Small businesses have been shut down. Millions of people have been ordered to stay at home. We are living through history in the making as we experience the global pandemic known as COVID-19. Last week, Amazon announced that they would no longer accept items other than household staples, groceries, medical supplies and other high demand products at its warehouses until at least April 5th. Tune in to learn what you can do to ensure your business doesn’t collapse amidst this crisis.  Amazon surprisingly announced last week that it will no longer accept other items than household staples, groceries, medical supplies and other high demand products at its warehouses until April 5th.  The new policy is the eCommerce giant’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. This will immediately affect millions of Amazon third-party sellers and vendors.  There have been lots of small businesses that are forced to shut down - restaurants, bars, gyms, indoor sporting centers and many more…. We ALL are affected by this coronavirus outbreak in one way or another and the best thing to do now is to try to stay optimistic and do the best we can to focus on the positive.  In this episode of the Masters of Marketplace podcast Kathleen recommends what FBA sellers should be doing since the new policy, which categories are being prioritized by Amazon and how everyone could support small and local businesses. She is also revealing what her family is doing during the COVID-19 outbreak, what fun things to do while social distancing and if there is any good news about being in a pandemic situation.   You don’t want to miss this interesting episode! So, let’s tune in! Show notes at http://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/27

Masters of Marketplace

27: Amazon Changes Because of COVID-19 and How You Can Help

The world is on fire! The WHO has already declared Coronavirus COVID-19 a pandemic and some countries are on lockdown because of it. It’s affecting people’s lives and businesses from all different angles.  From a business perspective what would you do when something like this happens? Especially when it’s something completely outside of your control? Does your business have a backup plan for when the unexpected happens? It’s difficult to know how to begin developing a backup plan without some guidance and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule.   This week’s episode theme of the Masters of Marketplace podcast is very hot as Kathleen is going to discuss the importance of creating a contingency plan for your Amazon business, why you should implement one and how to take the right actions.  She is revealing some of the most common scenarios you should be prepared for to ensure your business will continue to run and thrive, despite unforeseen circumstances that could become business breakers if not taken care of and planned for properly. Tune in to get to know the full breakdown and learn what steps you as an Amazon seller should take to establish a sustainable and successful thriving business. Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/26 

26: Creating a Contingency Plan for Your Amazon Store

As an online business owner you’ve already decided to expand your business by selling products on Amazon. And now you have to decide whether you should sell on Amazon Seller or Amazon Vendor.  But what are the differences between the two Amazon selling models and what’s most important:  Which one will best suit your business?  Making the right decision could be very confusing especially if you are new to Amazon and still haven’t yet launched your product.  But don’t get stuck because we are here to help. Listen to this interesting episode of the Masters of Marketplace podcast and let Kathleen share with you the fundamental differences between the two methods of selling and their key benefits and drawbacks.  Kathleen discusses which way to go if you want to be more in control over your product, if you own a large or a small brand, or if you want to maximize your sales. Tune in to find out the full breakdown and check out what Amazon platform Kathleen recommends  you should be selling on and why.  Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/25.  If you’re looking for additional help and support with growing your business on Amazon, considering joining the Masters of Marketplace membership here: https://www.MastersofMarketplace.com/join.  This membership takes you step-by-step through the process of selling on Amazon, from creating beautiful, optimized product listings to launching and marketing your store, and trainings you and/or your employees to expertly navigate the Amazon marketplace so that your business can operate at its full potential.  PLUS you’ll get direct access to Kathleen through weekly office hours and become part of an amazing community of other like-minded business owners who will help guide and support you through this exciting journey. Check it out here at https://www.MastersofMarketplace.com/join. Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/25. 

Should You Sell on Amazon Seller or Amazon Vendor

Imagine one day you wake up in the morning and see that your Amazon listings are gone! Amazon has removed them and you can’t figure out why. You contact Amazon and the only thing they tell you is that your product listings are being suppressed. You start scanning bit by bit through the back end of your listings to identify what could be the reason for that. It’s not an uncommon situation and maybe this has already happened to you. Often times it’s because you used restricted words in your product listings’ titles, bullets or backend keywords and Amazon will remove your listing immediately and without any warning. This can be really tricky as there is no official list of Amazon restricted keywords and sometimes completely innocent products are being removed.  But don’t you worry because Kathleen is here today with another great episode of the Masters of Marketplace podcast and she will tell you the keywords you should never use in your product listings. Tune in to listen to this helpful episode to learn how Amazon detects forbidden keywords, what the consequences are for using these specific words, whether it’s possible to fix the issue and how to prevent the problems before they happen. You don’t want to miss this interesting episode! So let’s dive in! Show notes: https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/24

