One of the most commonly asked questions I encounter from Amazon Sellers is, “How do I launch a new product?”After going through the effort of designing and sourcing products, you want it succeed, right? But not every product on Amazon becomes successful. If you take away one thing from this article let it be this:Since a potential customer can’t feel and interact with your product, the quality of your listing is representative of the quality of your product and brand.
Say Cheese!
Photos, photos, photos!! It is true what they say about photos that a picture is worth a million words. A large portion of online shoppers don’t even read product descriptions. A photo is the first impression a potential customer will have of your product and most likely the most important factor in closing a sale. Spending a few dollars on professional photos is a must for any seller because a cell phone camera just doesn’t cut it in today’s competitive environment. I recommend Full Vine Studios or any other full-service product photography studio to get the best results.Check our our interview with product photographer& Creative Director, Matt.
Level Up Your Listing!
Writing a good description with keywords is important, but to get your listings to the next level, learn basic HTML or use a template for better formatting. This will give your product the polished professional layout it deserves. This is an easy way to set yourself apart from the competition and to give your listing's appearance a total overhaul. Also remember to max out the number of characters in the product title for better SEO on Amazon.
Get The Word Out!
You can’t sell a product nobody can find. Learn the basics of cost per click advertising and utilize it in your business. Advertising is always good to direct potential customers to your listing, but it is especially important at the launch of your product.While no one outside of a select few at Amazon know the Amazon algorithm, we believe advertised listings are favored higher, even organically, than those that are not. Make sure your product title and description are rich with keywords, especially if you are planning on using automatic campaigns.
Boil Some Frogs!
There's an old saying that goes something like this, “Drop a frog in boiling water and it’ll jump out, turn up the temperature slowly and it’ll boil alive.”When launching a new product, you probably lack reviews and the best way to get reviews is to sell more product. Obtaining or buying fake reviews is a poor way to start business on Amazon and eventually, you will get caught. Not worth it!Customers usually perceive a level of risk with new products that lack reviews. To overcome this perceived risk, it sometimes makes sense to price hyper competitively at launch and increase slowly to full retail as you get reviews and sales. Assess your competition and adjust with their pricing in mind. Usually a few percentage points below the competition does the trick, but do the math!
Conclusion:
Always put your best foot forward when launching a new product. Customers will perceive the quality of your brand and products by the quality of the content you publish. Having a solid plan to bring customers to your listings through advertising, promotional pricing, and a complete product listing is necessary to setting a strong trajectory at launch.
