Safeguard Your Brand on Amazon: Effective Protection Tactics
The Amazon marketplace, a bustling hub for online sales, presents unique challenges and opportunities. According to Statista, in the second quarter of 2023, Amazon's net sales from third-party seller services grew by an impressive 18 percent compared to the same period the previous year. This category includes commissions, fulfillment, shipping fees, and other services, excluding the impact of Whole Foods Market. Notably, third-party sellers accounted for a staggering 60 percent of Amazon's paid unit sales during this period.
Navigating Amazon's marketplace is a venture filled with opportunities and challenges. One significant hurdle is protecting your brand from unauthorized sellers. These sellers can harm your brand's reputation and profitability. Here are effective tactics to help you maintain your brand's integrity on Amazon.
Source: Statista
Enroll in Amazon Brand Registry
The cornerstone of brand protection on Amazon is the Brand Registry. This tool is crucial for brand owners, giving you greater control over your product listings and helping prevent counterfeit items. By registering, you gain access to tools that simplify the search and report process of infringements. If you do anything, do this ASAP.
Implement Robust Monitoring
Regularly monitor your listings to identify unauthorized sellers. Selling on Amazon for beginners and veterans alike can benefit from using Amazon’s own tools like Brand Analytics. These tools help track your product listings and alert you to potential infringements.
Develop a MAP Policy
A Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy is essential to maintain pricing control (you can find some sample clauses here). This policy helps ensure that resellers don’t undermine your product prices, which is crucial for maintaining your brand's perceived value.
Legal Actions for Brand Protection
If you encounter unauthorized sellers infringing on your rights, consider legal steps. Start with cease and desist letters and if necessary, escalate to legal counsel. This is especially relevant for established brand owners who have a significant brand presence to protect.
Engage Amazon’s Project Zero
Utilize Project Zero, which employs Amazon’s machine learning technology in combination with your brand insights to combat counterfeits. It's especially useful for Amazon full service agency clients looking to minimize counterfeit issues.
Prioritize Customer Relationships
For Amazon marketing agencies and sellers, it’s crucial to build robust customer relations. Encourage your customers to buy directly from your official Amazon store. Remarket using Amazon’s brand tools, such as Brand Tailored Promotions, Posts, etc…
Amazon’s Transparency Program
Participate in Amazon’s Transparency program, which uses unique codes to confirm product authenticity. This is particularly beneficial for Amazon 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) providers and sellers concerned about counterfeit products.
Leverage Amazon PPC for Brand Visibility
Utilize Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising to increase your brand's visibility. A strategic Amazon PPC campaign ensures your products appear prominently, which can provide more authorized sales. This tactic is a staple for any Amazon advertising agency focusing on brand protection when partnered with an effort to identify and remove unauthorized sellers.
Know your Supply Chain
Don’t know who some of the sellers are on the product page? Get to know all of them, Amazon will not help when it comes to policing distribution. This is the responsibility of the brand to control, know your biggest customers as they are likely selling it to or on Amazon. We partner with some of the best legal minds in the industry, let us help.
Final Thoughts
Managing your brand on Amazon requires a combination of vigilance, strategic action, and sometimes, partnership with an Amazon marketing agency. For businesses looking to enhance their Amazon strategy, Marketplace Pros, a full-service Amazon agency, offers expertise in brand protection, Amazon PPC, and overall marketplace management.
Marketplace Pros can guide new brand owners and experienced brand owners alike through the nuances of Amazon’s platform, providing tailored solutions to protect and grow your brand.
Ready to protect and propel your brand on Amazon? Connect with Marketplace Pros, the best 3PL for brand owners and a leading Amazon ad agency, for expert assistance.