How to Win on Amazon 

A Stella Rising Q&A 

Q: What should brands be mindful of when considering launching on Amazon?

It has never been easier to launch a brand on Amazon, but it has never been harder to succeed.

Q: How important is leveraging data to execute a successful ecommerce strategy for brands?

Data is at the root of all of our decisions. Whether you are a seller or a vendor, we analyze the data of past and current performance to understand what is working, what is not, and ways to improve your business. Between Brand Analytics, Business Reports, and a myriad of third- party tools, we have the data at our fingertips necessary to drive success.

Q: What is one thing Stella Rising recommends Amazon brands work on?

On Amazon content is key. Invest in high-quality images, video, and infographics. Build engaging A+ Content and an informative brand store, as your foundation. Once the pages have been set up for success, a strategic Advertising approach is the lever that will accelerate the business.

However, the work you do off-Amazon is just as important. One thing we stress to our clients constantly is that Amazon does not function in a vacuum. It is imperative to build the brand holistically. The brand’s paid advertising, Social Media, PR efforts, creative, etc. must work in tandem to tell one holistic story, across their DTC (Direct to Consumer) website, Amazon, and other retailers.

From Stella Rising’s proprietary research community known as Glimmer, we find that over 83% of consumers are omnichannel. They can discover a beauty product on social media, purchase on Amazon, or buy a fragrance in-store, smell it in person, and then replenish on Amazon. Consumers are not only using Amazon as a retailer but also as a research platform. They might discover off-Amazon, turn to Amazon to read its reviews and content, and still purchase off-Amazon. The consumer’s path to purchase is multi-faceted, they are discovering through different channels every step of the way. Ultimately, a brand must build their story in a 360 degree way, and decide what role Amazon plays.

Q: How does Stella Rising help brands with their Amazon advertising?

Having a great product on Amazon is not good enough unless we get it out in front of the consumer. Amazon is a search-heavy platform, over 75% of consumers shop through search, therefore Amazon Advertising is a crucial investment for every brand. Oftentimes, brands start with Sponsored Ads (Amazon’s pay-per-click search advertising).

When we build a brand’s Advertising strategy, we aim to reach users at each stage of the path to purchase by incorporating all campaign targeting types. We allocate budgets at the campaign level, and create a keyword-rich build, utilizing the largest database of Amazon shopper search trends. We segment out upper-funnel (non-brand) campaigns, and lower-funnel (brand) campaigns. Also, add on ASIN-level, category and competitor targeting, working within the set budget. We discuss a brand’s revenue and ROAS goals, providing in-depth bi-weekly reporting to support those goals.

Amazon content is one of the strongest opportunities to drive conversion.