Amazon Marketing  Services (AMS) gives brands a powerful tool with multiple options for getting their products in front of shoppers. AMS allows direct vendors to drive demand with keyword-targeted ad campaigns designed to increase traffic to Amazon product pages. While both sellers and vendors have access to AMS, Direct vendors users have more robust options when it comes to running AMS ad campaigns.

Strategically managing campaigns and tying keywords into product page content is crucial for success. Across all Amazon advertising campaigns, we’ve decreased our clients’ average cost per click by 19%. In addition, we’ve seen a more than 2x increase in return on ad spend. You can read more about Amazon’s pay-per-click service in our Definitive Guide to Amazon Marketing Services.

The process of “doing business” with Amazon is simpler through Vendor Central than through Seller Central. As a vendor, your primary focus is on filling purchase orders, billing, and avoiding chargebacks. As a seller, especially utilizing FBA, you will be responsible for sales reconciliation, lost inventory, and taxation liabilities.

If you’re selling through Vendor Central Amazon offers vendor the option to create enhanced content via Amazon A+ Detail Pages. You also have the ability to participate in promotional programs such as Subscribe & Save (Amazon’s subscription service) and Amazon Vine, in which your product is sent to top reviewers before it ever hits the shelves. Consumers value what other consumers have to say far more than they do advertisements, so user-generated content can translate into a sales boost.

Pricing Control

Amazon does not strictly follow the Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) guidelines from manufacturers. Amazon can and will adjust retail pricing at any time based on internal data.

Logistical Requirements

Amazon has very specific and rigid guidelines for filling their purchase orders. Vendors that struggle with maintaining stock and/or quickly fulfilling orders open themselves up to significant chargebacks.

“It may be hard to fathom, but over 50% of all online shoppers now use Amazon as the first website they visit when making buying decisions. If brands haven’t created a strategy to reach these shoppers, they’re missing out on a major piece of the ecommerce market. In many ways, Amazon is more important than Google,” notes Ezonomy founder Wes Grudzien.

It’s critical that you create a marketing strategy specific to Amazon. Direct Vendor allows you to take full advantage of Amazon’s powerful marketing tools such as Amazon Marketing Services and A+ content, have literally everything been taken care for you (warehousing, dispatch, customer service and more…)