Welcome to Basilio Inc. Guide to Selling Pet Products on Amazon. If you’re thinking about starting up your own business as an Amazon seller, stick around, because you’ve come to the right place.
At Basilio Inc, we bring you our expertise and data-driven insights to help you achieve outstanding performance in the Pet Supplies category. We know the secret to unlocking lower CPC and ACOS, ensuring your marketing budget goes further while generating impressive sales. This book is your ultimate guide to conquering the dynamic world of pet products on the largest online marketplace.
Chapter 4 – Strategies to Implement on your Product Launch
Social Media Marketing is an essential and versatile tool for pet brands aiming to establish a robust online presence and effectively connect with their target audience. It encompasses a range of strategies, including paid advertisements, organic posts, engaging with followers, and influencer marketing. By harnessing these methods, pet brands can engage with their audience on a deeper level, showcase their brand voice and values, foster customer loyalty, and elevate brand awareness. This is especially advantageous in the Pet Supplies category, where emotions significantly influence consumers’ decision-making.
To optimize the benefits of social media marketing, pet brands should prioritize visually compelling content. Filling their social media channels with captivating images and videos of pets joyfully enjoying their products creates an emotional connection with their audience. Additionally, sharing heartwarming and adorable pet images and videos, even if they don’t directly feature the products, can substantially boost engagement with shoppers, reinforcing the brand’s appeal.
Collaborating with influencers is another impactful strategy to expand brand reach and generate fresh creative content. Partnering with influencers enables pet brands to showcase their products in real-life scenarios, reaching new audiences and tapping into the followers of these influential figures. This approach not only enhances the brand’s visibility but also adds credibility to the products as consumers trust the recommendations of influencers they follow.
Lifestyle Images are a Must
In today’s visually driven world, the significance of captivating images cannot be overstated, especially when it comes to Amazon product listings. Among the array of visuals, lifestyle images emerge as a powerful tool in capturing the attention and engagement of potential customers. These images go beyond simple product shots, instead showcasing your item being used in real-life scenarios that resonate emotionally with shoppers. For instance, a picture of a happy dog catching a frisbee in a vibrant park creates a deeper connection than a plain frisbee on a white background.
Leveraging the Influence of Influencers:
Incorporating images created by influencers who endorse your product can be a game-changer. These images add authenticity and credibility to your listing, as influencers have a dedicated following that trusts their opinions. By collaborating with influencers and showcasing your product in their content, you tap into their loyal audience, enhancing your product’s appeal and potential for conversions.
The Impact of Lifestyle Images and Videos:
Strategically including 2-4 compelling lifestyle images, and if possible, a captivating video in your Amazon listings, can significantly elevate your product’s attractiveness. Lifestyle images enable potential buyers to envision how your product will enhance their lives, making it more enticing and compelling. Furthermore, videos offer a dynamic and immersive experience, effectively demonstrating your product’s features and benefits, ultimately leading to a higher level of engagement and conversion.
The Emotional Connection:
By presenting your product in real-life scenarios through lifestyle images, you create a powerful emotional connection with potential customers. This connection serves as a decisive factor in their purchase journey, as they can vividly imagine the joy and value your product will bring to their lives. Harnessing the emotional appeal of lifestyle images is essential for differentiating your product and standing out in the competitive Amazon marketplace.
Use Keyword Optimization to Improve Product Placement
In the fiercely competitive Pet Supplies category on Amazon, effective keyword optimization is paramount to ensure your products stand out and reach potential customers. However, it’s crucial to strike a harmonious balance between optimizing for Amazon’s algorithm and crafting a captivating listing that resonates with shoppers on an emotional level. After all, attracting shoppers to your listing is only half the battle; converting them into loyal customers is the ultimate goal.
To achieve optimal results and elevate your pet supplies listings, consider implementing the following expert recommendations:
- Target Pet Breeds: Strategically include popular breed names in both the frontend and backend of your listings. For instance, if you offer a Large Fleece Vest, ensure you highlight its suitability for beloved breeds like German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and more. By doing so, your products will catch the attention of pet owners actively seeking items tailored to their specific pet’s needs.
- Strategic Keyword Placement: Utilize relevant keywords across various sections of your listing, including the title, bullets, product description, image alt text, and backend fields. This comprehensive approach ensures your listing is optimized for different search queries and captures the attention of potential customers browsing through different sections of your product page.
- Backend Fields Optimization: Make the most of backend fields to include additional keywords, potential misspellings, and even Spanish keywords if applicable. Avoid using commas or repeating keywords to maximize keyword coverage without any redundant or potentially penalizing elements.
Tell a Story with A+ Content
In the competitive world of pet supplies, gaining the trust and loyalty of pet owners is essential. A+ Content on Amazon provides a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression and stand out from the crowd. For pet owners, safety and reliability are paramount when choosing products for their beloved companions. A+ Content enables brands to address these concerns head-on and establish a strong connection with potential customers, showcasing that your brand is the trustworthy choice for their pet care needs.
