Do’s and Don’ts of Amazon Product Promotions
Amazon product promotions are big business. To maximize your success with whatever promotion you’re running, there are some important dos and don’ts to follow.
Changes made to its Terms of Service are subtle and with little-to-no announcement. I hear about a seller getting suspended every couple days after running a promotion on Amazon.
Based on our research, I have compiled a list of what Amazon considers to be unacceptable and okay when promoting their own products.
How promotions work with product sales ranks
Amazon FBA sellers have long noticed that there is a correlation between best seller ranking (BSR) and organic rankings (SEO); sales velocity affects both.
As a seller on Amazon, you should be aware of the competition for your product. Giving away free products in an FBA promotion will sometimes show it as higher up in Amazon’s search results than those that are not promoted, simply because more people buy from there.
Amazon is often frustrated when sellers invest in fraud and manipulation to increase their sales rank
With Amazon, err on the side of caution
I discourage manipulating Amazon product rankings or promotions. It leads to lower sales. And lower sales for your platform, sellers and even our business – means, fewer purchases made by consumers.
To ensure that your promotions comply with Amazon’s rules and regulations, take a cautious approach anytime you are uncertain of the rules.
Here’s our analysis:
By using the best seller rank feature, you’ll be able to evaluate how popular a product is.
Like reviews, Amazon cares about its customers and putting them first.
Sellers can use the Buy Box to increase their visibility and fulfill orders. Amazon assesses this in a few ways, one of them being Monthly Sales Rank. Manipulating this rank leads to the product losing sales rank which can lead to loss of visibility on Amazon altogether.
Any indication to manipulate sales rank is prohibited.
What kind of promotions count as Amazon sales rank manipulation?
Amazon doesn’t maintain a limit on how many coupon codes can be used outside of promotions, but sellers should be careful that they are not devaluing their product.
Sellers should refrain from giving away hundreds or thousands of products during a promotion.
Sellers who offer only a few handfuls of promotions should be safe.
No fraudulent orders, including placing orders for your own products.
This practice is known as ‘sock-puppeting’, and it runs counter to Amazon’s dedication to customer experience.
When you create an Amazon account to purchase your own products, in order to boost your own BSR, you are violating Amazon’s “no manipulation” rule.
Amazon sellers are not allowed to have someone else purchase the product they’re selling.
No compensation to buyers
Some sellers found an ingenious workaround to Amazon’s incentivized review policy by “hiring” buyers on Fiverr.com for about $5 and paying them through PayPal to leave a positive review.
Amazon and its’ playground
Our research suggests Amazon typically keeps its suspensions vague for privacy reasons. Amazon’s primary concern is cracking down on the black hat sellers using unethical tactics to cheat the system.
If you see your sales suddenly spike, it’s natural to wonder how that happened. If reviews are flooding in, along with the increased purchases, there’s a good chance your account has been flagged.
One way to succeed with your Amazon promotions is to be fluid with your dos and don’ts. Although Amazon attempts to remain fair, if they think a seller’s listing content goes against their core value of taking care of customers, then they will take action.
Suspensions are increasing. I believe Amazon is cracking down on sellers trying to break the system. Promoter accounts that are suspected of manipulating the system will likely be suspended.
Many sellers are warned by Amazon to end their behavior that violates the rules of service, but it is often ignored or overlooked. Don’t be one of those sellers!
Amazon product promotions can be big business and the company wants to do whatever it can to maximize your success with these promotions. Larger companies often have a distinct advantage when it comes to running promotions. One of the easiest ways they succeed is by hiding their black hat strategies.“
Although there may be sellers out there breaking the rules (and not getting caught to date), you should still follow these best practices. Amazon product promotions are big business. Without following the rules, you risk hurting your future success with Amazon promotions.
The best way to boost your rank on Amazon
Everyone wants a higher sales rank, but you don’t have to cheat to get there. Here are some legal ways to help your product’s popularity and visibility on Amazon:
The best way improve your product’s popularity is simply by following these 3 easy tips.
Learn how to use PPC
There’s no easy way around this. Learn and get familiar with it. It’s the difference between a successful product and not. Always remember to stay within budget.
It is important to be conservative with your promotions, in order to avoid overdoing it.
When running promotions, err on the side of caution. Giving out too many discount codes per day can deplete your allotted supply and end up backfiring when you have no more to give away.
Thank your customers for taking the time to try out a promotion, but don’t contact them with the sole intent of getting a positive review.
After distributing your codes, be sure to thank your shoppers for their good reviews and feedback. However, please do not share promotional codes in an effort to push or coerce shoppers into giving you a positive feedback.
Take care of customers
Sure, it’s not a ‘hack’, but it’s an ancient and timeless technique which can be applied to many facets of life. If you show people who spend money with you some respect and consideration, they will come back for more in the future.
Customers will spread the word about your promotions, encouraging their friends to take advantage of your promos.
Poor customer service can backfire on you and make people less interested in your products. If they hear that someone has had a negative experience with the company, then they may decide to not buy from you now or in the future.
Take advantage of being a small brand
Amazon product promotions are popular for small brands, but in order to succeed from these campaigns you need to build an actual brand.
Tossing your product on Amazon and hoping for the best won’t cut it. You need to promote your product outside of Amazon in order to maximize success.
Conclusion
Breaking the rules is attractive, but you may be putting your business’ future at stake. There are many ways to boost your Amazon FBA business, but cheating the system can erase all your hard work.
Selling on Amazon is a big commitment. With time and patience, you can offer your products to millions of customers worldwide!
