How To Optimize Your Products On Merch By Amazon
For a lot of Merch creators, especially first time sellers, marketing t-shirts using Amazon ads might be a bit too costly. Instead, optimizing product listings for Amazon SEO is a definite no-brainer method.
It costs next to nothing and can help make your t-shirts more discoverable on Amazon, one of the largest search engines on the web.
Before you begin writing your t-shirt titles and product descriptions, you first need to begin with keyword research. To find relevant keywords for your beards t-shirt, go to and key in the topic beards t-shirts in the search box:
Youll see that there are 36 unique keywords with an average monthly search volume of 41,590. Also, notice how the monthly searches seem to be more regular rather than seasonal? Thats a good indication that this may be an evergreen product that can sell well over the course of the year.
Scroll down to view the detailed results:
From the results, it shows that the beards niche that youve chosen has a healthy mix of high-volume focus keywords and long tail keywords. While your main keyword will be beards t-shirt, the type of keywords that youll want to target should be long tailed as it will result in a higher conversion rate.
Youll need to avoid keyword stuffing at all costs. Instead, make sure that you use both your focus keyword and long tail keywords moderately and placed in the right spaces.
To optimize your product listing, you need to insert relevant keywords into:
Consider The Dimension And Weight Of The Product
Large, heavy items will cost more to store and ship. Consider this when youre researching products.
Think about selling athletic shortsthese are lightweight and can be compressed into the size of a tennis ball. Theyre cheap and easy to ship, which is exactly what youre looking for.
Now think about selling picture frames. These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and weights. They also require protection to ensure they dont get damaged in storage or transit. These factors make them a bit more expensive.
Looking back at our list of best-selling items, most of the products listed are lightweight and durable. Youre not going to worry about shipping or storing items like Crocs or batteries.
How Much Does It Cost
The KDP website states that even when creating a paperback book, You don’t have to pay any costs upfront or carry any inventory. Your book is printed on demand when customers purchase it. Obviously, this can be a huge asset if you have a limited budget or minimal space to hold your copies. You dont need to print 1,000 copies, with all the costs that come with it, and hope you can sell them all to recoup your investment — the very last thing you want to do is invest so much time into a book, only to lose money on the project.
Amazon does calculate a printing cost, based upon variables like the length of the book and whether its printed in color or black and white. This number is typically used to subtract from the total price of each book before royalties are calculated, but as the author of the book, you can also choose to buy copies of the work at cost .
Amazon offers a calculator to help you determine how much it would cost them to print a copy of your book, but I found it quite confusing. Fortunately, Amazon also offers a fairly basic table for the American market:
- Black ink with 24 to 108 pages: $2.15 per book
- Black ink with 110 to 828 pages: $0.85 per book + $0.012 per page
- Color ink with 24 to 40 pages: $3.65 per book
- Color ink with 42 to 500 pages: $0.85 per book + $0.07 per page
So, a 300-page book with black ink would cost $0.85 + $0.012 * = $4.45 total. A 300-page book with color ink would be $0.85 + $0.07 * = $21.85.
You May Like: Can You Buy Food On Amazon With Ebt
Write An Author Bio That Doesn’t Put Readers To Sleep
A strong author bio humanizes you in the eyes of your readers. Write a strong one, and theyll feel like theyre tapping into a genuine connection every time they read your words. The world of online advertising often feels faceless and cold, so playing up the personal touch can boost your sales. Think of your author bio as a perfect opportunity to do just that: showing off the brain and heart behind your book.
As a KDP user, youll set up your bio through Amazon Author Central. This service, available to all authors on the site, gives you access to a dashboard for tracking your sales and managing your reviews. Most importantly for our purposes, it also allows you to personalize an Amazon Author Page with a warmly engaging bio. You can learn all about how to set this up on our tutorial.
How To Get Started With Amazon Merch
When Amazon first introduced this seller program, it received an overwhelming response. Amazon sellers and online retail entrepreneurs alike flooded the platform to sign up with Amazon Merch.
Though shortly after that, Amazon closed the open registration system and have since implemented an invite-only application process. That way Amazon is able to filter out lower quality designers while reducing the saturation of Merch creators. That effectively ensures that selling Amazon merchandise can be both competitive yet profitable for everyone.
Aside from the waiting period to get into the program, getting started with Amazon Merch is actually pretty easy. Heres how to do it:
And thats it! The difficult part will be waiting for your request to be granted. Some say it can take up to 3 months, while others received approval much earlier. In many ways, the waiting period is a blessing in disguise. You can use that time to learn, research, and experiment as much as possible before going all-in as an Amazon t-shirt seller.
