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One of the perks that comes with a bustling e-commerce company such as Amazon is that it provides quick delivery services and attractive prices without the need for long-term brand loyalty campaigns. This strategy served it well until June 2019, when Nike discontinued its pilot program with Amazon. During its two-year association with Amazon, Nike became concerned that Amazon did not build consistent, personal relationships with its customers. As a result, Amazon took the criticism to heart. Over the past year it has worked to develop a new online forum called Amazon Posts, which is already propelling the well-known shopping forum into exciting territory.
Amazon Posts was preceded by Amazon Spark, the latter of which failed to gain the traction it needed. Spark started off as a neat idea. It allowed Amazon Prime members to post and share their purchased product, however, its functionality is now limited in the shadow of its superior replacement, Amazon Posts. Posts, in contrast, gives any brand sellers (not only Prime members) a platform to promote their brands and work around competitors by channeling sales directly to their Posts.
Successful brand sellers with Amazon as their middle agent to package and deliver goods swear by it because Amazon provides avenues for ratings, room for advertisements, and potentially sales-generating comment feeds. Amazon Posts takes this a step further by treading the well-worn social media pathways of appealing image feeds, which are convenient and allow the customer to quickly scroll through merchandise. Amazon calls this approach “a new browse and discovery experience focused on brand-shopping.” Not only that, but Posts can showcase users’ products to educate and inspire other shoppers on what their preferred brand is all about. Regardless of whether shoppers want to browse by brand or category, they are able to click on the detail link by their desired product and learn more.
One important question that Posts strives to answer is why should brands participate? What’s in it for them? Here’s a laundry list of things to consider as a brand seller. You can:
Amazon Posts is still expanding its accessibility. Currently shoppers can find Posts on any mobile device via the Amazon app. There are four different places within the app where Posts can be viewed.
X`The Show Products link attached to the brand, category and related feed pages is a fantastic feature that grants convenient access for those who wish to purchase the product on Amazon Posts. On this page are star ratings and a product summary. Other social media platforms do not have the same breadth of service available. One potential drawback to Posts, however, is that users are at the mercy of Amazon’s choice regarding where their Post is featured.
Brands displayed on Amazon Posts are enrolled under Amazon Brand Registry. They also must have a store on the U.S. amazon.com site. These two criteria limit the variety of brands that are able to be showcased. If you already meet the above criteria, follow these instructions to get started.
To set up your Brand Profile for Posts:
With this behind you, Amazon Posts is yours to command. Now you are able to publish Posts, upload and caption product photos, and tag similar products to increase potential traffic on your pages when those other products are viewed.
One photo is limited to each product. This helps to optimise the browsing experience by working in tandem with the Show Products tab on Posts. Customers prefer seeing products in their functional environments, whether that is in use in the home or displayed in its natural state. Choose imagery that best conveys the realistic experience so that customers know exactly what it is you are selling the moment they open up your Post.
As you can see from the facet above, there are five important structural pieces to any Amazon Post. These keep the display area neat and simple to navigate. Here’s another look at the breakdown.
Since Amazon Posts is already such a flexible platform, why not make the most of it? Choose an angle and avenue that best suits you and go from there. Here are a few suggestions.
Creating your own Amazon Post is a cinch! Here’s how:
Check out the facet below for a visual representation of the process.
The following parameters are viewed in your Brand profile and provide an overview of how your Posts are faring overall.
Knowing this data allows you to judge which styles of your Posts receive the most traffic. Build your brand on Amazon by learning from your customers and catering to their tastes and preferences while staying true to your philosophy as a brand seller.
While it remains to be seen how existing Amazon shoppers will engage long-term with the new Amazon Posts, getting your brand name out there won’t hurt. Brands that are already advertising on Posts are seeing a pleasant correlation between sales and customer impressions.
Here are some pointers worth considering.
Amazon’s established marketing pillars of Pay-per-Click (PPC), combined press release, and rebate campaigns see the arrival of a new stablemate, Amazon Posts. Launching a new brand and advertising products has never looked so attractive.
At the end of the day, Amazon Posts is a viable alternative for brand sellers who want a social media-like platform to grow their build their brand loyalty among customers in a less impersonal way. Take advantage of its novelty to get ahead of competitors that haven’t committed themselves yet. The time and effort spent now may pay dividends later. Drive traffic your way with Amazon Posts, today!
Norman Farrar is a serial entrepreneur who provides online marketing and managed eCommerce solutions for brands. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz and 20th Century Fox. Since the early 1990s, Norman has focused on helping entrepreneurs optimize their operations and unlock their business’s potential.
