The holiday season provides excellent opportunities for scaling due to the overall increase in traffic on Amazon. One of the best ways to take a brand to the next level of scalability is to launch new products. With a genuinely good product, you can expedite the entire launch process due to the high sales traffic throughout November and December.
But with increased opportunities comes added risks, leading sellers to wonder…
How do I launch a product on Amazon during the holidays?
What should I know before starting Amazon PPC?
In this blog, we’ll outline the 7 steps for retail readiness, so you can launch your product successfully during Q4.
1. Listing Optimization
This is by far the most important aspect of a high traffic launch.
Your listing needs to be in tip top shape before you begin sending traffic to it. Make sure images are high resolution and large enough to trigger the zoom function, and always follow Amazon’s image guidelines (yes - always!).
Include relevant keywords in your title and bullets, but don’t “keyword stuff.” Your copy should be compliant with Amazon’s Terms of Service, well-written, and grammatically correct.
2. Early Review Program
Now that you’ve got a great listing for a great product, it’s time to start getting some initial review. A lack of reviews is a conversion-killer, so scoring some early feedback will help build trust in the quality of your product. Amazon’s Early Review Program is an easy way to get initial reviews “on the board” so you have a higher conversion rate on paid traffic.
3. Pricing
Keep your price as low as possible while attempting to score your early reviews. Once reviews are in, you can increase your price… but always remain competitive!
If your product is similar to other products on the market, you’ll need to make sure your price point is enticing to potential buyers. If there is something special about your product that dictates a higher price, you need to properly explain and convey this throughout your listing.
4. Coupons / Lightning Deals
Coupons and Lightning Deals are another great way to reduce the friction of having a newer product that shoppers may be skeptical of. Further, you can stay competitive during the Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales event with special holiday deals (or run them the week before and after if you were unable to secure a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal).
5. Keyword Research
When launching a new product, especially during a high traffic period, be sure to base your copy and advertising targeting off of current, up to date keyword research. Main keywords should be placed in titles and bullet points and targeted in launch campaigns. Fit as many secondary keywords into your listing as possible while still committing to a natural word flow. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, consider running a reverse ASIN search on a main competitor.
Keywords you can’t fit on the front end of your listing should be used as backend keywords.
6. External Traffic
Amazon loves external traffic - especially when it converts well. Sending outside traffic from an existing email list or social media presence will help you get some early sales from shoppers who already like and trust your brand. This will help with keyword ranking and BSR.
7. A+ /Storefront Content
If you have Brand Registry (and if you don’t, we highly recommend that make this happen ASAP), you may take advantage of creating A+ Content. A+ Content replaces the visible section of your Product Description and allows you to use high quality imagery and text to highlight the benefits of your product or cross-promote within your brand. A+ content increases brand trust and improves conversion rates.
Brand Registry also opens up the option to use a Storefront, which is a custom branded space (with its own unique URL) to showcase your brand, various product lines, and individual products. Certain types of ads can be run that bring shoppers directly to your Storefront (or even subpages), drastically improving your conversion rates.
Need Help Launching A Product and Managing Amazon PPC?
Entourage Management Services understands that your brand is multifaceted. From launching new products, to advanced multi-device marketing, we use a holistic approach to managing all aspects of your Amazon advertising
To learn more about Entourage Management Services, click here.
