If you missed the live session, you can watch the full discussion on demand. Here’s a breakdown of what was covered.

A New Format in a New Economy

Amazon has officially extended Prime Day to four days beyond its traditional two day period. This shift brings both opportunities and challenges for brands.  On the positive side, this gives brands a lot more time to get in front of audiences and gain visibility. Contrary to that, more time brings more competition and more fatigue. In a climate of soft demand, rising costs, and cautious shoppers, this extension shows the nimbleness needed to survive in the market we are currently in.

Key Trends Shaping Prime Day Strategies

Here’s what NetElixir sees as the top three trends for this year’s Amazon Prime Day.

Consumers are Entering with a Shortlist- Not a Blank Check

With the current economic climate, shoppers are no longer buying impulsively. They’re researching ahead, comparing options, and entering Prime Day with specific products in mind. Our data shows that 62% of buyers are deal-researching before shopping even begins.

Pro Tip: Ask yourself if you have made it to the shoppers shortlist. If you have not,  how can  you profitably make your way into that consideration set before it’s too late? 

Real Value Over Flashy Discounts

Buyers are looking at the total value of deals, not just slashed prices. While customers are still looking for great deals, they are going an extra mile and looking for some sort of value within those deals provided.

Pro Tip:  Highlight things like 4+ star ratings and customer testimonials to showcase higher value.

Brand Discovery is On the Rise

Amazon is no longer a lower funnel platform meant for last minute conversions. It has become a discovery platform. In a cautious environment, customers are open to exploring new brands if your brand has a really strong value proposition.

Pro Tip:  There has never been a bigger opportunity for small and mid sized brands to grab market share from competitors. Be sure to hone in on your brand’s value to stay ahead of the rising competition.

ASIN Prioritization

• Past Proof: High click through rate products, strong review to traffic ratio ASINs
• Present Readiness: High margin items with well stocked inventory
• Future Value: Low return products that are repeat purchase generators

Double down on SKUs with margin, momentum, and credibility

Smart Discounting

• Tiered Discounts: Big discounts for high-margin hero SKUs, No discounts for low-margin ASINs
• ACOS: Pre-plan guardrails for each ASIN, Pivot in real time based on performance
• Profit Analysis: Profit doesn’t equal price cut, Plan discounts that protect brand equity while expanding reach

Advertising That Converts

• Amazon DSP is now essential. Target cart abandoners, competitor audiences, and high-intent shoppers
• Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) lets you merge first party data for better retargeting
• Don’t forget external traffic. TikTok, Meta, and influencers can help lower your on- platform cost while boosting visibility

Fireside Chat with Shivali Patel

Shivali has worked closely with hundreds of marketplace sellers and brought a front-row view into utilizing the data to identify opportunities.

How should brands prepare for the extended Prime Day?
Treat it like a mini Q4. Finalize deals immediately, revisit pricing (a slight increase before Prime Day can protect margins), and audit click/conversion share to refine images or copy as needed. Segment your strategy by day: focus on conversions on days 1–2, and upsell or retarget on days 3–4.

Can brands succeed without relying on deep discounts?
Yes. Shivali recommends:

• Smart bundling with added value (like digital bonuses)
• Leveraging social proof through upgraded images and strong reviews
• Driving external traffic to stand out and boost ranking
• Clearing old inventory (if listings are optimized)
• Automating PPC to focus on bottom-funnel keywords
• Planning flexible budgets using tools like Budget Manager

What role does buyer intent play in Prime Day prep?
A huge one. Use historical data and tools like:

• Cerebro to compare past vs. present keyword performance
• Search Query Analyzer for real search volume, benchmarked conversion data, and insight into underperformers
• Competitor monitoring to spot pricing, ranking, or coupon changes in real time

What if Prime Day is underperforming halfway through?
React quickly:

• Test higher-value coupons temporarily to boost momentum
• Pre-audit listings to avoid mid-campaign surprises
• Control what you can: tweak coupons or ad strategy on the fly

Which categories are performing best?
Top categories include:

• Electronics (33% of global revenue)
• Home & Kitchen
• Toys & Games
• Pet Products
• Premium health/supplements
• Fashion (especially under $50 items)

What if your backend or inventory can’t keep up?
Avoid deep discounts up front. Instead, raise prices beforehand and offer moderate discounts or coupons that still earn the Prime Day badge. Prioritize backend readiness and focus on bundles with clear upsell paths.

Coupons, Bundles, or Lightning Deals—what’s the priority?

1. Start with coupons: Flexible, visible, and easy to deploy
2. Next, use bundles: Increase AOV and stand out with A+ content
3. Finally, add lightning deals: Useful, but more limited in scope

Resources to Prepare

With Prime Day expanding to four days, winning isn’t just about showing up with discounts. It’s about showing up with a smarter strategy. Here are some resources that can help you out.

NetElixir’s Competitive Insights Report

NetElixir’s Competitive Insights Report will provide you with a custom analysis of your brand and up to four key competitors on Amazon. The report will reveal:

• Keyword gaps
• Pricing and couponing trends
• Share of voice
• ASIN level opportunities

Helium 10’s Prime Day Checklist

Helium 10 also provides their own Prime Day checklist. The checklist includes tactics from industry thought leaders to help you succeed this Amazon Prime Day. This free resource includes 28 different strategies that you can implement for your brand’s plan.

