Why Selling on Amazon is a Game-Changer
Amazon’s Market Size & Growth (stats, $230k avg seller income)
Amazon is one of the biggest online marketplaces in the world. The scale of transactions and offerings that Amazon drives is massive. It now has almost every eCommerce category, and a few millions third-party sellers. If you are thinking of selling on Amazon, being aware of statistics can help you decide what to sell, and how to sell it. Amazon’s revenue surpassed $630 billion in 2024. Statistics show us that the average seller in the US earns more than $230k per year. Amazon is loved by sellers because it provides an eCommerce platform with plenty of tools to make the selling process easy. Do you want to know how to open an eCommerce Amazon store? Then let’s start!
Contents:
Benefits vs. Running Only Your eCommerce Website
You want to start by taking a look at five of the main benefits of running an Amazon store, compared to your own eCommerce website.
- The Amazon brand already has trust and credibility
- Global reach
- Built-in customer base
- Lower upfront cost
- FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)
Amazon SEO vs. Google SEO – What’s Different
Amazon SEO is about driving traffic to your eCommerce Amazon store. While Google SEO refers to driving traffic to a website. Therefore, the SEO strategy to use should be different. The key ranking factors for Amazon are:
- Title and description
- Backend keywords
- Reviews and ratings
- Sales velocity
- Price competitiveness
And, the key ranking factors of Google are:
- High-quality content
- Backlinks
- Technical SEO
- User engagement
Key Benefits of Opening an Amazon Storefront
YouTube video: Introduction to Amazon Stores
Brand Exposure & Trust Factor
When you start an eCommerce business, you need to build trust in order to get clients. And, as you can probably guess, that takes time. Buyers are not quick to trust new sellers, and usually prefer to buy from a website that they have used before. This is when your Amazon storefront is born! People already trust Amazon, as it has proved time and time again to be the home of professional individual sellers. That’s why, the user will assume that you are a serious seller yourself. That’s how, with only opening your eCommerce store and uploading your product, you get both brand exposure and trust from users.
Reaching New Markets Effortlessly
You don’t need to start a different storefront if you want to reach users from other countries. You list your products on Amazon Global Selling, and your product is visible to millions of people around the globe. Amazon automatically converts currencies and manages local payment methods for you. You also have tools that help with tax compliance and rules, and other technicalities, so that you can focus on the growth of your eCommerce store.
Amazon A+ Content & Storytelling
To put it simply, Amazon A+ Content is a premium feature that allows sellers to enhance their product page with detailed descriptions and rich media. Sellers get to highlight the best features of their product, use higher-quality images and all kinds of charts. This makes your store stand out, which improves conversion.
The story modules allow you to share the story of your eCommerce brand. With the use of storytelling, you can convince the user that they actually need your product. Answer to the ‘Why us’ problem, and showcase that your eCommerce store is not like the others. Tell the people about your expertise, and how your product will be useful to them. Use storytelling to get the audience on your side.
Customization Opportunities for Brand Identity
The sellers who are brand registered get some amazing customization opportunities. You get to create a custom layout, where you can choose the colors of your eCommerce brand. You can have a multi-page storefront, which makes it look like your own website! Moreover, you can showcase your full catalog, with pictures and videos. With features like the A+ Content you can go further with the customization. Once you start your eCommerce business on Amazon, you will quickly learn how the platform works. Amazon created its eCommerce marketplace with the seller and the buyer in mind, so it’s easy to browse for both.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Amazon Storefront
Amazon Storefront Creation Process
Step 1 – Open an Amazon Seller Account (Individual vs. Professional)
Opening an eCommerce Amazon store is the first step to start this journey. Depending on your goals, you can either choose an individual or a professional account. You first want to go to Amazon Seller Central, create an account, and choose your selling plan. This is when you’ll have to log your business name, or personal name. Your address, phone number, bank account and tax information also need to be logged. Verify your identity, and build your eCommerce store! A few differences between the two selling plans:
Individual account
- $0 subscription fee
- You have a per-item fee of $0.99 per sale + referral fees
- Best for selling fewer than 40 items per month
Professional account
- $39.99 subscription fee
- Just the referral fees
- Best for selling more than 40 items per month
- Access to advanced eCommerce tools
| Feature | Individual Account | Professional Account |
|---|---|---|
|
Monthly Subscription Fee
|
$0
|
$39.99/month
|
|
Per-Item Fee
|
$0.99 per sale + referral fees
|
No per-item fee (only referral fees)
|
|
Referral Fees
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Best For
|
Selling fewer than 40 items per month
|
Selling more than 40 items per month
|
|
Access to Advanced Tools
|
No
|
Yes
|
Individual_vs_Pro
Step 2 – Register Your Brand (Amazon Brand Registry)
Registering your eCommerce brand protects you from some of the scariest things that can happen to Amazon sellers. Many eCommerce business owners fear Chinese suppliers that can come and sell your product, or a similar one, for a lower price. Even more owners fear that someone will just copy their listing. And, last but not least, they fear Amazon suddenly shutting their eCommerce store. Well, with Amazon Brand Registry you can limit the stress caused by these problems. How? Because you are registering your brand trademark. This article by Jungle Scout gets into details about it.
