Q4 is the busiest time of year, and it can also be the most lucrative…if you play your cards right. If you have good Private Label products, and your listings are optimized, your Amazon store has amazing profit potential during the holiday season. (If you’re a new seller who needs guidance, or an old pro who’s struggling with stale listings, let us help you! You can leave us your contact info and we’ll get in touch with you.)
While using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is definitely a good way to help your Amazon store run smoothly despite the hectic climate of the season, you can definitely turn a hefty profit from your Merchant-Fulfilled store if you diligently manage your business needs. Follow this list of must-do tips to make sure your Merchant-Fulfilled store finishes strong this holiday season.
Be Competitive With Pricing…
…but don’t automatically try to undercut all of your competition. Instead, focus on making sure you have awesome pictures, clear descriptions, rave reviews, and clearly-listed policies (return, warranty, shipping, etc.) in addition to a reasonable pricing point. Your customers will pay for quality, so make your listings look as professional as possible, and offer top-notch customer service. That way, you can charge more than your bottom-dollar competition, and still attract buyers.
Check Your Stock
Stay on top of your inventory to make sure you don’t run out when you least expect it. If you need to replenish your stock during the holidays, it will be difficult, and likely expensive. Hot items such as jewelry and toys can sell up to four times more during the holiday season than the rest of the year, so plan accordingly.
Ship on Time
Your customers will expect their deliveries to arrive within the anticipated shipping window, and if they don’t, be prepared to experience massive headaches. Think of it from your buyer’s perspective: How would you feel if Grandpa’s gift—guaranteed to arrive by 4 P.M. on Christmas Eve—showed up after New Year’s Day instead? While you can’t control what USPS, FedEx, DHL, or UPS does with packages once they leave your hands, you can control other aspects of the shipping process.
Make sure you drop off your packages or schedule pickup for deliveries promptly. Don’t let orders sit around for days while your buyers wait! If there will be any delays on your part, be honest and let the buyers know ASAP. (It’s better to give your buyers the option to cancel their orders before late shipments lead to angry emails and negative seller feedback later.) Provide your buyers with tracking numbers. Be flexible if it looks like there’s a delay you can’t control. It will be you, not UPS, that receives the scathing review, so soothe your buyer’s ruffled feathers with a partial refund or a coupon code for a future purchase.
By focusing your energy on these three simple tasks, you’ll be able to eliminate some of the stress of holiday shopping both for you and your buyers. If you need more guidance, head over to our private Facebook page to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. You can also schedule a private coaching session, where we will share with you the wisdom we’ve gained during our thirty-five years doing Private Label business. Let us know how we can help you make this the best holiday buying season ever!
