers. Making sure that customers are satisfied and happy can lead to loyalty which can then lead to a profitable relationship.

Taking good care of your customers allows your brand to build strong relationships with them over time, increasing your profitability. Some brands are more invested in gaining new customers than retaining old ones, which do not always end well. Repeat customers are much easier to sell to than the next potential customer because they already know how your brand’s service is and how good your products are. Coming back to avail of your service after some time translates to having excellent customer service. Customer retention is vital to your brand’s longevity.

Retaining Customers Cost Less Than Acquiring New Customers

Retaining customers doesn’t mean you should stop acquiring new customers once you have repeat customers, no. It simply means that it costs way less to keep existing customers than to gain new ones because you don’t have to put much effort or spend double on any marketing strategy for repeat customers.

On average, it costs about five times more time, money, and effort to acquire new customers than to retain existing customers. It should be a goal of a business to earn more and spend less, and a high rate of customer retention fits right to that description.

Repeat Purchases

Did you know that, on average, almost 70% of a company’s sales come from existing customers? Loyal customers tend to buy more frequently in large quantities. They already know and trust that your brand can provide everything they look for in a product or service, leading to repeat purchases time after time.

Loyal customers get the feeling of being valued. The more they feel comfortable with your brand, the more they want to make additional purchases because they know that your business will most likely listen to their suggestions and requests.

Loyal Customers Make Time To Provide Helpful Feedbacks

Loyal customers are more aware of what areas your business needs to improve because of their frequent purchases. Since they know you care for them, they will also give the same amount of care for your business. Loyal customers can be honest at times, but honest feedback is helpful to the company. It gives you leverage to know what your customers need, compares solutions, and improves on the next transaction.

Customer Retention Acts As Free Promotion

Loyal customers love to share stuff they’ve bought on their social media accounts, and this forms word-of-mouth advertising. It works as free promotion for the brand because various people from different parts of the world have a huge chance to see the product on the customer’s post, which can spark curiosity, especially if the post gains massive attention.

Some customers are proud to show off the brand they have, that they would even go tagging the brand’s official page on popular social media sites, which sparks the interests of their followers and friends.

Word-of-mouth advertising ignites a call-to-action to the audience. One example could be skincare products. Social media users often get questions like, “how did you achieve a glass skin” “what lipstick do you use” “what sunblock did you get for going to the beach,” and many more related questions. Because there are people who want to achieve what you got from the brand, they will want to try the brand as soon as possible, which contributes a lot to the brand’s sales.

Thriving businesses need to know how customer retention can make an impact on their sales. Taking care of existing customers should also be on the top priority lists of companies, as maintaining a trustworthy and reliable reputation can help your business grow more rapidly and gain more customers.

5 Principles to Consider (and Implement!) When Designing Your eCommerce Logo

Think of any iconic business. It doesn’t matter the industry — it could be cars, food, technology or some other sector. When you take a moment to recall them, what image pops up in your brain?

That’s right: the logo. Sure, you may start to contemplate the company’s offerings or an experience you had with a product, but the first picture you see will likely be the logo.

An effective logo is an essential and crucial part of your eCommerce business. It’s the entry point to any further interaction a potential customer may have with your brand. It will either invite interest and remembrance or disinterest and obscurity for your brand. Having a memorable logo can make a significant difference in your sales volume over time, too.

Logos are based on five foundational principles: simplicity, memorability, original, modern yet timeless and versatile. All great logos stand out from the crowd because they have these five components working together in harmony.

Let’s delve further into each of these 5 principles of amazing logos.

1. Simplicity: It’s Not Rocket Science

Simplicity is the first foundational aspect on the list — for a good reason. A simple logo speaks to an audience easily and immediately. It doesn’t confuse, it doesn’t flaunt and it doesn’t inundate. It’s digestible and, therefore, effective.

Let’s take a logo from one of the most successful toy companies in history: Lego. Although it’s passed through various iterations throughout the business’s timeline, today’s version is a simple red square with the word “LEGO” in white in the middle. The font is slightly bulbous, and the letters are outlined in black and then yellow. That’s it. No explanation, no pictures, no description.