Be sure to catch the full webinar on demand and reach out to our team with any questions regarding your Prime Day strategy.

The post Prime Day 2025 Will Be Different: How to Succeed appeared first on NetElixir.

Whether you’re stocked up and ready to go or looking ahead to next year’s Prime events, NetElixir can help you make the most of these special shopping days.

What are Amazon Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days?

Prime Day began in 2015 as a retail event marking Amazon’s 20th birthday. It has evolved over the years and in 2023, Amazon has held two Prime events: Prime Day (July 11-12) and Prime Big Deal Days (October 10-11). Special Prime events are a way for Amazon to drive sales outside of key shopping periods like Black Friday and the run-up to the holidays. We expect October’s event to officially jumpstart the holiday shopping experience. The Prime Big Deal Days event is exclusive to Prime members.

Why Should My E-Commerce Business Participate in Amazon’s Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days Events?

Amazon has incredible reach, and as of 2022, over 168 million people in the US were Prime subscribers, with millions more around the world (Statista).  Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days are opportunities for businesses like yours to capitalize on the promotion Amazon does for these events and capture some of the sales to customers yourself, on Amazon Marketplace as well as through your e-commerce site and other retail marketplaces.

When considering which products to offer during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event, look into which products are best at engaging high-value customers. Use this as an opportunity to convert new brand loyalists and build your email lists for holiday promotions.

And, if you’re not a seller on Amazon, your brand can still capitalize on the surge in online shopping activity. Check out your competitors on Amazon and consider offering a similar or better deal to theirs to win customers for your brand. Ensure your checkout experience is convenient to effectively compete with Amazon’s simplicity.

How Should My Brand Prepare for Amazon’s Special Prime Day Events?

Prime Day may not be an official holiday, but your e-commerce business has to prepare like it is. Starting that prep weeks or even months in advance will make the days of the event itself much less stressful – and your customers will be happy when their orders are shipped and delivered quickly.

Stay on top of your inventory.

Your business must be ready for a big bump in sales, just as at Black Friday or in the weeks afterward. Customers who buy from you during Prime retail events expect their products to be available for shipping right away.

Develop your fulfillment strategy.

Whether you’re primarily using Fulfillment by Amazon, Fulfillment by Merchant, or your business runs better using both, you need a fulfillment strategy that will get your products to your customers on time.

Update your product listings.

The best time to refresh your SEO is always ASAP, and it’s even more critical in the lead-up to retail events like this. You want customers to be able to find your products easily via search engines – including Amazon’s – and you want them to have access to all the information they require to decide to make a purchase. Clean up your copy and update your photos and FAQ, on Amazon, and also on your own site and other retail marketplaces. Prime events lead to an increase in spending across the board, not just on Amazon, as folks search across marketplaces for the best deals for the products they desire.

Discount products to beat the competition.

It wouldn’t be Prime Big Deal Days without deals. Make sure your product prices are discounted to match or beat your competitors and consider waiving shipping costs or other fees to make your products even more attractive to customers on your site.

Promote your deals.

Use your existing digital marketing channels, from social to email to paid search, to make sure your current customers, and potential new ones, know about your upcoming deals. Don’t forget to submit special deals to Amazon for a fee a few months before each event: Amazon releases and promotes deals throughout the event, encouraging customers to check back frequently.

Target your high-value customers.

Your loyal customers will be delighted to shop your products on Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days. Focusing your promotional efforts on your high-value customers will bring them in on the days of the event and help convert their interest in your deals and discounts into sales.

Follow Amazon’s rules and guidelines.

Your deals and promotions have to be in line with Amazon’s regulations, so make sure you check out Amazon’s guide to boosting sales and other Amazon resources to ensure your ad campaigns adhere to their standards.

Working with NetElixir

If your business is prepping for the next Prime Day or gearing up for Black Friday and the holiday season, NetElixir’s digital marketing experts are ready to work with you to design a plan that meets your needs. Using our AI-powered digital marketing platform, LXRInsights, we will help you identify, target, and win your high-value customers, on Prime Big Deal Days and every day.

Additional Resources

• NetElixir’s Complete Guide To The 2023 Holiday Season
• Preparing for Amazon Prime Day 2021
• Prime Day’s Impact on Non-Amazon Site Sales

The post Prepare for Amazon Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days appeared first on NetElixir.

To prepare for the cookieless futures, brands are taking the time to refine SEO to improve search engine result page (SERP) rankings, find new ways to build customer loyalty, and collect first-party data. But it’s also critical to consider how to leverage existing sources of connection with your customers to optimize your advertising strategies. If your e-commerce business already has a presence on a marketplace like Amazon – or is considering creating marketplace stores – this is a great time to make sure your marketplace strategy is solid and delivering results. That means optimizing your content for discoverability, taking full advantage of the tracking and reporting marketplaces offer, and accessing and analyzing any first-party data marketplaces like Amazon make available to your business.

Maximize and Optimize Content for Marketplaces

Having a store on Amazon Marketplace is a great way to improve discoverability for your products and your business. But to be successful, your product content needs to rise to the top of SERPs outside the marketplace and to the top of the results within the marketplace. If you want to beat out your competitors for customers, your SEO and customer experience need to be on point, from insightful, on trend product names and descriptions, to how fast your images load, to the language you use for your ad campaigns. You need to keep your product metadata up-to-date and timely to ensure your products can be found and highlighted by Amazon’s and other marketplaces’ search algorithms.

