ASIN

Editorial Recommendations

October 7, 2020 Leave a Comment

3 ways Editorial Recommendations boost the bottom line for Amazon brand owners

By: Lesley Hensell

You need an edge on Amazon. What if you could increase sales, clicks and impressions for your products, without breaking the bank?

If you’re a brand owner or private-label seller, you can! The solution is a relatively new section of the Amazon search results page, Editorial Recommendations. These are short articles written by a network of trusted publishers that have been pre-approved by Amazon.

Why should sellers care?

We can help place your products into one of these articles. And Editorial Recommendations drive a lot of sales at a bargain rate. The process is fast and easy for sellers:

Choose a product with 100 or more reviews and an average of 3.8 stars or better
Work with our team to choose three excellent search terms/phrases

Our team does the rest. We ensure you receive an Editorial Recommendation from a reputable publisher, such as Men’s Health or Good Housekeeping. The article will label your product as one of the “best” products for your search term.

Most exciting is that Editorial Recommendations appear on page 1 of search. Even if your organic ranking lands you on page 3 or 4, your product will pop to the head of the class with an Editorial Recommendation.

There are other benefits as well.

Editorial Recommendations improve an ASIN’s overall performance, with better:

Organic rankings and conversion rates
SEO on Google and other search engines
Bottom-line results for PPC campaigns

You pay nothing until the Editorial Recommendation appears on Amazon.com.

Don’t delay. The process takes 4-6 weeks, and early adopters are reaping the rewards of moving quickly. Let Riverbend help transform your most important ASINs today.

Let’s talk 732-832-7528 or contact us here.

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm’s client services team. She leverages two decades as a small business consultant to advise clients on profitability and operational performance. Lesley has been an Amazon seller for almost a decade.

Get your Seller Fulfilled Prime up and running – now!

March 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

Amazon has loosened its metrics for Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) shippers

By: Lesley Hensell

With Amazon’s FBA shipments falling further behind each day, Seller Fulfilled Prime has become more valuable than ever. Unfortunately, many sellers who once had SFP privileges lost them for a performance misstep. Today, likely in reaction to the Covid-19 panic, Amazon has loosened up the metrics for SFP sellers.

Unlike before, the new metric doesn’t punish sellers for carrier missteps. Now is the time to create a differentiator and win the Buy Box by getting your listings a Prime badge. Start listing your products for SFP shipping, or get your SFP privileges back with a great appeal!

Amazon’s new SFP metrics

Amazon’s basic standards for maintaining SFP eligibility are:

On-time shipment rate of at least 99%
Use of Buy Shipping for at least 99% of orders
A cancellation rate of no more than 0.5%

But recently – probably in reaction to Covid-19 fulfillment issues – their fourth metric was updated to read:

An on-time delivery rate of at least 97% on Prime orders when shipping is purchased outside of Buy Shipping services

In the past, sellers had to maintain a 97% on-time delivery rate no matter what. If their carrier made a mistake and delivered late, Amazon held the seller responsible. It appears that this is no longer the case – at least for now.

Appeal your SFP privileges

If you lost your SFP privileges in the past, now is a great time to appeal. Amazon wants to see a three-part plan of action:

Explain the root cause of your SFP suspension. Put simply, which metrics did you violate and why? Amazon wants to know that you understand the mistakes you made.
Explain what you did to remediate the problem. How did you deal with customers whose deliveries fell outside of their delivery window, for example. This section is focused on immediate actions to address past problems.
Detail your plan for maintaining acceptable metrics in the future. Provide a specific plan that directly addresses the mistakes listed in your “root cause” section. This section of the plan should be proactive – not reactive (like part 2 was).

Be sincere and apologetic, but don’t grovel. Be detailed enough to show you’ve solved the problem, but keep it as brief as possible.

