Why the Right Reseller Can Make All the Difference
It is commonly thought among brand that resellers are just a necessary evil; nothing more than a purveyor of widgets. This perception gets derailed when a brand is introduced to a reseller whose goals are directly aligned with the brand itself. Brands need a partner that they can trust to help them work through the issues that arise on the Amazon marketplace. Brands need a partner who will uphold the values that are so important: Brand Integrity, Brand Awareness, and Brand Protection.
Brand Integrity is how your product is presented. When a customer sees your product on an online marketplace, how is it perceived? Do the images and description represent a high value product? Do your product listings have a consistent look or feel to them? It is extremely important that your brand is represented consistently across all platforms. Brands need a partner that is an extension of their brand; a partner that will represent their products in a way that resonates with the customer no matter what channel they purchase from.
Brand Awareness is how well the product is known in the market space. Many brands have a large following and have a great presence in brick and mortar stores, but can’t seem to gain traction in the online world. This is most likely NOT caused by a lack of demand, but a lack of awareness. The best way to make customers more aware of your products is by advertising, but can also be achieved by blogs and social media posts. A great reseller has a familiarity with the platforms that they sell on, and uses knowledge of keywords and SEO to get your products in front of more customers who may be searching for a similar product or even a competitor’s product, resulting in increased sales and market share.
Brand Protection is speaking in regards to pricing. Amazon is commonly known as the cheapest place to find anything, and for most brands, this is far from a good thing. Many brands experience issues with price degradation and MAP violations on Amazon, which frustrates them and discourages them from putting forth the necessary effort to make their brand successful on Amazon. Sales price can be protected, but it takes strategic contributions from both the brand and the reseller to make that happen. Every time a customer goes into a retail store and sees your product, and then proceeds to go to Amazon and purchase online because it was available for less money; it hurts your brick and mortar sales and can often be confusing to customers. Keeping a steady price among all sales channels means less headaches and predictable margins for all parties involved.
Which of these values is most important to your brand? Do you have a reliable reseller that you trust to grow your brand with your ideas and desires in mind? If not, it’s time to seriously think about a partnership with Amazon experts who truly want to see your brand succeed, rather than resellers whose only concern is the next sale.
