The Magic Behind Amazon Automation
A successful Amazon business must deal with many processes. But some of these tasks are quite repetitive and time-consuming for sellers. Here’s where Amazon automation can help out.
Below, we explore the benefits that Amazon automation can offer your business.
What is Amazon Automation?
Amazon Automation refers to software designed to perform repetitive tasks automatically. This means you only need to program the task and let automation take care of the rest.
Many eCommerce sellers automate at least one or two Amazon tasks, like sales tracking, inventory management, or ad campaigns.
For example, you can automate an email campaign. When doing so, the automation software will track customer responses to your emails. Then, you can review which users interact with your email and focus your resources on delighting those specific leads.
In short, Amazon automation leaves brands with more time and resources which they can then focus on more valuable tasks.
Now, there are two types of Amazon automation to consider. The first is task-oriented, while the second is store-oriented. Let’s see what each type entails for brands.
Amazon Automation Store
Store automation involves hiring a third party to run your Amazon business for you. It’s about partnering with an experienced business, who’ll take care of most of your day-to-day activities.
An Amazon automation business can take care of several processes. For example; product research, stock management, or listing optimization.
Here are few ways to enact store automation:
Hire virtual assistants to tackle product research, customer service, or returns and refunds.
Partner up with freelancers to optimize your listings, improve SEO, or manage PPC ads.
Work with accounting firms to manage payments and fees, or with carriers to take care of shipping.
Some companies can even manage your entire Amazon business for you. But there’s a catch. Taking on Amazon automation can prove very costly for you.
On top of that, you need to do thorough research of the company. If you choose this approach, triple check the automation business. Make sure they can actually perform all the tasks that they claim to offer. And get second and third opinions about their work.
Amazon Task Automation
It’s exactly what it says it is. You automate specific tasks of the selling process. In return, you gain more time to boost efficiency and sales performance.
You already know a few good examples of task automation:
Brand Analytics. Detailed reports about user demographics, search term usage, and more. The idea is to help sellers detect unique opportunities on Amazon.
Brand Dashboard. This is a quick overview of your Amazon store. The brand dashboard highlights sales, stock health and customer experience in a single hub.
Amazon FBA. When using FBA, sellers worry about storing enough stock and selling. Then, Amazon deals with picking, packaging and shipping.
Amazon FBA also handles customer service and product returns. The program is so successful that 68% of sellers use FBA to automate their stores. Such a service allows brands to focus on growth strategies.
But running an FBA store is only the first step in automating your Amazon Business. There’s much more that you can choose to Automate, as we’ll see below.
How to Start Using Amazon Automation
The key to Amazon automation is to figure out which tasks are worthy of such practice. Here’s how you can go about it:
Determine which processes take up most of your time.
Select the activities which are prone to human errors.
Figure out which processes are easily handled using software.
Here, we’ll review a few of the best tasks you can automate to streamline your daily operations on Amazon.
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Email Marketing
If you have a list of loyal customers, you can stay in touch with them using email marketing. But instead of writing each email, it’s best to set up automated templates.
For example, you can set up emails about future offers or discounts. Then, you can schedule them to go out at key dates, such as Amazon Prime Day.
You can also remind customers to leave reviews about products they bought, or to thank them for a specific purchase.
An email software can also track user interaction with seller messages. This way, you can focus your efforts with the most loyal audience.
PPC campaigns
Users seldom look beyond the second page of Amazon search. This makes it crucial to strive for the top spots in the marketplace.
Here’s where PPC campaigns come in. These ads offer a chance to showcase your offers among top ranking products.
Now, PPC ads do need the manual touch, but some automation is also necessary.
For example, a budget manager can help you ensure that you don’t exceed your ads budget for a specific campaign. You can also automate budget allocation to boost spending for the most successful ads.
Automated Pricing
Prices fluctuate. You need to keep track of the competition’s pricing and adjust accordingly. But it would be quite a feat to do so manually.
That’s why Amazon itself recommends that sellers automate pricing. This can help you adjust ASIN prices on-the-go so you can compete with the trends.
Pricing automation is also great to set floor pricing on your items. By doing this, you’ll never set an unprofitable price on your products.
Also, you will know when a competitor runs out of product. So, you can surge prices for a bit to make the most of user demand.
Stock Monitoring
It’s never ideal to run out of stock, nor to exceed warehouse space. It’s a fine balance which even seasoned brands struggle to meet.
Enter stock monitoring apps. This type of software keeps track of all your items and packages. It lets you know when to supply the warehouse with new products.
Such software also tells you when a specific product is stagnated. It’s a great help to devise a new sales campaign, so won’t have to pay long-term storage fees.
Inventory automation apps can also help you forecast sales trends or prepare for seasonal sales, like Halloween.
Final Thoughts
One last question to consider is: How much does Amazon automation cost? There’s no easy answer – it all depends on the process that you’ll automate.
Perhaps you only need to automate specific tasks, like sales tracking. Or maybe you’ll want something that’ll save time across many operations areas.
You can start by automating a few tasks, and then determine if the results are worth it. Regardless of your choice, Amazon automation software can help you save valuable hours.
In return, you can invest this new-found time in more valuable tasks for your success on Amazon.
Best of luck!
Author
Esteban Muñoz is a content writer at AMZ Advisers, with several years’ experience in digital marketing and e-commerce. Esteban and the AMZ Advisers team have been able to achieve incredible growth on Amazon for their clients by optimizing and managing their accounts, and creating in-depth content marketing strategies.
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