Our Guide to the Great British Brands Store
Set up with UK Government support, Amazon’s Great British Brand Store is the latest initiative in the marketplace’s drive to support UK businesses of all sizes to export and grow internationally. Here’s everything you need to know…
What is the Great British Brands Store?
Did you know that more than half of the 100,000 UK SMEs who sell on Amazon make sales to international customers through the marketplace?
To help more businesses get in on the export action, Amazon launched their new Great British Brands store earlier this year with support from the Government- a launch they’ve been highlighting in earnest through International Trade Week.
Designed to showcase the very best of British brands – from small businesses and artisans through to iconic names – this dedicated storefront allows shoppers from all around the world to browse British products and explore Seller stories from categories including:
- Books
- Home and Kitchen
- Jewellery and Watches
- Beauty
- Shoes
- Special Small Business Selection
Which other countries like to Buy British?
Shoppers come from all over the world to Amazon.uk, and of those that don’t have their own Amazon store, Norway, Singapore and Austria are among the top sources.
And what do they buy?
Amazon says that English Language books are among the strongest performers in the export market, but there are plenty of other items with strong scope for profits – from beauty and personal care products to homewares, shoes and jewellery.
Do our experts see the store as a good opportunity for Sellers?
In a word, yes – we see this as a brilliant way to scope demand for your products from international markets, possibly heralding a whole new world of international expansion for your brand.
We’ve talked before about what a brilliantly effective, simple and low-risk platform Amazon is when it comes to international expansion, and this initiative simply adds another layer of initial testing into the mix – a wonderful shop window for you to test the waters with little effort or outlay.
How do we sign up for the Great British Brands Store?
To be featured, your brand needs to apply to the programme, which has the following eligibility criteria:
- Your products must be exportable.
- They need to fall into one of the six featured categories; Books, Home and Kitchen, Jewellery and Watches, Beauty, Shoes, and a special selection of any product group from small UK businesses.
- Your Seller account must be in good health*.
* Concerned about your Account health? Speak to our experts
In addition, products must be one or more of the following…
- Sold by a UK company or UK brand (defined as UK owned or originated)
- Manufactured in the UK
- Manufactured by a UK seller but sold by a third-party non-UK Seller
- From a UK brand but sold by a third-party non-UK Seller
And Small Business Sellers must meet Amazon’s small business criteria, i.e. fewer than 250 employees with an annual turnover of no more than EUR 50 million or an annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 43 million.
Click here to start the approvals process directly with Amazon, and here to get our expert help first!
The 2023 Top 10 Toy List is here!
In a list full of 90s classics and comebacks, Amazon has revealed the top 10 toys of Xmas 2023, all inspired by the most-searched keywords and rated 4 stars+ on average.
“It’s always fascinating to see which toys are looking like the must-haves in the lead-up to Christmas and this year’s list shows a real trend for 90s nostalgia.”
So says Matthew Redfearn, Toys Category Leader at Amazon UK and he’s not wrong!
So what’s in there?
Well, no one will be surprised to see Barbies high on the list as well as other perennial favourites like Disney, Lego and Playmobil – while those who remember them from their childhood might have mixed feelings about the return of the Furby (luckily this one’s more plush, less creepy eyes).
Amazon support for the MultiBank Initiative
And it’s lovely to see that Amazon is continuing its support for the MultiBank charity, founded in 2022 to help families living in poverty.
Amazon will be delivering hundreds of toys from the list on the back of a life-sized Tonka truck to three sites in Wigan, Fife and Swansea.
“Financial pressures at this time of the year are enormous, but for families on the lowest incomes the pressures are even greater,” says Keely Dalton, CEO of MultiBank site The Brick in Wigan.
“That is why initiatives such as the Multibank are so important to provide amenities and support to tens of thousands of vulnerable families across the UK each year.
With the help of Amazon this Christmas, we are able to extend our offer to include this year’s most sought-after toys.
Together, we hope to spread some festive joy, provide a magical Christmas for families and ensure children can return to school feeling included and excited about their new gifts.”