Tap into Marketplace First-Party Data

If you are already an advertiser on Amazon, you are well aware that Amazon and other marketplaces have a wealth of first-party data on their — your — customers. By tapping into this data, your business can better connect with shoppers who are searching for products like yours. Amazon offers advertisers tools to track, measure, and optimize campaigns to get their products in front of exactly the right customer. While access to this data and these tools for non-advertisers may be more limited, it’s important to understand what resources are already available to you as a business with a store in the marketplace. 

Prepare for Cookie Replacements from Amazon and Others

The digital marketing ecosystem is always evolving, and players like Amazon and Google are actively searching for ways to track and analyze customer data that don’t rely on third-party cookies and do comply with privacy regulations. Amazon Web Services is working with a global advertising technology company, The Trade Desk, to implement Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) as a cookie replacement, and Google is developing a privacy-first web approach through their Privacy Sandbox that should allow marketers to reach consumers with targeted marketing across Google’s platforms. As an e-commerce business, staying up-to-date on industry developments will allow you to take advantage of new tools as soon as they’re released and keep ahead of your competition.

NetElixir is Here to Help

NetElixir’s e-commerce experts are ready to work with you on all your marketplace needs. With 18+ years of e-commerce experience, we know what will make your business stand out as an industry leader and set you on the right path. Our marketplace marketing framework draws on our 10+ years driving predictable and profitable results and gaining actionable insights for our clients.

NetElixir’s team of strategists will establish and expand your Amazon presence to drive profitable growth for your business. They use an integrated approach to provide you with the content, technical know-how, and real-time optimization needed to ensure the success of your new marketplace.

NetElixir’s experts can help with every aspect of marketplace marketing, including:

• Store design: NetElixir’s experts will build your customized store from the ground up to support your business objectives and growth goals. We’ll work with you on everything from product title and description optimization to product management and customer review engagement. 
• Analytics: Our expansive suite of analytics tools helps identify opportunities for your brand to get in front of the right customers at the right time. We stay on top of industry research, insights, and trends to offer you customized recommendations for featured and sponsored products to draw in and convert customers. 
• Ad management: NetElixir offers full-service ad management for Amazon and for the Walmart and Instacart marketplaces. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients to optimize their long-term and short-term ad campaigns for sustainable growth.

Contact NetElixir today to learn about our services for Amazon and other marketplaces. 

Additional Resources

• Web Development For the Cookieless Future
• Smart Cookies: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence
• Who Killed the Cookie? A History of Third-Party Cookie Deprecation
• Watch Now: Marketplace Strategy: Winning on Insights

The post The Role of Marketplaces in the Cookieless Future appeared first on NetElixir.

Last year’s Prime Day was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and instead helped kick-start the holiday season, as it was held in many countries in early October. Amazon announced that Prime Day 2020 marked the two biggest sales days for small- and medium-sized businesses within the marketplace across nineteen countries. Sales surpassed $3.5 billion. Shoppers came in the tens of millions, even in the days leading up to the sales event itself. Amazon’s Spend $10, Get $10 promotion generated more than $900 million in sales for small businesses — and, presumably, got online shoppers familiar with new and unique brands. During the two weeks leading up to Prime Day 2020, customers shopped from small businesses across all 50 U.S. states, with Utah, California, and New Jersey seeing the biggest sales per capita for those included in the promotion, concludes Amazon’s report. 

While customers are starting to prepare for Prime Day deals that will fill their shopping carts, brands should start preparing their e-commerce stores for Prime Day 2021.

What to Expect During Prime Day 2021

Amazon announced that Prime Day 2021 will be held on June 21-22, just in time to splurge for summer vacation. 

Though retail sales exploded in March, reported CNBC, due in part to the stimulus checks that gave shoppers a little extra budget to treat themselves, April and May sales have been slower. NetElixir has found that, although e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail sales have been a bit slower than anticipated in April and May, the travel and hospitality industries are experiencing a surge in demand. Consumer confidence continues to be high and customers are spending a larger portion of their dollars on travel and experiences rather than on things.

NetElixir anticipates that retail sales will continue to be strong throughout the rest of this year, especially as the rise in travel and experiences is a positive indicator for long-term economic growth. Based on NetElixir’s research into YoY e-commerce sales trends within our database, we see that while website sessions have been lower than expected, average order value and conversion rates continue to be strong. This indicates that consumers have a more direct shopping intent, knowing what they want to shop for and then buying it in abundance.

A sales event like Prime Day can play a crucial role in turning online shopper’s interest toward products again — especially products that will serve them well on their planned vacations. 

Last year, Prime Day loomed just before another huge sales event (Cyber 5, the days from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday), which deterred some people from making big purchases, Digital Commerce 360 found. In Digital Commerce’s survey, 29% of customers said that they did not buy anything during Prime Day 2020 as they expected better sales during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. With Prime Day 2021 in its usual timeslot of kickstarting summer savings, consumers are expected to splurge, unhindered by the lure of another big sales event.

Tips to Succeed During Prime Day

Because Prime Day 2021 is expected to be a blowout event that could kickstart the next surge in retail demand, our team has some tips to help brands prepare.

