We dish up the budget-friendly strategy that made ZenB the 2nd best-selling pasta brand on Amazon UK (and won us the Amazon EMEA Challenger Award)
We’ve no doubt told you how incredibly proud our team made us at the Amazon Partner Awards, when they scooped the EMEA Challenger Award for their work with pasta innovators, ZenB. But you might not know what was so tasty about the strategy they cooked up…
We recently spoke to Channel X to reveal how we maximised a lean budget, bringing our best creative ideas and strategies into the mix to generate more customers- and more sales – for this healthy, sustainable and unconventional pasta brand.
ZenB’s is a unique, yellow-pea, gluten-free pasta range so, not only did we need to break the brand into the competitive pasta category, we also needed to create strong brand awareness and understanding of the offering.
How did we do it?
We approached the brief with a three-phase strategy based on custom messaging, imagery and video:
Phase 1
We targeted health-conscious customers first, launching Sponsored Products automatic and exact-match campaigns to remarket high-volume generic browse terms in the pasta category, and Sponsored Brands Store spotlight and product collection ad types to showcase the pasta’s health benefits and unique ingredients.
Phase 2
We headed down the funnel a little to build on the awareness generated in Phase 1.
We re-engaged our in-market customers with high buying intent, using exact match Sponsored Products campaigns and long-tail, product-specific keywords.
And we launched a series of Sponsored Brands video ads, strategically placed in the middle of browse results, with exact-match, product-specific keywords and lots of focus on the ZenB hero product.
Phase 3
With awareness and conversions fired up, we turned our attention to increasing customer retention and boosting profitability.
First, we optimised ZenB’s store to ensure the smoothest, clearest journey for customers, packed with gorgeous visuals and custom messaging that effectively communicate ZenB’s product and brand story in both imagery and words.
Then we promoted the shopping experience through Sponsored Brands ads designed to drive customers into the store, and used Sponsored Display ads to target two key consumer types – recent viewers (who didn’t convert) and recent buyers (in the last 30 days).
And those award-winning results?
We’re proud to say that this smart strategy smashed it!
- Sales exceeded the client’s targets by 355%
- Cost per acquisition stayed at 20% below the client’s targets
- And ZenB saw their hero product become the 2nd best-selling pasta brand on Amazon UK
That’s one winning recipe.
If you’d love our incredible team to cook up something similar for your brand, get in touch today.
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3 secrets to help Amazon Vendors rise above the competition in 2024
In our recent expert webinar, we kicked off with one of the biggest Vendor questions going – how can brands set themselves apart in this increasingly competitive Amazon environment?
We’re all aware that the days of easy Amazon growth are behind us, and the landscape has undeniably – and significantly – tightened post the Covid and inflation booms.
So the question of how Vendors secure success in 2024 is one that’s on the lips of many!
Luckily, we had some of the best in the business to offer their pearls of wisdom, from Ant Finch (Vendor Rocket), Bruno Ferreira (Bluedot ECommerce) and James Wakefield (WAKE Commerce) to our very own Matt Briggs and Andy Banks.
Their advice for Vendors looking to get ahead? It boiled down to 3 fundamental things.
1. If you want to grow, you need to grow a team.
“It’s impossible to scale up and run with a one-person team,” said Ant Finch, to a chorus of agreement across our panel of experts.
For success at scale, the skillsets needed are so varied that having specialists that cover at least the most important elements of Vendor management is crucial.
What are those elements? At the very least, our experts advise you have a cross-functional team across sales, logistics and finance.
And ensuring smooth communication between each department is also critical.
As Bruno Ferreira explains, “The success of the Vendor lies in them each having a strong understanding of their own silos and the communication between them.”
2. You should be updating your content continually.
“The days of FMCGs updating their content once a year? That’s the old world,” said Ant.
Vendors need to have a process of continual content improvement in place, testing and refining to optimise for changing consumer trends, search patterns and conversions.
Ant’s top content tip?
