1. Prime Day Deals Deadline fast approaching
With just a week to go before the deadline for Prime Day deals, it’s time to up the ante on your Prime Day preparations.
28th April 2023 is the deadline for submission of Prime Day deals for the 2023 event and, although dates were announced only for Amazon US, we can expect a similar timeframe across the board for the UK, EU and beyond.
When will Prime Day be?
Again, there’s been no formal announcement of dates yet but there’s no reason to think it will change from the normal format of 48 hours in mid-July.
What deadline dates have been announced?
- Create your Prime Day deals by 28 April 2023
- Ship your Prime Day inventory to FBA warehouses by 15 June 2023
Brush up on our top tips to help you prepare for Prime Day…
Looking to tweak your strategy for this year?
Our findings from last year’s Prime Day are full of hints, tips and opportunities to help you maximise your sales this year.
- Read our blog “Preparing for Amazon Prime Day” here
- Read our blog Amazon Prime Day Review here
And keep your eyes on your inbox as we’ll be sharing more indispensable advice from our expert team as we get closer to Prime Day 2023!
2. Amazon’s “Frequently Returned Items” badge – the good, the bad and your next moves…
Showing up right below the bullet points section of the product detail page, a new Frequently Returned Items badge is in beta testing in the Amazon US store…
What does it do?
The badge is designed to encourage buyers to think twice before purchasing items that are shown to be frequently returned to Amazon, suggesting they check out the “product details and customer reviews” before they head to the checkout. The badge – essentially a red flag – gives buyers no more information that this, so the decision whether to head into the comments for further exploration is theirs alone.
How are Amazon deciding what products to flag?
Amazon’s spokesperson Betsy Harding told The Information that they’re using the same method that they use to calculate return rates to decide which listings to flag – as well as whether they’re sold by an Amazon brand or a third-party Seller.
This doesn’t explain whether the badge is reserved for third-party Sellers only, so we’ll be keeping an eye on this…
The Good
- It might help buyers make better buying decisions, reducing dissatisfaction, returns and waste.
- Encouraging buyers to read reviews might provide valuable insights about the product’s quality, or that of its packaging.
- It should help Amazon reduce returns costs by helping buyers make good choices from the off.
The Bad
- Hard to see how it will help issues like fake review and/or returns campaigns and listings hijacking – in fact, it could make them worse by creating new opportunities for black hat sellers.
- Adds another layer of responsibility to buyers.
- Could mean more work for Sellers.
Your next moves to protect your Brand’s listings?
The best way to protect your brand is to ensure best practice across your listings, product quality and packaging to minimise the chance of returns and customer dissatisfaction.
Measures like having the most accurate information in your listings, investing in high quality product packaging (especially crucial for FBM Sellers) and implementing more regular checks for signs of counterfeit items or hijacking are a good start.
For Sellers with original products, it might also be time to begin the trademark process, if you haven’t already, as extra protection against counterfeit goods.
Our opinion?
While we see where Amazon are aiming with this badge, it would probably have been better to teach their algorithm to downgrade frequently returned items in the listings instead.
Having said which, the measures we’ve outlined above – and just ensuring best practice on your listings across the board – should help keep you safe from this red flag badge (if and) when it gets rolled out to other marketplaces.
Want our experts to audit your listings for best practice? Click here to drop us a line today.
3. The UPS x Amazon Partnered Carrier Programme launches in 5 new countries
The UPS-driven small-parcel shipping solution for FBA Sellers has expanded into 5 new countries – Austria, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland and the Czech Republic.
This means that FBA Sellers can enjoy UPS service levels at discounted rates to ship small parcels from addresses in these countries to Amazon Fulfilment Centres in Germany, Spain, Italy and France.
Why use the Partnered Carrier Programme (PCP)?
- It gets your inventory where you need it to be faster, with reliable, trustworthy Carriers offering optimal service levels so your Amazon FC can make your inventory available for sale as quickly as possible.
- Competitive transportation rates negotiated by Amazon.
- It’s lower risk because Amazon takes the responsibility for lost or damaged inventory per its standard FBA policy, up to £2k per unit.
- Better tracking with a trusted Carrier’s state-of-the-art systems.
- No commitment needed, you can use PCP on a shipment-by-shipment basis.
How do we get started?
Use the “Send to Amazon” workflow in Seller Central to estimate shipping costs, make payments and track shipments.
- In the shipment creation workflow, select Amazon or Partnered Carrier.
- Enter the details of your delivery for an estimate of the charges.
- Before accepting the delivery charges, review T&Cs.
- Click on “Accept charges”.
- Prepare your delivery and contact your carrier to schedule the pickup.
For more information on the programme as a whole, this Amazon University overview is a great starting point.
Want to see how it might benefit your brand? Click here to speak to our expert fulfilment team.
4. More dates for your Amazon diary – Amazon Accelerate 2023 announced!
Start planning your flights and hotels – Amazon Accelerate is live from Seattle on 13-14 September 2023…
Designed for Sellers, Amazon Accelerate is the marketplace’s unmissable annual conference, packed with opportunities to learn about all the latest tools and innovations, get the insider scoop from Amazon staff and build strategic relationships with other Selling partners to drive your brand’s growth.
With pre-conference activities starting on 12 September for in-person attendees, now begins the wait for Amazon to announce registration details – as well as keynote speakers and hotel reservations/ flight discounts.
Last year saw over 100 mainstream presentations and breakout sessions, with 2,500 people attending the event in person – so it’s a good idea to start planning your travel now so you can press “go” when you’re ready.
The highlight for those attending in-person?
The ability to meet Amazon staff and get their expert guidance on a one-to-one basis.
Can’t travel on those dates?
Don’t worry – you can attend online too. Virtual registration details will be announced in the coming months.
Our 4 best reasons to attend – whether in-person or virtually…
- Be inspired by stories and innovations shared by Amazon leaders and top Sellers.
- Dig into the topics most relevant to your brand in the Breakout sessions, all hosted by topic experts.
- Get answers to your product and account questions with live Q&As in Breakout sessions and online from Community Managers.
- One for the virtual attendees – it’s free!
And after, when you’re brimming with inspiration, our expert team are here to help put your ideas into action! Click here to get in touch.
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