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When it comes to selling on Amazon, there are a few topics in constant rotation at ecommerce conferences, on podcasts and in Facebook groups. That’s because even though Amazon has over 9.7 million sellers worldwide and 350 million products, there’s a shortlist of things that EVERY seller needs to do to be successful. 

1. Differentiate your Amazon product

Initially, this list was longer, but after looking at it with a critical eye, I realized that this is the one thing that ALL Amazon sellers need to do to succeed. After all, if your product is indistinguishable from all the rest, why would an Amazon shopper choose yours?

Where Does Amazon Success Come From? 

Of course, making sure that your Amazon listing is fully optimized is important. Also, a strong Amazon advertising campaign will give you the sales velocity that’s often the difference between a winning and losing product. 

Still, the more I really thought about it, I HAVE heard stories of Amazon sellers finding a degree of success without a well-optimized product listing. It really comes down to how little an Amazon seller needs to make to consider themselves successful. Because, you’re always going to have more success (and make more money) with a more completely optimized product listing. 

That means that you’re going to want to have a clear understanding of Amazon SEO.

What is Amazon SEO?

Amazon search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making carefully considered improvements to product listings to help them rank higher in product searches on Amazon.com. 

Enhancing your entire product detail page from A to Z helps you improve your Amazon listings for product search, boost sales, and make it easier for Amazon shoppers to find your listings and Amazon store. 

Sellers can use Amazon SEO tips to:

• Drive more traffic to product listings
• Increase product and brand visibility
• Boost conversion rates and sales growth

I’m also aware of a few stories of Amazon sellers launching without a PPC campaign. Though, in the last few years, Amazon pay-per-click advertising must feel to a lot of online sellers like the price of admission to sell on Amazon. 

But, there’s a big caveat. 

Those incompletely optimized Amazon product listings and non-existant PPC campaigns only work when accompanied by the one item on my very short list: a well-differentiated Amazon product. 

Now, this is a bit of a “catch 22” situation. Many ecommerce experts might argue that a fully optimized listing is one of the best ways to differentiate your product. 

And, they’d be right! 

All it takes is a quick lap through Amazon’s increasingly competitive marketplace to see that it’s true. Pages and pages of almost identical listings are occasionally dotted with well-optimized product listings featuring great infographics, Amazon A+ content and video that helps that particular listing stand out. 

If you’d like to employ a cheat code that will all but guarantee that your product literally JUMPS off of the Amazon page into the laps of shoppers, reach out to the Canopy Management Creative Services team to find out more.

How Amazon Sellers Can Craft a True Niche Product

Making sure that your product listing is fully optimized is a great way to shine a spotlight on your ecommerce product and distance yourself from the rest of the products clogging Amazon’s pages. But, there’s an even better way. 

Create the product yourself! 

If the idea of crafting your own Amazon product feels like a heavy lift, you might be surprised with the many options available to entrepreneurs in 2023. 

One of those great new paths forward for entrepreneurs are companies such as Gembah that pull together all the necessary parts of the Amazon product-creation puzzle to make for an almost “plug-and-play” operation. 

Gembah coordinates the project management themselves, then connects with experts in engineering and product design to help entrepreneurs, established microbrands, and mid-to-large companies take an Amazon product idea from drawing board to completion.

Yes, this is a process that Amazon sellers can (and occasionally do) undertake on their own. Increasingly however, busy entrepreneurs have learned that outsourcing this and other tasks can help them to keep their focus on the bigger picture.  

There’s always new ecommerce territory to conquer!

That’s why Canopy’s Brian R Johnson partnered with Gembah to present an online workshop to talk about how to turn your product idea into your next unique, competition-proof Amazon product launch.If you’ve ever needed to stand out from the competition AND fight off copycats and hijackers — you’ll want to sign up here for this exciting training session!

Before You Start – An Amazon Product Creation Checklist 

1. Get Comfortable With Long-Tail Keywords

Trying to rank for a keyword such as “dog bowl” might be challenging. But, if you’re marketing a “heated, double-walled, stainless steel dog bowl,” that’s the kind of long-tail keyword phrase that’s going to significantly reduce the competition. That’s why they’re also a critical part of Amazon product research.

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that customers use to search for products. Though they typically have lower search volume, they are much more relevant to your product and because of that, can help you reach a more targeted audience.

Long-tail keywords are going to help you carve out space in a niche for yourself, whether you’re creating a product from scratch, or not!

2. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Yes, there are legendary tales of Amazon sellers making millions with once-in-a-lifetime products like fidget spinners and eclipse glasses. But, that’s the exception, not the norm. Look for existing markets that have attained maturity. Success most often originates from a substantial base of potential customers. 

Then, drill down and innovate to set your brand apart. 

3. Find a Niche That You Can Innovate In

Smart Amazon sellers start by researching a particular niche, then picking out a product, not the other way around. It’s probably a good idea to focus on a niche that “speaks” to you. It’s hard to create a new innovative product without a healthy quantity of knowledge, passion or both.  

It’s tempting to begin your search on Amazon or Alibaba. Instead, your search should originate a lot closer to home.

You cannot force an Amazon product on the market. Start with yourself and your experiences, but remember that you need to identify a solid product/market fit. 

4. Understand Your Chosen Niche’s Pain Points 

Regardless of the niche – and even with leading Amazon products – there are going to be things that buyers love about a product, and things they hate. That’s where the gold (and innovation) lies. 

To really crush a particular niche, you need to be able to create a product that makes people’s lives easier or solve a problem they’ve previously encountered.  

A lot of the time, real marketplace innovation isn’t about creating a new product, it’s about coming up with a new solution. One way of getting started is to use customer reviews (and review aggregator tools such as Helium 10’s Review Insights) to help identify real buyers’ pain points.

How Canopy Management Can Help

The continuing maturity of Amazon’s marketplace makes it a little harder every day for sellers to be successful. That’s why if you listen to ecommerce podcasts, you’ll often hear the phrase, “treat selling on Amazon like a real business.” 

Everything from your Amazon listing optimization to your fulfillment require an increased level of sophistication to scale past a certain level.

That’s the main reason why there’s been such a big increase in the number of Amazon sellers taking a closer look at Amazon brand management.

Canopy Management is a full-service marketing agency for Amazon and Walmart sellers. Our team consists of former Amazonians, multi-million dollar sellers, and award-winning experts. 

When you consider the many ways that Canopy Management can help you grow your business, you’ll see why selling on Amazon is much easier “under the Canopy.”

• Strategic Growth Planning
• Listing Copywriting Optimization
• Listing Photography
• Product Videography
• Advertising Management
• Customer Service
• Demand Side Platform (Amazon DSP)
• Amazon Posts
• Full Service Management
• Amazon Review Aggregation

Want to hear from other Amazon sellers about what their experience has been like working with the Canopy team? Find out more here.