Many B2B manufacturers often come to us when their products aren’t selling well on Amazon. They’re often unsure why that is, especially if they’ve spent a considerable amount of time setting up their Amazon account, stocking into Amazon warehouses, and adding product listings.
Usually, it only takes a quick look on their product pages to realize why their products aren’t selling. B2B manufacturers often overlook the importance of building a brand that communicates their value to the customer.
B2B sales on Amazon are the Ecommerce giant’s fastest growing segment, with forecasted revenue of $52 billion in gross merchandise sales this year. If you’re selling on the platform, then building a strong B2B brand is essential to success. This requires a solid understanding of the platform's unique dynamics so you can optimize your presence for business buyers.
To achieve this, there are essentially three things B2B brands need to do. Let’s take a closer look at each so that you can have an idea of what it takes to succeed on the world’s largest marketplace.
Create Detailed Brand Store Pages
When many B2B manufacturers first start selling their products on Amazon, they typically opt for the Vendor Central (also known as 1P) model of selling. It makes sense, given that this is a traditional wholesale relationship with Amazon, where the manufacturer sells their products directly to Amazon.
While there are a number of reasons why this may or may not be a good way to sell B2B products on Amazon (check out our blog post on this topic for a more complete discussion), you can utilize Amazon’s Brand Registry to create a branded storefront that functions like an independent website within Amazon.
This allows you to tell your brand's story, showcase your full product line, and create a professional appearance tailored to your brand identity. You can even create categories and navigation for your products from the Amazon storefront.
Here’s an example from Enceiba client, Big Ass Fans.
Store pages allow you to add a wide variety of branded content, including a greater number of high-quality images, videos, branding elements, and a detailed "About" section explaining your company background and values.
Just like having a branded website, having a branded store presence on Amazon helps to legitimize your brand, attract buyers, and ultimately win their business.
Optimize Product Detail Pages with Visual Branding
Each product you sell needs a detailed product page on Amazon where customers can gather key product information and specifications. Optimizing these pages for maximum impact is essential, both in terms of grabbing potential customers’ attention, but also to drive clicks from search results. Additionally, 3P sellers can upload branded product videos to product pages that both tell the brand story and provide instructional or sales information.
As a 3P seller, you can include high-quality images that showcase products from multiple angles, demonstrate key features, and deliver specifications in a visual format. For example, this product image from Dynabrade (another Enceiba client) shows the exact size of one of their industrial hand-held sanders, helping buyers to get a better sense of whether or not it’s the right type of product for them.
This image is just a basic example of what you can do on product pages. However, it’s common that B2B products require a significantly larger amount of technical specifications and compatibility/application information to ensure the buyer purchases the right product. This is an essential component to any well-developed product page that will help differentiate your product from its competitors. It might sound obvious, but the better your product pages are, the higher your conversions will be.
Focus on Customer Service
Brand reputation is extremely important on Amazon, especially for B2B purchases where larger order values are at stake. Not only do positive reviews help convince prospective buyers to add your products to their shopping cart, but they also impact visibility in search results.
That’s why it’s essential to make customer satisfaction a top priority by providing responsive support via phone, email, and chat. Set expectations about shipping times and proactively communicate with customers if delays arise. Consider offering expedited shipping options or try to have your products qualify for Amazon Business Prime by leveraging Fulfilled by Amazon through 3P selling or sell directly to Amazon via Vendor Central (1P). Accept easy returns and quickly resolve any issues that pop up. Providing exceptional service will help your brand stand out on Amazon.
If you want to succeed on the world’s largest B2B marketplace, you need to take the time to tell your brand story. Businesses that overlook this crucial step are likely setting themselves up for an expensive failure and waste of time. By following these best practices, you can establish your brand's reputation and successfully sell on Amazon. Consistently delivering on your brand promise will bring in new customers and ultimately lead you to creating a profitable revenue stream on Amazon.
If you’re struggling with B2B sales on Amazon, we can help! Contact us to get your FREE Amazon assessment.