Mar 15, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon tests vertical alignment for product images on Amazon India. Provides a streamlined look & improves user experience. Thanks, Yogesh.
Yogesh Kumar
Feature Update
Amazon is currently testing a new feature that vertically aligns product images. This feature has only been observed in the Clothing Category of Amazon India.
The vertical alignment of product images is a new approach that provides a more streamlined and consistent look to the images of various products. This new format may improve the user experience by providing an easier way to view and compare the products.
It is worth noting that Amazon frequently tests new features and updates to improve the platform's user experience. The company regularly monitors user feedback and data to make informed decisions about implementing new features.
Mar 15, 2023 12:00AM
The cheapest product doesn't always win on Amazon. Thanks, Aaron.
Aaron Cordovez
Does the cheapest product always win on Amazon?
NO.
Absolutely not.
We currently have the top #1, #2 and #3 positions for Manual Juicers. The #4 spot is literally 60% cheaper than our top seller. They can only have that price because of being a Vendor, but even with that price, it's not enough for them.
Mar 14, 2023 12:00AM
Mar 14, 2023 12:00AM
Use AI to reinstate your account. There’s endless AI tools being spat out atm. But, as with any tool, it’s how you use it. Thanks, Joe.
Joe Nilsen
𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧? 🙄
Just kidding. The whole world has. Amazon sellers and LinkedIn users can’t seem to get enough of it. For multiple reasons, I haven’t jumped into the mix of conversations about it to join the fun.
We have been 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆. I’m talking about 15-hour days, 7 days a week busy. What we have been in the lab working on is, at minimum, ten times more robust than any other software solution we have brought to this industry.
Considering the TLC our existing models regularly require, catching more than a few hours of sleep each night has been an accomplishment.
Another factor is something you’ve seen me write about in the past if you read my posts – 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩. The industry is filled with many bright individuals who went to town on ChatGPT. Why would I write to add more noise to an already flooded space?
The smoke has cleared, and we’ve all enjoyed reading the same 7-10 plagiarized methods 50+ times that a few people initially discovered.
• GPT-4 is being released on Monday
• We have moved on to the testing and fine-tuning phases of what we've built
• The ChatGPT frenzy has calmed to a certain extent
𝗜'𝗺 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮. 💯 🔥
You will not ever read anything “typical” that I’ve written. I “share” to contribute to the space, not to campaign for likes and gold stars.
I know an influx of Large Language Model experts emerged when OpenAI released ChatGPT. I do my best to carry myself with humility. However, it must be stated: The vast majority of what I have seen people do with the technology is child’s play.
Before deeming me arrogant, I urge you to remember that this is the type of shit we have been working on and with for years. If we didn’t have a high-level understanding of prompt engineering and communicating with AI models, we would have a severe problem.
I’m just getting back into the swing of things, but I’ll be coming heavy in the coming days and weeks. Somebody asked me to write them a prompt that they could use to provide them with a thorough Plan of Action for suspended accounts yesterday.
ChatGPT will reinstate more sellers in 2023 than all these companies who rob everybody writing POAs combined. 🤖
Get the full prompt 👉 https://lnkd.in/enRP7ZRS
Stay tuned for MUCH more to come. 💯
Mar 14, 2023 12:00AM
Negative Customer Experience (NCX) Rating. Go review your history and see how you can improve the content to reduce negative experiences. And increase conversion rate. Thanks, Vanessa.
Vanessa Hung
Hey guys!
Amazon has recently introduced a new feature in Voice of Customer that allows sellers to check their product's Historical NCX Rating Visualization.
The Negative Customer Experience (NCX) rate is the number of orders for which the customer reported a product- or listing-related issue divided by total orders.
For example, if you have sold 50 products and received 8 complaints, the percentage of NCX will be 16%.
This new feature allows sellers to quickly look at a product's rating on performance and easily identify customer discomfort. This feature is located in the center of the product's page and provides a graphical representation of the product's historical NCX rating over time.
By using this visualization, sellers can gain insight into their product's overall performance and identify trends that may be affecting their customers' experiences. This, in turn, allows sellers to take proactive steps to improve their product's quality and customer satisfaction, leading to better reviews, higher ratings, and increased sales.
Overall, the new Historical NCX Rating Visualization feature is a valuable tool for anyone selling on Amazon.
Have you checked it already?
Mar 13, 2023 12:00AM
Infographic example. Keep it simple & clear, and avoid complicated layouts. Thanks, Jason.
Jason Landro
You’re killing your conversion rate if you’re making this one mistake with your infographics
Consumers don’t want to do homework when they shop
They want their primary questions answered quickly without having to put in much effort to find those answers
If you can’t make it easy on them to find the answers to their questions, they’ll bounce
The content in your infographics should be easily digestible
That means a consumer should be able to read the content in under 3 seconds
So don’t make your infographics too complicated
Some tips to avoid making them too complicated while making them high quality…
-Align the text properly
-Don’t place text in every quadrant because it makes it harder for consumers to read your graphics
-Ensure all your branding is consistent in all your infographics including the text, layout, font, etc.