Once youve applied to join Merch by Amazon, its time to plan your journey towards becoming a legit and profitable Merch creator. Here are the steps you should take:
Don’t Miss: How To Tell Alexa To Play A Playlist
Find Low Competition Keywords Triggering Product Ads On Google
In order to drive traffic to your product you sell on Amazon, you want to choose low competition keywords that trigger product ads on Google.
Before you put these low competition keywords to use when selling on Amazon, you have to figure out what they are. You can find low competition keywords that trigger product ads on Google by following the steps below:
If you see several low DR sites on page one of Google thats a signal that the niche is less competitive. Take a look at the two screenshots above. All I did was enter in super broad amazon product categories into Ahrefs keyword explorer and I got back tons of keywords. Rainshower headseems interesting.
What Is Fulfillment By Amazon
Fulfillment by Amazon is a program where you send your merchandise to one of the many Amazon fulfillment centers to be stocked then customers buy products from you, and Amazon ships them. This sort of arrangement allows you to focus on other aspects of running your business while Amazon handles many facets of shipping and customer service.
Other benefits include extending the reach of your products to Amazon Prime members, and gaining an extra push towards winning the Buy Box, even if your products have a bit of a higher price. With Volusion, merchants have the ability to set up different shipping options including dropshipping, which allows flexibility to try using FBA. You can learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon here.
Read Also: Adding Ebt To Amazon
What Is An Amazon Variable Closing Fee
The Amazon Marketplace variable closing fees are fixed for media products and vary for non-media products. These fees pertain to the shipping details of your sold product.
Amazon Seller Fees for a Sold Book :
Now that you know about the structure of Amazons seller fees, lets look at an Amazon fee example. Imagine youre a book merchant who just sold Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone for $15.99. Suppose the customer paid $3.99 for shipping and NO gift wrapping. Assuming that youre not a Pro Merchant subscriber, heres how Amazon will deposit your revenue:
Dont let these fees scare you.
Amazon is a major source of traffic for online retailers and is competitive with other marketplace rates. Being aware of and understanding the Amazon selling fee structure is the first step on your way to managing a Marketplace campaign effectively.
To Make Money On Amazon Or Any Business You Need Certain Things
Before you even start to have visions of handfuls of cash coming your way, you need a few things checked off the checklist in order to make money on Amazon or with any business:
- A sufficient gross margin
- Determine your overall startup costs
- Figure out your break even point
- Forecast your revenue
- Implement performance-based marketing based on revenue projections
- You have to move inventory-if you dont move the inventory youll lose money due to product costs and storage fees
Read Also: How Long Does It Take To Ship Amazon
Decide Between The Professional Or Individual Seller Plan
When choosing an Amazon Selling Plan, consider the products you want to list. Both Individual and Professional Sellers can list products in more than 20 categories. Another 10 categories are available only to Professional Sellers who apply for permission and meet requirements. Here are the major differences between the Professional Amazon Seller plan vs. the Individual Seller Plan:
Individual Plan: Best if youre planning on seller fewer than 40 items per month. Theres no monthly subscription fee, but your selling fees are $0.99 per item in addition to referral fees and variable closing fees.
Professional Plan: Most established brands will start here that is, unless youre selling fewer than 40 items per month. The monthly subscription fee is $39.99 and there are also referral fees and variable closing fees .
Theres Too Much To Learn About Selling
We get it: theres an information overload for how to sell on Amazon. Its easy to get overwhelmed.
35% of sellers say having the necessary tools and information is an important factor for success as an Amazon seller. There are countless free resources available online to help sellers get going, including many developed by Jungle Scouts expert sellers. Build your skills with:
Importantly, it doesnt matter whether sellers have existing business experience or knowledge. 60% of sellers say their current Amazon business is their first experience as a web entrepreneur, and there are success stories at every education level.
At the end of the day, the overwhelming majority of sellers say Amazon entrepreneurship takes effort and intent. But the amount of time, money, and brainpower you devote to it depends on your preference.
Recommended Reading: How Do You Use Amazon Hub Locker
Amazon Hot New Releases List
As weve mentioned above, Amazon gives extra exposure to new releases books in the first 30 days of their launches. You might have heard of the Amazon 30-day cliff: a term authors use to describe how their sales plummet a month after their books release.
Whats responsible for the extra exposure given to new books? Mostly, the Hot New Releases list. The list itself isnt that easy to find while browsing Amazon its also hidden in the sidebar. But its often featured on the main Kindle Store homepage, and is also a primary driver of email recommendations. Whenever you receive an email from Amazon promoting the best new releases in Self-Help, you know where that email is coming from.
Find Products That Don’t Have Too Much Competition
If you’re trying to sell a product that currently has 100,000 search results, it’s likely going to be very difficult to stand out against the competition and achieve the sales you want. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to find a niche within a larger market that has less competition, which ensures your product is more easily found by searchers — best of all, those searchers are likely more willing to buy your product, since they needed to search a more specific keyword.
