For a long time, consumers and brands only saw Amazon as the ultimate “Add to Cart” destination. But sentiment has changed. Quite a bit, in fact, in the minds – and behaviour – of consumers, but even more noticeably, in the minds of the brands selling their products on Amazon. And while Amazon is still fresh to the South African market, the brilliant and varied brand-building opportunities that will be available to businesses selling on Amazon need to be noted.
True to the Amazon way, let’s start with the customer
After all, we’re talking about one of, if not the most, customer-centric companies today. Here are a few fun facts. Did you know customers no longer come to Amazon with an already-defined shopping list? In fact, 75% of customers come to Amazon to discover new products¹, and 68% of customers just window-shop, without a specific brand or product in mind². Add to that the fact that more than half of customers globally noted that they come to Amazon to get inspired and find brands and products that they were previously unfamiliar with³. The bottom line? If consumers are using the Amazon landscape to explore, research, discover, and be inspired along their purchase journey, brands need to focus on being present and relevant where it matters most.
Content to commerce is where it’s at
Let’s move over to the brands selling their products on Amazon. They’re no longer just doing that. They are utilising Amazon’s incredible storytelling offering (yes, you read correctly) to build a seriously sturdy bridge from content to commerce. While it may take a while for the vast array of Amazon Ads products and storytelling mechanisms to launch in South Africa, it’s worth taking a quick peek into how developed Amazon markets are making the most of the content-to-commerce adventure.
L'Oréal leads by example
L'Oréal’s dermatological brand, CeraVe, was one of the first movers in its category to embark on this adventure on Amazon. When it comes to skincare and concerns, customers want as much information as they can get, before making a purchase decision. Knowing this, the brand partnered with Amazon in Canada to create a virtual CeraVe Skincare Lab. Encouraged to “Start Exploring”, customers can take a quiz that generates a skincare routine tailored to their needs. If ingredients are a customer’s main concern they can dive into the “Ingredients Lab”.
These content offerings and much more are waiting to be explored on the CeraVe “store”, found on Amazon. The exciting part? Purchase is always one click away. You’re not redirected to a different site. You don’t need to fill in your details again. You can simply “Add to Cart”.
Product Detail Page: Your new shop window
While “stores” (welcome to Amazon lingo) are due to launch in South Africa as an imminent next step of the local rollout, a brand’s Product Detail Page (PDP) is and will forever be key to its success on Amazon. This is where shoppers make their final product selection. The PDP is also a brand’s online shelf space and a chance to differentiate and stand out among competitors.
High-quality content – at every touch point on the PDP – will inform the customers’ experience, and ultimately directly impact their purchase decision. So it’s vital to get these right. Here are some of the fundamental content elements to get right from the get-go:
Always ensure that you’re addressing any purchase barriers. Depending on the product category, purchase barriers could be missing information (like the active ingredients in your beauty product) or contradicting information (like a key benefit listed on your packaging image that doesn’t match your product description copy).
In this case, less is not more. Include detailed and educational information in your product descriptions. But don’t confuse that with repetitive information. Be concise, informative, and factual.
Only use impactful high-resolution images. This is your opportunity to show your product to your customers, so quality matters.
Go to the effort of using A+ Content. And no, A+ does not refer to the excellence level of the content. It’s Amazon speak and was formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content. In short, A+ Content allows brands to customise Product Detail Pages on Amazon that include extra features like images, videos, charts and tables in a contextual presentation to improve the shopping experience.
These are just the basics. For a deep dive into PDP best practices, get in touch.
Once your PDP is top-notch, you’ll want to drive traffic there
Good thing Amazon has gone the extra mile to develop dynamic and intuitive ad products, not to mention seriously innovative targeting possibilities. After all, 71% of consumers want to see ads tailored to their personalised interests and shopping habits⁴. Which is exactly what they’ll get on Amazon.
The ad products that will launch in the not-so-distant future include Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display. Here’s a quick overview of what each of these products entail:
Sponsored Products are cost-per-click (CPC) ads that promote individual product listings on Amazon and select premium apps and websites.
Sponsored Brands promote brand discovery and consideration by using static and video brand creatives in the shopper journey.
Sponsored Display uses machine-learning and multi-format creatives to help businesses reach customers wherever they spend time, across the Amazon store plus thousands of apps and websites.
Want to know how to use each of these products in the most effective way, depending on the customer funnel stage? Or simply intrigued by the possibilities that the planet of Amazon brings? Get in touch with Mirelle de Vaal, our in-house Amazon expat.
Sources:
How to create your new product launch strategy