Selling on Amazon: Fee Increases for Sellers and Merchants

Selling on Amazon: Fee Increases for Sellers and Merchants
Bed and Breakfast Owners: Focus More on Google, Less on Facebook
Gary Marcoccia: Value of the Affiliate Marketing Channel #AMDays
4 R’s Boost Engagement: Respect, Respond, Relate, Recognize
A Quick Guide: How to Find and Use Infographics

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:00 PM PDT

amazon money
Those selling on Amazon will see increases in the fees they pay the online retail giant. These so-called third-party merchants market their products on Amazon’s platform in exchange for a cut of their sales and some additional fees for Amazon’s logistics services.

The sellers include small businesses that benefit from Amazon’s online technology as a supplement or in place of their own online presences.

Selling on Amazon: You Will Pay More

Recent increases started last month with the announcement that those selling on Amazon who use Amazon’s merchandise management services will pay more for the privilege.

On Feb. 18, 2013, a new set of fees for Fulfillment by Amazon services went into effect. By using the services, small businesses selling on Amazon can have Amazon store, ship and handle customer service for online inventory.

In an official company statement introducing the increases, Amazon insisted that the fee for a one pound standardized package, which Amazon says makes up a “significant portion” of the packages in the fulfillment program, would increase by only $0.09.

Other increases might be a bit steeper. For example, Amazon announced recently it will increase variable closing fees, the share that Amazon takes from each sale on its platform, from $0.80 to $1.35 for music, video and DVD products, a 55 cent increase or 69 percent. The increase brings the share taken out of each sale by Amazon up to the level currently collected for sales of books, software and video games.

The increase will take effect April 24, 2013 for sellers fulfilling their own Amazon orders, and April 24, 2014 for merchants using the Fulfillment by Amazon program. But that’s not all.

Amazon also announced it would be boosting its standard and expedited shipping rates, the share Amazon credits its sellers to cover shipping costs, in the same product categories. Domestic standard rates would rise from $2.98 to $3.99, an increase of $1.01 or 34%, while domestic expedited rates would rise from $5.19 to $6.19, a difference on one dollar per package or 19 percent.

The increase could change what those selling on Amazon in these categories charge for their products or even what they decide to offer. Small business owner John Baker, who operates on Amazon under the handle bestbookshelf, told eCommerce Bytes in an interview:

I use a scanner when buying (NeatOScan) and I set the scanner to reject any item whose FBA selling price is below my calculated minimum (thus leaving pricing room for a small profit for me). The recent increases to postal fees and to Amazon FBA fees combined to raise that threshold for a used, single-disc music CD in a jewel case by 13.1%. And now this latest increase will raise it an additional 12.9% from the December, 2012, figure.

The increase is affecting other merchants too. In an email interview, Louisa Eyler, President of Positive Distribution LLC, a company handling the marketing of Lock Laces, a brand of shoelace that has sold products on Amazon and other eCommerce sites, explains:

Prior to the spike in Amazon fees, the base fee for selling a pair of Lock Laces was $2.37. Today, the base fee is $3.62 -meaning for an item that is $7.99 – you (the seller) are only getting $4.37 of that sale.

Conclusion

Those selling on Amazon are concerned over the new Amazon increases and have discussed viable alternatives including selling through Amazon’s rivals, like eBay. However, small businesses that continue to sell online may also need to consider the benefits of using Amazon, even with increased costs, before making other arrangements.

The site continues to offer a well-known brand, high online visibility, features like Amazon’s customer fulfillment program and prompt and easy payment of merchants.

Merchants have also complained about eBay’s rate increases in the past, and certainly Amazon is not the only eCommerce site to increase rates for members recently, due, at least in part, to increased costs.

Small eCommerce businesses would also need to weigh the expense, time and expertise needed to establish their own eCommerce sites as well as the cost of providing customer fulfillment.

The post Selling on Amazon: Fee Increases for Sellers and Merchants appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Bed and Breakfast Owners: Focus More on Google, Less on Facebook

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PDT

bed and breakfast marketing Bed and breakfast owners need to incorporate Google more into their marketing plans, according to a recent Local U bed & breakfast study.

