(Advertorial) European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sold 180 products per minute on Amazon last year[1]. Let’s take a moment to grasp the scale of this figure: it represents more than ninety million products in total.
Home accessories, clothing, health items, toys…: all these products were shipped to buyers using Amazon in 200 different countries and territories[2]. In fact, more than half of the European SMEs on Amazon have an international customer base[3].
Advertising also played a key role in these sales. Last year, small businesses using Amazon Ads owed an average of 25 % of their sales to advertising[4]. If you want to develop your brand on Amazon to increase your sales, Amazon Ads solutions can help you tell your story to the right audiences at the right time. Our audiences work for your brand.
Why SMEs need to develop their brand
A brand is never known from the moment it is launched, nor does it immediately receive a mountain of orders. That is why brand development is so important. This step can help introduce your business, no matter how big or small, to an audience and ensure that it remains fresh in the minds of potential customers throughout their buying journey.
Developing your brand means reaching your target audience on a large scale, through a multitude of promotional channels. But there is more to it than just raising your brand’s profile. To best develop it, you also need to build meaningful relationships with your customers by enhancing their shopping experience, not interrupting it.
You probably already communicate with your customers through newsletters or social media posts at important times, such as when you launch a new product or announce a promotion. These regular exchanges via various channels, including advertising, can build customer loyalty: the dream of every SME.
How Amazon Ads can help develop your brand
When foodspring decided to develop its brand and reach new audiences in Europe, this German nutrition company turned to Amazon Ads. “It was a no-brainer launching our products on Amazon. You want to be present where the shoppers are. Amazon Ads helps give you the visibility to do that”, explains Aakriti Malhotra, senior marketplace manager at foodspring.
According to a recent study[5], advertising campaigns have seven times more impact when their audience is receptive. Amazon audiences already consult Amazon. Brands like foodspring therefore have a better chance of attracting their interest and engaging with them in a more relevant way.
The creation of a Store is one of the solutions that has helped foodspring build meaningful relationships with Amazon shoppers, and increase sales. The Store has become a great place for the foodspring team to share more content about their brand: not just product descriptions, but also recipes and other ideas to inspire fitness fans.
Why inspiration is essential to brand development
Shoppers regularly browse the Amazon site to find out which products to order, which can be particularly interesting for small brands that have not yet made a name for themselves. In the UK, 44 % of shoppers surveyed said they visit online shops when looking for shopping ideas[6].
Advertising also helps customers find what they want. In France, small and medium-sized businesses reported an average 110 % increase in sales within twenty weeks of launching sponsored ads in their home country[7]. Take your first steps with Sponsored Products to help buyers find your products by quickly creating ads that appear on results pages and related product pages. You can then accelerate the development of your brand with Sponsored Brands.
Both Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands have played a key role in foodspring’s strategy. With Sponsored Brands, customers discover your brand through creative ads that appear prominently on Amazon’s results pages. “Amazon [Ads] is not just for big sellers. With Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display, the opportunities to help you grow are endless. There are incredible tools and insights to help you achieve your goals,” says Aakriti Malhotra.
Take your first steps with Amazon Ads
If you want to strengthen your brand’s presence on Amazon, the first thing you need to do is create a space entirely dedicated to it. Your Store is your online shop window, and it’s free to create. With Stores, you can create a self-service, always-on destination that tells your brand story and gives shoppers a place to learn more about your brand and products.
Make your Store as attractive as possible with rich, visually interesting content, such as videos and clickable images. Why not design several sub-pages on your Store to highlight your offers, seasonal items, new products and best sellers.
Now imagine a magnificent, carefully designed shop window. As you know, it will not stay the same. It will change from time to time, just like your Store. Update your Store regularly so that it evolves with your products. This advice is not just good practice: it can help you achieve concrete results. Stores updated in the last ninety days have an average of 11 % more repeat visitors and 13 % higher attributed sales per visitor[8].
Would you like your shop window to generate more buzz? Amazon Ads solutions, such as Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, can help. Small businesses gained 18 % more customers on average after using Amazon Ads for eight weeks[9]. Why not take your first steps with Amazon Ads and try out its products for yourself?
Visit the Amazon Ads centre for SMEs to find out more about our advertising solutions.
[1] Small and medium enterprises selling products on Amazon and based in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Amazon’s European Small and Medium Enterprises Impact Report, 2023
[2] Amazon’s European Small and Medium Enterprises Impact Report, 2022
[3] Amazon’s European Small and Medium Enterprises Impact Report, 2022
[4] Internal Amazon data, UK advertisers using Amazon Ads, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and/or Sponsored Display, with ad spend under $1,000,000, January to December 2022. Results are based on past observations and are not indicative of future performance.
[5] Internal Amazon data, UK advertisers using Amazon Ads, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and/or Sponsored Display, with ad spend under $1,000,000, January to December 2022. Results are based on past observations and are not indicative of future performance.
[6] Sources of inspiration for new products, Global Consumer Survey 2022, Statista, United Kingdom, 2022
[7] Amazon internal data, United Kingdom, February 2020 to February 2023. SMBs are national sellers whose maximum Amazon ad spend, over 12 consecutive months, was less than $150,000 in the last 24 months. Included SMBs actively used sponsored ads for at least 10 weeks during the study period. Results are based on past observations and are not indicative of future results.
[8] Amazon internal data, worldwide, 30 April 2022. Results may vary. Amazon Ads does not guarantee similar results for advertisers on other marketplaces.
[9] Amazon internal data, UK advertisers using Amazon Ads, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and/or Sponsored Display, January to December 2022. Aggregate average results are based on past observations and are not indicative of future performance.