To fully harness the potential of A+ Content, consider implementing the following strategies:
- Prioritize Top-Performing ASINs with A+ Content (requires Brand Registry): Identify your best-performing product ASINs and enhance their listings with A+ Content. Engaging potential customers with rich visuals and compelling storytelling can significantly increase the likelihood of conversions.
- Authentically Share Your Brand Story and Values: Emphasize your brand’s values and mission, demonstrating a genuine understanding of the emotional bond between pet owners and their furry friends. Showcasing your brand’s dedication to providing safe and reliable pet supplies creates a sense of trust and confidence.
- Showcase Your Products in Action: Leverage A+ Content to feature high-quality images of pets enjoying your products. Visual testimonials of pets benefiting from your supplies create an emotional connection and showcase the efficacy of your offerings.
- Highlight Unique Product Features and Benefits: Clearly outline how your products address specific pet care needs. Clearly communicate the unique features and benefits that set your brand apart, making it easier for shoppers to understand why they should choose your products.
- Include Comprehensive Sizing Charts: In the Pet Supplies category, accurate sizing information is crucial. Incorporate detailed sizing charts for relevant products to assist customers in finding the perfect fit for their pets.
- Encourage Cross-Selling: Use A+ Content to link to other product lines within your brand’s portfolio. Inspire customers to explore your full range of pet supplies, encouraging cross-selling and increasing the chances of repeat purchases.
Use Amazon Stores to Organize Product Lines
Amazon Stores have emerged as a game-changer for brands, offering a prime opportunity to elevate their presence and drive sales on the platform. Throughout the latter part of 2020, Amazon’s strategic tests underscored the growing importance of Amazon Stores. By replacing brand names on product listings with “Visit the [Brand Name] Brand Store” and incorporating Amazon Stores in recommended searches, the e-commerce giant has positioned them as a pivotal component of a successful Amazon strategy.
To harness the full potential of Amazon Stores, consider implementing the following recommendations to optimize your store and make a lasting impact on potential customers:
- Create an Amazon Store: Establishing an Amazon Store is the foundation for showcasing your brand and products in a visually appealing and customized environment. This crucial step requires Brand Registry enrollment, which not only safeguards your brand but also enhances your credibility on the platform.
- Organize by Product Lines or Themes: Structure your store strategically by grouping products into categories such as toys, wearables, treats, or thematic collections like holiday toys or summer essentials. This thoughtful organization empowers shoppers to navigate seamlessly and locate their desired products, thereby enhancing their shopping experience.
- Leverage Lifestyle Images: Forge an emotional connection with shoppers by incorporating captivating lifestyle images throughout your store. These images breathe life into your brand story, fostering an emotional connection with potential customers and significantly influencing their purchasing decisions.
- Drive Traffic from External Sources: Amplify your store’s visibility by incorporating attributable links to your Amazon Store in your social media posts and influencer collaborations. This cross-channel promotion not only attracts new customers but also extends your brand reach to new horizons.
- Direct Sponsored Brand Ads to Your Store: Boost the effectiveness of your Sponsored Brand Ads by directing them to your Amazon Store. This approach ensures a holistic brand experience for shoppers, leading to enhanced engagement and higher conversion rates.
Reduce Product Returns with Sizing Charts
The Pet Supplies category, like many wearable product segments, faces a common challenge – a high return rate attributed to incorrect sizing. To address this issue and minimize returns, brands must take a proactive approach by providing customers with up-to-date sizing charts for all wearables, including leashes, collars, harnesses, recovery suits, and clothing. These sizing charts should be made easily accessible in the product’s media gallery and A+ Content, allowing potential buyers to make informed decisions before purchase. By including detailed measurements and clear guidelines on how to measure pets, customers can confidently select the right size for their furry friends. Additionally, incorporating lifestyle images and videos featuring the product being used by common breeds can further demonstrate product size and functionality, building trust and reducing uncertainty in the buying process.
Despite providing thorough sizing information, returns are still inevitable in the Pet Supplies category. Hence, it is imperative for brands and sellers to develop a comprehensive “unfulfillables plan” to handle these returns efficiently. Such a plan should outline clear steps for addressing unfulfillable products, ensuring that returns are processed seamlessly, and customers are offered satisfactory solutions. By streamlining the returns process, brands can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, even in the face of returns. Implementing a well-structured unfulfillables plan also enables brands to identify recurring issues with specific products, allowing for continuous improvement and fewer returns over time.
Reach New Shoppers with Sponsored Product Ads
Sponsored Product Ads on Amazon are a dynamic and effective tool for targeting potential customers with a high intent to purchase. When shoppers are actively considering a product or already have a strong inclination to buy, these ads become invaluable for capturing their attention and driving conversions. Whether you are introducing your brand to new customers or seeking to build brand loyalty, optimizing your Sponsored Product Ads is essential for success.
- Implement an Aggressive Bid Strategy: In highly competitive product categories, standing out from the crowd is crucial. Adopting an aggressive bid strategy ensures that your ads appear prominently on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). By bidding competitively, you increase visibility and reach potential customers at the right moment, driving them towards making a purchase.
