Amazon allows sellers to email customers directly

It is learned that according to foreign media reports , on September 14 , Amazon officially announced at the Amazon Accelerate conference in Seattle that it will launch a new feature called Tailored Audiences , which will allow brand sellers to send marketing emails directly to consumers .

It is reported that the precise audience targeting has expanded the options in "Brand-Buyer Interaction-Create Advertising Campaign" . In the past, the "Buyer Interaction" function only allowed sellers to send marketing emails to "Brand Followers". Now the recipients of emails have been expanded to include recent buyers, high-spending buyers, and returning buyers .

In addition, Amazon claims that "Precise Audience Targeting" will provide sellers with performance and reporting metrics, including open rates, click-through rates, emails sent, exit rates, sales and conversions, etc. "Precise Audience Targeting" is currently in the testing phase and is expected to be launched to all US sellers in early 2023 .

It has to be said that this move breaks Amazon's tradition of never letting third-party sellers contact customers alone, and is a bold attempt to boost sales. However, some people question whether this approach is likely to cause consumers' mailboxes to be flooded with marketing emails, thus producing the opposite effect .

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What sellers think about the new features

Although this feature is currently only available to the US site and is still in the internal testing stage, domestic sellers have long been curious and want to try out the effect of mass emails.

“Precise audience targeting allows buyers to interact with a wider range of people, but the requirements for sellers are very strict: 10 or more buyers must have been sent to participate in the advertising campaign in the past; at least 1,000 emails must have been sent in total; and the average non-engagement click-through rate must be less than 1%. ”

A seller who has tried it said: " Sellers cannot edit the copy of advertising emails and can only use Amazon's fixed templates, which has limited effect in promoting new product orders ."

A seller who has sent multiple campaigns said: "This feature has been launched for a long time. Previously, it was only targeted at brand followers. I sent hundreds of them , and the conversion rate was 0 ..."

Some analysts believe that this function is more suitable for brand sellers with a large fan base and a high rate of repeat purchases . For small-category products with no brand influence or very few repeat purchases, even if an email is sent, it is very likely to be rejected by customers.

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Amazon launches multiple marketing features

In addition to email marketing, at the Amazon Accelerate conference on September 14, Amazon also announced several new features to help third-party sellers conduct brand layout and product marketing more efficiently.

1. New marketing tool “Buy with Prime”

Amazon claims that in order to enable DTC sellers to reach active Amazon shoppers and help drive sales on their own websites, sellers can display their DTC products on Amazon through a new Buy with Prime page in their brand store, and when buyers click on the brand ad, they will automatically jump to the brand's Buy with Prime page .

In addition, Amazon funded and managed Prime co-purchase social media ads to help sellers participating in Prime co-purchase reach shoppers on Facebook and Instagram. Potential customers will see ads for Amazon Prime purchase pages on Facebook and Instagram , and when shoppers click on the ad, they will be taken to the product page on the seller's DTC website, where they can use "Buy with Prime" to purchase directly from the seller's brand website .

Currently, the above two features are only tested by invitation, and the specific launch time is still unknown.

2. Alexa voice assistant becomes a "salesman"

It is reported that Amazon's intelligent voice assistant Alexa will launch a new feature - Customers Ask Alexa . This new feature allows Alexa to answer users' questions with sponsored product ads.

When users ask common questions like, “ How do I clean pet hair from my carpet ?” Alexa might recommend a duster . Or, “How do I get rid of the odor from soil stains?” Alexa might recommend an air freshener.

Amazon also stated that all answers submitted by brands will be subject to content review and quality inspection. The feature will be launched in October 2022 and will be used in a small range by invitation in the early stage. It is expected to be promoted on a large scale in the United States in 2023.

Regarding the above new initiatives, Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of Amazon's global sales service, said in an interview: " Many brand owners have become experts in their product areas over the years. This is an opportunity to connect customers with their brands . "

Last words: In the past, Amazon was like an iron window between sellers and buyers, but now it has gradually become a bridge connecting the two parties. I believe that in the future, these new marketing functions will play a greater role.