However, this simple design conveys a whole lot within its relatively limited details. The playful font connotes a fun feeling, and the vibrant red brings alertness and energy to the logo. The easy to pronounce and catchy name snuggly fits in the square. All these pieces add up to a simple logo that says a lot. Of course, we wouldn’t know precisely what the Lego logo was for if we weren’t familiar with the immensely popular toy, but we’d still be able to take in the logo and experience a feeling.

Your eCommerce logo should also harness these same powers of simplicity. Think of a logo that is first easy for most people to experience. It shouldn’t be a chore to look at — within a few seconds, all of the necessary information should be consumed. Then, that simplicity should subtly convey aspects of the business. Through design choices such as font and color scheme, the logo emits a personality that makes the consumer feel a certain way.

The funny thing about simplicity is that it’s generally more difficult to achieve than complexity. It would be easier to spell out aspects of your eCommerce in the logo and share all the information you want them to know. However, it’s far more effective to have a simple logo that effortlessly provides potential customers with an experience.

2. Memorability: Stick With It

Nike. Once you read that name, there’s no question; a swoosh shortly comes to your mind’s eye. A masterclass in logo simplicity — but also an excellent example of a logo that’s memorable.

All of these principles go hand in hand and reinforce each other. A simple logo has a better chance of being a memorable logo.

Think about a catchy pop song, those one-hit wonders that still sometimes become earworms on a random Tuesday. They have the simplest of choruses that you can sing over and over effortlessly. They’re simple, and that helps to make them memorable.

But what else makes a logo memorable?

Something about the logo must be compelling. Is it the bold color choice? Does it contain an undeniably unique drawing? Is the font irresistibly elegant? Is the word in the logo itself catchy? What ultimately makes this logo different and outstanding?

To be memorable, your eCommerce logo must say something starkly different or convey a feeling so clearly that it stays with the viewer. Think of how to stand out from the crowd and be remembered.

3. Originality: There’s Only One

The last thing you want your logo to do is get confused with or remind others of another logo. If a logo doesn’t have its own unique identity, it not only gets forgotten, but it lacks purpose with the brand.

One of the logo’s essential functions is to announce the business itself. The features of the logo present the personality and vibe of the company. The various details convey a business’s energy and perhaps even its purpose.

If the logo is not completely unique, it cannot convey the company’s message, as it gets muddled in confusion.

Therefore, logo originality helps the company stand out, be memorable and sows the seeds of brand awareness and understanding.

I can’t overstate this, many eCommerce owners now use automated logo maker like this one, but you will never get a unique logo with these platforms, many of the logos are the same! It’s much better to invest a few hundred dollars and hire a designer who can work with to create an original logo that speaks for your brand.

4. Modern Yet Timeless: Never Going Out of Style

The great logos stand the test of time. They may become tweaked or adjusted over the years, but their core persists through decades.

These logos do not dictate a particular time period’s style and social acceptance, nor do they fall into the category of vintage and cool. Rather, they transcend an era’s style to stand on its own and stay relevant.

Take, for instance, Toyota’s logo. This design of three overlapping ovals has been on cars since 1990, but nothing about this logo feels dated today. In fact, the logo even adds a modern touch to the most cutting-edge Toyota cars released today.

This logo, and others like it, have the quality of being outside the ebbs and flows of society’s fads and fashions. They have a uniqueness and personality all their own that isn’t informed by their surroundings.

When you design your own eCommerce logo, lean into your originality and create it apart from the forces that influence trends and popularity.

5. Versatility: More Than a One-Trick Pony

Your logo won’t just pop up on your website. It may show up on documents and on boxes. It may need to shrink or expand or change color for a particular product.

All that to say, your logo should have a level of adaptability and versatility. This does not mean that its roots or identity are compromised; on the contrary, its identity is so well-established that it can be utilized in other fashions and still be distinct and known.

A great example of this is the Apple logo. A simple apple with a smooth bite taken out of it and a unique stem design, this logo is easily digestible and memorable. Throughout the years, it has essentially stayed the same. However, it has undergone a lot of changes. It was rainbow-colored in the 80s and 90s, and in the early 2000s, it had a shiny appearance. However, this is ultimately the same logo, and you recognize it lit up white on the back of a laptop or rainbow on an old advertisement.

Your logo should be able to be tweaked and adapted without getting lost. Appearing on a white business card should be as simple as being printed on an orange poster.

