What we did not expect to happen in 2020, happened. We entered a global pandemic. It was a whirlpool of emotions, struggles and gratitudes. For many sellers it has changed the way they run their businesses and complete their everyday tasks. But, most importantly, we have ended the year and are looking forward to a fresh start with high optimism.
BoostedCommerce, “With so many people cooped up in their homes, it’s not only more convenient but safer to shop online. This creates a world of opportunity for Amazon FBA businesses in 2021, but it also means changes are on the horizon.”
Our insights on Amazon 2021…
1. Online sales to keep increasing
As the pandemic still continues to affect our daily lives, more and more individuals will continue to shop online. Who’s to say when life will go back to “normal” and for many people, online shopping will be their new normal.
Forbes, “Before Covid-19, only 12% of retail sales occurred online, so there’s plenty of upside for e-commerce. According to my company’s research, during the pandemic, 70% of U.S. consumers shopped on Amazon in Q3, and 48% said they would be fine if they never shopped in a physical store again.”
With that being said, more sellers will likely be entering Amazon, leading to more competition in the market.
2. Continued support for small and medium sized businesses
COVID-19 has placed a rather negative effect on small to medium sized businesses all over the world. This includes all of these businesses that sell on Amazon. With the push to support these businesses, Amazon has created a Shop Local Small Businesses page. This allows customers to shop and explore by regions all over the world and make an impact. This page also allows the customer to “Meet the Business Owners” and hear about their stories and why they love what they do.
“At Amazon, supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) is a fundamental part of our work and an extension of our customer-centric culture. We see value in investing in the success of sellers, artisans, authors, package-delivery and logistics services, and software developers. “
3. Amazon will be more of a “social media” platform
Amazon has shared their new pending feature “Posts.” What does this mean to you? Posts will be a new tool for sellers to help drive brand awareness and product discovery in a shoppable Amazon feed. Now, we do not know the entire extent of it’s layout as it is still in beta, but we do know that it will only be available for sellers in Brand Registry (another great reason why it is so important to be brand registered.)
“Posts is a great way to maintain a consistent brand presence on Amazon. Posts generally focus on product and lifestyle content. To get started quickly, consider repurposing imagery that your brand has previously shared on social media.”
Posts will be a great way for shoppers to casually browse, scroll, and explore your brand.
4. Amazon Live
A new feature to explore will be Amazon Live. This is a way for sellers to better connect and interact with their shoppers, in real time. It was designed to inspire and educate customers while they can stream a real-time, personal interaction.
“Amazon-produced livestreams allow you to showcase your products within themed livestreams that appear in prominent placements across Amazon. This can amplify your reach on important shopping days like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, or seasonal events like Back to School or Off to College.”
Setting up this feature will be easy to do, again, needing to be brand registered. You will download Amazon Live Creator iOS app, sign in to your seller central account, follow the in-app instructions and finally capture your video. Don’t be nervous, own it!
Here we come 2021…
These are only a few of the changes and concepts we can expect on Amazon in 2021. Time will only tell how this year plays out. Of course, we are entering it with confidence and positivity. It’s going to be a great year, sellers!
Join Us Each Week
Each week we will be providing insights and perspectives on the latest Amazon topics. We would love for you to join our chats!
Stay tuned —
