You’re probably tired of talking about it.
You may want to hold your hands over your ears if someone brings it up again.
You might consider setting your device on fire if you read another article about it.
And yet, you need to keep reading.
Because you’ve probably heard about the rising star that is Amazon Marketing Services (AMS).
This self-serve ad platform from Amazon is attracting swarms of digital marketers.
So many, in fact, that its growth rate outpaces that of the biggest digital ad duo: Google and Facebook.
Experts are predicting that Amazon advertising is only going to keep on growing, too.
This favorable prediction is based on the perfect storm of activity of three parties involved in programmatic digital advertising:
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- The consumer: There are over 90 million Amazon Prime members, each which represents a motivated consumer willing to spend on average over $1,300 per year.
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- The platform: Amazon plans on upping the ante by unleashing a whole suite of new Amazon ad tools in 2018.
- The advertisers: Some of the world’s largest marketing companies (e.g. WPP, Omnicom) spent significant amounts on Amazon advertising in 2017, and have increased their budgets for 2018.
But we’re not here to tell you what you already know: advertising on Amazon can be lucrative.
No, we’re here to actually explain how to make money from this platform.
And that starts with making your brand stand out from the rest using the Store Builder tool.
In this article, we’re exploring what makes an Amazon Store different from a brand page.
We’re also explaining how you can create one, and why it’s such an effective method for establishing a true brand identity.
When you build brand awareness and recognition, you have a better shot of boosting your Amazon advertising ROI.
Amazon Brand Pages 2.0: The New Amazon Store Advertising Upgrade
Amazon first released brand pages on AMS in 2012, with not much buzz.
It wasn’t until five years later, in 2017, that they unveiled Amazon Stores as a true upgrade to the original.
Unlike Amazon Brand Pages, setting up an Amazon Store allows retailers to fully customize their layouts.
It’s even to the point where a storefront can mimic your own website.
As a results, top brands can establish a more cohesive identity across platforms as users get to enjoy a better user experience while shopping on Amazon.
Amazon Stores don’t just represent a UX/UI upgrade, though.
According to psychological studies and recent research, people make decisions based on emotions, instead of completely on logic.
Therefore, we rely on how we feel about a product or brand more than any other factor.
Amazon marketers can use this to their advantage as they set up their Amazon Stores.
With this feature, retailers can curate a brand experience that appeals to people’s emotions better than ever before.
Consider the psychological factors and visual elements that influence consumer decision-making.
These include things like the colors you use on your Amazon Store, the interactive elements incorporated, and having a consistent theme across your brand’s channels (e.g. Instagram).
Most consumers make a decision about a product or a conclusion about a brand within 90 seconds of their first interactions.
Compared to a simple product listing or even Amazon Brand Page, Amazon Stores are the most effective way to put your brand’s best foot forward.
How to Set Up an Amazon Store That Sells
An Amazon Store works similar to a website in that there are layers of pages that visitors can click through and that retailers can customize.
For example, an Amazon seller can have their store homepage, a product category page, and then a more specific category page where all relevant products are listed.
To begin building your Amazon Store, first make sure you are a registered vendor.
Then, log in to the AMS platform and select the Stores tab.
Using the Store Builder tool, you can then set up an Amazon Store fully customized to your brand.
There are three preset templates to choose from that provide the basic structure for your store:
1. Product Grid: the most simple and straightforward template for showcasing products.
2. Marquee: A grid-like format with more room for content, such as product descriptions and image blocks.
- Showcase: The most content-rich and media-heavy template, which allows sellers to have more room for text and visual elements.
Whichever format you choose as you build an Amazon Store, keep in mind the elements you include in terms of how they portray your brand.
The goal of an Amazon Store is to present a cohesive brand image that people can recognize the moment they land on the page.
With greater brand awareness and recognition, retailers can build trust among their customers, and heighten loyalty.
Brand awareness also gives businesses an edge in an even field, improving overall performance.
And lastly, a cohesive brand image is how you stand out from your competitors.
When you provide this contrast against other competing stores on Amazon, visitors are more likely to convert on your page thanks to cognitive conversion principles.
Take advantage of the customizable features that are available as you set up an Amazon Store.
In doing so, you can develop a brand identity that ends up boosting your bottom line.
Best Practices to Build a Branded Amazon Store
Once you’ve gone ahead and finished setting up your Amazon Store, there are a few additional ways to enhance its success.
One of these best practices for an Amazon Store includes running an optimized Headline Search ad campaign.
These Amazon ads can direct people searching for a relevant keyword or product to your storefront by having it appear right at the top of the results page.
Instead of directing people to a product landing page on your brand’s website, users don’t even have to leave the Amazon platform to enjoy a customized brand experience when they click on your Amazon search ad.
Besides linking your Amazon Store in ads, also include a link to it in your brand’s byline under the Product Details section of a page.
When they land on your Amazon Store, you can then upsell them with additional products that appear in a highly curated format.
The same rule applies for sharing your storefront’s link on your other networks: Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Advertise your Amazon Store’s launch, new products, and more by including a link directly to your page as part of your other marketing messages.
Amazon Store customization also provides the ability to include rich media, such as videos.
A video on a regular landing page can increase conversions by 80%, so the same principle can apply to your Amazon Store.
Place a product walk-through video, multi-angle view, or other form of display video on your storefront to engage visitors, distinguish your brand, and provide more information to potential buyers.
Lastly, continue to optimize your Amazon Store by tracking it with the built-in analytics tools.
Amazon Stores integrate directly with Amazon Analytics.
This way, you can view everything from third-party ad conversions to traffic on your store’s page.
It’s Time to Get Set Up
We’re all very well aware that Amazon is the trending advertising platform set to topple the Facebook-Google duopoly.
We’ve also heard the success stories of brands hitting benchmarks like 4X more purchases and 10X-20X ROI with Amazon marketing.
So with Amazon becoming an ever more saturated platform of sellers and advertisers, it’s time you set up an Amazon Store to stand out.
One option as you get started is to consult with a professional Amazon marketing agency that knows what it takes to stand out on the platform and drive traffic to your page.
An Amazon Store is an important extension of your brand that needs careful attention.
This includes everything from set up to execution to results-tracking.
Amazon advertising experts can provide the tools and insights to best set up an Amazon Store for success.
Building and customizing a branded storefront will boost your brand awareness.
It will also nurture customer loyalty, and in the end lead to greater conversions and sales revenue.
It’s all about tapping into the psychology of a consumer as they shop online.
They want a seamless, pleasurable shopping experience with a brand that appears trustworthy and established.
Let your Amazon Store be the one to accomplish just that.
