Why aren't my products selling on Amazon?
Are you a seller on Amazon who’s been scratching their head over why your products aren’t flying off the virtual shelves? You’re not alone. Despite the massive reach and customer base of Amazon, many sellers struggle to make their products stand out from the competition. But fear not, because, in this article, we’ll be delving into the reasons why your products might not be selling on Amazon and providing you with practical solutions.
Common Reasons Why Products May Not Be Selling on Amazon
Lack of visibility in search results
One of the most common reasons why your products may not be selling on Amazon is a lack of visibility in search results. With millions of products listed on the platform, it's easy for your products to get lost in the sea of options. To improve your visibility, it's crucial to conduct thorough keyword research and optimise your product listings accordingly.
Ineffective product listings
Another reason why your products may not be selling on Amazon is due to ineffective product listings. Your product listing is essentially your sales pitch to potential customers, so it needs to be compelling, informative, and optimised for search engines. Ensure that you include relevant keywords in your title and product description, highlight the key features and benefits, and use high-quality images to showcase your product.
Fierce competition driving down prices
With so many sellers competing for the same customers on Amazon, price competition can be fierce. If your products are priced too high compared to similar offerings, customers are likely to choose the cheaper option. Conduct a thorough analysis of your competition and adjust your pricing strategy accordingly. Consider offering discounts, bundle deals, or other incentives to make your products more appealing.
Issues with account health
If you have an order defect rate above 1% Amazon will remove the buy box from your product listing pages making it more difficult for users to purchase your products. Order defect rate is made up of 3 components: Negative feedback, a-to-z guarantee claims and chargeback claims. It’s really important you respond to customer complaints and ensure your product fulfillment is smooth in order to keep that order defect rate below 1%. This will be especially important if you are a small business with a small number of monthly sales as 1% could be 1 or 2 sales. Go to your seller/vendor central account and select performance > account health to check if any account health issues are blocking your products from serving on Amazon. At WRP we create automated alerts that run every day to flag to our team if any of these issues arise so you know about it before you start to see sales drop.
Product Listing Optimization
Optimising your product listings is crucial to improve your chances of selling on Amazon. Products that Amazon considers retail-ready stand a better chance of driving a sale than products that are not as they will be eligible for the buy box. Below are the 8 key things to consider when making your products retail-ready.
Keyword research: Use tools like Amazon's own keyword research tool or third-party tools to identify relevant keywords that your target audience is likely to search for. Incorporate these keywords naturally throughout your product listing to improve your visibility in search results.
Compelling product title: Your product title should be concise, yet informative. Include relevant keywords and highlight the key features or benefits of your product such as colour, size and product type.
Detailed product description: Provide a detailed and accurate product description that highlights the unique selling points of your product. Use bullet points to break down the key features and benefits.
High-quality images: Images speak louder than words, especially on an e-commerce platform like Amazon. Invest in professional product photography to showcase your product in the best possible light & remember to show these on a plain background.
Customer reviews: ideally a product should have 15 reviews for Amazon to consider it retail-ready. 90% of online shoppers make a purchase only after reading reviews so they can really help customers who don’t know your brand to trust you are a legitimate seller. Always encourage your customers to review after completing a purchase.
Star rating: Maintaining a rating of 3.5 stars or more is recommended by Amazon. If you aren’t hitting this rating be sure to listen to customer feedback and put steps in place to improve your product offering or your customer service in line with this.
Winning the buy box: to be retail ready it’s important to win the buy box. This is the small white box on the right where a customer checks out after adding a product to cart.
A+ Content: adding additional content to product pages through seller and vendor central can allow you to provide more information about your brand/product. This can help users see you as a legitimate seller and also provide additional information they might want to see.
Product Pricing and Competition Analysis
Pricing also plays a crucial role in the success of your products on Amazon. Here's how you can optimise your pricing strategy:
Analyse your competition: Research your competitors' pricing and identify opportunities to offer a competitive price while maintaining profitability. Consider factors such as product quality, brand reputation, and customer reviews when evaluating your competition.
Consider dynamic pricing: Dynamic pricing involves adjusting your prices based on market demand, competitor prices, and other factors. Use tools or software that can help you automate this process to ensure you're always offering the most competitive price.
Offer discounts and promotions: Running limited-time discounts or promotions can help attract customers and boost sales. Experiment with different types of promotions, such as buy-one-get-one-free deals or percentage discounts, to see what resonates with your target audience.
Amazon Advertising
If you're struggling to get your products noticed on Amazon, investing in advertising can be a game-changer. Here are some advertising options to consider:
Amazon Sponsored Products: Sponsored Products is a pay-per-click advertising program that allows you to promote your products within Amazon's search results. Choose relevant keywords/ASINs, set a budget, and bid to increase visibility and drive sales.
Amazon Display Ads: Display Ads are banner ads that appear on Amazon and its partner websites. They can help you reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness.
Amazon Sponsored Products: Amazon Sponsored Product campaigns allow you to create a branded multi-page store on Amazon and link ads to these. Use this feature to showcase your products, tell your brand story, and cross-promote related products.
Bear in mind, it’s worth investing in improving your organic product listings and ensuring they are retail ready before you start putting money behind ads to drive more traffic to them. Once your organic sales start to improve, running sponsored ads can be a great way to supercharge your sales.
Monitoring and Adjusting Your Selling Strategy
To succeed on Amazon, it's important to monitor your performance and make adjustments as needed. Here's how you can do it:
Track key metrics: Keep an eye on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sales, conversion rates, and customer feedback. This will help you identify trends, spot areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions.
Analyse customer feedback: Pay attention to customer reviews, ratings, and feedback to gain insights into what customers love about your products and what can be improved.
Stay updated with Amazon's policies and changes: Amazon frequently updates its policies and algorithms, so it's important to stay informed. Join seller forums, read Amazon's blogs, and stay abreast of any changes that may impact your selling strategy.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Selling products on Amazon can be a highly lucrative venture, but it's not without its challenges. By addressing common issues such as lack of visibility, ineffective product listings, pricing competition, and ensuring you maintain strong account health, you can be successful. Remember, success on Amazon requires continuous learning, experimentation, and adaptation. Stay proactive, keep refining your strategies, and don't be afraid to seek help or guidance when needed. With the right approach, your products can start flying off the virtual shelves in no time.
If you have any questions about how to sell products on Amazon get in touch with us at hello@wrp.team
