Selling on Amazon has become significantly more expensive in 2023 due to increased reliance on paid advertising, making organic visibility challenging. This episode breaks down how the platform has evolved into an "advertising wall," highlighting the necessity of advanced PPC strategies and the frustrating prevalence of unpunished black hat tactics, offering insights for sellers to adapt and maintain profitability.
Key takeaways
Amazon has transformed into an 'advertising wall,' where paid placements heavily outweigh organic reach, necessitating a robust paid acquisition strategy for visibility.
Sellers must acknowledge the increased difficulty and near impossibility of cost-effectively sourcing products from the US for Amazon, pushing towards international sourcing for competitive advantage.
Black hat tactics, despite being against Amazon's terms of service, are not adequately policed, creating an uneven playing field that legitimate sellers need to navigate or counter with sophisticated strategies.
Optimizing Amazon PPC campaigns is more critical than ever; sellers should focus on advanced techniques and potentially leverage specialized tools to improve ROI amidst rising ad costs.
The 'big picture' for Amazon sellers now involves a greater emphasis on ad spend management and a proactive approach to dealing with platform changes to sustain profitability.
Joining me today is the ever-insightful Bernie Thompson. Since his last appearance on the podcast in 2018, Bernie and I have met again recently at a few conferences which were put on pause because of COVID. I first met Bernie at The Global Sources Summit in Asia quite a number of years ago as a fellow guest speaker, and he's been a good friend ever since. He's one of the co-founders of PPC Ninja, and is also selling on Amazon. In today's episode, Bernie and I talk about how Amazon's changed in terms organic vs. sponsored products, how Amazon has become an advertising wall of products, and why we feel like black hat tactics don't get punished enough. Audio Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 1:33 - What do you see as The Big Picture these days in Ecommerce / Amazon? 6:38 - Why it's impossible to source from the US 9:50 - How Amazon Advertising has changed 16:16 - Black hat tactics don't get punished enough 22:00 - PPC Ninja I hope you took away some valuable insights from this episode. If you're interested in PPC Ninja, use code ECOMCREW and get an extended trial for free. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!
What does this episode say about amazon & marketplaces?
Amazon has transformed into an 'advertising wall,' where paid placements heavily outweigh organic reach, necessitating a robust paid acquisition strategy for visibility.
What does this episode say about paid acquisition?
Sellers must acknowledge the increased difficulty and near impossibility of cost-effectively sourcing products from the US for Amazon, pushing towards international sourcing for competitive advantage.
What does this episode say about supply chain & operations?
Black hat tactics, despite being against Amazon's terms of service, are not adequately policed, creating an uneven playing field that legitimate sellers need to navigate or counter with sophisticated strategies.
What does this episode say about amazon & marketplaces?
Optimizing Amazon PPC campaigns is more critical than ever; sellers should focus on advanced techniques and potentially leverage specialized tools to improve ROI amidst rising ad costs.
What does this episode say about amazon & marketplaces?
The 'big picture' for Amazon sellers now involves a greater emphasis on ad spend management and a proactive approach to dealing with platform changes to sustain profitability.
