7 Reasons Why You Need a Website for Your Amazon FBA Business

Many online sellers begin with Amazon as their single distribution channel. This comes as no surprise, considering the fact that the eCommerce giant makes it very easy for entrepreneurs to start an online business with the FBA model. In addition, Amazon’s audience is unmatched compared to anywhere else on the internet - according to research, more than 45% of online buyers start their search on Amazon.

Starting an Amazon FBA business is just the first step in building your eCommerce empire. For starters, if you only sell a couple of products, the Amazon-only approach is just fine. But if your goal is to grow your business and build a brand, you definitely need to consider expanding your online presence by launching a website for your Amazon FBA business. You need to think long-term if you want your business to reach new highs.

In this article, we’re discussing why your own branded website is a must-have in the long run.

7 Reasons Why You Need a Website for Your Amazon FBA Business

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1. Build a Brand

Did you know that most people who shop on Amazon think that they’re buying from Amazon even though it is your products they’re buying? In other words, Amazon gets credits for the products you sell and as a seller, you have no brand equity. Amazon only offers a small link on the product detail page through which shoppers can view your store and brand.

This makes building your brand on Amazon almost impossible. On the other hand, you need a strong brand in order to beat the fierce competition and make sure Amazon shoppers choose your products over your competitors’. The best way to achieve this is by building your own website.

A professionally made website combined with marketing efforts and SEO can help you build a recognizable brand that is on top of customers’ minds.

2. Build Relationships with Your Customers

As a seller on Amazon, you cannot communicate with shoppers, engage with them, request to follow you on social media or build relationships with them. Having your own website is the best way to change this.

Your website will provide you with the means to get in touch with your customers, which opens up amazing marketing possibilities. As a result, your customer retention rates will improve on both Amazon and your site. Why is this important? Because loyal customers are the best type of customers and acquiring new ones can cost up to 25 times more.

3. Get Access to Valuable Data

Even though you have access to analytics data on Amazon, this data is not as thorough as your website’s analytics. For instance, on Amazon, you can view the session, orders, conversions, and sales, whereas on your site, you can also get details about which pages your customers visit most frequently, how long they stay on certain pages, etc.

This detailed data will help you create a better customer experience on your site, but you can also use it to optimize your Amazon store.

4. Earn Extra Income

Of all U.S. online sales ($393 billion), 55% is sold through branded stores and the rest via marketplaces like Amazon. Having a website gives you an opportunity to earn a share of that 55% of shoppers buying only through branded sites.

With more than 90% of people using multiple channels when shopping, the least you can do is launch a website. Moreover, you’ll be able to boost your visibility, and increased visibility means more sales.

5. Extend Your Reach Beyond Amazon

Today, about 30% of all online sales are directly attributed to advertising and social media platforms such as Google Adwords and Google Shopping, Facebook Ads and Facebook Retargeting, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and comparison shopping engines (Shopping.com, Shopzilla, etc.).

When you own your own site, you can come up with a marketing strategy that will help you drive traffic directly to your site and keep 100% of the profits. Of course, you can always buy ads for your Amazon listing but by doing so, you’re still building up Amazon’s brand, not your own. In addition, you won’t be able to track your conversions.

7 Reasons Why You Need a Website for Your Amazon FBA Business

Image source: Unsplash

6. Have More Product Flexibility

When you list a product on Amazon, you have to follow their list of procedures and fields. For instance, there’s no way to add extra elements to your listing, such as videos, or personalize your products. But when you have your own website, you can display your products in the best way you see fit. In other words, you can rely on your creativity and visual merchandising efforts to drive sales.

You can test the effectiveness of your merchandising efforts with split testing and website monitoring using tools like HotJar and Optimizely.

7. Your Site Is Your Safety Net

Hundreds of Amazon accounts get suspended due to black hat tricks or policy infringement every day. Just recently, during the worst weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, sellers couldn’t sell and ship products, even when there was a demand. What if something similar happens to you?

Your site will be your safety net in case your account gets suspended and you lose your Amazon customer base. Although your website may lag in sales at first, as you build your brand and customer relationships, shoppers will soon start to seek you out directly.

Final Thoughts

Having an Amazon store and your own website means having more opportunities to expand your audience and sell more products. Of course, handling two channels at the same time can seem somewhat overwhelming but the rewards are great. In the long run, you have to think about developing your brand and creating a business that’s built to last.