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5 Amazon Tools You Cannot Do Without In 2017

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Boosting your performance in Amazon this year may require some added assistance from tools and software solutions. This applies to all types of sellers of all volumes and all brackets of revenues. It has been predicted that competition will bubble up to the surface this year with the marketplace taking keen notice of the minutest details that add to or take away from seller performance quality. Sellers on the other hand need to ensure that their basic operation management is faultless, quick and smooth so that they can offer the best purchase experience to buyers while maintaining their rapport with the search engines and algorithms of Amazon.

For sellers who are yet to get introduced to the necessary Amazon selling tools, here is a small list that can be considered almost immediately…

Optimization tools

If you have been optimizing your product listing manually, this may be the best time to use tools and software solutions for the purpose. Optimization tools and softwares are designed to automate processes that can otherwise claim hours of time every single day till optimum advantages are experienced.

Pricing ad repricing tools

Price fluctuations in competitor products happen by the second in Amazon and you cannot keep track of the same and introduce changes in your own pricing effectively if you are approaching the process manually. Pricing and repricing tools can achieve the desired outcomes within minutes even when you are not sitting before your system in person.

Fee and profit calculating tools

Calculating Amazon fees and determining profits per sale can be very difficult when approached manually. In fact, manual attempts in this respect can be fraught with miscalculations that can land you with unpleasant surprises when you are least expecting. Adding FBA to the basket will require your mathematical skills to supersede the ordinary. The best relief would be to have an Amazon fee / profit calculating tool installed and let the softwares handle all the brainwork.

Review generation tools

>Whether Amazon Walmart, Sears, Jet.com or even Walmart.com, reviews will be critically important this year as far as product visibility within the marketplace is concerned. Using organic review generation tools is one of the many ways to gain better and more positive reviews without you having to depend upon the good will of the buyers.

Tools for fraud management

Last but not the least, you can always consider installing fraud management tools that can alert you about fake transactions and prevent you from shipping products to inauthentic buyers.

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4 Steps To Decide If You Are Ready To Sell On Amazon

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Progressing from selling on your own website to selling on Amazon can be a massive leap that many enthusiasts dread to take. More often than not, the common argument that is posed by this lot revolves around the ‘I am not ready for Amazon yet’ debate. In the process, the sellers tend to lose out on possible avenues of growth and profits that are best when availed at the earliest.

Basically, there is not much that you need to sell on Amazon. You don’t have to be a millionaire or generate sale by the thousands or millions every month. If you start small, it does not mean that you will be pushed back in terms of visibility. If you have little inventory, it does not mean that Amazon fulfillment solutions or warehouses will not support your cause.

There is a practical and cost effective solution for every issue that may appear burdensome to shaky enthusiasts, which need to be understood and approached at the right time. When it comes to determining the right time, here are 4 steps that can help make up your mind as to whether you are ready for this marketplace or not…

You have stock to sell on a monthly basis:

If you have already been selling in your website for a few months or years, it is indicative of the fact that you have stock to sell on a regular basis. Unlike eBay, Amazon prefers sellers that assure continuity in their efforts. Therefore, with stock to sell every month, you can be convinced that Amazon will have a decent place for you.

You are prepared to face competition:

If you have already bagged sale for your products in your own website, you can be confident that you are prepared to handle competition in Amazon as well. All it will take in your part is to ensure high quality performance based optimized listing in the marketplace and rest will be good to go. In Amazon, it does not matter how big or small you are in volume. If your listing is up to the mark, you can win the race to maximum visibility with only 10 products under your umbrella.

Integration is not ‘just a word’ for you:

If you understand the impact of integration and what it can do in favor of Amazon stores and individual ventures, approaching the platform at the earliest should be your next productive goal.

You are ready to invest before reaping revenues:

Lastly, if you are ready to invest in improved operational processes for smooth, healthy, streamlined and faultless performance especially by engaging professional assistance, you can be rest assured that you are ready to experience a productive future in Amazon.

