Marketplace Management
Engineering Business Growth
What is a Marketplace? It is any e-commerce store other than a brand's personal website. Amazon, Wal-Mart, eBay, and Etsy are just a few of the many Marketplaces we specialize in.
Our Marketplace Managers carve a path for clients in the ever-increasing competition of online Marketplaces. The exceptional talents of e-commerce developers, marketing leaders, and former financial executives work together to engage shoppers across a wide range of Marketplaces.
Each Marketplace requires a unique approach to maximize performance and eliminate problems. Our Full-Channel Development process creates high-performing product listings across major Marketplaces, backed by an efficient Pay Per Click campaign, and resulting in increased views and conversions.
In-Depth Research
Lay the Foundation of a Successful E-commerce Company
It seems like an impossible task: How does a company know where to start in a highly competitive marketplace? Our unique research process defines the battlefield and its players. We determine our client's current strengths and weaknesses, analyze competitors on every side, and build growth strategies.
We remain flexible enough to adapt to changes based on feedback from the market, altering tactics to achieve progress.
This information guides us as we introduce new keywords, exceed shopper's expectations and build profitable advertising campaigns.
Our process redefines client's understanding of their standing within a Marketplace, but the picture becomes clear once it is seen.
Client
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Define relevant keywords.
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Determine position within Marketplace.
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Analyze current listings and establish priority-based next steps.
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Develop a strategy to protect current position and to capture additional clients.
Competitor
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Segment competitors across the Marketplace.
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See position relative to the Client.
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Analyze listings for marketing opportunities.
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Establish a strategy and timeframe to target competitors.
Marketplace
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Calculate metrics, including competitor count, product count, customer concerns and more.
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Discover missed advertising methods and develop a campaign to take advantage.
Search Engine Optimization
Words Define Marketplace Success
Marketplace algorithms are different than other search engines. They crawl the words within a product listing and the Seller Portal to determine what a product is and when to show it to a customer. Then it has to decide what order to show every offering in.
Most sales go to products on the first page of results, and the vast majority go to the products appearing on the top half of the page. Products in that location generate incredible sales figures.
Yet the rules and strategies each Marketplace requires are not provided. Violating these unknown rules will dampen success, and this makes progress a challenge. Referencing our In-Depth Research, we ensure each Marketplace knows what a product is and when we want it to appear to customers.
The double use of the word "natural" is hurting this product's ranking.
SEO is performed in conjunction with User Experience and augmented through Pay Per Click. The words made visible to potential customers are a determining factor in SEO, yet they must make sense and describe the benefits to customers. We are masters of this subtle art and helps clients increase traffic and conversions.
We confirm the position of a product through a Pay Per Click strategy designed to guarantee visibility. This special setup also indicates that a product is better than competitors and should be shown more often and at a position that generates more sales.
User Experience
A picture is worth a 1,000 words
Customers depend on excellent images to decide if a product is right for them. They imagine the look and feel of a product based on pictures.
More than 20% of ecommerce returns are made because the product did not match the image. Crisp images showcasing the quality and use of a product is critical to the reduction of this costly process.
At the same time, customers expect to engage with brands. Sculpting incredible A+ Content on Amazon and HTML based descriptions on eBay draw customers into a product's story, imagining how the product will improve their lives.
We design content that engages the imagination, placing the product in the hand through the mind of the shopper.
This image was used for a client selling custom chopsticks. It is easy to imagine the incredible taste of the food and the memories with friends as they use the chopsticks.
Images share the feel and the sensations of a product. While an image on a white background should always be included, the most successful sellers depend on "lifestyle" photos to bring their brand to life.
Lifestyle photos put a product in its natural setting. We have professional designers who have made 100s of designs and can bring a product to life.
If a client is offering multiple products, we also cross-sell products and ensure customers know they are buying from a brand with a full range of products, increasing loyalty. Strong brand content is linked to repeat customers who search specifically for a brand name.
If a company offers more than a three products, a product grid is a must. This cements the perception of a serious brand with customers, who now know complimentary products can be added to their cart.
We create a product grid which brings customers back. Repeat buyers often end up searching for a brand specifically, intent on buying a brand's other products.
Pay Per Click Advertising
Immediate Top of Page Visibility
Pay Per Click (PPC) is one of the most powerful tools available to ecommerce sellers. Harnessing that power is our specialty.