So what’s on the list? Here’s the top 10 in full…
- Asmodee Dobble Card Game
- Disney Platinum Limited Edition Mystery Capsule
- Pokémon Trading Card Game Battle Academy
- Barbie Magical Ballerina
- Hape Multi Musical Block set
- L.O.L. Surprise! Magic Flyers
- PLAYMOBIL City Action Fire Truck
- Numberblocks Step Squad Mission Headquarters Deluxe Playset
- Furby Purple Interactive Toy Plush
- LEGO Star Wars Ghost and Phantom II Set
Click here for more detail on each product.
Need expert advice to shape your festive sales strategy? Speak to our team today
Small Appliances, Big Potential – we uncover the most intriguing opportunities in the Kitchens Sector…
The Kitchens sector is an Amazon space that enjoys consistently high demand and year-round sales thanks to consumers prioritising home cooking, health-conscious choices and stylish accessories. But, with such a vast product scope across the sector, where do you even look to find the most profitable niches?
Fear not! Our expert team has done all the legwork for you in our latest Sector insights piece, getting down and dirty with the data and identifying where your efforts are best spent.
The quick answer?
It’s in the small appliances sub-sector that we’ve spotted the biggest potential for rapid growth and longer-term profits.
From kettles and coffee makers to air fryers and toasters, shoppers here are driven by every consumer desire you can think of; healthy eating, caffeine love, social media trends, cost-conscious cooking, convenient food prep – the list goes on.
And, with 50%+ of the market share, Amazon is the most-shopped retailer for these types of items, leaving rivals like Argos and Tesco in the shade.
Intrigued? Hit the link to…
- Discover the best of the “riches in the niches”
- Explore key market trends; and
- Absorb our experts’ advice on gaining a foothold in this subcategory of strong margins and promotion-period peaks
The Prime Air Comeback – Amazon drones landing in the UK in 2024…
In 2021, rumours spread of a “slow collapse” of Amazon’s drone delivery team, the project seemingly imploding amidst talk of dysfunction and disruption.
So, with last month’s news of a tentative relaunch in the UK and Italy, we look at what’s changed and what we might expect in the next 12 months from the Amazon Air comeback…
10 Years and Counting…
Amazon’s announcement said they’re hoping to begin autonomous drone deliveries in the UK and Italy towards the end of next year – more than a decade after Jeff Bezos told CBS that “it will work, it will happen and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Right now, Prime Air deliveries are only available to approved customers within two restricted sites in Texas (College Station) and California (Lockeford). Users must have sufficient clear space for the drone to drop the parcels safely.
Running for just under a year, it’s unclear exactly how many drone deliveries have been made but Amazon is planning a third US site in 2024.
There aren’t many specifics around the proposed UK and Italy launches at present.
Amazon has confirmed they’ll start with one “lightly populated suburban” site in each country and expand gradually based on regulatory approvals, but we don’t know where those proposed sites will be yet.
We’re getting an all-new drone
It seems the most significant change is in Amazon’s new model drone, the MK30.
In Lockeford and College Station, shoppers must own a delivery pad fitted with a QR code to enable the drone can find and drop successfully.
Quieter, smaller and lighter, the MK30 doesn’t need these pads – plus it can fly further and has been designed to cope with more diverse weather conditions, including British classics like drizzle, cold temperatures, moderate winds and reduced light.
Amazon has been working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority, who are seeing this as an opportunity to learn how drones can be safely integrated into UK airspace.
And what exactly are the benefits of Prime Air?
As well as being more sustainable, the main benefit will obviously be the sheer speed of delivery to customers – the MK30 can deliver packages up to 2.2kg in one hour or less within its range.
It’s expected that the drones will be able to deliver thousands of smaller same-day items, from household products through office essentials to beauty products – items that are relatively light and can fit in a “shoe-box-sized” parcel.
And, for Sellers worried about damage in transit, Amazon has built the MK30 to hold packages inside the body of the drone for greater protection.
But what do Amazon’s existing Prime Air customers say?
Talking to the BBC, Lockeford resident Jeff Rhodes seems pretty happy.
Using it “nearly every week for everything from toothpaste and mouthwash to bike locks”, he enthused about the convenience.
“It’s fun. I never thought I’d see a parcel delivered in my backyard. When you order we see it within 20 or 30 minutes so obviously quicker than having to run to the store and get this stuff.”
Our team will be keeping a close eye on developments, so watch this space for more – and drop us a line with your questions!
Want to explore how best to maximise any of these opportunities for your Amazon business?