Below is an example the Nectar team did for Coop Home Goods
We made it easy to understand how to adjust the fill no matter the sleeping style
And if you don’t have infographics, you NEED them
If you’re an established brand struggling with how to build or improve your infographics, don’t hesitate to reach out
Mar 12, 2023 12:00AM
Boost your ad clicks with this video ad placement tip. Sponsored video ads placed with negative product reviews are more likely to be clicked on. Thanks, Prem.
Prem Gupta
The placement of sponsored display video ads is fantastic.
Together with the product reviews, it displays.
You're more likely to click on the video ad there if the product reviews you're reading are negative.
Mar 11, 2023 12:00AM
E-commerce brand Hush scaled its business by launching the Hush Iced Sheets. A hero product in a new category, surpassed every other product sold, leading to growth in multiple categories. Thanks, Aaron.
Aaron Spivak
You are ONLY 1 product away from MASSIVE scale.
In 2021 Hush became the fastest growing and #1 selling weighted blanket in the country.
It was fast and TBH not exactly predictable.
At the top of the market we made a insane decision to scale through ANOTHER hero product.
A product category we never sold in before.
After all, we didn't want to live and die with 1 winning product.
--
Typically in Ecom you will see hero product led brands with a couple upsells.
But we pivoted.
We launched the Hush Iced Sheets.
The world's first organically cooling bed sheets that actually stay on your bed and doesn't require an outlet.
In 2022 the Hush sheets surpassed every other product we sell and helped us scale the business.
In 23' we are already seeing our effort to take over the bedroom paying off with multiple categories surpassing WB.
We have some exciting products coming in the next weeks
(Sneak peak below)
Dont be afraid to launch your next product!!
Mar 11, 2023 12:00AM
Custom-made Amazon brand stores. Check out this video to see how brands can create unique and visually appealing stores to showcase their products and connect with customers. Thanks, Shakhboz.
Shakhboz Uktamov
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺-𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲? 😱😱😱
I'm sure we all know what a normal brand store looks like on Amazon, but have you ever seen a custom-made brand store or category in Amazon? If you're interested in seeing what a custom-made brand store looks like, then be sure to check out my video!
✅ It provides a great example of how brands can create a visually appealing and unique space on Amazon to showcase their products and connect with their customers.
----------------------------------
🔔 Hey, I'm Shakhboz! On my blog, 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘°, I showcase the creative side of the amazing brands that sell on Amazon. Discover how they inspire and captivate their community with innovative and inspirational content. Hit Follow to stay connected with me and never miss out on the latest updates.
Mar 11, 2023 12:00AM
Mar 10, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon releases Historical NCX Rating visualization in Voice of the Customer. A simple but helpful graph to monitor weekly ASIN ratings. Thanks, Colby.
Colby Almond
A new and really helpful Amazon feature just released: Historical NCX Rating visualization in Voice of the Customer.
Your NCX rating is how many of your total orders result in negative feedback. Before this it was merely a guessing game if your NCX rating was trending up or down as no historical data was provided.
The graph will allow you to look at the rating on a weekly cadence to determine which ASINs you might need to focus on before receiving a dreaded call from the Amazon Performance Team to take action.
Simple and well overdue. Thanks Amazon.
Mar 10, 2023 12:00AM
Envision Horizons' Amazon Beauty Report reveals top trends and sellers for February. Including E.L.F. Beauty, 2000s beauty trends, natural lashes, and scalp care. Thanks, Laura.
Laura Meyer
Envision Horizons Amazon February Beauty Report is here!
Last month, our team initiated a monthly report on the latest trends, top sellers, and emerging brands in the Beauty category on Amazon. The report aims to provide insights and analysis for our clients and partners.
Here are the key findings from February:
E.L.F. BEAUTY Super Bowl commercial helped boost their primer to become the #1 new release in beauty on Amazon in February.
The 2000s beauty trends are making a comeback, with hairclips, press-on nails, and hello kitty products gaining popularity. All we need now is for hair crimpers to become a top beauty tool.
Natural long and curly eyelashes are in fashion, while fake eyelashes are losing their appeal. A heated eyelash curler is the latest trend for achieving the look.
Scalp care is becoming a significant part of haircare, as consumers incorporate a scalp regimen into their skincare routine.
We based these insights on our analysis using both 1st party and 3rd party data. Special shout out to SmartScout for their market size data.
Let me know in the comments section if you observed any other beauty trends in February!
Mar 09, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
We're scraping hundreds of beautiful Amazon storefronts.
Instead of waiting for us to release it, get early access and 50% discount right now as we finish it off.
You'll get:
- 250+ storefronts immediately, PLUS all future finds
- All Amazon categories
- Instant ideas to improve your store
- 'Add to favourites'
Tag a colleague in a comment below and I'll send you the private link for early purchase
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 09, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
🎨 Our swipe file for INFOGRAPHICS
A collection of memorizing creatives from 400+ brands.