Search impressions on Amazon, attributed to advertising, saw a 180% lift during the week of Prime Day 2020 compared to the 3-months prior. To prepare for this big day, retailers and brands like you should not focus on just Prime Day itself, but the days leading up to and after June 21-22. Your timeline around Prime Day should include:

1. Before Prime Day: Ramp up your presence on Amazon within the two weeks leading up to Prime Day to create awareness. Leverage Sponsored Display for top of funnel targeting along with Sponsored brands for generic search queries. Ensure your ads are visible not only on Amazon but other search engines to alert customers to your upcoming deals. Additionally, ensure you have adequate inventory to meet demand, as stockouts can drive customers to your competitors.
2. During Prime Day: Step up your sponsored product investments to engage high intent customers. Activate remarketing to nudge those who visited during the days leading up to Prime Day to return to complete their purchase. Expand long-tail keywords to tap into lower funnel shoppers looking for last-minute deals. When products sell out, update your website and offerings as soon as possible and direct customers to similar products, if applicable.
3. After Prime Day: Ensure continued coverage among customers who discovered your brand during Prime Day, regardless of whether they ended up converting. For select products sold during Prime Day where you have a complementary product to offer, ramp up retargeting efforts to grab a bigger share of the customer’s wallet. Encourage customers to share their Prime Day deals via social media to continue brand engagement, build customer relationships, and collect user-generated content that could be used again next Prime Day.

For specifics into your Amazon growth strategy, contact a NetElixir expert today.

Benefit from Prime Day Even Without an Amazon Presence

If your brand doesn’t have a presence on Amazon, don’t worry; you can still benefit from Prime Day without being on Amazon. Prime Day brings customers online, where they’re likely to browse around other websites while they’re already shopping. Digital Commerce 360 found that Amazon captured just over 40% of site traffic during Prime Day, while nearly 60% went to the rest of the top 100 retailers. 

Last year saw other big brands host their own Prime Day-like sales event and 2021 is no exception: Walmart’s Deals for Days, as well as Target’s Deal Days, will both start the day before Prime Day 2021 on June 20th, and last through June 23rd and June 22nd, respectively.

Prime Day and other big sales days are a catalyst that will bring people online searching for promotions and deals. Brands have opportunities to draw some of that online traffic by delivering their own sales and promotions. Consider hosting your own version of Prime Day, luring customers in with your brand’s hottest deals or most popular products. Display your deals prominently on your site and consider adding a countdown for when the sale ends to drive urgency.

Leverage the surge in online search volume through these deal days. While you may not necessarily capture their wallet, you can boost your traffic as customers inevitably comparison shop to ensure they are getting the best deal. Carefully monitor similar products that are selling on Amazon, as any stockouts of products could open up opportunities for your brand to supply the deficit. 

As always, NetElixir’s experts are here to empower your e-commerce growth, across any and all digital channels. Contact an expert today for help with your growth strategy, both on and off Amazon.

The post Preparing for Amazon Prime Day 2021 appeared first on NetElixir.

It comes as no surprise that Amazon Marketplace is growing tremendously. All e-commerce adoption has been greatly accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, and Amazon is no different. 

eMarketer reports that Amazon grew by 47% percent in 2020 and CNBC details that, in the first quarter of 2021, sales increased 44% YoY. The chart below shows that Amazon is continuing to capture a larger share of overall retail e-marketplace sales:

Additionally, in eMarketer’s report on net search ad revenue by company share, we see that Google is projected to lose about 6% by 2022, whereas Amazon is projected to gain that deficit.

This shift is very interesting for every brand,” says Manish Mohan, NetElixir’s Senior Director of Digital Strategy. “While Google, Facebook, and Microsoft may have been your go-to channels from a customer acquisition standpoint, now it is important that Amazon factors in the top five, top ten channels, and you have a strategy to kind of accommodate this marketplace in your overall digital mix.”

Manish reminds us that, while Amazon is a growing force, brands should not neglect other marketplaces like Walmart and eBay. Additionally, Manish forecasts that social commerce, like Facebook and Instagram Shops, will soon become an integral part of the marketplace ecosystem. 

Marketplaces should figure into your brand’s overall e-commerce strategy to diversify and expand your digital presence, especially as the impending cookieless world will alter how brands can use and collect consumer information. 

Finding Opportunities on Amazon

To better determine the trajectory of your Amazon growth strategy, NetElixir can help identify areas of opportunity by honing in on high-level trends of specific industries and products. We can forecast if a certain market is poised for growth or not and help guide your Amazon growth strategy whether your brand is new and looking to enter a specific market segment or your brand is more mature and looking to strengthen your market share. 

By aggregating the collective data of the overall market, we can track the average review score, unit sales, revenue, and median price across different brands in specific segments to give you a competitive advantage to enter and grow in the space. 

This almost works as a report card to see how well-positioned you are to acquire customers compared to competitors in your space,” explains Matt Roth, NetElixir’s Paid Search Analyst

We work to uncover opportunities for your brand, no matter your industry. Based on what’s in demand, we can help you develop conquesting campaigns to target trending products and capture customers searching for specific types of products.