Step 3 – Buy UPC Codes (GS1 standards)
UPC stands for Universal Product Code, and it is a 12-digit number that uniquely identifies a retail product. This number is encoded into a barcode symbol that can be scanned. The global standard for these is handled by the GS1 international organization. So, if you want to sell your own branded products, you need to start by obtaining a GTIN-12 from GS1. To get a barcode, go to their website, register and then purchase. Keep in mind that there is no eCommerce without a barcode. Amazon won’t allow you to sell the product.
| UPC Type | Initial Fee (USD) | Annual Renewal (USD) | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Single UPC
|
30
|
30
|
Single product or variant
|
|
Small Company Prefix (10 UPCs)
|
250
|
50
|
Small eCommerce business
|
|
Medium Company Prefix (100 UPCs)
|
750
|
150
|
Growing Amazon brand
|
|
Large Company Prefix (1,000 UPCs)
|
2500
|
500
|
Large-scale catalog or multi-brand seller
|
UPC_Costs
Step 4 – Upload High-Quality Product Photos (White Background Rule)
If you want to have photos that look clean and professional, you need to follow the white background rule. Your product needs a white background and good lighting. It eliminates distraction, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the product you are presenting. Professional headshots also make it easier for the user to read of the product (if there is any text). Uploading only high-quality photos ensures that the conversion rate will constantly grow. It’s one of those simple things that you want to do if you want to build an eCommerce business that people trust.
Step 5 – Add & Optimize Product Listings
After you log into Seller Central and go to inventory, you should be able to add a product. You will have some fields to fill, but their names will be pretty self-explanatory, like:
- Product title and description
- Product ID
- Brand
- Category
- Quantity
- Price
- Fulfillment method – FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) or FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant)
Include main keywords in the title and the product’s description. Using around seven different images is recommended. Show the product on a white background, but then also in use. Buyers love seeing different angles of a product. That’s why you might want to add a video too. And, when the product allows it, add charts and infographics.
Step 6 – Write Compelling Product Descriptions (with Keywords & Features)
If you want to write compelling product descriptions for your eCommerce store, you need to start by doing some keyword research. There are some tools that can help you with this task, and we will discuss about them in a later section. But, the core keywords can be easily identified just by looking at what you sell. As an example, if you are selling coffee, that’s your main keyword. And, by using that word, you can find other keywords that are relevant to your eCommerce brand.
Sell the features! If your coffee has a special aroma, tell the people about it. Focus on 2-3 features, and emphasize what the benefits of these features are. Talk about coffee bean variety, about the delicious aftertaste, and don’t forget to mention the antioxidants that prevent cell damage. People want products that can change their lives, and that’s how you’ll market it.
Step 7 – Design Your Amazon Storefront Page
Opening an eCommerce Amazon store comes with designing the storefront. As we already mentioned before, building an Amazon storefront is like designing a mini-website for your eCommerce business. Start by adding the brand logo and banner. Choose the brand colors and fonts. Remember that this is you setting up the tone of your online brand. Amazon offers different storefront templates you can choose from, like: product-focused or story-focused. So you can decide depending on what works better for your eCommerce business. After the page is done, click ‘Publish’, and wait for approval.