Hospitality business owners tend to focus on travel-specific sites over Google and other general search venues, according to Mike Blumenthal of Blumenthals Blog and one of the Faculty of Local University. However, the survey suggests that doesn’t necessarily match up with where consumers are looking to find B&Bs for their next getaway.

"Most bed and breakfast owners were focused solely on reviews on TripAdvisor, BandB.com, and similar sites, while people in the local search industry were focused mainly on Google," he said. "But consumers said they were looking at reviews from everywhere."

Of those surveyed, 31.5% said that the quality of reviews on travel sites were most important to them when choosing a bed and breakfast. And 20.9% said that the quality of reviews on Google were most important to them.

Because of this, Blumenthal said it's important for businesses to make it as easy as possible for customers to leave reviews in different places. Let them leave Yahoo reviews if they already have a Yahoo email address. Or accept reviews on Citysearch since it allows users to sign in with Facebook:

"Give them more options – don't just let them leave reviews on Google or TripAdvisor. A lot of people just ask for a review and forget about it, but you really need to consider the consumer in that process."

Additionally, just 27% of respondents said that upon searching for a bed and breakfast on Google, they would go directly to the official website. The rest of consumers do other things like view Google Maps or Google Reviews. Therefore, Blumenthal said it's important for businesses to make their Google+ pages complete and visually appealing:

"You might not be doing the social part of Google+, but it's still important to make your page stand out from competitors.”

Aside from having all the necessary information like hours and contact information, quality photos and visuals are essential on your Google+ local page. To go above the basics, Blumenthal suggested having a local Google photographer visit and create a virtual tour.

While the research suggested that a typical B&B focus more of their new customer marketing on Google, it also suggested focusing less on Facebook for seeking out new customers. Only 4% of consumers said they ask for recommendations on social media when looking for a bed and breakfast. Facebook may be valuable for building repeat business among those who’ve already visited, however. Blumenthal said:

"Facebook is not a place consumers are going to make buying decisions. They're using it for socializing mainly. It's a fine place for brand building and loyalty programs, but don't count on it as a means for bringing in new customers.”

The post Bed and Breakfast Owners: Focus More on Google, Less on Facebook appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Gary Marcoccia: Value of the Affiliate Marketing Channel #AMDays

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:00 AM PDT

Gary Maroccia, Director of Strategic Partnerships at AvantLink affiliate network joins Geno Prussakov, Founder of Affiliate Management Days and AM Navigator LLC to discuss the value of the affiliate marketing channel and the importance of attribution modeling for affiliate programs to track sale referrals.

* * * * *

Question: If you were to emphasize one important area that every affiliate manager should be paying more attention to, what would it be and why?

Gary Marcoccia: Attribution modeling for affiliate programs. Seek out more intelligent ways to track all sale referrals.

As performance marketing continues to evolve, affiliate managers should look beyond the all or nothing “last click wins” model of crediting publishers.

With online consumer behavior changing and becoming more savvy, customers visit many publisher websites searching for the best value. Insight on every move a customer makes (sometimes over many weeks) on the path to purchase is crucial to have.

With complete click stream data/analysis affiliate managers can make better informed decisions on who to work with and how to structure attribution, resulting in a much stronger program ROI (return on investment).

Question: What do you see as the main areas of opportunity for online and affiliate marketers in 2013 and 2014?

Gary Marcoccia: Mobile shopping compatibility. Whether you are a retailer using Magento, or a publisher using WordPress, be sure you have a mobile version of your site. Here are a couple of statistics to consider:

By the end of 2013, there will be more mobile devices on Earth than people.
The number of U.S. mobile coupon users will rise from 12.3 million in 2010 to 53.2 million in 2014, driven by the rapid adoption of smartphones.

Question: As a director of a reputable U.S. affiliate network, what do you view as the main areas where affiliates can truly help online merchants, adding value to the pre-sale process?

Gary Marcoccia: The most value publishers (in any category) bring merchants is via new customer referrals. Often times, new customer acquisition by way of affiliate marketers is completely overlooked. A 10% commission on a $100 sale (or commissions paid on several sales within a cookie life) is a small price to pay for a new and loyal customer.