If you need help with your SFP appeal, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Call 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

Four rules to support Amazon merchant-fulfilled (MFN) sales in tough times

March 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

With current Amazon FBA limitations, take shipping into your own hands

By: Cathy Ceely

Sellers are suddenly embracing Amazon merchant-fulfilled (MFN) orders to keep their businesses afloat. Sellers need to handle the details – the right way.

Thanks to Covid-19, and a massive influx of orders for basic household goods, Amazon has taken two major actions:

Limited inbound FBA shipments of non-essential items through April 5 – It’s possible that date may be extended
De-prioritized fulfillment of orders of non-essential items, with some promise dates for delivery now extending into May

We suggest that Amazon sellers who are growing their MFN capabilities, or are new to MFN, follow these strategies to best manage their ability to fulfill orders:

Limit purchase quantities. Customers are buying massive quantities of some items.
Extend handling time. Instead of “usually ships now” or “ships in 24 hours,” change your handle time to 2-3 or 3-5 days.
Cancel orders sooner rather than later, if you must. When stock moves quickly, you may find it necessary to cancel orders. Rather than waiting days or a week to see if you get more stock on hand, we suggest that you cancel the order right away. Buyers may be less angry and less apt to complain or leave negative feedback.
Hit pause, early and often. If you see your metrics are in danger of missing targets, put your store on vacation – immediately. Get your existing orders filled and cleaned up before you change back to an active status. If you ship Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP), remember you have the ability to set a maximum number of SFP orders per day. Use it.

If you have challenges with your Amazon merchant-fulfilled orders or Account Health metrics, Riverbend Consulting can help! Give us a call at 877-289-1017 for more information. Or follow us on social media for constant updates.

NY Lockdown – What it means for your Self-fulfilled Amazon Business

March 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

By: Lauren Barbera

What should Self-fulfilled Amazon Business owners think with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing the mandate that all employees of non-essential businesses must stay home? It’s natural to have fears that this will directly impact your merchant-fulfilled Amazon business, especially if you already took a hit with Amazon’s temporary FBA moratorium of inbound items that they deem “Non-Essential Household Goods.”

We here at Riverbend had the same concerns, so the moment we were made aware of the announcement we started researching what this means for you and your employees.

We have good news!

Per New York State’s designation of “Essential Services”, warehouse/distribution and fulfillment make the cut as “Essential!” Mail and delivery services also fall under this designation.

A full list of New York Essential Services can be found here:

https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026

Of course, the health and wellbeing of you and your employees is the highest priority and sheltering in place at home may be the right choice for some or all of you. However, if you are able to take orders, know that this New York Executive Order does not prevent your warehouse operations and order fulfillment to continue at whatever capacity you can currently execute.

If your Amazon business needs additional support through this trying time, know that Riverbend Consulting is here to help. We can assist in monitoring your account to ensure that your shipping metrics or Seller Fulfilled Prime status stays healthy among a host of other services that may help you keep your account up and running.

We are open for business and would be happy to discuss your concerns regarding your Self-fulfilled Amazon Business or whatever is keeping you from sleeping at night. No issue is too big or too small. Follow us on social media for constant updates. Call us for peace of mind. 877-289-1017

Amazon Now Requires Separate Funds Appeal after 90 Days?

March 11, 2020 Leave a Comment

By: Lesley Hensell

In the past, Amazon automatically released the funds for most suspended sellers about 90 days after their account was blocked. That seems to be changing. Now, Amazon is telling suspended 3P sellers they can appeal separately to get their money after 90 days, and a fresh investigation will be launched. This makes it more important than ever for sellers to get their appeals right the first time.

If you’re left with more questions than answers, Riverbend can help. You can contact us here.

3 ways Editorial Recommendations boost the bottom line for Amazon brand owners

By: Lesley Hensell

Why should sellers care?

There are other benefits as well.

Amazon has loosened its metrics for Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) shippers

By: Lesley Hensell

Amazon’s new SFP metrics

Appeal your SFP privileges

With current Amazon FBA limitations, take shipping into your own hands

By: Cathy Ceely

We have good news!

By: Lesley Hensell

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