5 Questions to Ask when Choosing an Amazon Agency — etailz, Inc.

With much speculation surrounding the changes Amazon is rumored to implement in 2020, many companies have proactively started to look for assistance in creating their own seller account and increasing their control of their Amazon business.

Many Amazon agencies have emerged to meet the demand, but with so many different consultants, it can be difficult to discern which are worth your investment. How are you going to ensure that you hire the right agency to help run and grow your brand’s online presence?

5 Questions to Ask Amazon Agencies

Making this decision can be daunting in a sea of options. Here are 5 questions to ask to help you narrow down the candidates, and ultimately, choose the right fit for your brand’s ecommerce channel.

1 — How much experience in ecommerce do you have?

The first and foremost consideration is experience. You want to make sure the consultant or agency you work with has years of experience operating an ecommerce business. The more experience they have, the better understanding they’ll have of what actions will make your products more successful on Amazon.

Press them on what exactly their expertise is and how their services relate to your ecommerce channel. Asking them to go into more detail as to how their experience will translate to the successful growth of your brand can help you weed out potential candidates who have no direct interaction with the actual management of the channel. You want someone with a wealth of experience that pertains to the needs of your brand. While someone who has worked 10 years in Amazon customer service will have some insights, it doesn’t equate to the value you’ll receive from an SEO or marketing expert with 5 years of experience in the marketplace.

Additionally, Amazon has changed greatly since its inception. Someone with years of recent experience in the industry has gone through those alterations, and they’ve proven they can successfully adapt to maintain stability and growth for their channel. Not to mention the wealth of knowledge you will have at your disposal to help you better understand upcoming trends and changes in the marketplace.

2 — Which marketplaces are most important for my brand to be represented on?

While it’s widely recognized that Amazon accounts for the majority of online retail, it’s wise to understand that this is not the only marketplace with ample opportunity. By asking this question, you can gauge their understanding of marketplace trends, as well as see how broad or narrow their scope is regarding online sales. Perhaps your team is interested in expanding on the Walmart marketplace, or maybe you want to launch your products in international markets utilizing the Amazon platform; a consultant that is able to bring you insights into which marketplace works best for your brand, and shows versatility and knowledge in the hurdles each of them represents, is a valuable asset in the successful growth of your online sales.

3 — With which areas of ecommerce do you have the most experience?

Understanding your channel’s needs is crucial in order to pinpoint the specific areas you need your chosen partner to be an expert on. Inquiring about the different services they offer will not only help you confirm that you are hiring someone who has the expertise you need; you also have the chance to learn about their strategic approaches and other potential offerings that could benefit your business.

Ask for examples of the services they offer. Viewing their portfolio will not only give you some solid samples of the kind of work they are able to produce, but you will also be able to test the knowledge of the candidate. If you ask them to guide you through the process of their completed work, someone who knows how to properly run an ecommerce channel will be able to quickly guide you, at the very least, through a high-level workflow about their offerings and the strategies they deploy to make their campaigns successful.

For those who are not entirely sure what marketing services your brand needs, feel free to ask them, “What marketing strategy do you think is the best option for my brand? Where would I see the biggest value?” Most agencies will be happy to put together a proposal for you, breaking down budget costs and recommended services. If they are not able to come up with a strategy for your brand, it might be a good indication that you need to look elsewhere. The more services a potential candidate can offer you, the better. It cuts down having to outsource different sections of your business to different consultants, making the entire experience easier.

4 — Do you have any tools or platforms you use to run marketing? What sets your marketing team strategies/performance apart from other agencies?

There are an enormous number of tools available for agencies to utilize in optimizing their marketing efforts. Familiarizing yourself with the names of the most utilized software will help give you an idea if they are at least familiar with industry standard.

When you ask these questions of an agency, push them to explain what value they can provide that other agencies cannot. Agencies that have ventured into the software development space are always worth exploring more in depth. Typically, agencies like this start developing their own software to resolve an issue they have encountered while performing their own marketing campaigns, which means that they should have concrete examples to point to proving its efficacy. It’s good to inquire about these tools, what their uses are, and how they would benefit your company. If you are hesitant to relinquish your channel to an agency, perhaps they have the option of outsourcing these tools as self-service software. This will allow your team to obtain additional tools to optimize the weak links in your channel, without having to completely change your current marketplace strategy.

5 — How do you forecast the weeks of coverage needed to send to FBA?

If you’re looking for a more traditional wholesale/retail partnership, you still want to learn about the value they add and what sets them apart from other sellers. Two of the main issues that sellers encounter are chargebacks and long-term storage fees. Asking sellers how they forecast the weeks of coverage will give you some insight as to what tools and steps they are taking to mitigate any of these unwanted fees. Much like the marketing tools, keep an eye open for any proprietary software they utilize to help them forecast inventory and mitigate loss. Data-driven agencies that understand seasonality spikes and lows will be able to prepare more accurate shipments to ensure you don’t run out of inventory, while also making sure those long-term storage fees do not affect your margins.

Find the Right Fit

These are five simple questions that any agency or consultant should be able to answer. The potential hire must be versatile, flexible, and in-line with your company goals to elevate your brand and achieve your vision. Keep an eye out for those key factors that will set them apart. Proprietary software is one factor to never overlook, since it can give you an edge over competitors and other agencies. Look at their offerings portfolio and see if you can identify any areas that your brand could benefit from. If they have a wide array of services, they will be able to accommodate most of your needs under one roof.

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Originally published at https://www.etailz.com on January 7, 2020.