Welcome to our new bi-weekly Amazon Seller blog! Packed with all the latest Amazon Seller news, we’ll also be featuring our expert team’s comments and tips to help supercharge your sales and boost your profits on the world’s biggest marketplace.
1. The Top 10 Toys for Xmas 2022 – Amazon UK’s predictions 🧸
The festive countdown is well and truly on!
But, with the cost of living crisis hitting hard, Amazon have been conscious to include plenty of affordable toys in their top 10, with more than half coming in under £25.
“In a year where less is more for families, we are offering options for all tastes and budgets this season, including tens of thousands of toys under £20 across Amazon, so our customers can find that perfect gift this Christmas,” said Matthew Redfearn, Amazon UK Toys Category Leader.
“We want everyone to experience the happiness that playtime brings, so hundreds of this year’s top 10 toys will also be donated and delivered by Amazon UK and Barnardo’s to vulnerable children across the UK.”
A big hand to them for this much-needed move this winter 👏
And what’s on the list?
Here’s that top 10 in full:
- Squishmallows Tally the Grey Cat – £8.99
- Pictionary Air Star Wars Family Drawing Game – £19.99
- Learning Resources MathLink Cubes Numberblocks – £20.99
- CRAYOLA Colour ‘n’ Style Mermaid Friends: Hair Braiding Salon Playset – £21.95
- Throw Throw Avocado by Exploding Kittens – £24.99
- PLAYMOBIL City Life Recycling Truck – £24.99
- Melissa & Doug Super Smile Dentist Kit – £34.29
- Jurassic World Ocean Protector Mosasaurus Dinosaur Action Figure – £44.98
- Osmo’s Little Genius Starter Kit – £74.51
- LEGO Friends Horse Show Trailer – £89.99
2. Have Amazon automated your Shipping Settings? Here’s what it means for you
Amazon is applying Shipping Settings Automation to lots of merchant accounts.
This automation will override your estimated delivery dates with a carefully calculated estimate that’s based on a number of factors, including:
- Your warehouse location
- Your actual delivery performance in the past
- The likely performance of your chosen carriers; and
- Your customer’s location.
The upside of this is that the automation should take care of any disruption to carrier networks for you, including Royal Mail or other carrier strikes.
The downside is that it removes any leeway you might have been working with when adding an extra day onto your shipping times – something we know lots of small businesses do to grant a little wiggle room for days off.
Why are they doing this?
Amazon’s continued success is based massively on the quality of the consumer experience they provide.
Their stats have shown that Sellers overestimate their shipping times by a whopping 53% so, if most of your packages usually arrive earlier than promised, Amazon sees it as better for both your customers’ experiences and your sales potential if they override your settings and offer quicker, more likely transit times based on the factors outlined above.
Can you opt out?
Yes, but you’ll need to create a shipping template and manually estimate your delivery date.
Got a query about what’s best for you?
Get in touch with our expert team today.
3. Simplify Global Selling with Automate Pricing’s new Bulk Upload option
Rejoicing all round as Amazon at last introduces a bulk upload option for its Automate Pricing tool.
Automate Pricing automatically matches your prices to competing offers for the same products, which boosts your chances of becoming the Featured Offer.
The new feature lets you set minimum and maximum prices for multiple listings instead of one by one, making it much easier to enrol SKUs, as well as to apply min/max pricing from your home store to your global stores.
Our expert view:
A great new time-saving feature that was much needed!
Remember to adjust your prices to allow for currency conversions and mark ups/downs.
Top tips:
- To set your min/max prices, you could look at the Buy Box price or work from your competitors’ strategies. Then, every time those prices change, the tool will adjust your own product to beat, match or exceed the new price by whatever percentage or monetary value you’ve chosen.
- Don’t just set and forget your pricing, as you could find yourself stuck selling at your most competitive price even if you became the only seller of that product – when you could be charging more! Make use of the review and report functions in Automate Pricing to keep on top.
Need a helping hand? Our expert team are here for you – get in touch today.
4. Amazon launches same-day, in-store Click and Collect for Retailers
Are you an Amazon Seller with a physical store?
You can now offer same-day collection from your location to local customers who order from you via Amazon, combining the scale and reach of the marketplace with your own in-store experience.
This brilliant – and free! – option is now available to all Sellers with min. 1 store or warehouse, and works across all product categories.
Customers within a 30-mile radius of your location will see the Click and Collect option at checkout on all products with the feature enabled.
Once their order has been placed, they will receive messaging about the location, timing and process, designed to help you manage in-store pick up.
The benefits to you include:
- Increased footfall to your store
- Convert online customers to retail customers
- Reach new customers who’ve never shopped with you before
- Introduce your online buyers to your full inventory
- It’s free!
How to apply? Visit this link to submit your application.
