RESOURCES

May was another monumental month for MPS, from hosting another webinar in our Amazon Vendor Strategy Series, Advanced Amazon Advertising Strategies to Maximize ROI, to announcing that our office will be expanding to a second floor, and enjoying the sunny days and NBA Playoffs (kind of enjoying), there’s never a dull moment around this office! Check out the latest updates and articles we’ve been talking about.

Key Industry Happenings & Platform Updates

 Amazon has stopped buying Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs), a highly coveted real estate at the top of Google search results, where retailers bid and pay to place image-rich ads that show up when consumers search for products. Amazon began bidding for these slots in late 2016, pitting the e-commerce giant against retailers like Walmart Inc. The choice to halt the ads deepens the rift between the technology titans and signals Amazon’s growing ambition in the digital advertising market. https://goo.gl/FmbM9J

Historically the structure of Amazon’s Prime program has had low (or non-existent) profits and they continue to aggressively push same-day delivery, which, at current scale, has terrible marginal economics. Amazon has made some major moves to focus on profitability recently, including raising the price of Prime memberships $20, growing their investments in private label brands, and focusing efforts on more profitable business segments, like advertising. https://goo.gl/b4fBNR

In recent design news for Sellers, Enhanced Brand Content has seen an “enhancement” in its offerings. While in the past, EBC modules differed from those offered to Vendors for A+ pages, within the last week, the same modules have been made available to Sellers. The biggest win for Sellers is the ability to now use the clickable cross-sell module (pictured below), increasing likelihood of same brand sales. In fact, Sellers now have a leg up on Vendors by having access to a wider variety of modules, including the large photo option (a client favorite).

Great design inspiration from the month:

Procter & Gamble’s Laundry Amazon Store (Tide, Gain, Downy)

Starbuck’s Frappuccino Product Images

Eufy Product Images

GreenLife A+ Page

A few of our top blogs from the month:

• Preparing for Prime Day Series: Strategically Submitting Deals, Leveraging AMS, Synergizing Promotions
• Leveraging AMS Bulk Operations Tool
• Updated Amazon Store Insights
• If you missed the April newsletter, read it here

Other Industry News We Found Interesting:

• Amazon GeoBlocks Australia
• Amazon Launches New App Store to Help Merchants
• Amazon Echo: Changing Purchase Behavior on Amazon
• Indie Beauty Shop Launch

Quick, helpful trick: here is a direct link to old ARA basic reporting!