- Bid on Non-Branded and Branded Keywords: Targeting both non-branded and branded keywords is vital for reaching a wide audience. Non-branded keywords allow you to engage with customers exploring various options, while branded keywords reinforce your brand identity and attract loyal customers, enhancing your overall marketing efforts.
- Utilize Automatic and Manual Campaigns: Combining the power of Automatic and Manual campaigns allows you to optimize your ad reach. Automatic campaigns leverage Amazon’s system to discover relevant keywords based on customer search terms, while Manual campaigns provide more control for precise targeting of specific keywords.
- Optimize Ad Group Structure in Manual Campaigns: In Manual campaigns, structuring ad groups with a single product and targeting one match type per campaign enables you to closely monitor each product’s performance. This approach facilitates easy identification of what works best for your campaign objectives, allowing for quick adjustments and optimizations.
- Utilize Broad and Phrase Ad Groups as “Research” Campaigns: Broad and phrase match ad groups serve as valuable research campaigns. They help generate new keywords and identify potential high-performing search terms. Insights gained from these campaigns aid in refining your keyword strategy for better targeting and ad relevancy.
- Drive Conversions with Exact Match Type Campaigns: Armed with valuable data from your research campaigns, use the exact match type campaigns to drive conversions at a lower Advertising Cost of Sale (ACOS). Targeting specific and relevant keywords in these campaigns optimizes your ad spend and boosts return on investment, enhancing your overall campaign effectiveness.
Reach Brand-Loyal Shoppers with Sponsored Brand Ads
In the competitive realm of Pet Supplies on Amazon, brand loyalty shines as a prominent characteristic among shoppers. Unlike some other categories, where Sponsored Brand Ads might have lower conversion rates compared to Sponsored Product Ads, Pet Supplies tell a different story. Here, Sponsored Brand Ads showcase strong performance, and this is primarily due to the presence of loyal customers who actively seek out and trust specific brands they have come to love.
To capitalize on this brand loyalty and amplify the impact of your Sponsored Brand Ads, we highly recommend directing these ads to your Amazon Store. Your Amazon Store acts as a dedicated storefront, showcasing a comprehensive array of your branded products and reinforcing your brand identity. By channeling your Sponsored Brand Ads to your Amazon Store, you provide loyal customers with a seamless shopping experience, increasing the likelihood of conversions and fostering lasting customer relationships.
Moreover, it is crucial to bid on branded keywords to ensure that your ads gain prominent visibility for repeat buyers. By bidding on branded keywords, your Sponsored Brand Ads have a greater chance of being displayed when shoppers search for your brand or related terms. This strategic move further solidifies your brand presence and encourages repeat customers to actively engage with your ads and make informed purchase decisions.
Offer Coupons for a Logical Appeal
In the competitive world of Pet Supplies on Amazon, leveraging coupons strategically can be a game-changer for driving sales and customer loyalty. Shopping for pet products is often emotionally driven, with pet owners seeking to provide the best for their beloved companions while also being mindful of their budget. By offering enticing coupons, sellers can tap into this emotional aspect, enticing customers to make purchases and keep coming back for more.
To maximize the impact of coupons, it’s essential to tailor the discounts to specific products. Consider offering lower discounts on high-velocity items that customers frequently purchase. This approach not only encourages repeat business but also helps maintain healthy profit margins. Furthermore, promoting your current coupon offerings on various social media platforms can significantly amplify their reach. Engaging with potential customers through social media can create a sense of community and trust, making them more likely to take advantage of the coupon offers.
For sellers incorporating influencer marketing into their strategy, creating exclusive coupons for each influencer can be a winning tactic. When influencers share unique coupon codes with their dedicated audience, it generates a sense of urgency and exclusivity. This dynamic combination motivates consumers to act quickly, converting potential customers into loyal buyers.
Use Amazon DSP if You Have the Budget
Amazon DSP, or Demand-Side Platform, is a formidable tool for building brand awareness and effectively reaching potential customers. Unlike traditional keyword-based targeting methods, DSP harnesses shoppers’ online behavior on Amazon and Amazon-owned platforms to deliver highly targeted ad experiences. With DSP, brands can tap into an immense pool of real-time shopping data, allowing them to tailor their campaigns to specific audiences. This includes in-market shoppers, those with specific lifestyle preferences, and retargeted audiences. The array of targeting options empowers brands to connect with their ideal customers in a more personalized and impactful way.
Undeniably, Amazon DSP comes with substantial benefits. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that the barrier to entry can be significant, as it requires a minimum investment of $30,000. This makes it more suitable for brands with substantial marketing budgets. Nevertheless, for those willing to invest, Amazon DSP can be a game-changer. It provides an opportunity for brands to grow their market share, enhance brand visibility significantly, and gain a competitive edge.
Our recommendation is that if your brand possesses the budget to capitalize on Amazon DSP, it can be a powerful tool to boost brand recognition, enhance audience engagement, and ultimately drive sales on the platform. By tapping into the wealth of real-time shopping data and leveraging precise audience targeting, Amazon DSP can help your brand stand out from the competition and create a lasting impact on potential customers. It’s an excellent avenue to explore for brands looking to take their advertising efforts to the next level and establish a strong brand presence on Amazon
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