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4 Inventory Management Facts All Ecommerce Beginners Must Know

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Inventory is the king in all businesses be it in the realm of ecommerce or otherwise. In fact, it will not be wrong to say that the future of businesses especially ecommerce ventures can depend upon the quality of inventory management carried out by the owning entities. In top performing marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, Jet.com, Rakuten etc, approach to inventory control can impact seller performance in terms of visibility, traffic, growth and overall revenues.

Considering its importance, here are 4 integral facts of inventory control that all sellers, especially the newer ones should bear in mind at all times…

Inventory management starts from the source of supply chain

If you wish to gain an infallible and all inclusive control on your inventory, manage the same right from the source of the supply chain. This means, keeping in touch with the wholesalers from whom you get your stock. This should be followed by calculated prediction of demands which should eventually guide you in re-stocking your warehouses as and when required without over loading the same or otherwise.

Poor inventory control can lead to unforgivable errors like overselling

Being out of touch with your inventory or guess working through the course of selling can lead to rather unforgivable errors like overselling / underselling, each of which is intolerable to ecommerce marketplaces especially eBay, Amazon, jet.com and Walmart.com. Sellers who invite such troubles are usually warned or shown the door.

Mismanaged inventory can affect profits

Being out of touch with your inventory can often lead to problems like over stocking of warehouses, losing track of shelved products in warehouses etc. each of which can take significant bites out of any profits so made.

Automation is the key to faultless inventory management

Whether you sell on Walmart, eBay, Amazon or any other marketplace for that matter, you will never be able to establish faultless control on your inventory these days without proper automation solutions. This applies even more in case of multichannel sellers that may be present in two or more marketplaces at the same time.

keeping a tab on how much stock is lying in which warehouse of which marketplace followed by the units that have been shipped, units that are shelved, units that have been returned topped with alerts on low stock etc is easier when controlled through one single user interface and that too without any manual involvement at all.

You also need to understand that ‘Real time’ is more than just two words. If your software solution supports real time inventory management, you can be rest assured that you will continue to maintain your lead through thick and thin.

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5 Rules That Make Amazon Inventory Management Easy

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Amazon as the King of all ecommerce marketplaces is evolving by the passing minute. This is thus, the phase when sellers need to ensure maintaining their basic operational processes at its healthiest, which is a reason in itself to gain proven profitable results in the face of competition and that too, at the earliest. Here are 5 basic rules to manage Amazon inventory that can apply to all sellers at all times and for the best benefits…

Always stay in touch with your supply chain source –

Staying in touch with your warehouses is fine, but if you are not in touch with your supply chain source, it will not be long before your warehouses start to experience low stock, no stock followed by over selling and under selling and every other vice that comes with it. Being in touch with your supply chain source, you can always make better demand predictions that can further help with streamlined and more profitable inventory control approach.

Streamlining is the key –

These are the days when you cannot bulk up your inventory solely because you imagined that demand would go up. The key to include stock based on calculated demand prediction that goes a very long way in managing costs and preventing accumulation of shelved / immobile products. Making higher space allotment for stock of popular products will always work in your favor.

Add updated product identifiers –

If you have heard about the Kiva robots that have already been employed in the Amazon warehouses in California, Texas, New Jersey, Washington and Florida, you are likely to understand why at all you need to focus on adding proper product identifiers to your stock. Basically, the process of product location and fulfillment of orders will be a thousand times smoother if you have been attentive in this direction.

Use integration tools and software solutions –

If you wish to add faultless smoothness in your approach to handling inventory, manage the same with high quality integration tools and software solutions. You cannot survive in Amazon, if your inventory system is not integrated and this goes out especially to midsized and large sellers that have an overload volume to handle every passing month.

Fee calculation tools are imperative –

FBA and other warehouse facilities in Amazon do not come for free. There is an intricate fee structure that needs to be followed for the advantages, which it times can claim a chunk of seller profits. Using fee calculation tools however can help sellers understand how much profit they will make per product at their list price after paying warehouse and FBA fees, thereby allowing them to price their products accordingly to maintain profit levels.

