2021 may have already started but it’s not too late to get my crystal ball out and foresee a few BIG things that may happen this year. And more importantly, how we Amazon sellers can make money from them!
Amazon has changed so much since it started over 25 years (can you believe it used to sell only books?!), and will continue to evolve along with developments in tech and customer tastes.
Being the savvy entrepreneurs we are, we don’t want to be left behind – in fact, we want to be way ahead of the curve. That’s why I’ve put together my 3 big predictions for Amazon this year:
1. More selling through video
Although you might be familiar with Amazon Live – a video streaming service that allows sellers to promote their products by hosting live streams for Amazon customers – you probably haven’t used it.
Since launching in February 2019, it’s been a slow start for the platform and it’s still only available to Brand Registered sellers on the US marketplace.
But signs point to this changing.
The livestreaming market is exploding in China – evident in last year’s record-breaking Singles Day. It’s estimated that 39% of China’s population watch attractive influencers promote products and livestreaming makes up almost 9% of all eCommerce sales.
It’s only a matter of time before the US and the rest of the world catches up.
What’s more, Amazon has filed patents for technology that will allow you to stop a TV show or movie on Prime to buy a product you see on screen. Now, this is in its very early days, but I can’t help but think of the possibilities!
2. More interest in eco-friendly products
With the new environmentally-focused administration in the White House, the US can expect a boost in the market for green products.
The US has been behind the rest of the world when it comes to environmentally-friendly products (pound for pound, the green market is much bigger in Australia), but I don’t see this staying the same. And this could be excellent news for us.
The Aussie government has done a brilliant job in branding Australian products as healthy, clean-living, natural etc. to the rest of the world. So, if you’re selling Aussie products in the US, this could be a golden opportunity to capitalize on the country’s lean towards all things green.
3. Goodbye big corporations, hello mom-and-pop
Yes, I’m aware that Amazon is one of the biggest companies in the world but hear me out.
Shopify’s total sales across all of its stores exceeded $5 billion on Black Friday/Cyber Monday – that’s more than Amazon.
What does this mean?
Given the geopolitical disruption of the past 12 months, our shopping habits have changed. There’s been an increased interest in buying from smaller, more local, more independent vendors – as opposed to huge corporations.
So for us, it doesn’t mean deleting our Amazon seller accounts, but we should put greater effort into pushing our brand’s individualism and personality on social media and beyond.
Think mom-and-pop store. We want our customers to believe they’re buying from an individual or a family – not a faceless corporation who doesn’t care about them. We want to really connect with our audience and build a feeling of community.
I think it’s going to be an exciting 12 months with lots of opportunities for us to grow our Amazon businesses. These are my predictions for this year, do you have any?
Thanks for reading. Virtual hugs and kisses xx
Stacey xx