Step 8 – Structure Categories & Navigation
Take into consideration how the storefront of other businesses looks, and think of the most logical structure of your categories. You want logical categories as this helps with easier browsing. Actually, this is one of those tricks that used to be part of a list of SEO trends. Many businesses tried naming their categories funny or cute names, but users just end up leaving the page. No, the user doesn’t want to click on the ‘Black Potion’ category, just write ‘Coffee’!
Step 9 – Add ASINs & Manage Inventory
ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number, and it’s a 10-character alphanumeric identifier assigned by Amazon, used to identify products in their online catalog. So, ASINs serve as an identifier in the Amazon system, and they are also part of the product’s URL. They are essential for categorization, sorting and managing the millions of products available on Amazon. The eCommerce platform will use this identifier to help customers find the products they are looking for. Sellers can use the ASIN to match it to an existing product, or generate a new one.
Step 10 – Create a Dynamic Shopping Experience (Videos, Posts, Reviews)
If you want to create a dynamic eCommerce shopping experience, start by adding some videos of your products. It has been proven that videos increase engagement and conversion. A video is quicker to catch your attention, and the user wants to see what happens next. There are a few types of videos that you might want to try:
- How the product is used
- The product in real-life scenarios
- Show yourself trying the products in your store
Try seasonal photoshoots, paired with seasonal promotions. People love these! As for the reviews, know that good customer support leads to users leaving good reviews. Moreover, you should encourage buyers to leave a review. Remind them in an email related to the order, and don’t forget to have ‘Leave a review’ buttons wherever they seem fitted.
Step 11 – Understand and Follow Amazon Ad Policies
Amazon has some strict ad policies because it wants to ensure that ads are accurate and safe in the eCommerce space. All of the ads that you are running should respect a series of rules:
- Content standards – No offensive and explicit imagery.
- Prohibited content – No illegal products (drugs, weapons, etc.)
- Accuracy and relevance – No misleading information (no clickbait).
- Creative guidelines – No watermarks on photos, or text that says ‘Click here’.
- Category-specific restrictions – Categories like ‘Health and Wellness’ or ‘Children’s toys’ will have some specific restrictions.
Step 12 – Approval & Moderation Process
When you create an Amazon storefront, it doesn’t go live immediately. Every new Amazon eCommerce store goes through an approval and moderation process. Don’t forget to click ‘Publish’ if you want your store to go into review mode. Amazon will review everything on your storefront, from photos to content. It usually takes between 24-72 hours to receive an answer. But the approval doesn’t stop here, as Amazon continues to monitor your eCommerce store even after approval. And, if they find anything they don’t like, they might:
- Give you a warning
- Remove that specific content or element
- Suspend your store until corrections are made
Step 13 – Learn Continuously (Amazon Seller University)
Even if you did everything right when setting up your eCommerce store, and it got approved, the learning and building are not done yet. If you want to learn how to open a store on Amazon, you should definitely check the Amazon Seller University. It’s an online free resource offered by Amazon. It provides educational materials for Amazon sellers, helping them grow their eCommerce business. You can learn more about creating and setting up a Seller Account, but also about how to use Amazon’s logistics services. Check their blog for eCommerce tips and case studies if you want to be motivated by success stories.
Advanced Optimization Strategies
Amazon SEO – How to Rank Products Higher
Amazon SEO is what you need to know if you want to rank high in Amazon’s A9 algorithm. It is just a kind of custom SEO! There are some things that are similar to traditional SEO. You need to pay attention to your titles and your descriptions, and you want to include the most relevant keyword to your store in them. As mentioned, you need to use high-quality images and videos for your products. Keep in mind that unlike traditional SEO, the purpose of Amazon SEO is to connect the buyer with the product at the exact moment of purchase intent.