You can filter it by category:
- Health + Personal Care
- Grocery
- Home Improvement
- etc
Your design/creative team will love you for this.
Just comment “info” and I’ll send it over 👇
-
Or you can subscribe to my newsletter and get access to this and all my other resources.
Link in bio 🗞️
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 09, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon introduces new presets for Sponsored Products campaigns. Making it easier to set budgets, bids, and targeting based on ad history and product. Launch SD campaigns directly from recommendations. Thanks, Prem.
Prem Gupta
New presets Sponsored Products ad campaigns suggestion and SD recommendations
➡️Amazon have introduced presets SP campaigns inside the product recommendations under Growth.
➡️This new feature will pre-set your daily budget, bidding strategy, targeting strategy, and associated bids based on each product being advertised and the history of similar ad campaigns.
➡️You can also see estimated performance data, including clicks and conversions, for each of your ad campaigns.
➡️Moreover, you can launch an SD campaign directly from the tab for product recommendations.
Mar 09, 2023 12:00AM
FTC fines Amazon seller $600k for review hijacking: Bountiful Company combined 2 similar products on detail pages. Was it warranted or a bit of a reach? Thanks, Taylar.
Taylar Allan
Another day, another FTC ruling related to Amazon.
The FTC has been investigating seller behavior on Amazon for some time now, specifically around "review hijacking" or manipulating review ratings or counts to benefit a less popular product. In a ruling today, The Bountiful Company, seller of a variety of vitamins and other supplements received a $600,000 fine for combining two products detail pages: Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies, and Apple Cider Vinegar Capsules.
This sends a strong message to anyone who thinks they can manipulate the system, but was it warranted? The products are so similar and one could logically think that they should be connected, but on the other hand, they aren't just size variations like the listing claimed. What do you think? Good move by the FTC, or a bit of a reach?
Mar 09, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon shifts to automation and regionalization for brands in 2023. Brands must follow a 3-step approach: review set-up, realign resources, and automate workflows. Thanks, Martin.
Martin Heubel
The reality of working with #Amazon has changed dramatically for brands in 2023. The online retailer focuses on:
💵 Optimising margin structures
💵 Reducing headcount resources
💵 Automating repetitive processes
The list goes on.
🚩 Yet, most suppliers continue with business as usual.
They keep deploying the same investment principles as in offline channels. And they keep their teams locally organised, ignoring Amazon's regional (pan-EU) expansion focus.
This creates a gap between the reality of brands and Amazon, where brands increasingly invest in staffing while Amazon dramatically reduces its headcount.
So how can brands ensure they align their organisation with the new reality Amazon is creating in 2023 and beyond?
✅ By following a simple 3-step approach:
𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗽
Amazon's retail workforce is in decline. In fact, more than 15% of Vendor Managers will lose their role in 2023.
As a result, Amazon has begun to focus its buyer resources at a regional EU level. Instead of 9 Vendor Managers covering each European marketplace, one Vendor Manager will manage the EU9 trade relationship going forward.
This requires brands to adjust their organisational structure to navigate the online retailer effectively. Brands that maintain a localised approach risk losing access to a dedicated Vendor Manager in 2023/24.
𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀
Aligning teams at a regional level can help brands achieve significant economies of scale. Centralising resources can help avoid duplication of work when it comes to negotiation or reporting processes, while the virtual shelf and shopper activation management can be maintained at a local level.
Brands that successfully shape their business relationship with Amazon in 2023 will excel in realigning existing workflows at a regional level while meeting and considering the demands of local markets.
𝟯. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲
With Amazon increasing its efforts to offshore and automate tasks in its retail business, brands have to shoulder more tasks that Vendor Managers and Brand Specialists previously owned.
This means that offshoring and automation must become a top priority for 1P suppliers themselves if they want to avoid a significant increase in their cost to serve.
It's good practice for brands to start capturing repetitive workflows currently done manually and either outsource them to cost-efficient service providers or automate them completely. After all, the size and complexity of Amazon's business will only increase in the years to come.
Mar 08, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
On Monday we compare Canned Water A+ pages from page 1. Today we look at their storefronts.
Which do you prefer and why?
Sanzo does it for me. Very clean. On brand throughout. Cohesive. Encourages the follow. Clear Heading 1 and 2.
Perhaps would like to see reference to Subscribe & Save. I shared a good example in our weekly email.
Our Top Amazon Storefront Portfolio will be releasing next month.
If you want early access, drop a comment below.
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 08, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
Given most are using AI to summarise text, why don’t creators short circuit this and just write more concisely.
Same goes for team chats. Slack releases thread summaries. Exemplifying the amount of uneccessary chat.
I can often go a full week without messaging my team. Because they’re busy, doing work.
My email literally takes all your great content, and summarises it into bullet points. Saving thousands of words and hours for the reader. And I’ve done that pre GPT.
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 08, 2023 12:00AM
georges.blog
1 A+ page every day.
My top 1000:
https://lnkd.in/eHqwyA-H
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 08, 2023 12:00AM
A new query library has been added to AMC for Sponsored Brand data. Data shows that very few people unmute SBV ads, and the majority don't watch the whole video. Thanks, Jack.