If you’re looking to grow into space, knowing what product is flying off the virtual shelves can help you innovate new products to appeal to new customers on Amazon or tweak the language of your current products to appeal to a wider audience. By introducing Amazon’s customers to your brand, you can work on generating brand loyalty and directing customers to the full range of products available on your website.

Creating Your Amazon Growth Strategy

Once you determine your potential of selling on Amazon, you can begin creating your specific Amazon strategy. First, take a look at your current Amazon approach by asking yourself the following questions:

Do you currently look at Amazon more as just a marketplace shopping platform or as a brand discovery outlet?

Brand discovery is a better approach, explains Manish. Amazon is increasingly becoming a product search engine on par with Google and YouTube. While customers are using Amazon to gather product information, the platform itself is becoming more sophisticated, with a better product and editorial recommendations.

Has Amazon’s share of your overall e-commerce revenue grown over the past few years?

Compare Amazon’s revenue growth to that of your own D2C e-commerce website. Do you see any patterns that are different? The same? At NetElixir, we conduct an omnichannel analysis of product insights, like keyword search and sales, across your different digital channels from your branded website to Amazon to social shops. Our omnichannel approach helps identify which products resonate with certain audiences across certain channels so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

Do you have an Amazon-specific inventory strategy?

Brands can use Amazon as merely an extra distribution channel of all available products. Or, Amazon can become a very specific distribution point with only select products available. 

It is important to know that the cost structure on Amazon is different from your own e-commerce website due to Amazon’s commission, fulfillment, and other fees. Map out your products based on NetElixir’s product matrix shown below, where the bubbles represent the total percentage of revenue share that certain products generate along with the measure of their profit margin:

Ideally, you would list products on Amazon that have a high-profit margin and represent a larger portion of your revenue share, to better absorb some of Amazon’s fees and entice a wide range of customers.

However, for brands who are new to the e-commerce space or don’t have a lot of e-commerce data to map this out, Manish suggests the idea of adding all or most of your products to Amazon. Use the data from the first one or two months to adapt your approach and product selection.

Be nimble enough to constantly learn and adapt,” Manish says.

How many resellers do you have on the 3P side?

As a reseller (and any e-commerce merchant for that matter), it is important to have a consistent brand experience across different digital channels. Understand how many resellers you have and ensure the price standpoint is controlled, especially if you are looking to expand to different marketplaces.

What is your Amazon strategy for the rest of 2021 and beyond?

Once you identify your products, the next step is to identify the bottom line you need to meet to reach your e-commerce goals. Obviously, you want to price your products to meet your end goals, but be sure to keep a competitive edge in pricing as well. It is important to have a defensive brand strategy, especially in your ad campaigns, so you don’t lose market share to competitors. 

For a full Amazon ad blueprint and to get a deeper understanding of how our Amazon growth strategy works through the lens of hair care as an example, watch the entire webinar at:

How NetElixir Can Help

At NetElixir, we develop and execute a winning strategy across marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart, to grow your e-commerce presence. Request a consultation now to learn how we can empower your e-commerce growth and help you develop a winning Amazon growth strategy.

Further readings to optimize your Amazon growth strategy:

• Amazon A10 Algorithm Update: Weightage Shifts in Ranking Factors
• Amazon SEO

The post Amazon Growth Strategy to Drive Increased Profit appeared first on NetElixir.

Amazon Amidst the E-Commerce Landscape

It is no secret that e-commerce is booming across the globe, especially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Nordic e-commerce landscape specifically is a fast-growing and sizable market, according to a BCG report. The report finds that Nordic B2C e-commerce reached almost €24 billion (just over $29B)  in 2019 and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

An e-commerce presence is a critical channel for brands everywhere to continually serve customers. Amazon remains steadfast in its commitment to offering a wide variety of products, low prices, and a convenient shopping experience, according to CNBC. These tenements are what draw consumers to online shopping in the first place. FBA options can easily bring your products directly and reliably to local customers. An Amazon presence can help your brand capitalize on increased exposure on one of the world’s largest online marketplaces.

According to BCG, Amazon is poised to capture 5-10% of the Nordics e-commerce market. This is an enormous opportunity for brands to grow in the upcoming years.

To help brands grow their Amazon presence as well as maximize their overall e-commerce strategy, NetElixir has also expanded our reach to the Nordic region. Earlier this year, NetElixir announced our international expansion into Sweden. We aim to empower e-commerce growth through empathy, insights, and innovation for all brands. We want to ensure brands have a strong Amazon strategy from day one on the marketplace that fits in seamlessly with their overall business needs and goals.

“At NetElixir, we consider ourselves to be strategic growth partners to our clients, who help to drive business performance through ecommerce channels,” said Udayan Bose, Founder and CEO of NetElixir, in a MarTech Series conversation. “2021 will be a year of transformation in which the changes we saw materialize become ingrained in business culture and consumer habits. Digital habits are forever changed, which presents an enormous opportunity to businesses to grow in new ways. We aim to be a partner to those businesses and help them seize this opportunity.”

Developing a brand presence on Amazon and strengthening your strategy with experts like NetElixir can be a great opportunity to expand your business and capture new markets.

What Does Amazon’s Growth Mean for You?

As Amazon continues to grow, you will have a new marketplace to reach a global audience. Selling on Amazon helps you to increase revenue, test products, gather product reviews, target and engage new customers, and support your own website — so you don’t want to miss out on launching and growing your Amazon brand presence. 