You’ve heard of Google algorithm updates? Well, there is the same thing for the Amazon algorithm. You always want to be up-to-date with everything happening, to adapt your eCommerce marketing strategy. Even if you are, philosophically, only in competition with yourself, better prices will get you in front. Why is this all important? Because the higher you rank in the Amazon search results, the more traffic and sales you will get.
Using Sponsored Ads & Promotions
Now that we’ve got down how to open an eCommerce Amazon store, you need to be able to promote it. Using sponsored ads and promotions on Amazon is one of the most effective techniques you can use to increase your visibility online. Sponsoring your product or your brand gets it to the top of the Amazon results page. But paid ads are not supposed to be your long-term strategy, but rather a little help to kickstart your momentum.
| Ad Type | Placement | Targeting Options | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sponsored Products
|
Search results and product pages
|
Keyword & product targeting
|
Driving sales for specific listings
|
|
Sponsored Brands
|
Top of search and brand banner areas
|
Brand + keyword targeting
|
Increasing brand visibility
|
|
Sponsored Display
|
On and off Amazon (retargeting)
|
Audience & product targeting
|
Retargeting interested shoppers
|
Ad_Types
Leveraging Reviews & Social Proof
Do you want to boost the trust in your eCommerce brand? Do you want to spark conversations? Start by leveraging reviews and social proof. Almost every buyer checks reviews before buying something. As a buyer, you want to see what others have to say about the product. And seeing 5-star reviews, and compliments about the customer support make you want to buy! Moreover, Amazon prioritizes an eCommerce business with good reviews when putting together the search results. Social proof, that your product is worth buying, reduces the potential buyer’s hesitation.
Analytics & A/B Testing in Amazon Seller Central
View from Amazon Seller Central
Seller Central is the place on Amazon where you will find all of the tools necessary to track your performance and understand customer behavior. Let’s take a closer look at these features:
- Analytics – There are all kinds of eCommerce analytics that you can access. From traffic to conversion rate to data on your PCC campaigns. There are a few sub-sections that you can access, which allow you to see analytics concerning different things related to your eCommerce business. If you go to the section called ‘Brand Analytics’ you can even see what products are usually bought together, or what keywords bring the most sales.
- A/B Testing – This is available if you are an Amazon Registered Seller. It’s a feature that lets you run tests on product titles/descriptions, but also on images and videos. You won’t have to guess when creating your brand, because you will have the necessary data to make the right decisions.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Navigating Amazon’s complexity (Policies, FBA, Buy Box)
Selling on Amazon is indeed a great opportunity. But it’s also true that the process has its complexities. Amazon is strict when it comes to its policies, and not respecting them could quickly lead to your eCommerce store being temporarily or permanently taken down. So, keep your listings accurate, and never sell things that are against guidelines. Monitor Seller Central for policy updates.
FBA, which stands for Fulfillment by Amazon, is you allowing Amazon to help you every step of the way. Amazon will handle everything, from storage, to packing and shipping. You only have to take care of the online part. No complicated eCommerce logistics, safe and fast delivery, and no stress for you.
The Buy Box refers to the ‘Add to Cart’ button on a product page. It encourages the buyer to buy the thing, rather than comparing it. If the buyer doesn’t modify which seller to buy from, the purchase will go to the seller who ranks in the Buy Box. So, you need to have the best price for the quality of your product. You also need high performance and sufficient stock available!
Example of products on Amazon
Product-Market Fit & Differentiation
If your product solves a problem that people have, you will have success in eCommerce on Amazon. Before you start selling, you need to check what the people actually need. Find your target audience and provide a product that it’s in high demand. Check the reviews of competing products and see what people don’t like. Make sure that the product you are putting out meets the customers’ needs better than existing products. There are many categories on Amazon where you can find the exact product over and over again. You need to ensure that there is something different about yours.
