Google has long been the leader of driving e-commerce traffic and sales for online retailers. If you were thinking about making a purchase, you would go to Google, type in the product, compare prices, find the best deal, then make a purchase through that store’s e-commerce website. That’s how it’s done, right? Once upon a time that was the process, but that is not the case anymore. If you’re still operating solely on this traditional e-commerce model, you’re missing out on a great deal of opportunity.
The state of e-commerce search has shifted.
Today, only 28% of product searches start on a search engine–down from 34% last year. Where are all those searches headed? They’re headed to Amazon, which now accounts for 55% of initial online product searches; outpacing both search engines and brick-and-mortar retailers combined. The data doesn’t stop there. Today, 90% of consumers will check Amazon (even if they’ve found their product elsewhere), to look for the lowest price or better shipping options.
How can small retailers compete with Amazon?
As a small retailer it is very difficult to compete with Amazon. They have built a giant e-commerce machine that currently cannot be stopped. Unless have you have a very specialized or unique product not available from other retailers, you will be competing with Amazon either directly or in search engines. So how do you beat Amazon, given your size and budget? As the old adage goes, if you can’t beat them, join them.
Today, the Amazon search engine is a more valuable tool for driving e-commerce sales than all search engines combined. While SEO and ranking your site is still incredibly important, the benefits of being available in Amazon search cannot be ignored.
So how do I get my products in Amazon’s product search engine?
The good news is that if you’re already using the Shopify platform, the tools to start selling on Amazon are already at your fingertips. Shopify offers a set of Amazon connection tools designed to help Shopify store owners:
– Conveniently sync your Shopify products with Amazon.
– Track sales and inventory all in a single location.
– Link Shopify products with your existing Amazon listings for any category.
– Easily reconcile revenue from Amazon sales using Shopify reports.
– Fulfill Amazon orders directly from Shopify.
It is important to note the existing Shopify to Amazon push system only supports products that fit into Amazon’s Clothing and Accessories category. There is still a great deal of opportunity if you’re selling other types of products–the process of connecting Amazon and Shopify is just a bit more manual.
I want to try it. Where do I start?
To get going you’ll need to integrate your Shopify store with your Amazon Seller Central account. This can be a confusing process, but there are instructions available directly from Shopify. Once connected you can begin linking or listing your products.
What if I need help?
If you’re interested in setting up this integration but don’t want to tackle it on your own, you’re welcome to reach out to us. Our team of Shopify experts can help set up a link between Amazon and your Shopify store so you can begin selling on Amazon.
Note: All of the facts and figures in this post were obtained from the “State of Amazon” study by Bloom Reach.