Learn proven strategies and insights to compete on Amazon with NetElixir’s three-part webinar series, live Thursdays in March at 2 CET starting on March 4th:

• Part 1: March 4th — How to Launch and Grow Your Brand on Amazon
• Part 2: March 11th — What Are the Cornerstones of a Strategy to Compete On Amazon?
• Part 3: March 18th — Amazon as an International Marketplace

The post Amazon’s Growth into the Nordics appeared first on NetElixir.

Paid Search Strategy

Data visualization and live consumer analytics are the keys to fine-tuning your paid search campaigns. You can keep filling up ad spaces across search engines, but if you aren’t reaching your target audience or personalizing messaging for their behaviors and expectations, then you’re wasting your budget and the customer’s time. Access to continual data will also help you better understand your audience’s buyer journeys, allowing you to target potential customers more effectively at every turn.

ECommerce is continually growing. The coronavirus pandemic jumpstarted rapid eCommerce growth, accelerating online shopping by nearly two years. Your brand needs a strong online presence in order to effectively compete against and win market share in 2021 and beyond. Diversifying platforms that house paid search campaigns are crucial to success in 2021, as consumers spend more time online than ever before. As consumers researched more prior to purchase during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic times, it is crucial to expand the reach of your ads to continually meet the needs of your customers and stay top of mind. Testing different media mixes and messages across different channels will only improve your overall performance as you learn exactly what resonates with your audience.

Automation will continue to gain importance in a marketer’s toolbox, requiring stronger data implementation. Despite the expansion of automation to yield greater results, campaigns will still need a human touch for that innovation and ingenuity to heighten performance. However, with alerts in place to notify marketers of any problems or changes in campaigns, we can respond more quickly to fix any issues. Marketers will need to use modern technology to stay current with the increasingly digital world, but stay agile and nimble to pick up on any opportunities that come their way.

Social Media Marketing

If content is queen, then video marketing is her crown. Videos continue to outperform other types of content, such as emails, blogs, and social images according to Hubspot. Incorporating more videos into your content strategy can better engage users. And, while quality content should always be your goal, your videos don’t have to be red carpet ready. Customers want to see a more transparent, human side to brands so showing off your WFH set up, your pets, and employees working hard behind-the-scenes will do a lot in helping consumers truly connect with your brand.

User-generated content can be a goldmine for your social strategy. According to SocialMediaToday, USG is vastly outperforming brand-generated content: ads with USG content are getting 400% CTR compared to the industry average. USG content rewards customers for engaging with a brand or product, showcasing what they actually want to see because they actively posted about it. USG can strengthen consumer and partner relationships by being relatable and inspirational. 

A brand’s mission and values are becoming increasingly important to consumers from the Millennial and Gen Z demographic, as they expect brands to speak out for social causes. Hootsuite finds that brands need to have a stronger presence in digital dialogues. Authentically participating in conversations help put the customer’s needs and wants first so brands can respond appropriately. Consumers care about current social issues, safety, and sustainability; showcase how these values resonate within your brand to build out your content strategy and social profiles. 

Amazon Strategy

Recent updates to Amazon’s A10 Algorithms shift prominence to favor buyer’s search intent, seller authority, product credibility off Amazon, and more in determining ranking. As Amazon’s reputation for the store that has everything expands, they’re focusing on user intent more and more. With Amazon’s recent acquisition of the podcast publisher Wondery, the brand is increasing their share of user’s listening time to continue to reach customers wherever they are and through their preferred media.

Amazon will continue to experiment with and expand their frictionless and contactless shopping capabilities. As customers respond well to initiatives like Amazon Go, the corporation will seek rollout to other retailers to expand the technology. According to eMarketer, the coronavirus pandemic greatly increased customer’s preference for mobile checkout, accelerating the need for contactless shopping options. Retail brands need to consider how they could best implement new technologies to make the shopping experience convenient and stress-free for their customers.

Open experimentation and innovation are key strategies to success in the new year. While we have ideas on what will help businesses succeed in 2021, brands still need to find their personal sweet spot in engaging and targeting customers. Amazon is an excellent testing ground, as brands get pretty immediate feedback in user reviews and product and campaign performance. Products that perform well on Amazon can be prominently featured on your home website. Testing on Amazon will deepen your overall e-commerce strategy in giving customers exactly what they ask for. 

Further Resources to Optimize Your Digital Marketing Strategy

When was the last time you scored an A+?

Additional Reading:

• Check out NetElixir’s Amazon services
• Say Hello to Influencer Generated Content

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The A9 considered direct and indirect factors. Direct included some traditional SEO content factors like product copy, title, and description, as well as availability of the item and the price of the item as compared to competitors. Out of stock items would not rank high, if they ranked at all. If the price of an item is drastically higher than a competitor’s, the algorithm would give precedence to the cheaper product.

Indirect factors include sales history, customer feedback, image quality, product reviews and more. Amazon’s new A10 update adds even more weight to these indirect factors. 

Amazon A10 Algorithm Updates

The A10 update adds more significance to the intent of the buyer. One of the main purposes of the update was to remove fake and fraudulent sellers from the platform to protect users and provide them with a better shopping experience. While Amazon PPC campaigns are still considered by the algorithm, customer behavior factors have more importance.