24: Keywords You Should Never Use in Your Amazon Listings

One of the biggest problems plaguing brands on Amazon is the ever decreasing profit margins across many different categories and products. Amazon has been squeezing its sellers, but the good news is there are solid ways to increase your brand’s profits across the Amazon marketplace. Whether you have small or large products, high priced or low priced items, listen in for 6 simple yet super effective ways to increase your profit margins on Amazon. Show notes: https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/23 Do you often find yourself asking, ‘’ How could I be more profitable on Amazon’’ or even worse, “Why can’t I see any profits?’’ Amazon is one of the largest marketplaces in the world and it is a major sales channel for many companies, both small and large. But it has also become the most competitive e-commerce platform and the ever-increasing selling and fulfillment fees can quickly kill your profit and put your business in serious danger. Fortunately Kathleen is back with another helpful episode of Masters of Marketplace!  Today she shares 6 different strategies to increase your profit margins when selling on Amazon. This marketplace can be a goldmine if you know how to optimize your products for sale. Take advantage of her over 10 years experience and learn for free how to implement her top essential yet incredibly easy ways to save money on fees, how to  reduce packaging and shipping costs and boost sales.  Plus, you will have the chance to find an untapped profitable niche on Amazon!  Tune in to get the full breakdown of her methods and get to know how to connect with people passionate about Amazon just like you!  Let’s dive in! Show notes: https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/23

6 Ways to Increase Your Profit Margins on Amazon

Pricing is something so many e-commerce brands struggle with as online retailers are always competing for the lowest price to serve their customers. How can you ensure that you’re making a profit on each sale? Competitive pricing across your sales channels is critical to the success of your e-commerce brand. But be careful, there are some ways that Amazon will penalize you for this. Listen and learn how to price your products for a profit across all e-commerce channels in this episode. Pricing is one of the most crucial steps to set yourself up for success. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting to sell on Amazon or you’ve been at it for years. It is also one of the major things Amazon looks at when determining who wins the Buy Box.  When you’re a seller on one of the biggest and most competitive e-commerce platforms it is very important that you price your products for a profit if you want to grow a successful business.  In this podcast episode Kathleen shares her knowledge on what your strategy should be when setting the prices of your products on your Amazon store, your website or selling them across different e-commerce platforms.  She reveals her top advice on how to price your products on each of your e-commerce sales channels and dives in to if Amazon requires that you set the lowest prices for the products you offer.  Plus, in this helpful episode you will learn how to avoid getting in trouble with Amazon when pricing your products across different online sales channels. If you’d like to hear more of Kathleen’s take on this topic, make sure to listen to this episode – you don’t want to miss it! Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/22

22: How to Price Your Products Across Online Sales Channels

One of the most difficult things to do as an Amazon seller in 2020 is to get product reviews. With Amazon’s ever changing rules, it’s become harder than ever to get legitimate reviews to your products, both new and old. Listen in for 5 total legal and legit ways that you can generate product reviews on Amazon in 2020.  What is one of the most important things to your Amazon customers? Quality of your products. Customers always come back when you offer a great product even if the price is higher.  A great quality product creates customer loyalty, which in turn, leads to increased sales. Yes, the ultimate goal of any business is to make money and be profitable. But if you want to set yourself up for success on Amazon, you need to make sure you provide products of high quality and a strong reputation.  Receiving authentic outstanding reviews from your customers is a humongous part of earning and building customer loyalty to your brand. It can be a big struggle for you as an Amazon seller to collect product reviews the proper way.  On this podcast episode of Masters of Marketplace, you will learn how to get reviews without violating Amazon’s terms of service. The last thing you want to do is put your account at risk of deactivation.   Kathleen will also advise you on the latest and most efficient techniques of increasing your reviews that will make you stand out from your competition. Plus, you will receive expert tips on how to automate the collection of product reviews. You won’t have to worry about how to get more product reviews.  Be sure you take the time to listen to this podcast episode and find out how to implement these methods to increase your sales and grow your business on Amazon! Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/21