He advises Vendors to make proactive use of seasonal content for big improvements in conversion rates, adapting your listings for events like Mother’s Day, Easter, Back to School, Halloween and Christmas.
3. It’s time to try Amazon-exclusive products.
Ant is a fervent advocate for Vendors using Amazon-specific products, listings you exclusively place on the marketplace with a set price point and margin expectation, citing them as “real game-changers for brands”.
Love to get more expert insights, tips and tricks to help power your Vendor brand to greater success this year? This webinar was an hour jam-packed with exactly this!
You can watch it on demand here, or read and bookmark our blog breakdown here.
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Webinar on demand: Amazon Vendor Mastery: Winning Strategies for Marketplace Success
As electronics returns shorten to 14 days, is there an opportunity here for Seller Fulfilled Prime?
Announced first in Italy (but with the rest of Amazon EU sure to follow), Amazon is shortening the returns window for consumer electronics from 30 to 14 days (from delivery) from 25 March 2024.
What products are affected?
The shorter returns window applies across the following categories, regardless of channel:
- Camera
- Electronics
- PC, wireless
- Office products
- Music
- Video games
- Video/DVD
What’s not affected?
Amazon devices and Amazon renewed products are excluded.
Where will shoppers see details of the new returns period?
A new return window will automatically be displayed in the detail page of listings.
Is there a transition period?
Yes – up to April 24 2024, customers can still ask for a return within the 30-day window, to be authorised and refunded based on the normal Amazon return and refund policy.
But from April 24 onwards, customers won’t be able to request a return after 14 days from the date of delivery.
And what’s this potential opportunity for Seller Fulfilled Prime?
SFP users do have the choice to offer a longer return window, if they wish.
So, as long as your returns window matches or exceeds Amazon’s return and refund policies, there is the opportunity to give your customers an enhanced returns experience.
If you decide to do this, you’ll need to update your returns and refunds policies in Seller Central, and customers will need to contact you directly to benefit from the longer window offered.
Want to know what our expert team advises for you? Click here to get in touch.
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Speak to our Award-Winning Team
What’s up next in our Amazon Experts webinar series? It’s one for the Sellers…
At 10am on Thursday March 21st 2024, we’re pulling a Specialist Seller panel together to share strategies, stories and insights that will help you unleash your brand’s true potential this year.
If you want to thrive in today’s competitive Amazon landscape, you need much more than just a brand presence and store.
The Sellers who make it on marketplace in 2024 will delve deep, understanding and mastering the platform’s intricacies and using what they learn to propel their brands to unprecedented heights.
If you want to be on this exclusive list of successful Sellers ready to rise above the rest, this insightful webinar is for you!
Designed to equip you with the tools and strategies you need, you can expect 60 minutes of:
- Valuable insights into the latest Seller trends shaping Amazon, how they might impact your business and how you can adapt and innovate for success.
- Real-life stories to inspire your own planning, and practical advice from those who have scaled the Amazon heights already.
- An interactive Q&A session, where you can put all your burning Seller questions to our expert panel, and get the tailored advice you need to overcome your brand’s unique challenges.
Who’s on our expert panel?
Venture Forge CEO Andy Banks will be joined by:
- Shelley Martin, CEO of 4Beauty Group, with 20+ years experience of driving innovation in the ultra-competitive beauty industry by creating sustainable, impactful products like He-Shi Tan and SKINICIAN Skincare.
- Dani Petrova, Amazon Strategy Lead for Mindshare in Europe, who brings 10+ years of experience in developing Retail Media and Amazon Channel strategies to the table.
- Own very own Becca Woollin, Venture Forge Amazon Account Director extraordinaire, with 8+ years’ Amazon experience across a wide range of categories.
Whether your Seller brand is new to Amazon or you’re looking to take your business to a whole new level, this promises to be an hour of value, with all the insider knowledge, inspiration and actionable strategies you need to smash your marketplace goals through 2024 and beyond.
