How Does Customer Service and Brand Reputation Affect the Amazon Seller Flywheel?
At Envision Horizons, we describe the Amazon Flywheel as more like a snowball rolling down a hill, where you continue to pick up momentum as you go. The idea behind this concept is simple yet effective — increased sales lead to even greater performance!
Generating positive reviews and high star ratings is a critical factor in managing the Amazon seller flywheel. Satisfied customers help to ensure successful conversions, while products with poor feedback usually face difficulty generating sales. Amazon listing optimization is key, because naturally the Amazon flywheel is tied to this ability to convert.
Additionally, maintaining a steady stream of revenue through repeat purchases fuels the flywheel moving and promotes long-term success. Customer loyalty is especially key as CACs (customer acquisition costs) on Amazon continue to rise.
Creating a Positive Branded Shopping Experience on Amazon
Designing a positive branded shopping experience for both your new and existing customers is incredibly important for developing customer loyalty and trust. Your brand style and messaging should remain consistent across platforms, from your DTC (direct-to-consumer) website to your Amazon storefront.
Creating a positive branded shopping journey involves designing your product listing and Amazon Store with the first priority being the customer experience. Amazon listing optimization involves using high-quality imagery and detailed product descriptions that will address any common customer questions or hesitations. Transparency in product listings is essential in building trust and managing customer expectations.
Additionally, designing your Amazon Store for ease of navigation should not be overlooked as this can make or break the customer’s journey. Organizing tabs logically can make all the difference between creating an enjoyable shopping journey or causing buyers to exit. Taking the time to consider purchase flow when building out each page within your Amazon Store will save customers from frustration.
A strong brand presence speaks to customers’ needs and passions, creating an emotional connection that can provide you with a competitive advantage. Tell your brand story throughout your imagery, including your A+ Content and Amazon Store. Share important details about your product lines, including callouts such as “Cruelty-Free”, “Eco-Friendly” and more…
In summation, designing your Amazon listings and store with the first priority of customer experience results in a higher conversion rate and brand affinity.
Building up a good reputation on Amazon over time will open the door to opportunities for increased market share and sales growth. Showcasing your commitment to customer service, high-quality products, and great overall value on Amazon through careful brand management is the key to lasting success.
Strong Customer Service and Positive Review Generation
Maintaining a healthy Amazon seller flywheel hinges on successful customer conversions, which are driven by positive reviews and high star ratings. The good news? Satisfied customers not only lead to sales today – but often return for more in the future! This repeat business is essential for keeping your revenue momentum going as CACs climb higher and competition increases.
Strong Customer Service on Amazon
Excelling in customer service is pivotal for achieving continual growth on Amazon – after all, strategies implemented toward creating great customer experiences will give you the best chance at keeping your flywheel running smoothly over time!
Great customer service on Amazon entails communication that is timely, concise, and professional. Ensuring orders arrive on time and as expected, responding quickly to reports of issues, and properly managing refunds and complaints are all keys to successful customer service on Amazon.
Additionally, you can minimize the need for customer service post-purchase by ensuring that your product descriptions accurately reflect what is being sold and address frequently asked questions. Transparency is key in managing customer expectations.
Customers also appreciate clear shipping information and straightforward return policies that make it easy for them to obtain a full refund or exchange unsatisfactory merchandise.
Amazon Listing Optimization: Positive Reviews and High Star Rating
One way to think about how to generate a high star rating and positive reviews on Amazon is to consider how you can limit negative reviews. The first step is to manage customer expectations…
- Be sure to educate customers on how to properly use your product! For products that require assembly or have detailed instructions for use, make sure to include this essential information.
- For “performance products” such as skin care, explain in detail how to use the product, the expected outcome, and how long it should take to see results. Always be transparent and never claim your product can do something it cannot.
- Make sure that your product descriptions include details like exact product dimensions, size, color choices, weight (if relevant), and material. For apparel (or any product that varies in size/measurements), including a detailed sizing guide helps customers choose the best fit for them. When building a sizing guide, make sure to include exact values so buyers can take measurements at home to choose the best fit.
- Include manufacturing information, warranty information, and any policies you have such as your return policy or satisfaction guaranteed policy.