21: 5 Ways to Get Legitimate Amazon Reviews in 2020

What is one of the quickest ways to boost your sales? Set up an Amazon promotion code. Whether you’re looking to launch a new product or sell through some of your slow moving inventory, promotions are a great way to quickly increase your sales. But beware! There is one crucial mistake during set up that can plummet your business fast. Listen now so you never encounter the horror of losing money, inventory and control over your product on Amazon.  Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/20.  ‘’Amazon promotions killed my business!’’ You’ve likely heard painful stories like this. But if not, tune in and listen to this helpful episode to find out what the biggest mistake is to avoid when creating your private promotion opportunities on Amazon.  When you launch your product, you want to make sure you set yourself up for success. Offering discounts is one of the best ways to drive quick sales to your listing and for minimal cost. There are lots of horror stories in the Amazon space, however, of people setting up promotions who ended up losing their money, inventory, companies - everything! You don’t want to be one of them, right?!  This is not to scare you into never creating promotions, though. This episode discusses some of the worst case scenarios and pitfalls that have happened as a result of not setting promotions up properly within your Amazon marketplace account. Do your homework, listen to Kathleen and be prepared to implement a super smart launch strategy that will prevent you from losing money while increasing our sales. Learn from the Amazon expert who will help you set everything up and be next to you all the way to your success!  To hear more on this topic and learn future proof tips, make sure you listen to this episode. Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/20

20: The Biggest Mistake to Avoid with Amazon Private Promotions

It’s passive income that everybody’s talking about nowadays and how  you can make money literally while you sleep! Pursuing the dream of generating passive income isn't always easy, but it's far from impossible.  You can create passive source of online income as an affiliate especially as part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon is not a place to only sell your products, but also where you can make money when your following purchases products that you recommend to them.   This is a great opportunity for just about everyone and you can start right away with no inventory or upfront costs!  Tune into this amazing episode to hear more about the program, who is it for, how to sign up and how to benefit the most of it. Kathleen shares her knowledge not only on promoting your affiliate links the proper way but also the best practices and pro strategy tips of her over 10-year experience so that you become a successful Brand Influencer on Amazon. Listen to the full episode to learn how to make money with Amazon’s Affiliate Program.  Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/19  If you’re wondering if selling on Amazon is the right move for your business, check out the completely free training at https://www.MastersofMarketplace.com/sellonamazon.  You’ll learn: The quickest, easiest way to launch your products on the largest online marketplace in the world - Amazon. The 4 things you MUST have to ensure your product will sell well. Hint: One is a make or break...so you'll NEED this or don't even bother trying. How to save boatloads time and bypass your competitors by learning from the experts who have been launching businesses on Amazon for years.  If you've ever considered selling products on Amazon, then this training was made for you.  Check it out here at https://www.MastersofMarketplace.com/sellonamazon. 

19: How to Make Money with Amazon's Affiliate Program and Become a Brand Influencer

There is a multi billion dollar market of people online who consume digital products. Combine that with the hundreds of millions of Amazon customers who are searching for solutions to their problems and you get an untapped market of people that you can potentially market your digital products to. Sounds like the perfect business, doesn’t it! Listen in for real life examples of how entrepreneurs have succeeded in boosting their sales and growing their online business through this method of selling on Amazon. Are you ready to take your business to the next level this year? If you’re looking for a little bump of encouragement and motivation to keep you headed toward your goals then listen here because Kathleen is here to help you! Imagine you have unlimited inventory on Amazon that generates you 100% profit margin. Sounds like the perfect business, doesn’t it!  The good news is that this is not a dream scenario. It’s completely possible if you have already created a digital product. Digital products cannot be held or touched but there is a multi billion dollar market of people online who consume them. They are extremely appealing as they can be created once and sold repeatedly to different customers without having to replenish your inventory.  So, how exactly do you sell digital products on Amazon? You’ve come to the right place!  On this podcast episode of Masters of Marketplace, Kathleen discusses how you can make money on Amazon without having a physical product.  She is providing smart ideas how to deliver your digital content to the customers in a correct and completely ethical way, not violating Amazon’s terms of service.  She also gives real life examples of how entrepreneurs she’s worked with have succeeded in boosting their sales and growing their online business through this method of selling on Amazon. If you want to hear more on this topic, tune in right now! If you’re wondering if selling on Amazon is the right move for your business, check out the completely free training at https://www.MastersofMarketplace.com/sellonamazon.  You’ll learn: The quickest, easiest way to launch your products on the largest online marketplace in the world - Amazon. The 4 things you MUST have to ensure your product will sell well. Hint: One is a make or break...so you'll NEED this or don't even bother trying. How to save boatloads time and bypass your competitors by learning from the experts who have been launching businesses on Amazon for years.  If you've ever considered selling products on Amazon, then this training was made for you.  Check it out here at https://www.MastersofMarketplace.com/sellonamazon.   Show notes found at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/18 