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3 Reasons Why Google Shopping Is Still Holds Maximum Relevance In Ecommerce

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There has been a lot of thinking and re thinking about the applicability of Google shopping for e commerce merchants lately. While it is true that the transition from free to paid listings has not been taken in a positive note by many smaller sellers at large and many have also chosen to move out of the platform for more budget friendly comparison shopping sites. However, not many can argue the fact that Google Shopping is still the most productive platforms to be present in irrespective of all odds. Here are a few good reasons to back this belief…

It is the greatest magnet for buyers of all types and categories

Did you know that this Google as an all inclusive search platform invites around two trillion hits annually? Monthly searches in this comparison shopping site usually touch 100 billion globally and often more. The number of unique monthly visitors is also around a billion if not greater. To many e commerce enthusiasts, these statistics may appear too good to be true.

It is still the biggest traffic booster to motivated sellers

Considering the sheer volume of visitors Google invites, it is only conceivable that being present in this platform will open flood gates of traffic to respective stores. Inviting even a bare minimum fraction of the visitors can result in astonishing increase in sale volume which can assure glorious profit and growth. Not many comparison shopping platforms, even those that rank among the first five can match the size and scope of Google Shopping any time in the near or far future.

It is easy to tame if your strategies are relevant

This King of comparison shopping sites always makes a very worthy addition to any multichannel ecommerce endeavors especially if it involves top performing marketplaces like Amazon Walmart eBay etc. The route to driving traffic to top performing marketplaces through Google is often easy and comprehensive if the sellers’ strategies are well designed and compatible.

Approaching assistance at the right time and the right sources is the simplest way to make the most of this platform without having to worry about costs. Perfect integration with price management assistance through evolved tools and software solutions can create the much necessary cost to conversion harmony which is the key to maintaining a healthy and profitable presence. Learning the art and science of selective listing import, optimization and competitive price management can offer sellers enhanced ranking through weeks together.

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4 Steps To Selling Successfully In Walmart.com

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Walmart.com has gained pace over the past year and has been inviting more and more third party sellers to sell in this platform. While this ecommerce marketplace is yet to walk miles to close distances with Amazon, it still is a platform that is rich with unique visitors and repeat buyers running up to millions. Setting up presence in Walmart at this very moment can help sellers gain visibility and footing more easily all thanks to the fact that competition is not as tough in Walmart.com right now as it is in Amazon and eBay.

However, it is still necessary for sellers to know the basics of what constitutes good setup and selling practices to gain an instant head start in this marketplace. The following four points have been of crucial importance to presently established sellers in Walmart.com…

If you are a brand owner, you will gain a better edge

To begin with, your eligibility and your compatibility with the platform is the first step that needs to be taken note of. Walmart.com entertains brand owners over merchants / resellers. So, if you are the owner of your own brand, you are likely to be at a more favorable position.

Set up and integrate well

Carrying out proper integration processes is critical to gain a head start in this platform. The process is usually easier compared to other tough options like Netsuite Jet.com etc. but it is always advised to seek assistance of professionals. Walmart.com has already partnered with certain futuristic and affordable third party solution developers who can be approached for the purpose.

Walmart is serious about lowest price and highest value assurance

While in the platform, sellers who wish to gain instant visibility must always take the matter of pricing and values of their listing very seriously. Walmart.com assures lowest prices and highest value of purchase to all buyers and expects that the sellers / merchants will live up to the same. if for example, you wish to sell Walmart on eBay, you will have to ensure that your list price in Walmart is lower than or equal to the list price in eBay.

Walmart.com welcomes sellers with good performance records

This mostly goes out to sellers who are also performing in Amazon. Walmart welcomes mostly those entities who have established good selling record in Amazon with highest numbers of good reviews and ratings posted in their favor. This applies for other marketplaces as well.