The Pillars for Your Logo’s Success

A logo is the door to your business. If a potential customer is enticed by a simple and original design, they are often able to see that design on an array of products and remember and connect with that logo for years to come. Customers who remember your brand fondly are more apt to walk through your door when they’re looking for products or services that your brand offers.

Anchor your design to the five foundational principles for an effective logo, and you will be setting your eCommerce business up for success.

Benefits of Headless Commerce Approach

At present, one of the latest e-commerce trends that has a huge impact on business performance is the headless approach. According to Yottaa, more than 60% of retailers are ready to leverage this business model to their commerce. And it’s no surprise since this strategy implies much better flexibility of your site and faster accommodation of the numerous service and system improvements by simply separating the front-end and back-end parts of the e-commerce platform. 

With this tactics implementation, brands can, for instance, effectively accommodate the updates for a user experience enhancement without the need to engage more labor or resources to make any changes to the back-end system, and vice versa. But is this system really a must-have for your business model?

Today, we’ll uncover the most essential benefits you’ll get from the headless commerce approach.

Main Benefits of Headless Commerce Strategy

The 3rd annual eCommerce Leaders Survey Report on Site Performance has indicated that around 62% of eCommerce executives from the industry’s biggest brands are concerned that headless commerce can significantly improve customer engagement and enhance business conversions. In fact, there are much more benefits this business model can bring to your commerce and its consumers. 

Innovative Technologies for Launching More Visionary, Faster Sites

With the headless strategy, developers can freely implement and test the new technologies, more comfortable for users. The thing is they don’t need to adjust their improvements to the requirements of the traditional CMS, unlike it is with the traditional eCommerce model. 

As a result of better flexibility, it becomes much easier and much faster to house and deliver the content using the CMS, DXP, or Internet of Things devices. For the customers, such a change means a better user experience, which will lead to their better conversion than on the traditional eCommerce platforms. 

Higher Conversion Rates and Lower Client Acquisition Spendings

At present, it becomes more and more challenging to capture the clients’ interest, which for any eCommerce means higher acquisition costs due to the strong competition in paid ads. 

However, the headless commerce strategy is an efficient yet profitable way of redirecting these spendings! The main focus of this method implies a strong focus on increasing the lifetime customers via the Organic traffic channel instead of relying on the unstable effect of the advertising campaigns. 

Instead of paid ads campaigns, headless is mainly targeted to increase user engagement and boost the business conversion using content- or experience-led strategies. Thus, it can not only reduce the costs needed to maintain the competitiveness of your eCommerce platform but also enhance the online presence of your business and establish a strong traffic channel regardless of whether or not you run an ad campaign. 

Better Employee Engagement 

Another great feature of a headless commerce model is that it enables efficient employee adoption of the new technologies, even if they lack a specific technical background. That is why the team members are free to access and operate the front end without advanced skills in programming. Additionally, this reduces the time, costs, and resources required to get new workers up to speed, so they can easily start their work. 

Consistency Across the Front End and Back End Channels

As a rule, any changes to the eCommerce website are run by the developer’s team. The businesses with the headless commerce model can instead adopt any site improvements independently with no assistance from the IT team. This results in a shorter time frame needed for the new technologies implementation and testing, and also a way more efficient working performance of each channel targeted on the platform enhancement: they’ll contribute to different aspects of the common eCommerce upgrade strategy. 

The Agile Marketing Establishment

The headless model can ensure faster and more efficient employment of the innovative technologies as and when they arise, which is both important for the business and its customers as well. The marketers receive more control under the multiple campaigns and are able to set up the new projects in just a few days. Thus, instead of months of waiting for the campaign launch and its results, the team will be able to analyze its performance much faster!

Wrapping Up

At present, it becomes really challenging for eCommerce businesses to keep up with the new trends in this industry and still be able to maintain competitiveness within any scope. With the headless commerce strategy, your team will be able to independently work on different aspects of the commerce improvement, and deliver better results in shorter time frames. Targeted on giving more freedom to both the front-end and back-end channels, it enables running different projects and adopting the latest technologies to your business. 

Needless to say, the more and the better engagement your business will provide, the bigger are the chances for your brand to obtain lifetime customers!