18: How to Sell Your Digital Products on Amazon

Let’s face it, just about every decision you make as an ecommerce business owner should be based on data. Data is considered as one of the most valuable assets of companies in the digital economy and there is no excuse for not using this knowledge to your advantage to get ahead of your competition and boost your sales.  The key to successful selling is understanding your customers and your competition. When you use a digital platform like Amazon you can track and record just about every customer reaction. E-commerce tools are the right hand of every seller whether you’re a beginner or making six figure profits. It is true that tools can be an essential part of working smarter, not harder but which are the right ones to trust and to really help you skyrocket your sales on Amazon?  On this podcast episode, Kathleen goes over her favorite ecommerce tools she’s been using for years and has provided her with tons of valuable knowledge plus saved her countless hours that otherwise would have been manual working or simply guessing.  To get the full run-down on the tools she cannot live without, make sure you listen to this episode. Take out a pen and paper and let’s dive in! Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/17

17: Skyrocket Your Sales on Amazon with the Help of These 3 Tools

This week we are taking a short break from the Masters of Marketplace podcast. I am so grateful to have you as a listener and subscriber and someone who has placed your trust in me to help you grow your business on Amazon. New episodes will resume next Tuesday, December 31 and every week after. Happy holidays and see you next week! 

Holiday Message Just for You

Are you leaving money on the table each month as an Amazon FBA Seller? Are you fed up with all the fees Amazon is charging that are draining your ecommerce business profit margins?  Yes, fees are tough and it’s hard to make a profit on some items selling on Amazon. A lot of sellers are not aware of the fact that they can lower their FBA fulfilment fees and actually increase their profitability.  Take a deep breath and start listening because in this podcast episode, Kathleen opens up about simple yet smart ways to save on costs. Take the opportunity to learn from an industry expert and get the full breakdown on each of them and learn how to save money and get ahead of your competitors. Let’s start increasing your profit today! It can be difficult to make a profit selling on Amazon, particularly when it comes to selling certain items. Here are 4 ways that you could potentially save money on Amazon FBA fees and increase your profit margins today.  Don’t sell items that retail for less than $10. It can be hard to profit from these low priced items. That doesn’t mean you can’t ever sell items under $10. If you really want to, check to see if you qualify and then utilize Amazon’s Small and Light program. Remeasure your products to ensure the weight and dimensions are correct. This is what your FBA fees are based off of and if they’re incorrect, you could be losing some serious cash every time you sell an item. Sell in multipacks. Instead of selling 1 product, sell 2, 3, 4, etc of the same item bundled together. This allows for only one fulfillment fee for selling multiple products.  Bundle a low priced product with another product. Take two or three different items and bundle them together and sell them on one one product listing. Like the bundle idea, this also creates only one fulfillment fee for multiple products and will save you money on those FBA fees.  Want to learn how to massively increase sales on Amazon without spending 147 hours trying to figure it out yourself?  Check out this completely free video training if you’d like to learn more about how to make 5 Surefire Ways to Quickly Get More Sales on Amazon. https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/getmoresales  You’ll learn how to leverage what you already have in your business to accelerate your sales on Amazon, discover the most important things to do to make your listing irresistible to Amazon customers, plus how to get your products seen on Amazon deals pages (without having to give a 90% discount). If you own or manage an Amazon store and are looking to skyrocket your sales, then this training was made for you.   https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/getmoresales  Episode show notes at https://www,mastersofmarketplace.com/16