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5 Not-So-True Facts About Amazon Selling

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The drive to sell more profitably in Amazon has lead many layman thinkers to express their opinions on the matter, which may not usually be applicable at all. Following are 5 not so true facts about selling in Amazon that has been grasping the imagination of newer enthusiasts that are supercharged with the idea of making amazing profits in very little time…

It is easy to start

This is the first not so true fact about Amazon selling. Irrespective of the infinite articles ad blogs floating around in the internet about how easy things have become, it still takes a whole lot of effort right from the process of establishing presence in the platform to standing tall in competition, being seen in the top of search lists, gaining maximum clicks and converting the same for making a sale.

Optimization guarantees profits

No, it does not, and it never did. Optimization of listing ensures higher visibility in Amazon which can win more clicks in favor of your products. Conversion of click to sale depends on the mood of the buyers and the how convincing your product is in the first place. Profits on the other hand are a result of sale and product pricing after subtracting associated fees.

Lowest price assures place in Buy Box

Amazon selling often seems bleak without the rush for the Buy Box. Almost every seller is competing for a place in this window of opportunities. However, it has been observed that the parameters for gaining a place in the Buy Box are often unquantifiable. So, for those who believe that selling their products in the lowest prices will fetch them the window, it may be time to think again. To sell at the lowest price may often invite losses while not gaining a place in the Buy Box at all.

FBA is the ultimate order completion solution for all

FBA is one of the best ways to improve your order completion process flawlessly while taking off the load of packing, shipping, and returns etc from your back. But, it is also necessary to know that all products do not qualify for FBA and that the service comes with rather complex fee format that can claim a considerable chunk of profits if not understood properly.

Integration is easy, affordable and solution to all selling hassles

Say for example, if you are a Magento powered seller, it will be imperative for you to conduct Magento Amazon integration flawlessly. The process is intended to maximize operational efficiency while minimizing manual work load in the part of the sellers. At no time should any seller end up thinking that integration is a profit making component primarily because it is not.

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4 Most Promising Marketplaces Multichannel Sellers Cannot Ignore In 2016

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There are a few e commerce marketplaces that sellers aiming for multichannel ventures must consider for the sake of a brighter future. Some of these marketplaces may not feature somewhere in the top, but have proven very fruitful for many merchants who have managed to launch their best efforts in these platforms…

Amazon & eBay

Amazon and eBay still wear the crown of best online marketplaces for sellers in 2016. There is no way in the near or far future that these platforms are going to pass their crown down to any other marketplaces irrespective of how promising they may be. Be it with respect to unique visitors, gross profits, trustworthiness, scope across the globe, seller advantages, product categories, millions of choices or most importantly, best prices and offers, these two platforms remain unbeatable.

Newegg

Coming up as the next most promising online marketplace for sellers, Newegg has far more to offer than electronics. While it is true that this platform may have started as the best place to look for devices at good prices, it now includes a range of other product categories including clothing and accessories, home and beauty and many more. The commission rates seem very attractive at 8% to 15% depending upon what you sell. The scope of making profits in Newegg without having to launch over the top efforts is a massive possibility.

Rakuten

Making its way speedily towards the top 10 online marketplaces of 2016, Japan based Rakuten is on its way to win over the world. With innumerable product categories supported to the teeth, reasonable fees and significant ease in operational integration, there is no reason why sellers should not include Rakuten in their multichannel agenda. At the same time, with Rakuten, making products available to the eastern markets can get really easy.

Sears

Sears is a very trusted name in the USA, and is applauded for the different selling options that it offers to third party sellers in this platform. Commissions and monthly charges for the platform is also very supportable and remains within 40$ whether for fulfillment services or basic selling. The commissions do seem to get to the higher side in certain product categories, ranging from 7% to 20%, but at the end of the day it appears to get balanced.

At all times it is imperative for the sellers to ensure proper integration with the platforms so as to further operational ease and cut down costs.