For instance, let’s say you want to sell cookbooks. “Cookbooks”, as a search term, has over 70,000 results.
Alternatively, the search term “Cookbooks for instant pot cooking” has only 3,000 results. Not only is your product more likely to become a best-seller in this category, but it’s a more targeted keyword — if someone searches “Cookbooks” they could mean anything from “Kids cookbooks” to “Holidays cookbook”. If someone searches “Cookbooks for instant pot cooking”, however, they’re more likely to be satisfied with your product.
You May Like: How Do I Use Amazon Prime At Whole Foods
Top Reasons Sellers Quit
Selling on Amazon isnt all rainbows, butterflies, and easy conversions sometimes, the obstacles are too great to overcome. When youre starting a business, its important to know whats at stakean accurate prediction of how much money, time, and effort youll need in order to succeed will help you sidestep the common issues that lead sellers to quit.
Fortunately, Jungle Scout has tons of tools and resources to keep typical disruptions at bay, and our team of expert sellers stays on top of Amazon developments and other seller news to make sure we cover new concerns, too.
Here are the top three reasons sellers throw in the towel, plus links to guides and features to help you beat them.
To Explore A New Hobby
Selling on Amazon doesnt have to be all work and no play. Around 10% of sellers pick up FBA as a way to pass the time, and stick around once theyve found success.
This includes some whove found that traditional retirement just isnt for them, and occupy themselves with entrepreneurial endeavors.
As I am getting close to retirement and I have lot of free time, I wanted to raise a business that gives me extra money and me very busy. -Jorge G.
I retired from Higher Ed. last fall and rather quickly became tired of being retired. I enjoy staying busy and engaged. -Ron C.
Also Check: Should I Create An Llc To Sell On Amazon
The Reseller: Exclusive Sourcing Relationships
If the seller has negotiated exclusive sourcing relationships from specific brands with decent control of their distribution, preventing any number of unauthorized or gray-market sellers from also selling on Amazon, then this seller is likely to do well as it doesnt have to compete with other sellers for the buy box.
While the principle of an exclusive sourcing relationship makes a lot of sense for sellers, few brands understand the dynamics of the Amazon marketplace well enough to be willing to limit who can sell on Amazon.
This lack of understanding can potentially result in less product sold to retailers in the short-term and is one of the risks of .
Such sellers typically have to agree to represent the brands well on Amazon, by way of improving listing content, ensuring MAP/MSRP prices are in place, and keeping inventory levels adequately stocked for the Amazon customer demand.
With the advent of the FBA program, it is becoming easier for brands to go direct-to-consumer with their own seller accounts on Amazon, cutting out resellers altogether.
For brands that are willing to handle some day-to-day operational responsibilities , they can make retail margins by selling direct-to-consumers on Amazon, rather than securing only wholesale margins selling to retailers/resellers that will, in turn, sell on Amazon.
How To Decide What To Sell On Amazon
Once you know the ways to find products to sell on Amazon you have to decide what youre going to sell via the Amazon marketplace.
Maybe you already have an idea of what you want to sell and you have the data to support selling this type of product. Or, maybe youre still considering your options and need some additional help in this department. If the latter category sounds like you, there are specific ways to decide what to sell.
- Using data: Amazon search volume, Google search volume, competition, SEO difficulty, market trend data.
- Profitability analysis: How do your wholesale prices compare to retail? Do you have at least 40% margin?
- Presence of big brands: Are there established brands already selling products in this niche?
Lets dive into each one in more detail.
Compare Product Ideas Using Data
Before picking a product or products to sell online, you want to compare your product ideas by using concrete data.
Reviewing available data will help you find out information such as search volume, keywords, and more to prepare you prior to selling on Amazon.
Product Search Volume
If youre wondering what site, Amazon or Google, is more popular for product searching, theres conflicting data out there. So, with this in mind, you want to understand the search volume of both.
Comparing the search volume of both Amazon and Google will ensure that you have a clear and true picture of what products people are searching for online and what you should
Google Search Volume
Read Also: How Does Amazon Prime Photos Work
To Replace Their Current Job
43% of sellers said they started their Amazon business because they were interested in a new form of employment or income stream to replace their current job or salary. Working for yourself has a lot of benefits, and sellers commonly cite the ability to make their own hours as a big motivator in their decisions to become entrepreneurs.
I recently decided to let go of my previous business I ran from home. It was very time-consuming. I also homeschool my children and want to have more enjoyable, quality time before my time with them is gone. A friend introduced me to Amazon FBA. I started learning all I could about it and knew, right away, that my first step was getting Jungle Scout. It was a tool I couldnt do without! -Amanda T.
Working for yourself offers the freedom to pursue quality time with family and loved ones.
I wanted to get out of the typical 8-5 job and spend time with my son as he grows up. -Ian W.