- Provide answers to frequently asked questions!
- Address issues: Look at your existing negative reviews and your return reasons for valuable insight. Amazon lists 72 different official reasons for a customer’s return, and many of these return reasons can and should be used as valuable feedback. Common complaints in negative reviews can also be helpful. For example, if your product has a smell that customers were not expecting, include this detail in the product description or imagery!
- Having professional product photos is key to success on Amazon. Not only do they help your products stand out from others, but they can also be used to provide transparency for your customers. High-resolution photos at multiple angles are essential, and if you have different variations of your product you need photos per variant as well. Also, leverage enhanced brand content and video to give your customers an even more in-depth look at your product. For makeup products, it can be helpful to include imagery that shows your product on a variety of different skin tones. For some products, a close-up of the ingredient label gives the customer valuable information and demonstrates transparency.
Finally, inspect your FBA products thoroughly! Damaged packaging or product in less than perfect condition will not only result in negative reviews, but can hurt your brand reputation, and seller feedback score. A thorough inspection is especially essential for brands with luxury or high-ticket items. Sellers might consider creating a replacement agreement with your supplier if you frequently find defective products during your inspection, or look to find a new supplier if problems persist.
Note: For listings that are struggling with quantity of reviews, programs such as Amazon Vine and the “Request a Review” automation can help sellers expedite the process of generating reviews.
Brand Reputation on Amazon
Your brand reputation on Amazon is important! One way to increase customer trust is to enroll in Amazon Brand Registry. This program offers a suite of tools and services to help brands protect their intellectual property while giving customers confidence in the authenticity of goods they purchase. As part of the program, Amazon allows access to some marketing insights, exclusive usage rights, and automated protection solutions designed to alert you when someone attempts to use your brand name or logo on their listings.
Amazon Listing Optimization: Creative Assets
Investing in great creative assets for Amazon is a crucial part of helping customers understand your products and interact with your brand on the platform.
Incorporating lifestyle imagery, infographics, and video can help to give customers a better understanding of what you offer, as well as give them a glimpse into how your product could improve their life.
Furthermore, incorporating UGC (user-generated content) helps to build relationships with customers and adds further authenticity to your presence on Amazon.
Want to learn more about Creative Assets on Amazon? Envision Horizons and Soona have teamed up to create the 2023 Guide to Visual Selling on Amazon, which will help sellers of all levels to create high-quality content that converts.
This comprehensive guide will provide an overview of all the creative assets available on Amazon, including images, videos, A+ Content, Storefronts, and Custom Ad Creative. It will also offer tips and best practices for using these assets to achieve maximum impact.
Download your FREE copy of the eBook here.
Conclusion
Managing the Amazon Seller Flywheel is more than just generating high star ratings and customer reviews. It’s about cultivating a successful conversion rate, driving repeat purchases for long-term success, and ensuring loyalty – even as CACs increase across the platform. Keeping your customers happy will ensure your flywheel keeps on spinning!
Core Components of the Amazon Flywheel
We’re breaking down core components of the Amazon Flywheel that lead to long term growth on the platform. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs in the series on the following topics…
- Core concept explained
- How to start the flywheel
- Understanding Amazon’s algorithm
- Improving organic rank: Amazon listing optimization, keyword strategy, amazon badges, etc.
Catalog Strategy and Inventory Management
- Catalog size and retail readiness: quality over quantity
- Pricing strategy focused on both competitive edge and profitability
- Importance of demand planning and staying in stock
- Healthy maintenance of account standing and performance metrics
Customer Experience and Brand Reputation on Amazon
- Creating a positive branded shopping experience: listing optimization for higher conversion rate and brand affinity
- Customer service and positive review generation
- Utilizing creative assets to Improve both the customer experience and your brand presence on Amazon: Lifestyle imagery and video, including UGC content
Advertising
- PPC
- Sponsored Brand, Sponsored Product, Sponsored Display
- Amazon DSP
Driving External Traffic
- Influencer marketing, social media marketing, affiliate marketing, earned and paid media placements
- Paid advertising, Email marketing
Long Term Strategy
- Focusing on long term growth means avoiding black hat strategies that could offer short-term benefits
- Investing in scaling