16: 4 Ways to Reduce Your Amazon FBA Fulfillment Fees

What is arguably the worst thing that can happen to destroy your Amazon sales (besides your account getting shut down)? Running out of inventory!  No matter how high your product ranks or how optimized your listings are, your seller performance rank will plummet if you are out of stock.  Even worse is that your listing will not show up in any search on Amazon and your competition will take huge advantage of getting the sales you would normally receive. Your customers could also lose trust in your brand and all this could threaten the existence of your business. This can be a real nightmare scenario!  The best way to deal with this issue is to make sure you never run out of inventory on Amazon. In this podcast episode Kathleen shares a simple and important strategy to never lose a sale on Amazon because of low or out of stock inventory. It’s Q4 when sellers make the most of their profit and it is essential that you make sure that your items are always available for sale.  Check out this strategy to help get ahead of your competitors and boost your sales this holiday season. And listen to the end of this episode you will get a free video training to learn 5 sure fire ways quickly get more sales! So, lets dive in! Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/15  Amazon fulfillment check ins can be slow around the holidays If you’ve ever sent inventory to Amazon to fulfil for you, you understand how long it can potentially take for you to ship your items there, for them to receive your products and then for the items to be stocked into inventory.  Pros of always having stock available Sales, sales and more sales. You are always open for business and customers can always find your products to buy on Amazon. This provides a good customer experience for Amazon customers and will help your organic search rank continue to grow because you can always process sales.  Cons of running out of stock on Amazon You can’t make sales! Plus your search rank on Amazon starts to plummet because your products because unsearchable. This is a negative experience for Amazon’s customers and they do not want their shoppers to find a product and then be disappointed because the item is out of stock.  So what IS the secret strategy for never running out of stock in your Amazon store?  The quickest, easiest way to do this is to clone your FBA listings so you can offer both Fulfillment by Amazon and fulfill the same product through your own fulfillment methods.  Listen closely in this episode as Kathleen shows exactly how to do this and all the benefits that will come from you putting this tactic in place within your Amazon store.  Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/15  

15: The Secret Strategy for Never Running Out of Inventory on Amazon

Building trust with your customer is one of the most important parts of being an Amazon seller. You need to show your customers that you truly care about them and believe in your products.   Beyond building buyer trust, your seller rating is an important measurement of your performance on Amazon. Because it’s a vital part of your seller account health, your seller rating can have a huge impact on your business. Amazon is more likely to place your products in the Buy Box and potentially rank them higher in search.  In this podcast episode Kathleen gives her professional tips on how to increase your seller rank even if you have negative reviews. Check out her very logical and simple steps to improve your rank from Amazon’s and customer’s perspective and boost your sales!  Two different kinds of reviews on Amazon and what they mean The first type of reviews you can receive on Amazon are product reviews. These are the reviews you see from customers that display direct on the product listing page and are linked right at the very top of the listing under the title.  Seller reviews are reviews that customers submit to rate you as a seller. Did they have a good experience purchasing from you? Was your customer support on par? Was the product they received defective at all? These are all things customers can discuss when leaving a seller review.  Benefits of having a high seller rating  Having a high seller reviews could actually help with Amazon algorithm in that you’ll get the Buy Box more often if you’re on listings with multiple sellers. It also helps with your account health and overall status in Amazon’s eyes. Plus this is a factor some customers consider when deciding which seller to purchase a product from, especially if you’re competing for a sale on a product listing.  Consequences of having a low seller review  The worst consequence of a low seller review is that Amazon could actually shut down your account. They weigh in on this and display it within your account performance health. They track your negative feedback and if you receive too many within 30 days or your star rating dips, you risk your account getting shut down.  How to be on the alert for new reviews Set up an alert so that you know right away when you get a new seller or product review. Some third party software solutions can do this for you. My preference and one I use is Feedback Genius by SellerLabs. How to increase your seller ratings on Amazon Request to remove reviews that don’t qualify by Amazon’s standards. This includes FBA orders, because Amazon takes that liability for you. You can also request to remove clear reviews that are about only the product itself.  This can be a bit of a grey area but it doesn’t hurt to try.  What to do when you receive negative seller feedback  Reach out directly to any customers who posted a negative review. It’s usually worth the extra time to contact them and reconcile anything they’re unhappy about. You can also respond to the positive reviews, too. This shows you’re an active seller who cares when people are viewing your seller rating and deciding which seller to purchase a product from. If you are on a listing with multiple sellers, this is a big factor to some customers.  Implement these techniques and you’ll be able to quickly increase your Amazon seller rating and overall account health!  Show notes at https://www.mastersofmarketplace.com/14

14: How to Increase Your Seller Rating on Amazon

If you're an e-commerce brand and need help understanding how to best leverage the Amazon marketplace to grow your sales and your impact, then you've come to the right place. The Masters of Marketplace podcast is a show for business owners and entrepreneurs who need help navigating the murky waters of the Amazon marketplace. Selling on Amazon isn’t easy, but it’s become necessary to most businesses to survive in the ever growing ecommerce and online buying world. Kathleen Kobel has been mastering the Amazon marketplace for the past 10 years and has helped hundreds of businesses launch and grow their brands on Amazon. Join her every Tuesday to hear tips, strategies and advice from her direct experience managing multiple brands while teaching everything she knows in her online membership program. Show notes and resources can be found at www.MastersOfMarketplace.com.

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