Jack Lindberg
A few months ago, Sponsored Brand data was added to AMC. There is a lot AMC can do to help improve SBV creative, so I wanted to do a quick SBV deep dive today!
TLDR: Almost no one unmutes SBV ads and the majority of people don’t make it to the end of the video!
What is it?/Where do I find it?: As part of this update, a new page has been added to the instructional query library (IQL) called "How to query Sponsored Brands Traffic and Conversions." There are a couple helpful sample queries in there about SB campaigns. The one I am focusing on today is the SBV Traffic query.
What does it look like? The funnel chart below shows the drop from users who make it through various portions of the SBV creative or unmute the video.
What does this mean? In reviewing data for half a dozen advertisers, we found that all advertisers had less than .25% of SBV ad viewers unmute the video. On average, approximately 25% of people actually complete the video once they start watching it. Given this data, I wouldn’t worry about engaging audio in this ad format at all! Additionally, I’d focus on SBV creative that shows the most eye-catching or engaging content in the first few seconds of the ad. Shoppers don’t generally sit through the whole video!
Check out the query for more information or feel free to reach out! The team at Pacvue loves running this sort of analysis for clients and would be happy to help you with an AMC exploration.
Mar 08, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon allows Brand Registered sellers to create Virtual Bundles across brands. Virtual bundles are a combination of 2-5 products sold together in one ASIN, making it easier for customers to shop for complementary products. Thanks, Isaiah.
Isaiah Fritz
Today Ethan Davis from our team found out you can create an Amazon Virtual Bundle across brands as long as they are Brand Registered. This means you could virtually bundles between 2 brands you sell.
For those who don't know about virtual bundles, they work as follows: Virtual bundles are 2-5 products from your catalog that are sold as one, typically at a discount. These products are not packaged together but are sold together in one ASIN.
Virtual bundles allow Customer to shop for products that go well together, making it easier to discover and buy more from your Brand's catalog. So we ship the product into Amazon as usual, and when the customer buys the bundle Amazon puts it together and sends it.
Mar 07, 2023 12:00AM
Mar 07, 2023 12:00AM
Successful Amazon sellers have a meaningful mission. Use virtual assistants to save time, constantly innovate, sell on multiple platforms, invest in quality listing images, have the ability to travel, use lending to expand, and achieve 20% or more in net profit. Thanks, Jon.
Jon Elder
The Modern Amazon Seller:
- Meaningful mission statement
- Utilizes VAs to maximize time efficiency
- Never stops innovating
- Sells on multiple platforms
- Spares no cost on listing images
- Able to travel whenever
- Uses lending to expand rapidly
- Achieves 20%+ net profit
Mar 07, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
Liquid Death shouted a lot about their Amazon success recently, but how does their A+ stack up against other page one products.
Let's see.
I add the ranking and reviews this time too. And as always, follow to see their storefronts tomorrow.
Want the top 1000 designs across all categories? See my first comment.
Bubly
Open Water
Nixie Sparkling Water
Polar
Petal
Sanpellegrino
Sanzo
Spindrift Beverage Co, Inc.
Waterloo Sparkling Water
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 07, 2023 12:00AM
Mar 07, 2023 12:00AM
Visual content is a crucial factor for online shoppers when making purchase decisions. With 93% stating that images are the key deciding factor. This highlights the untapped potential of visuals in marketing and the importance of high-quality, engaging images. Thanks, Jehan.
Jehan Hamedi
Did you know?
The untapped power of images:
93% of online shoppers say visual content is the key deciding factor when making a purchase decision.
Source: BigCommerce
Mar 07, 2023 12:00AM
Reduce your TACOS with this diagnostic flow chart. By identifying the root causes of high TACOS, businesses can take steps to lower their advertising costs. Thanks, Mansour.
Mansour Norouzi
High TACOS Diagnostic Flow Chart
A few weeks ago, I discussed a new approach to examining TACOS that may help identify the root causes of high TACOS.
Below is a simplified flowchart based on that approach that can help in reducing TACOS.
In my previous posts, I discussed the concept of Balanced Spend and provided instructions on how to calculate it. I will dive further into this topic in future posts.
Leave a comment if you need a high-resolution copy.
Mar 06, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
Which A+ pages deserve a spot in our portfolio?
Here’s the background:
Im training my VA to think more like me.
I can’t spend another 40 hours, like I did last October, reviewing 30,000 A+ pages.
Which costs you £30 to get the end results btw.
So I’ve got to create a system.
He’s just sent me these for feedback. And as part of our ongoing ‘training’ I tell him which make the cut and which don’t.
Drop a comment below with letters or numbers representing which ones are fantastic, and which are not.
Eg 1,2,3 (not my answer)
All respondents get £5 off the next portfolio I release -> which is storefronts.
