Why brands should invest in their Amazon presence
Amazon is seizing retail’s most trusted brands by allowing them to sell while still being in control. Firmly in its corner is Ollie McAninch from Optimizon, who tells us why working with the e-commerce giant is worth it.
Is selling with Amazon slowly becoming the norm for big brands? / David Pisnoy via Unsplash
There’s no doubt that online marketplaces continue to gobble up the retail market pie. Recent data suggests that consumers prefer to purchase from trusted brands on the most trusted marketplaces.
Customers are given a superior buying experience when buying directly from leading brands. This in turn increases trust in the marketplace. Amazon knows this and has been actively targeting big brands to sell on the platform.
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The retail landscape is changing rapidly, but there has never been a better time for sellers to grow their brand online within the world’s most popular marketplaces. New data from my agency, Amazon specialists Optimizon, reveals which ones consumers trust the most, and highlights their preference to buy from recognized brands.
Brands and marketplaces converging
Online marketplaces continue to grow in popularity. Aside from the staggering growth experienced by big players such as Amazon and eBay during the last three years, the market has seen a rapid rise in new marketplaces including OnBuy and DIY.com. Others such as Wayfair and Etsy also continue to experience huge growth.
As a result, brands and marketplaces are converging like never before. Marketplaces have realized that an excellent brand experience keeps customers happy. Brands realize that online marketplaces are where their customers are heading.
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This convergence has resulted in leading marketplaces offering brands the opportunity to deliver a better brand experience on their platform. For example, an Amazon store can now look almost identical to a brand’s website.
Why focus on Amazon?
There’s a simple reason why most brands should focus on Amazon: it is the most trusted online marketplace in the UK, according to Optimizon.
When asked which online marketplaces they trust the most, 64% of respondents answered Amazon. 42% said eBay, which appeared as the second most trustworthy marketplace.
Etsy was third (23%), with Wayfair and Notonthehighstreet tied at fourth (12%). Emerging marketplace OnBuy was also cited as being the most trustworthy by 5% of respondents.
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Figures were similar when we asked which marketplace consumers use the most. Almost 70% responded with Amazon, eBay came in second with 44% and 18% said they used Etsy the most.
Consumers want a brand experience
After establishing which marketplaces were most popular, Optimizon asked online shoppers what they’d like to see improved on the marketplaces they use.
The most popular answers revolved around the ease of returning goods, while most other responses pointed to brand experience.
21% said they wanted to see ‘more official brands selling on marketplaces’; 19% said the ‘ability to buy direct from top/leading brands’; and 33% answered ‘more reliable sellers.’ All of these answers confirm what Amazon already knows: customers want to buy directly from well-known or trustworthy brands on marketplaces.
Targeting brands for a reason
Over the last two years, Amazon has introduced numerous tools to help brands deliver a better customer experience on their platform, so there has never been a better time to establish your brand within the world’s biggest online marketplace.
Amazon has an almost obsessive focus on customer experience. Brands can now tap into that hard-earned consumer trust, while preserving their own brand experience.
Investing more in Amazon and fully optimizing the customer experience is a no-brainer. Amazon gives brands control over their own brand message – rather than relying on third-party retailers to attempt to represent the brand effectively. Amazon can also drive significantly larger volumes of traffic to listings. Many brands are rethinking the retail model entirely by selling directly through online marketplaces rather than resellers.
Since Amazon is by far the most used marketplace, competing on the platform has become increasingly specialized. Optimizon can help with optimizing listings and growing your brand in online marketplaces.
Content by The Drum Network member:
Optimizon
Optimizon is one of the UK’s fastest-growing eBay and Amazon Agencies, with clients including global brand leaders in homewares, garden machinery and sports equipment
The...