Question: It isn’t unusual to hear that since affiliates operate in the mix with other marketing channels that merchants use (paid search, retargetting, social, etc.) With this multi-touchpoint ecommerce, the last-click attribution model is not longer an optimal one. What do you recommend?

Gary Marcoccia: One of our primary objectives at AvantLink is to be transparent with the data we collect. This is true on both sides of the equation. As long as program terms are clear, attribution modeling can be applied in a fair and effective way. This holds true within the Affiliate channel itself, and also with a merchant’s internal marketing channels.

Since you asked for my recommendation, take a look at AvantMetrics.com, an AvantLink product and solution for attribution modeling, multi-network de-duplication and more. It makes attribution modeling possible using the publisher referral classification framework of “introducer,” “influencer” and “checkout influencer.” Merchants set their own business rules based on this framework.

For example, perhaps they want to award a “checkout influencer,” defined as a publisher who sets a cookie after the customer has initiated the checkout process, 50% of a standard commission.

Question: If you were to leave online advertisers/merchants and affiliate managers with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Gary Marcoccia: Invest in your Affiliate program, and be patient. Do not put the program on auto-pilot.

To build an affiliate program the correct way is a process. It takes time. Be sure to have an experienced program manager, pick a network that fits (or two, but not five) and communicate regularly with publishers to build relationships.

Regardless of what you may have heard, you will not flip a switch to live status at any network and see sales start coming in immediately. If that does happen, look closely at publisher tactics to be sure there is a true ROI (return on investment) on their sale referrals.

* * * * *

The upcoming Affiliate Management Days Conference takes place April 16-17, 2013. Follow @AMDays or #AMDays on Twitter. When registering, make sure to use the code SBTAM250 to receive an additional $250.00 off your two-day (or combo) pass.

See the rest of the interview series here.

The post Gary Marcoccia: Value of the Affiliate Marketing Channel #AMDays appeared first on Small Business Trends.

4 R’s Boost Engagement: Respect, Respond, Relate, Recognize

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 08:00 AM PDT

boost engagement So much of our success in business and life depends on our ability to be a “people person” and our likeability factor.

We spend a great deal of time interacting and dealing with people in person and equally online now. Not everyone is a people person, or cut out to be a social butterfly. But it is an important skill that impacts our success.

From his book Engage, Brian Solis says:

“Engagement is shaped by the interpretation of its intentions. In order for social media to mutually benefit you and your customers, you must engage them in meaningful and advantageous conversations, empowering them as true participants in your marketing and service efforts.”

There’s a lot of content talking about engagement, engagement marketing, connecting, making connections, growing fans, followers, and community. People are driven and on a mission, but don’t always go about it the right way. There is, in my opinion, a right way. And it’s based on common sense human principles.

I recently removed someone on LinkedIn who has a large following in their niche and is quite well known. They never responded to any of my efforts over time to engage them and then started sending me mass sales letters like we were great friends.

Not responding because you have too many followers and connections is not acceptable. I know many people with large followings who engage with their community.

Simple things like noticing, paying attention and doing your research on people goes a long way. Being clear and focused on what you need and what you have to give in return to people also goes a long way. Below are four simple, common sense R’s to boost engagement.

4 R’s to Boost Engagement

Boost Engagement by Showing Respect

There are many ways to show respect, especially online. Follow the etiquette and rules of engagement each site or platform requests and suggests. No need to use profanity to make any points, spew hate or be mean.

Show it, earn it, acknowledge it and encourage it and you will receive it back.

Unfollow anyone who doesn’t fit this criteria.

Boost Engagement by Being Responsive

If you put yourself out there, be responsive to people who comment or reach out to you, who you know or don’t know, unless it’s clearly spam. Thank people for finding you and taking the time to connect with you through your website or social sites. A simple, genuine reply is all you need to make.

If you blog regularly and you get comments, respond to them within reason or hire someone to help you with them. Make it about mutuality.

Boost Engagement by Finding Relatability

Find reasons and ways to relate to people and find commonality in their values, life experiences and ideas.

Relatability can be found in some of the simplest ways: Family, hobbies, animals, music, books, learning, etc.