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 06, 2023 12:00AM
Are large agencies worth the 5-figure retainer? Boutique agencies may be a better choice for quality service and growth. Large agencies may lack communication and personalized attention for client growth. Thanks, Salif.
Salif S.
Just hopped off a call with an agency owner.
He told me that he recently signed a new brand.
And this brand used to work with a bigger agency previously.
This is a well-known, NY-based agency.
Won’t name them because you know them.
The brand told him that this agency hadn’t logged into their ad account in 2 months.
2 f*cking months.
They were probably paying them a 5-figure retainer.
This is mind boggling to me…
I’m sure you’ve already seen posts like this.
And you hear stories from other brands about large agencies f*cking them over.
Yet - you’d still rather hire a large agency than a boutique agency.
And pay them a $5k-$10k/mo retainer for:
- Terrible communication
- Low quality landing pages and creatives
- Getting your ad account optimised every 3 weeks (at best)
Not saying that all large agencies are bad.
But for majority of them you’re just another logo on their website.
They don’t really care about your growth.
Mar 04, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon boosts FBA New Selection incentives. Giving brand owners 10% discount and increased benefits for up to 120 days. Incentives include a 10% rebate and storage benefits for up to 100 units for standard-size ASINs. Thanks, Prem.
Prem Gupta
Improved benefits for your new FBA products
Amazon increased the incentives for FBA New Selection as of March 1, 2023, making it even simpler to introduce new products.
➡️Brand owners receive a 10% discount.
👉If you are a brand owner signed up with Brand Registry, you can now get an average rebate of 10% instead of 5% on sales of your parent ASINs that are eligible.
👉For qualifying oversize ASINs, the rebate is valid for up to 30 units for 90 days, and for eligible standard-size ASINs, it is valid for up to 100 units for 120 days.
➡️Benefits for more units and for extended days
👉The storage, removal, and reimbursement benefits now apply to a maximum of 100 units per parent ASIN for all eligible standard-size ASINs (previously 50 units).
👉Storage and rebate benefits are also available for 120 days per standard-size parent ASIN, up from 90 days.
Mar 04, 2023 12:00AM
Drive engagement and simplify your portfolio with Brand Store Quizzes. Expect more store page additions with Amazon's focus on quality over quantity. Thanks, Destaney.
Destaney Wishon
Brand Store Quizzes 🗣
Fantastic for driving engagement and simplifying the complexity of a large portfolio.
It’s interesting how undiscovered this feature is.
Maybe because it’s not a native Amazon addition?
(Shoot me a DM for more details)
In my opinion this is a BIG value add to brands.
I expect a ton of store page additions over the next year as Amazon shifts to a quality over quantity focus.
Love it or hate it?
Shoutout to Gabi Viljoen, MBA my e-commerce partner in crime for the find 🦝🚀
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Three Multipliers that helped take Karmaloop from bankruptcy to profit. Also turning AutoAnything's $7M annual loss into profitability within a year. Increase your company's top line by 220% in just 100 days by focusing on three components: average order value, frequency of purchases, and the total number of customers. Thanks, Drew.
Drew Sanocki
I helped take Karmaloop from bankruptcy to profit in 10 months. I also took AutoAnything from losing $7M annually to profitability in a year.
In each case, I used a simple framework.
The framework was so effective that Shopify had me teach a course on it.
I’ll summarize that course here.
I call my approach the Three Multipliers:
1️⃣ Context:
Karmaloop was losing hundreds of thousands of $$ every month as it entered bankruptcy.
AutoAnything was losing millions when AutoZone decided to divest of the asset.
In each case, I worked with PE funds to acquire these companies. And as is the case with most PE deals, the funds wanted an immediate return on their investment.
The task? Get profitable in a short period of time. Juice revenue, ASAP. Ideally, in less than 100 days.
2️⃣ Strategy:
When tasked with growing revenue quickly like this, I break revenue down into its three components.
You see there are three, and only three, ways for a company to impact revenue:
- the average order value (AOV) x
- the frequency of purchases or no. of purchases per customer (F) x
- the total number of customers (C)
Sure there are lots of other ways to cut the onion, but I find these Three Multipliers the easiest to operationalize.
You see, when faced with rapid growth, you don’t need to kill it in any one of these Multipliers.
You just need to increase each by 30%
Why 30%, you ask?
Because the results multiply.
If you increase AOV by 30%,
If you increase frequency of purchase by 30%,
If you increase the total number of customers by 30%.
… you've just doubled the top line:
1.3 * 1.3 * 1.3 = 220%
3️⃣ Tactics:
So you now think of revenue in terms of Three Multipliers. And you know that if you improve each, the results multiply.
What do you bite off first?
Here I build out a Google Sheet Backlog.
Focused on the Three Multipliers, I work with the team to brainstorm a list of tactics and ideas within each Multiplier.
We put each in a Google Sheet and rank by two things: 1) expected impact and 2) ease of implementation.
(Because even the best ideas aren’t worth much if they take years to see the light of day.)
We sort by the overall score, and then we focus on the most promising tactics within each Multiplier.
