It can be tough to break into Amazon as a private label; the converse of that is the ones who are there are pretty tough and primed for success. If you want an insider scoop about what private label brands you should keep in the back of your head, FeedbackExpress will fill you in.
Why Amazon’s Private Label Brands Tend to Do So Well
Hands down, the biggest reason that Amazon private label brands perform so well is because Amazon has an incredibly large amount of data at their fingertips. They’re able to sort through all sorts of performance metrics and easily decide which lines will probably do well and which ones are a pass. It’s one of the signs that point to just how efficient they are at running a smooth, richly-profiting operation.
Two, Amazon’s built their private label empire on almost no risk and incredibly high rewards. Each private label has all the advantages of being a Vendor (i.e. no price negotiations, no low margins, well-known brand with that famous A-to-z guarantee) that normal Vendors don’t always get to enjoy.
Three, they get to rewrite the rules for themselves in terms of product descriptions so they can make their items look as pretty and tempting as possible. When their main interest is moving as many units of their own private labels as possible, they’re going to pull out all the stops.
So what are some of these Amazon private label brands you should be looking twice at?
Franklin & Freeman — Men’s Shoes
These shoes are fairly affordably-priced, especially considering how they look. They’re shoes made for men who care about their appearance, but want a look that doesn’t scream ‘fashion’. Made for the business/business-casual man.
James & Erin — Women’s Clothes
The clothes line is reminiscent of French fashion in that the garments drape the body and don’t hug it, giving the dresser the appearance of maturity and sophistication. There are no crazy colours here, just fairly-neutral hues. The current lineup features a lot of boxy cuts and flowing lines.
Lark & Ro — Women’s Clothing
Another clothing line aimed at women, this one is a little bolder than the previous. Slacks, blouses, dresses and skirts are much more form-fitting and come in a wider variety of colours and patterns. Garments are also priced higher than James & Erin to the tune of roughly 50% more.
Mama Bear — Baby Products
This one’s an interesting category, as Amazon’s really seemed to master the art of appealing to (new) parents. They advertise their products as being USDA-certified organic and BPA-free. Items are only available to Prime-eligible buyers, and they promise a refund if you’re not completely satisfied.
Pinzon by Amazon — Bedding and Related Items
On the whole, things like their sheet sets, mattress toppers, towel sets and bath mats are priced in the middle-to-upper range. You can find things as ordinary as neutral-coloured percale sheets and things as fancy as 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. There’s not the hugest selection, but a decent amount of variety.
Happy Belly
Items ordered from this line are delivered via fresh, which means you can get it on your doorstep as soon as the same day or early next morning. These products are well-suited for people who like their trail mix, coffee, nuts and more on the organic/fair-trade/artisanal/fancier side.
Things to Watch Out For If You’re a Private Label Brand Seller
You’ll never have to worry about Amazon listing directly to your ASINs — and that’s because they’ll just take your idea and run with it. They’re very careful about toeing the line between infringing on your copyright and making a profit for themselves that way. Instead, if you’ve become successful enough to the point that Amazon’s taken notice, you might see that they’ve adopted your line under their brand and slashed prices to make products even more attractive.
One way to stand guard is to sign a mutually exclusive agreement between you and your supplier. However, even this won’t last for very long if Amazon is determined to sell ‘your’ label. If that happens, you’ll become a very small fish in a very big pond and Amazon will simply muscle you out of the way. There’s just about no chance of you winning against Amazon, so the best bet is to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.
