Alternative Logistic Solution to Amazon.ie
While many Irish buyers are excited about the launch, it’s important to note for Irish sellers, there are better Logistic Solution alternatives out there in the market.
With the introduction of Amazon Ireland this week, many E-commerce companies may look at setting up their own Amazon.ie Sellers Account and begin distributing their products on the platform. In this article, we are going to look at some of the main points why Irish sellers may look at alternative options to selling on Amazon
Easier Set Up and Integration ASIN
One of the main issues sellers on Amazon.ie will face is the finding and setting up an Amazon Standard Identification Number for each individual product they have within their catalogue.
For example, each SKU that you submit to Amazon will now have to have their own ASIN or Amazon Standard Identification Number. This is an Amazon product identifier, based on their catalogue. This can become an issue for a variety of issues, for example. If your products currently are not listed on Amazon then you must create a new ASIN, however, for new sellers, you are limited to a set amount of ASIN codes that you can create, which may be an issue for your business depending on the number of unique products and having to decide between which products you wish to sell first.
Another issue that can arise is if your business currently has an inventory of over 500 unique SKUs, this can result in a lot of time simply managing products that require a new form of identification regardless of it already having an existing stock keeping unit code as well as a barcode.
In contrast, at 4PLogistics, we can connect to your existing e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify through our ERP integration. By doing so not only can continue to sell your products on your e-commerce platform with complete control, as well other online websites such as Etsy and Ebay, but you can now do so with your existing product identification codes.
Fulfilment By Amazon
One of the main selling points for both sellers and buyers on Amazon.ie is their ability to provide next-day delivery with their products. However, this is mostly a half-truth. If a seller is looking for next-day delivery on their product on Amazon they will have to use Fulfilment by Amazon Ireland, which is an Amazon FBA fulfilment centre to take full advantage of their services.
While this may seem like an intriguing opportunity for businesses to not only receive next-day delivery on their products but to also free up storage space, it is a cautious endeavour as you will have to manage the number of unique SKUs and the volume of each product that will be held within the fulfilment centre, as any additional product that is unsold will cause an excess storage fee to occur, which can begin to add up depending on the level of remaining inventory and overall time spent in excess storage.
Pricing & Ranking
Amazon currently ranks its products on a number of different factors, such as the price, feedback rating and relevance to the user search.
This can be seen as another form of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for users that currently have an e-commerce platform. But instead of building your website with relevant keywords and having organic backlinks to gather more traction, you are now more focused on having users providing positive feedback reviews and introducing competitive and possibly introducing Amazon’s automated pricing feature.
This pricing feature raises and lowers the price of your product based on a number of rules such as a minimum/maximum setting, as your competitors begin to migrate towards Amazon, a pricing war may happen which will not only effect your profit margins but can have an effect on your product ranking if you are more expensive than your competitors.
Support Service
One of the most common complaints with becoming a seller on Amazon is the lack of support that is provided by Amazon’s customer service team. Any online search relating to the matter will result in many articles and forum posts detailing terrible experiences with the customer service team and lackluster responses.
At 4PLogistics, your business is our business, and because of this we place the highest importance on our customer service and have been providing our customers with the highest quality of service since 1995.
For more information on our Logistics Solutions, and how we can help your business improve your e-commerce fulfilment, get in touch with our team today!