That’s it. It sounds simple. Indeed, I’ve rarely over 20 years experienced a true doubling of the top line within 100 days.
But in most cases this approach unlocks more growth than you thought possible. Certainly more than the company has been able to achieve in the past.
The key is simplicity and focus.
Any questions?
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon employees can now use their shares to finance first or second homes with Better.com. Vested equity can be pledged without selling shares. Interest rates may be higher depending on the down payment structure. Thanks, Evan.
Evan J.
Would you use your company equity to finance your home?
Amazon in a partnership with Better will allow AZ employees to utilize their shares towards a down payment on a first or second home
Employees will have the ability to finance their homes without actually selling their shares, only needing to pledge vested equity
“To protect itself from a continued slide in Amazon’s stock price, Better.com will charge a higher rate on the mortgages of employees pledging stock — between 0.25 and 2.5 percentage points above the market rate, depending on how the down payment is structured.”
This looks to be a game-changer for AZ employees... Interested to see if this program will be replicated at other companies!
You can read more about it here.
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Should you pay Amazon's Damage Allowance? Here's a data-driven approach to finding out. Conduct your own calculations based on product returns, review pending claims, and calculate the DA% entitlement. Thanks, Martin.
Martin Heubel
✋ Should you agree a Damage Allowance with #Amazon? Here's a data-driven approach to finding the answer:
Many vendors are facing demands to pay a damage allowance or liquidation fee right now.
Both are commercial trade agreements to compensate Amazon for damaged goods received from customers within the warranty period.
It's a highly controversial trade term, as the underlying data are rarely shared, and brands have no way of judging the legitimacy of the fee.
So what should you do?
» Conduct your own calculations.
Here's how:
𝟭. 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹
𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 (𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱) 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹
𝟯. 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗔% 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘅 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 / 𝗡𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀)
The resulting percentage is the actual value to which you should limit your investment for any damage compensation.
If Amazon wants you to invest more, demand precise data points from their side. Otherwise, reject the claim, saying that you cannot be held liable for poor operational performance outside your control.
🕵️♂️ Pro Tip: Invest in Amazon's Warranty Repair Services if high return rates keep you awake at night. It can help drive good CX and significantly reduce customer returns to your warehouses.
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon unexpectedly updated their Feed File Screen. The change was made without warning and even allows for the old version to briefly reappear upon refreshing. Thanks, Isaiah.
Isaiah Fritz
*AMAZON SC UPDATE* Ethan Davis Our Seller Central expert sent this update today to our team:
"Amazon is changing all the time. Just today Amazon changed their Feed File Screen to be completely different.
They gave no warning, and just changed it. This is a theme with Amazon and we see it all the time! We have to be on our toes, because at 11am this morning it was the old way, at 11:15am it was the new way. Gotta love Amazon.
In fact, look at this short video I took. Amazon changes so fast, if you refresh your page, it goes BACK to the old way. HAHA. In this video the initial thing you see is the new page. I refresh and it goes back to the old page. When I re-navigate to the page, it shows the new one again."
Great catch Ethan!
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Liquid Death became the #2 best-seller in Amazon's grocery category with over 70,000 products. Thanks, Hamid.
Hamid Saify
The people have spoken. Our brand new iced teas are now the #2 best seller in entire Amazon grocery category. A category that’s over 70k products deep!
We now have Water and Tea in the Top 15 in Grocery.
Just getting started.
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
AC/DC on. Faint head torches traverse in the distance. Far beyond your own. The 3am-ers no doubt. All racing sunrise. Heart drilling. Peaking at 170 (walking 😂). A certain peace surrounding it. Peripheral thoughts dissapate.
Roy’s Peak in Wanaka, New Zealand, is a meaty 1300m of climbing over an 8k track. 16k return.
By setting off at 5am you’ve got no idea of the view unfolding behind you. As you snake the ski bus style bends up.
But with each turn a chunk of mountain reveals itself a little more. Coupled with segments of lake.
Some suggest it’s a boring walk as the view doesn’t change. I’d argue you drink it in a little more. And get it from different angles and different light.
Even more so if you starve yourself of water for the pure brutal purpose of self inflicted abuse. And under current of being a touch mentally stronger at the end of it. Stupidity.
Most pleasing is my barefoot development. Comfortably the longest voyage in them, and most challenging. Am really falling in love with the things now.
Anyway, some mindless morning musings. If you want help with Amazon, drop me a message.
#itsalwaysdayone
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Discover essential Amazon advertising metrics for success. TACoS, customer conversion rate, new-to-brand search data, CPC, CVR, and organic sales vs. ad sales. Thanks, Destaney.
Destaney Wishon
Important Amazon Advertising KPI’s You SHOULD Know
(Content Key Included in Comments)
🔶 TACoS
🔶 Customer Conversion Rate VS Category
🔶 New To Brand Search data
🔶 CPC and the Impact on ACoS
🔶 CVR and the Impact on ACoS
🔶 Organic Sales VS Ad Sales
If you found this helpful but still need more, please check the Content Key linked in the comments!