Relevancy in Customer Behavior

Amazon prioritizes product relevancy to match user intent, which the A10 algorithm update reinforces.

The update looks at seller authority, which charts how long the seller has been active on Amazon Marketplace, their overall rating and performance metrics, and the amount of products in their feed. Older sellers with a trusted background will get precedence over newer sellers. Amazon also looks at off-site sales to track how well a product linked to an Amazon account sells from a branded website. If a product performs well separate from Amazon itself, then Amazon will rank the product higher. 

The selling history of a product is also considered – if a product consistently and historically sells well and customers highly review it, then the product will rank higher. Focus on organic sales, as that means customers are searching for and exactly finding your product, making it relevant and desirable.

Ensure your Amazon product listing is complete. A complete product description – from bullet points to titles to manufacturing dimensions to images – will help increase your conversion rate, user impressions, and relevancy to user’s searches. All these factors are considered by the A10 update. Including images in your product listing is a must because it impacts your click-through-rate and helps confirm user intent.

Customer feedback is critical. Slow order processing speed and a high order defect rate will make Amazon drop your product’s rankings. Respond to reviews and answer questions, as sellers answering questions about their own products offer more accurate and more relevant information to searchers, increasing their likelihood of converting.

All these factors work together to create your Amazon ranking. While there is no single factor to magically and instantly boost your ranking, you should focus on providing the relevant product for your searchers. When customers can reliably find what they are looking for, Amazon’s A10 algorithm will take notice.

Further Reading

• Using Amazon to Fuel Further Growth
• Amazon A10 Algorithm Update: Weightage Shifts in Ranking Factors

The post Amazon SEO appeared first on NetElixir.

Check below to see what has changed in the Amazon A10 Algorithm update.

Having your products rank on Amazon requires a different approach than ranking on Google. While improving your organic search results on Google could take a matter of months after optimizing, you can see results in as little as one to two weeks on Amazon. The search intent for users is different. People go to Google to shop, yes, but also to research products, brands, and information before following through with a purchase. People who go to Amazon have a higher intent to buy and Amazon heavily caters to their user experience.

Further Readings

• Online Retailers Can No Longer Afford to Ignore Amazon
• Amazon Automatic Targeting
• Facebook Shops

The post Amazon A10 Algorithm Update: Weightage Shifts in Ranking Factors appeared first on NetElixir.

Many consumers are bypassing Google and turning directly to Amazon when looking for information about a product. Think about your own online search habits when performing product research. There’s a good chance you navigate to Amazon to see what’s available, or at least very early in your process.

With Amazon staking an ever-growing claim on the ecommerce landscape, selling on the Amazon Marketplace has become a vital component of retailers’ overall digital marketing strategies. But as the competition intensifies, how do you ensure the right shoppers can find your products among the millions available for purchase on Amazon?

An Introduction to Amazon SEO

Following a proper Amazon SEO strategy is your ticket to getting your products in front of more customers on the ecommerce giant’s website. You likely already follow SEO best practices to improve your page rankings on search engines like Google and Bing. The good news is that several of these tactics are still relevant when optimizing for Amazon. However, retailers must be aware of Amazon’s own unique search algorithm and the specific factors that affect rankings on their site.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the Amazon A9 algorithm, important ranking factors, how to optimize your product listings, and recent developments in Amazon SEO.

What Is the Amazon A9 Algorithm?

The A9 algorithm is the system that determines how products are ranked in search results on Amazon. Just like Google, Amazon wants to show you the items in its database that are most relevant to your search query. If you have SEO experience, you’re probably already quite familiar with Google’s search algorithm and the many oddly-named updates that have adjusted the way it evaluates and ranks web pages.

Amazon’s A9 algorithm works in a similar fashion, albeit with a key twist. Yes, Amazon attempts to provide you with products closely related to your search. But it also wants to make sure these products are ones you’re more likely to buy. That’s where the A9 algorithm works its magic.

How Does the Amazon A9 Algorithm Work?

The A9 algorithm ranks Amazon search results based on relevancy and purchase likelihood. This involves a two-step process to present users with products likely to satisfy their needs: 

• First, Amazon uses keywords to eliminate products not related to the search query. Product listings that don’t include all the keywords in the search won’t show up in the results.
• The A9 algorithm then ranks the products that are left according to how likely they are to be purchased.

Once the results have been narrowed down, users should see a selection of products closely related to their initial search, with the items that Amazon determines the user is most likely to purchase ranked at the top.

That sounds easy enough, but what can Amazon sellers do to ensure their products have a better chance of ranking highly in search results?

Amazon SEO Ranking Factors

As with any algorithm, there are a variety of factors or “ingredients” which work together to determine how individual products on Amazon are valued and ranked according to a search query. Some of these are direct factors, which have the greatest impact, while others are indirect and may or may not have a strong effect on ranking.

Direct Amazon Ranking Factors

• Text Match Relevancy: The copy in your product title and description should match the keywords in the user’s search. This includes Amazon back-end keywords, which are invisible terms that function like HTML tags and provide additional info about a product listing.
• Availability of Stock: Your product isn’t very helpful to users if it’s sold out. Out-of-stock products will see their rankings diminish on Amazon.
• Price: Most shoppers are looking for a good deal, so if your price is significantly higher than that of competitors selling the same product, you’ll likely rank below them.

