How to Succeed on Amazon as a Jewelry Seller
Jewelry has consistently been one of the most profitable niches over the years, triumphing through recessions and pandemics, never losing its luster. And it looks like the jewelry craze isn’t going to stop any time soon.
One way to boost your sales, as a jewelry retailer, is to use marketplaces – online platforms that attract a diverse clientele by offering a variety of products in multiple categories. The most popular, wide-reaching, and profitable marketplace currently is Amazon. With specialized categories and country-specific platforms (e.g. .com, .jp, .uk, etc.), Amazon is one basket you want to place some of your eggs in.
Succeeding on this marketplace, however, takes more than quality products. Here are a few areas to keep in mind when planning to sell your jewelry on Amazon.
1. Product Choices
Amazon is best suited for large, designer brands with more generic or classic styles of jewelry. The customers on this marketplace are not experts in jewelry products, making it hard to sell high ticket items. Affordability is definitely a concern on this platform, so make sure you price your products accordingly.
On the other hand, branding is extremely important. Having a private label inspires trust and credibility. This is important in such a highly competitive arena. And, to protect your brand, you may apply under Amazon’s brand registry and have exclusive rights over your brand identity, meaning no one can steal it. But even so, because of the cutthroat competition (including some from Amazon itself), it is best to start with items in less populated categories such as pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Popular categories, like engagement rings or wedding bands, tend to have expert sellers with an established customer base, making it harder to compete.
Amazon is also a highly controlled platform, particularly when it comes to selling jewelry. Both you, as a seller, and your products need to meet specific requirements to do so. For example, you cannot sell clarity-treated diamonds and must provide a Gemology certificate, from one of the four most globally recognized institutions, when selling stones with 0.75 and above carat points.
2. Product Listing
Your product listing consists of four main parts: title, photos, features, and description. To give yourself the best chance of standing out, all these areas should be optimized. Your title can include up to 200 characters. We recommend you use them all and provide not only your product’s name (based on the 2 most popular keywords that are relevant to it) but also its most important benefits (UVP – unique value proposition) along with your brand name.
Under the features section, points like metal/stone type, karats, cut, certification, etc. should be included. These can be listed briefly as bullet points. The description would be an elaboration of the features, kept at 2000 characters or under. Make sure to use relevant keywords, short sentences, and relatable language for this one. Storytelling would also help.
When it comes to your visuals, be them pictures or videos (both is better), they should definitely be of good quality (aka high definition). Customers want to zoom into pictures for additional details, so make sure they are at least 1000 pixels wide and 500 pixels high. Your main image is the most important one to focus on. It should be clear, with the product taking up around 85% of the space, no text, white background, and no other products on there. Amazon has very specific rules around their pictures, but we also have a few best practices we can recommend. Make sure you check out our previous blog on how to use photos on marketplaces.
3. Logistics
Being quite lightweight, jewelry is an easy and cheap product to ship. Nevertheless, fees can add up and, with more and more customers wanting their products quickly, it’s important to plan this part out properly.
One of the biggest issues sellers tend to face is running out of stock. This can negatively affect your rating as a seller, as well as your product rating. So keep an eye on your KPIs, primarily your sales velocity and reorder point. This is particularly important during holidays and special occasions like Black Friday. Jewelry is a seasonal business with sales being widely influenced by trends (e.g. weddings seasons, etc.). Your stock planning should keep all of these into account.
Our software, Valigara – a top online jewelry sales management platform, can help you with keeping track of inventory and avoiding such stock replenishing delays. It will also help keep your inventory organized, manage orders and logistics with only a few clicks, and update your listings on all platforms quickly, including your Amazon product listings.
Another point to consider is FBA – Fulfillment by Amazon. This option allows sellers to give Amazon shipping and handling rights, so they don’t have to worry about it. Amazon would store, pack, and ship your products for you. It is definitely a convenient option to consider as well.
4. Marketing
Last, but not least, promotions and advertisements do hold some weight on this platform. By using SEO properly in your listings, you are already one step ahead of many sellers. The next strategy would be to start promotions (e.g. Black Friday discounts) and PPC (price-per-click) campaigns. The latter would show your items at the top of the Amazon search results page, as Sponsored Ads. This gives you an even better chance to get noticed.
One of the best marketing forms, however, is the good old word of mouth. In the online world, this would be UGC (user-generated content), and more specifically for Amazon – reviews. Not too long ago, asking for reviews was a no-no when it came to their policy. Nowadays, it has gotten a lot easier to request one.
Reviews are essential to the success of your jewelry business. They stand as proof of quality, help clarify product features, and boost your ranking on the site. However, keep in mind that buyers are now focused on the entire customer experience more than the product itself. So your customer service, before, during and after a purchase, will greatly influence the reviews you receive.
Amazon may look like an intimidating marketplace, given its regulations and specifications. However, it is also a wonderful pool of opportunities for jewelry sellers. By following the tips above, you have what you need to confidently start tackling this multiverse of eCommerce options.