I tried to reference every piece of related training I have :)
And if you learned anything, please like, comment, or share!!!
We are passionate about creating the absolute best Amazon Advertising content in the space, and the additional visibility goes a long way!
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
Most people struggle with using VAs. Treat them like a team member, invest time to understand them, and start slow. Use best delegation practices and allow them to grow. Clear processes and guidelines save time. Thanks, Adriane.
Adriane Schwager
Most people suck at using VAs.
Here is what to do instead:
First, some context:
As CEO of GrowthAssistant, I have 8 US and 30+ PH employees. I have also helped 100+ top brands and agencies build global teams.
When it works, it's magic. When it doesn't, both the VA and the teams are unhappy.
Here are the 5 best ways to create magic:
1️⃣ They are human
Don't treat them like a robot that's here to solve your problem in a cost-effective way.
Get to know them. Understand their background. Their unique strengths & passions.
Invest 2x the time you normally would to get to know them. It's so worth it!
My EA has 18+ cats. A bunch of tattoos (we sometimes brainstorm tattoo ideas for fun). What seems to be an amazing boyfriend. LOVES coffee!
She is great as EA. But she is foremost a great, cool human - not a scheduling machine.
▶ For some reason many forget this part when working with VAs
2️⃣ Treat them like a "real" team member
Onboard them the same way you would onboard anyone: have them meet the team, company email address, Slack access, etc.
It's harder to instill company culture in a remote world. Include them in social activities like virtual happy hours
Life in the Philippines is so different.
Many hours during our social Zoom syncs were filled with learning more about their culture and way of life. It is incredibly interesting!
We still talk about "balut" (google it!) at nearly every meeting...
❗I can't overstate this:
Treating your VAs the right way is very often all it takes!
But there is more:
3️⃣ 3) Take it slow
Often your VA or Growth Assistant will have relevant experience. But that does NOT mean that you should just throw tasks at them and then check-in around the due date.
Start small and ease them into the role.
The best way to do this is to...
4️⃣ Follow the best practices of delegation
I still plan to write a whole guide about this topic.
But in a nutshell:
> Don't abdicate and don't micromanage
> Make sure you understand the task and can do it yourself
> Clear SOPs (Loom videos are great here)
> Check-in often and early initially
> Have clear agreements (due date, is "good" okay or does it need to be "perfect", etc.)
As a rule of thumb - investing more time into clear processes and guidelines saves a LOT of time later on.
▶ Little hack:
We still have all Growth Assistants send their "top tasks of the day" and "end of day overview" in Slack.
Easy way to make sure the right things get prioritized.
5️⃣ Allow them to grow
Very often they can do WAY more than you think. Use their strengths!
Here's the feedback we got from one of our Growth Assistants working for a D2C brand:
"I am very happy with the company I work for. I love the team.
I was not put into a box and held to just a small set of tasks.
They allowed me to grow and work on the things I am good at"
✏ What's your experience with VAs? What are your tips?
Let me know in the comments
And follow me for more content like this!
Mar 03, 2023 12:00AM
George Barnett Reid
“Lowering your spend lowers your TACoS if your organic rank stays the same.
But lowering your spend does NOT lower your ACoS, unless you are lowering your bids, and / or moving your budgets around.
We see this often when people try to cut budgets in order to decrease ACoS. It's not the right lever to pull.”
Destaney Wishon
Not all posts need to be fancy. Sometimes it can be taking a simple, yet good, comment and sharing it with someone else.
That’s essentially what The Feed I’ve been building is.
Take all the great content shared every day on LinkedIn and twitter, and putting it into one clean feed for you.
Curation is equally important to creation.
#itsalwaysdayone
Also lol didn’t realise screen recording captures my country music too 😂
Mar 02, 2023 12:00AM
The Videos carousel on PDP has been updated. Prioritizing your product videos and giving them extra exposure. This feature showcases videos from customer reviews and publishers/influencers. Take advantage of this opportunity to improve your Thanks, Himanshu.
Himanshu Verma
👉 The Videos carousel on PDP has got more organized!
➡️ It first shows Your product videos before the videos for related products.
Gives extra exposure if you've got more than 1 video.
These videos are essentially taken from customer reviews and publishers/influencers.
Mar 02, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon PPC Hack. Steal traffic from your competitors' newly launched products. Leverage their launch campaigns and zero reviews to your advantage and watch sales go up. Thanks, Yogesh.
Yogesh Kumar
AMAZON HACK 2/8 🚀
Ready to give your competitors a run for their money? With PPC targeting, you can steal traffic from their newly launched products. Here's why it works:
1. New launches often have zero or very few reviews, while your product has a proven track record.
2. Plus, they're likely running launch campaigns to drive traffic, which you can leverage to your advantage. So what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this powerful hack and watch your sales skyrocket!
Mar 02, 2023 12:00AM
Learn how to maximize your Sponsored Display ad performance. Depending on the optimization metric you choose, your ads may be displayed to different audiences. Thanks, Hannah.
