If private label selling on Amazon was as easy as tying your shoelaces, we’d be seeing a lot more private label brands. But every day, merchants are making some common mistakes — mistakes that could easily be avoided. To help you steer clear of those pitfalls, FeedbackExpress has put together a list of some mistakes you should avoid making.
1. They Don’t Have Enough Reviews
Imagine yourself as a buyer for a moment, and you’re looking at two sellers selling the similar luggage sets. The first seller has two reviews, one positive and one negative. The second seller has 57 reviews and 50 of them are 5-star reviews. Which one would you buy from?
Not having enough reviews can cost you many potential sales, as buyers have little to nothing to go on when it comes to trusting you. If you have none, or not enough, then a smart strategy to start off with is a giveaway — buyers lose nothing and you have everything to gain. And when it comes to a private label where you don’t have the luxury of relying on a big name (yet), then building up good reviews is of utmost importance.
Related: 5 Useful Ways Private Label Sellers Can Get More Amazon Product Reviews
2. Your Product Listing Sucks
There are many ways you can have a lousy product listing that’s holding you back.
- Fuzzy or lo-res images. Pictures are one of the first things a buyer sees; having poor ones means you won’t get a second click. Shoot your product from different angles in as high resolution as possible so customers can see exactly what you’re selling.
- Sparsely-used keywords. Use more than one data source to find out which keywords are most often used, then cross-reference each source against each other to come up with your list. Remember to not just focus on the most commonly-searched keywords, but also those niche ones that can result in even more conversions.
- There’s not a clear map between keywords and ASINs. When you come up with your set of keywords, understand how each one works for title, product features, description and search terms. Optimising your listing leads to tangible results; not doing so means you don’t even get a first glance.
Related: 6 Great Tips to Win at Amazon Product Listings
3. You Haven’t Researched Your Products Thoroughly Enough
Private label seller or not, there are some items that sell better than others. Selling a line of rotary dial phones or VHS stands is probably not going to result in very many sales, as we just don’t use those things anymore. Put your heart aside and research items that have high sales volumes, then apply it to your own private label.
Related: The Best Products to Private Label on Amazon
4. Nothing’s Special or Different About Your Label
Coca-Cola has cuddly polar bears in its Christmas commercials. Michelin has a puffy tire man. Target has a red, well, target logo. And WWF has a panda bear. What all these companies share is a logo or brand that’s separate and distinct from their competition, something that makes them instantly recognisable. If you have a weak identity, you’re just going to get lost in the noise and have little to go on in convincing people to buy from you. Think about what sets you apart and work on making those your primary focus, and then integrate it into your brand everywhere.
5. You’re Too Slow Out of the Gate
Remember Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare? The hare leapt ahead as soon as the race started and built a big lead. Sure, he napped in the middle of the race and the tortoise caught up to him and ended up winning, but the hare built up a huge lead and had the win in his sights.
Be like both the tortoise and the hare. Start off quick and strong so you can piggyback on in-trend products, and then use your endurance to get you through the sloggy times. The bigger of a lead you can build over your competitors, the more of a cushion you’ll have under you to get you through the trying times.
Final Thoughts
In the first point, we talked about how not having enough reviews can really hamstring you as a private label seller. Just as important is being able to roll the momentum you get with one review and turn it into many. Using FeedbackExpress is vital to that process, as we’ll streamline everything so it’s consistent, professional and organised each and every time. But hurry — the more time you’re not using it is more sales going to your competitor. Sign up now and receive the first 14 days totally free.