Scaling Operations & Logistics
If you want to scale your eCommerce business, Amazon is helping with that. The FBA program allows scaling, but it does require some prep and compliance. If you want to scale successfully, there are some things that you might want to focus on:
- Inventory management
- Fulfillment and logistics
- Building a team + automation
- Keeping the financial situation healthy
Dealing with Competition & Counterfeit Issues
Amazon gives you a great opportunity to do eCommerce, but it comes with some risks. The first one is competition. The best solution is to have good prices. Analyze the prices of your competition, and try to offer a better one. Don’t undervalue your product, but don’t overvalue it either. Secondly, enrolling in Brand Registry can protect you from trouble like being hijacked. Another trick is to use long-tail keywords, as they have lower competition, and higher conversion! As for the counterfeit issues, use the Amazon tools available to find this problem.
Case Studies & Success Stories
Small Brand → $1M/year on Amazon
Example of seller on Amazon
Over 55,000 individual sellers made over $1 million in 2024! A small eCommerce brand can become a $1M/year eCommerce business with the help of Amazon. It’s not just a dream, it’s entirely possible, and thousands of sellers are doing it right now. You have all of the eCommerce tools needed available on the Amazon platform. It has never been easier than this. Amazon has some case studies up on its website that you can check out if you need motivation.
Lessons Learned from Failed Amazon Sellers
There are many mistakes you could make, but some are worse than others. Here’s a list of five mistakes you want to avoid in the eCommerce industry:
- Choosing the wrong product – Selling a product with low demand.
- Ignoring differentiation – Selling a generic product. Add some value to it, or a personal touch.
- Poor listings – Low-quality images, a poor title and no keywords.
- Running out of stock – If you run out of stock, you are lowering in results.
- Not replying to reviews – Buyers don’t trust an eCommerce store that ignores their clients.
External Tools & Resources for Amazon Sellers
Keyword Research Tools for Amazon (Helium10, JungleScout)
Similar to traditional SEO services, keyword research is needed for Amazon SEO. With the help of tools like Helium10 and JungleScout, you can find high-volume and relevant keywords for your eCommerce business. With the help of these two tools you can discover competitor keywords, and track how your keywords are performing. Use them if you want to boost your visibility and sales.
Competitor Analysis Tools
The two tools just mentioned can be a great help in competitor analysis too! When we say to analyze your competitor, it’s not about maliciously spying on their storefront and wishing that their eCommerce business fails. It’s more about learning what decisions you want to make so that your brand grows. Thankfully, many eCommerce tools that can help you see what other sellers in your niche are doing well or poorly.
Inventory & Automation Software
Managing inventory efficiently is an essential step for Amazon sellers. If you want to be successful, you need to find the balance between too much and too little inventory. Having too little can lower you in search results, and having too much results in storage fees. You can use eCommerce tools to automate and streamline this complicated task by tracking your stock level across multiple marketplaces. By leveraging these kinds of eCommerce tools you can ensure to always have optimal stock levels. Meanwhile, you can focus on marketing and scaling.
Final Checklist Before Launching Your Storefront
Before money starts coming in, you need to make sure that your storefront is ready to be seen. You can use this as a template for your final checklist (it checks the most important elements):
1. Identity and Storefront
- Logo uploaded and high-quality
- Colors and fonts are consistent
- Catchy story
2. Navigation
- Category pages labeled
- Intuitive navigation
- Clickable titles
3. Inventory
- All products are in stock, priced and live
4. Compliance
- All images comply with Amazon guidelines
- Tax compliance
If you put a ‘checked’ sign next to every line, your eCommerce store is ready to be sent for review. If everything is as it should be, your side-hustle will soon become your full-time job!
Conclusion
Amazon is one of the biggest eCommerce platforms in the world, which means that it’s constantly growing. So, the sooner you start your eCommerce store, the better. New businesses are making a home out of this eCommerce platform every day. It has a robust eCommerce infrastructure and millions of users. The earlier you set up your storefront, the sooner you can create a recognizable image for yourself. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you want to focus on product-market fit and differentiation. No one wants to have a thousand options for the exact product. But they might want it in a different color, or waterproof. Be the one to provide it, and start today!
Ion G. Tudorache
As a co-founder and managing director of GAMIT I am the first contact of our clients. My job includes setting project objectives and offering SEO consulting advice to customers. My professional background and experience working in the SEO industry are essential in developing efficient SEO strategies and designing innovative techniques.