Hannah Andreassi
✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 ✨
Maximize your ad performance in Sponsored Display (SD) by understanding the importance of bid optimization settings. Sponsored Display bid optimizations deliver ads to relevant audiences during specific phases in their shopping journey.
Depending on the optimization metric you choose when setting up your SD campaigns, your ads may be displayed to different audiences. So it’s 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 to determine what your specific goals are for your SD strategies, especially since these 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝!! 🤓
Fortunately, now you have more control over your campaigns than ever before & can easily select bid optimizations to help drive 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, OR 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 with ads that appear on the Amazon homepage and/or product detail pages.
⬇ ⬇ ⬇
Below I've attached a "cheat sheet" that you can review before building out your Sponsored Display campaigns. Let me know if you find it helpful!! 🤘
Check out my next post if you're looking for a more detailed breakdown of these optimization settings!
Mar 02, 2023 12:00AM
Discover the new informative Campaign selection UI for Ads. Image sliders show placements and details on each Ad type, helpful for beginners. Thanks, Himanshu.
Himanshu Verma
👉 The new Campaign selection UI has got more informative
➡️ Image sliders show the different placements the specific Ad type will show up on
➡️ There are details on each Ad type incl. what it can help achieve, with link to documentation
Might be useful in case you're just starting out and learning about Ad types.
Mar 02, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon has updated its PPC to include multiple images in Sponsored Brand Campaigns. The feature allows up to five images that play automatically, improving click-through rates by showcasing product variations. Thanks, Jyoti.
Jyoti Prakash Pradhan
[Amazon PPC Update]
Now you can see multiple images in the Sponsored Brand Campaigns.
5 different images play automatically in this ad.
Also, you can click on the arrow to see the images.
This will improve the CTR of the SB campaigns as you will be able to show the variations in multiple images.
Mar 01, 2023 12:00AM
The potential loss of TikTok would impact many marketers targeting Gen Z and Millennials. Predictions include growth for Instagram and Snapchat, a new social platform, TikTok US sale, increased reliance on retail partnerships, and increased streaming viewership. Thanks, Laura.
Laura Meyer
The loss of TikTok would be a hard hit for many marketers, especially those who are building online communities for Gen Z and Millennials.
That said, I understand the privacy concerns and the double standard that ByteDance has when it comes to the version of the app that is available in China versus the rest of the world. (Check out the 60 Minutes episode about TikTok if you haven't already.)
If this were to happen, how would this impact your business?
Below are some of my predictions:
-Instagram and Snapchat would greatly benefit from this ban and could be viewed as "cool" again by younger users.
-A new social platform could emerge.
-The US arm of TikTok would be sold off to a US company, similar to what was explored in 2020.
-DTC brands would need to lean into more retail partnerships to get in front of a larger audience.
-Netflix and other streaming services would have increased viewership as TikTok videos no longer monopolize screen time.
You can read more about it here.
Mar 01, 2023 12:00AM
Amazon's Brand Metrics can help increase sales. Check your organic rank to drive more traffic to your products. Brand A had 3X more page views than competitors, while Brand B had less than 5% potential traffic. Thanks, Destaney.
Destaney Wishon
Are you missing out on a ton of Amazon Sales?
Amazon has an answer for that⬇️
Brand Metrics | Category | Consideration
If you think you have capped out your potential on Amazon, check out the Consideration section of Brand Metrics!
You may be surprised at what you find.
Check out the difference between the two brands below ⬇️
🔶 Brand A - Over 3X the Detail Page Views of their top competitors in the category!
🔶 Brand B - Less than 5% of the potential traffic they could be driving within their category!
Similar categories, yet one of these brands has multiple products ranked in the top four for their top keywords….
And the other brand is at the bottom of page one….
This is why your organic rank matters.
Brand A - Over 3X the Detail Page Views of their top competitors in the category!
Brand B - Less than 5% of the potential traffic they could be driving within their category!
The best part, this is first-party data.
Amazon is giving us the opportunity on a platter 🍽️
Don’t just list.
Rank.
Mar 01, 2023 12:00AM
Learn how to grow and be profitable with monthly Amazon deals and PPC. Snocks' Sales team shares how Amazon deals helped them gain new customers, sell off excess inventory, improve rankings, and achieve higher sales and profitability in the long run. Thanks, Melanie.
Melanie Bondza
How we grow SNOCKS with monthly Amazon deals AND be ✅ profitable
In the Sales team, we are primarily measured by sales and profitability targets.
In order to achieve this, Amazon deals are essential for us in addition to PPC.
Because this way new customers can get to know us every month and convince themselves of our products.
In the best case, new customers will then become existing customers.
Other benefits of Amazon deals include:
✅ Sell off excess inventory
✅ Improvement in ranking
✅ Placement of new products
Thanks to the deal prices, we create incentives, which leads to more sales, which in turn leads (every now and then) to the bestseller badge.
As a result, we achieve long-term higher sales and higher profitability.
What do you do to grow and be profitable?