Starting from our In-Depth Research and guided by Search Engine Optimization, we create a range of campaigns to achieve multiple goals. Each Marketplace offers a variety of advertising options, and each has unique place in a company's playbook.
Amazon
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Sponsored Products: Show at the top of page for a keyword.
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Sponsored Display: Target other product's listing page.
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Sponsored Brands: Advertise multiple offerings at the top of the page. Step 1 in brand recognition.
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Posts: Shoppable images placed in feeds and display pages.
eBay
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Automatic Campaigns: eBay chooses keywords. Clicks are free, only charged when the product actually sells.
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Advanced Campaigns: A new feature on eBay, very underutilized, and an exceptional opportunity. Choose keywords and show when someone searches.
Wal-Mart
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Requires commitment of $1,000 per month on ad spend.
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Wal-Mart Performance Ads: Wal-Mart chooses keywords and displays a product when relevant.
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Native Banners: Displays large brand ads for an entire category.
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Catapult: Displays brand ads for a sub-category.
We approach PPC with our client's goals in mind. Whether to protect current standing and maintain postion, to selective attacks in certain markets, to full-scale assault across multiple Marketplaces, our focus is ROI and achieving success, so our clients can focus elsewhere and transform their company (or save it).
Advanced Analytics
To get where you are going, you must know where you are.
E-commerce Marketplaces are dynamic. Algorithms are redefined, new policies take effect, and competitors alter their approach. Using goals set in partnership with the client, we track progress at multiple levels.
Total sales provide a big picture view of overall health. Understanding what lies beneath that picture is how companies achieve phenomenal results. We track keyword specific progress that guides our SEO and PPC decisions. Then we analyze the Pay Per Click campaigns. Where is profit being made? Where is capital being wasted, and more importantly, why?
As progress is captured over time, our strategy and tactics become well defined, and the results are unrivaled. Through the ARSN process, clients have achieved over 900% return on ad spend, an unprecedented amount.
This client turned around their company with our PPC strategy, which was defined by our Advanced Analytics learnings.
The top image shows the struggles of more than a year of loss on the Amazon Ad System.
Within six months, we identified important keywords, completed an entire PPC campaign rework, made adjustments based on Advanced Analytics, and pushed profit to a new level with a 926% return on ad spend.
Full-Channel Development
Move in new directions to be where customers are.
Amazon is the ecommerce leader. It draws more shoppers, and more competitors. Yet other Marketplaces are ignored, a prime opportunity for growth our clients capitalize on.
ARSN promotes a Marketplace focus, applying best practices across multiple Marketplaces to increase presence, traffic, and conversions. Each Marketplace has its own idiosyncrasies, and we have extensive knowledge and experience, capable of launching a company across all relevant Marketplaces and generating more growth.
Some Marketplaces only makes sense for certain clients, but Wal-Mart and eBay are excellent opportunities beyond Amazon.
Wal-Mart.com
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More than 120 million unique visitors every month.
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Over $10 billion in sales every quarter.
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Easy and quick setup.
Wal-Mart sets up quickly, with just a few simple documents from a company. There is no monthly sellers fee, instead only pay an insertion fee when a product sells.
Wal-Mart is an untapped opportunity. How? There are 54 times as many sellers on Amazon as there is on Wal-Mart.
Establishing a brand now while the marketplace is still fresh is one of the best decisions a company can make.
eBay.com
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More than 100 million unique visitors every month.
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Over $10 billion in sales every year.
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Unique advertising opportunity.
eBay is the third most popular ecommerce marketplace. While companies can start selling for free, there is an option to setup a store for a low monthly cost.
eBay's ads are unique in a few ways. First, a brand needs to have sales and a record of good customer interaction before it can advertise. This is a struggle at first, but once approved, our clients will have access to a marketplace most other sellers will not bother to engage.
eBay also has an automated ad system that charges the account only when it SELLS, not when the ad is clicked. This allows a company guaranteed profitable advertising.
There are many other options, and each should be considered as an opportunity to expand a brand's Marketplace business. You might consider:
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Etsy - A great choice for handmade products (or products appearing handmade).
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Bonanza - 5 million users a month.
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Newegg - A great choice for anyone selling tech. Unique advertising methods.