Becoming an Amazon seller might seem like an easy feat. However, the seller’s journey can quickly become stressful, or even unprofitable, without the right tools.
This blog discusses how to effectively use the Amazon Seller App to ensure your success and profitability. It also discusses the pros and cons of the Amazon Seller App and how you can potentially respond to some of the common challenges faced by Amazon sellers.
SellerMobile believes selling on Amazon shouldn’t be a hassle. It should be a monitored, repeatable process that brings your sustained profits. That’s why our software suite provides sellers with Amazon seller analytics such as advanced inventory management, price and cost analytics, and automation for things such as customer feedback and repricing.
Continue reading to learn how to use the Amazon Seller App and how Seller Mobile software puts you in the best position to utilize its capabilities.
Use Amazon in Two Ways
Method 1: Amazon Vendor Central
Amazon Vendor Central is the platform manufacturers and distributors use to supply their products to Amazon. After Amazon receives these products, they market and sell them under their brand image to their customers.
Amazon also gets all the rights to these products, including royalties, derivatives, and modifications. These products are often listed on the Amazon site as “ships and sold by Amazon.”
If you don’t want to worry about anything in the customer’s journey, choosing Amazon Vendor Central is likely the best option. You get paid upfront for all the goods you sell to Amazon in bulk. However, Vendor Central is an invite-only program, so your choices are fairly limited.
Method 2: Amazon Seller Central
Seller Central is the easier way to sell on Amazon since it doesn’t require an invitation. As a seller on Amazon Seller Central, you can do business on Amazon while having access to marketing tools and you can sell your merchandise the way you deem fit.
You decide on your products, price points, marketing strategies, and shipping channels. You can also opt for the Fulfillment by Amazon program, which lets you take advantage of Amazon’s worldwide distribution chain.
When you use FBA, Amazon fulfills all of your orders including, picking, packing, shipping, processing returns, and providing customer service for your products. All you need to do is send your products to Amazon and they take care of the rest. The catch is, when you use FBA, you have to pay fees. When you ship your products yourself, you can avoid these extra fees.
Amazon Seller Vs. Amazon Vendor: Which Should You Choose?
Both Amazon Seller and Amazon Vendor have their pros and cons and deciding between the two comes down to your individual seller needs. Vendor Central might pose more benefits for larger vendors than Seller Central, and as a smaller vendor, the decision will likely be made for you.
There are a few things to keep in mind while choosing between Seller Central and Vendor Central. First, Vendor Central is invite-only, while anyone can join Seller Central, meaning Amazon Seller Central is the quickest way to bring your products to market.
However, with Amazon Vendor Central, your primary responsibility is to fulfill the orders for the customer. This simplifies your business model because your primary responsibility becomes fulfillment while Amazon deals with the aspect of your products. As an Amazon seller, you must monitor sales, advertising campaigns, inventory management, and performance metrics.
How to Join Amazon Seller Central
Joining the Amazon Seller app is simple. All you have to do is follow Amazon’s instructions on their website. The initial adjustment period might give you some trouble, but overall, the app is intuitive and easy to use.
One of the exciting features of the Amazon Seller App is that you don’t have to sell products exclusively. You can also sell services. Whether you’re a cleaner, technician, or plumber, you can list your services and find jobs that suit your schedule and service area. However, if you want to sell your services on the Amazon Seller App, you must complete an application. You can find the application on the “Selling Services on Amazon” homepage.
Multichannel Fulfillment (MCF)
Multichannel Fulfillment is a program that gives sellers access to worldwide fulfillment centers, Amazon’s infrastructure and logistics, and its operational expertise. The difference between MCF and FBA is that Amazon fulfills all of your orders with MCF, regardless of whether customers purchase them through Amazon.
Because Amazon fulfills orders from sites other than its own, the processing fees are higher than FBA, which is something to keep in mind when your margins are tight. If your customers purchase primarily through Amazon, then FBA is most likely the most cost-effective choice.
Amazon Seller App Benefits
There are more than a few benefits to using the Amazon Seller Central app, all of which can be bolstered by software such as Seller Mobile and its tools such as advanced profits and cost analytics and inventory analytics.
Sales Analytics- with Seller Central, you can view sales over time and your overall sales growth.
Pricing Opportunities- factors such as inventory alerts and pricing opportunities present themselves as growth opportunities for your business.
Inventory Management- access product-level inventory and pricing details that help you make pricing changes and view fees.
Manage Sponsored Products- monitor your product performance and manage your Sponsored Product campaigns.
Track Your Orders- product sales notifications—pending order viewing and shipment confirmations.
Manage Returns- authorize or close returns and issue refunds. You can also modify your returns settings from the app.
Amazon Seller App Cons
Despite its capabilities, there are some areas where the Seller App falls short, mainly in the metrics department. For example, the app only displays the lowest new and used price for searching products.
Pricing Limitations
The lack of metrics makes it difficult to make decisions about sourcing. In some cases, the lowest-price seller runs a promotion that causes the price to drop unrealistically low when the price likely doubles soon. You can only make an informed judgment about this situation if you have access to other costs.
How to Use the Amazon Seller App
Searching for Products
There are a few options on the app to search for products. You can either scan the product packaging, scan the product’s barcode, or manually search for the product by typing its title.
You can search for a product manually by clicking on the “Add a Product” icon and typing in the keywords.
The scan options are the most convenient, but there will be times when you need to search for your product manually, such as when you are not in the product’s location.
Calculating Your Profit
You can calculate your product’s profit by adding the cost of buying the product and clicking on the line that says, “Gross Proceeds.” Then add that number to the price and ask the app to recalculate. Then you can toggle between Merchant Fulfilled and Fulfilled by Amazon, helping you decide how to list your item.
Creating Listings
One of the better features of the Amazon Seller app is the ability to post your listings quickly. You can simply use the camera on your phone to produce the image for your listing and edit the listing before posting. Then type in the description in bullet points.
Conclusion- How to Use the Amazon Seller App
The Amazon Seller App is a useful tool for any Amazon seller who wants to easily sell their products online. However, it lacks critical metrics and tools that make the Amazon seller’s journey slightly more challenging.
At Seller Mobile, we believe Amazon sellers should have tools at their disposal that ensure sustainable profits. Our software provides sellers with insights such as advanced profit and cost analytics, inventory analytics, and automated repricing and feedback automation.
Contact us today to learn more about what Seller Mobile can provide for you on your Amazon selling journey.
