Amazon is the center of the e-commerce universe, making it one of the most powerful tools for increasing your brand’s visibility among shoppers and interacting with them where they already are. Unfortunately, keeping up with all of Amazon’s features isn’t always the easiest task. There are numerous decisions to make before you even get started, and every one of them has an impact on your brand’s experience for consumers on the site … and the level of control you have over curating it.Thankfully, there are a few common, yet avoidable, missteps that lead brands to needlessly surrender control to Amazon. Here are a few that you should avoid.

Not Going the 3P Route

First Party (1P) sellers use Amazon Vendor Central to sell products directly to Amazon. Amazon then resells those products to shoppers in a manner of their choosing. While brands must be invited to be 1P sellers, it’s an invitation that has as many downsides as up. Brands relinquish considerable control when they go the 1P route, often seeing their brand presented—and priced—in an unflattering or strategically damaging manner.Likely, your better option is to go the Third Party (3P) route via Amazon Seller Central. This path requires more legwork on your part but allows you to maintain control over how your brand is presented and your products are priced. For more on the benefits of 3P over 1P, check out this post.

Not Taking Advantage of A+ Content

Let’s face it: the standard product listings on Amazon look and feel alike. It’s hard for brands to communicate their essence and product benefits effectively within the set parameters.With Amazon’s A+ Content—available for free to all brands on Amazon’s Brand Registry—you can supplement the standard content with comparison charts, video and more. This content can help you sell your products in a more compelling manner, while also putting your brand’s personality on display.Once you decide to include A+ Content on your storefront, you’ll need to choose between the “Self Service” path or the “Amazon Builds for You” one. We strongly recommend the “Self Service” route as this will allow you greater control over the look and feel of the content and, ultimately, your brand. You can learn more about A+ Content here.

Not Investing in a Branded Storefront

There’s no better place on Amazon for your brand to tell its story than in a branded storefront. These are like having your own mini-website embedded within the Amazon ecosystem.Video, photo galleries and customer testimonials are among the assets you can feature in your storefront to help build brand affinity and sell more product. You can even craft navigation to help shoppers appreciate your full product offering, potentially inspiring them to add more to their cart. For a deeper look into branded storefronts done well, check out this post.The team at Amify stands ready to help you make the most of your brand on Amazon—without asking you to give up an ounce of control. To learn more, reach out today.