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Otherwise Content Amazon Sellers Usually Complain About These Shortcomings

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Many e commerce sellers and researchers are into believing that seller central users in Amazon are usually the pampered lot. The latter however agree to disagree. It will not be entirely wrong to say that no seller solution per se is complete in itself even if it offers a flood of benefits that other solutions don’t. This mini lapse has been experienced by many Amazon sellers till date, many of have openly expressed their ‘only if’ list in infinite review channels hoping that this king of all e commerce marketplaces will take note of the same sooner or later.

Say for example, there is a significant number of startup lot that usually find the other side of business obligations like doing their taxes extremely taxing. Taking clue from jet.com, many of them only wish Amazon would handle the tax part for them. However, Amazon has made it amply clear that it will serve as no more than an extremely profitable and growth based e commerce marketplace with sole assistance extended towards making the process of selling easier while the rest should be handled by the sellers on their own.

Very often the matter of super generous return policies often ends up bugging sellers to a limit where they may get pushed up against the wall. Whether you like it or not, Amazon is usually right in their stand when it comes to making the process of returns as easy as click and no more. If buyers are not happy with what the sellers delivered, they have the right to request return / exchange and sellers have to abide by it. Sometimes, when the issues arise from the buyers’ side, the sellers need to take all the trouble and digest it as occupational hazards.

Altering returns policies to make it tad seller-friendly (like it is in Jet.com) is always expected, but Amazon is not likely to introduce such changes because it will directly compromise its attractiveness towards the purchase motivated lot.

Sellers also often wish that Amazon inventory management systems would also make a leap in evolution and move ahead and beyond the available spread-sheet format. It is true that many e commerce solution developers have already introduced integrated Amazon inventory control systems, the fact that they usually favor midsized to large sellers will higher inventory levels cannot be denied. Smaller sellers usually get stuck in the cost trap if they choose to use these solutions or face hassles of manual management which is fraught with errors.

Amazon has rarely been the cause for disappointment to buyers or sellers through all these years of its existence. So sellers can be hopeful that Amazon will introduce changes that may lift away existing shortcomings in the near future.

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5 Tips to Become a Top Seller on Amazon

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Amazon is a huge marketplace on the web, and many big as well as individual sellers are finding success with the platform. In only a few years, it has become a trusted name among online shoppers. If you wish to become a top-rated seller on Amazon, the following 5 tips can be assistive for you.

Choose the right account level

Merchants can choose from various account levels on Amazon. There is the regular account level which allows you to list for free your item in the catalog of the website. You do not have to pay any listing fees, and payment is applicable only when a sale is made. The pro merchant account is the second account level which offers greater flexibility. You can list products not in the catalog of Amazon at present. You can get a decent discount of around 0.99 USD for each product.

<Use Amazon Seller Central

Merchants can get regular reports from Amazon seller central. The reports can assist you in analyzing your sales, finding out potential buyers and determine how effective your promotions and marketing are. With companies that offer eBay Amazon tool and other similar apps, you can easily get the reports sent to your inbox or reflected on your store.

Make use of Amazon Marketing Tools

You can also make money from Amazon by using the marketing tools present on Amazon, such as Likes, Tags and Listmania. This will assist you in providing your store items with higher visibility.

Be an Amazon Featured Merchant

By turning yourself into a featured merchant over Amazon, you can get your items noticed easily. You can earn the trust of potential buyers and earn good reputation among them. Although there is no official information from Amazon about how sellers can turn themselves into featured merchants, it is assumed that high product sales, amazing customer reviews and minimal or no complaints from buyers helps do that. You also need to stick to all the policies, selling rules and regulations of Amazon in order to avoid being banned.

Choose an Amazon integration service provider

With a Magento Amazon integration service provider, you can easily get your store products integrated with suitable categories from Amazon and be assured of higher visibility. This will assist you in enhancing your product sales. Becoming a big seller on Amazon with large volume of product sales will assist you in becoming a featured seller.

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