Indirect Amazon Ranking Factors

• Sales Velocity and Relative Sales Velocity (Sales History): This includes how many units have been sold compared to your competitors, additional contextual information, the quality of the images on your product page, effective use of bullet points, product reviews, and more. While these may not affect your rankings as much as the direct factors, optimizing them can still have a positive impact on your visibility.

How to Optimize Your Amazon Product Listing

Now that you know which factors play the largest role in determining your search ranking on Amazon, how can you improve your product listings to ensure your items show as prominently as possible?

An Amazon product listing includes a variety of elements including a title, descriptions, images, videos, user reviews, and more. Each of these components can be optimized in a specific way to potentially boost your Amazon search ranking.

Below you’ll find an overview of the main parts of an Amazon product listing and how to optimize them.

SEO Checklist for Amazon Product Listings

• Product Title: Highlight the primary benefits of your product. Keep in mind that you have less space to work with on mobile screens, so limit your title to around 70 characters and put your most important information at the beginning.
• Product Description: This is your chance to tell the world a compelling story about your product. Inform the user about the product and pique their interest while keeping your content simple and easy to read. Paragraphs should not extend beyond three sentences each.
• Bullet Points: Use bullet points to highlight the key features and unique benefits of the product, making them easier to read and understand. Include one benefit per bullet point, and keep each bullet point at around 200 characters.
• Additional Information: Offer as much information as possible about your product, making note of variations in color, size, material, and other characteristics.
• Images: Illustrate your product effectively with images that adhere to Amazon’s standards for size, format, and quality.
• Main Image: Product must be fully visible and fill 85% to 100% of the image.
• Persuasive Images: Add as many high-quality images as you can, ensuring they’re at least 1,000 pixels on the long side to enable the zoom function.
• Additional Images: Showcase your product in action to demonstrate how it can help your customer. Make use of different views and angles.
• Enhanced Brand Content: Include supplementary content about the product brand and manufacturer.
• Keywords: Include keywords in your product title, description, bullet points, and additional information. Don’t forget to add back-end keywords, as well.
• Product Videos: You can further bolster your listing with short videos demonstrating the use and benefits of your product.
• Reviews: Engage with customers who provide feedback, answering questions and addressing any concerns.
• Variations: Be sure to mention available sizes, colors, and other differences.
• Shipping Information: Provide accurate shipping details to let customers know when they can expect their purchase to arrive.

In general, making these changes will improve the overall user experience on your Amazon product listing, allowing shoppers to easily navigate and find what they’re looking for.

We also recommend consulting Amazon’s product page style guides for more information on best practices for images, descriptions, and more. You can browse by product category to find specific guidelines relevant to your industry.

Recent Updates in Amazon SEO

Just like traditional SEO, changes occur frequently in the world of Amazon search. Sellers need to be aware of these developments and respond quickly to ensure their products continue to rank highly on Amazon.

Let’s take a look at a couple major changes that have recently affected Amazon SEO.

Amazon A10 Algorithm

The follow-up to Amazon’s A9 algorithm is aptly called A10. This algorithm gives more weight to relevancy and less to sales driven from Amazon’s internal ad system known as Sponsored Products or “Amazon PPC.”

Seller authority is one of the key factors valued by the A10 algorithm. This includes how long a seller has been active on Amazon, their feedback rating, size of their catalog, and more. It’s now become more advantageous for you to establish your brand and become a trusted seller on Amazon Marketplace.

Other important factors include impressions, click-through rate, conversion rate, and organic sales. These reinforce the need to make your product listings as relevant as possible for your desired search terms. Thorough keyword research and the aforementioned tips for optimizing your product pages will continue to serve you well.

Amazon Editorial/Expert Recommendations

We’ve already mentioned that customer reviews play a significant role in affecting product rankings on Amazon. The introduction of a feature called Editorial (or Expert) Recommendations further highlights the impact of having a well-reviewed product.

Editorial Recommendations are boxes that may appear in Amazon search results featuring short product reviews by a third-party entity. These boxes have carousel functionality and allow the user to cycle through and compare the third-party’s opinion on a variety of options within a particular product category.

If your product belongs to a category for which Amazon provides Editorial Recommendations, you should see which third-party reviewers are being consulted for their feedback. It may be worthwhile to contact these outlets to see if they’ll review your own product. Users tend to place significant weight on the opinions of independent experts, and having your product reviewed favorably by them can set you apart from the competition.

The Formula for Amazon SEO Success

Most small to mid-sized retailers view Amazon as an enemy, which is understandable. However, establishing your brand and selling your products on Amazon Marketplace can give you access to a vast audience of potential customers you likely wouldn’t engage with otherwise.

On a crowded platform like Amazon, businesses must look for every advantage to rank above their competitors. Making your product listings as detailed and helpful as possible is the best way to ensure Amazon’s algorithm recognizes your product as a likely purchase for someone searching for a relevant term.

In general, keep the following Amazon SEO formula in mind to boost the prominence and performance of your products:

Amazon SEO = Optimizing Product Listings = Better Rankings = More Visibility = More Sales

If you’d like more assistance, we recommend checking out our Amazon and marketplace management services. Our experts will work with you to develop a strategy to build your brand presence on Amazon, extract vital insights, and increase your sales.

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