Boost Engagement by Recognizing Others

If I’m paying attention and keeping up with people who are active in my community and doing good or need support, I acknowledge and support them. It will only foster more goodwill.

Honoring people you admire and respect by recognizing them creates great mutual karma.

[Click image for full size infographic]

According to the infographic above by NetBase and J.D. Power and Associates, the good news is:

58% want you to engage in times of need.
42% wish to hear from you in good times.

The not so good news is:

64% only want you listening, to be at their beck and call, only if they are speaking directly to you.
50% of all consumers don't want you listening at all. They want to talk in secret – about you.

To help improve products, services and relationships, NetBase and J.D. Power and Associates offers four steps to follow from their slide share on enhancing social listening and engagement.

If you’re going to be out there today and want to be found in the best possible way, then having a dedicated and consistent way to boost engagement is expected.

What tips do you have to boost engagement?

Four R’s Photo via Shutterstock

The post 4 R’s Boost Engagement: Respect, Respond, Relate, Recognize appeared first on Small Business Trends.

A Quick Guide: How to Find and Use Infographics

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:00 AM PDT

Infographics are everywhere these days and you can find them on just about any topic. Infographics are a great option for supplementing your content and providing great information to your readers. There are many great infographics out there, but there are just as many that are no good.

So how do you choose?

I am going to start with how to choose an infographic so that when you are in the search process, you can keep these ideas in mind.

How to Choose Infographics

Always think about how relevant the infographic will be to your target audiences.

For example, if your blog is about gardening, there are multiple ways you can go. You could easily focus on “5 Flowers That Must Have Sun to Grow", but this would also be relevant, "10 Ways to Get Dirt and Grass Stains Out of Clothes." Even though the stained clothing is not exactly on target with your subject, it still relates.

Keep your mind open to options.

The next thing you need to do is make sure the information provided is accurate and useful. There are many infographics I see that were created quickly with no fact checking done. Sometimes they are made to be beautiful, but offer very little value. For me personally, the infographics with no value are waste of time.

The goal is: Find an infographic that is both attractive and offers valuable information to the reader.

How to Find Infographics

Sometimes finding Infographics can be difficult. Obviously you can use the main search on search engines, but there are other strategies to find the best ones out there. I use the following below to get more recent infographics.

1). Check Sites That Collect Infographics:

2). Check Google News and Google Blog Search

Typically, I can get the best and latest infographics in Google News. Just search for your subject and "infographic" and see what appears. Sometimes I just search for "infographic" and I find hidden gems that I may use or save for later.

I use Google Blog Search the same way and I often find different infographics than I found in Google News. I use news and blog search because it gives me more up-to-date information.

3). Twitter Search and Hashtag #Infographic

People share infographics on Twitter all the time. Make sure you check this search to find new and recent items.

4). Google Alerts

If you don’t want to spend all your time searching, you can have Google find them for you with Google Alerts. Just have a Gmail account ready to go and add the search queries you are interested in. When things you are looking for are published and Google finds them, you will receive an email.

However, lately the service has not been working as quickly or effectively as I would like in some circumstances, but in other cases it is. You can always see if it works for you and if it doesn’t – just delete the alerts you set up.

Things You Must Do When Using Infographics

Anytime you use an infographic you should have a solid introduction to the infographic. Note who created it and link to them. It is really important to give credit to the infographic creator and a name and link is the proper way to do that.

When creating your introduction you should create at least 2 paragraphs on why this infographic could be helpful to your readers. Quickly review the interesting points and tell the reader why the infographic could be useful to them.

You also want to make sure that the infographic is sized to fit your blog well (width-wise).

Tips on Saving Infographics

If you download every infographic you like, your computer will fill up fast. I use Evernote to save all the infographics I am interested in possibly using. I tag them accordingly and can go back and use them when I need them.

You can also create a Pinterest board for infographics based on subject.

A Humorous Infographic for You

Why is this useful?

Well it makes people smile because it has cute cats in funny positions and it makes fun of social media. I just thought I would throw the infographic in to entertain you. As an editor and writer, I have found that appropriate humor does well with most audiences and can drive a lot of traffic.

This infographic was created by Avalaunch Media.

infographics