Tag: amazon

Amazon Cloudtail India: Why Did It Shut Down? | Is It Good News for Retailers?

If you have ever tried to buy or sell products on Amazon, you must have come across this brand “Cloudtail India”. It used to be the largest seller on Amazon in India but has recently ceased its operation.

This joint initiative of Amazon and Catamaran Venture was shut down on 19th May 2022 leading to the end of a seven-year-long partnership between the two well-recognized organizations.

Before announcing the end of the partnership Amazon India announced a 100% acquisition of Cloudtail India. The employees earlier working for the joint venture has been given the option to continue at Amazon or take a voluntary exit.

In this blog, we will discuss everything about Cloudtail India, how it worked and why this successful partnership was brought to an end with mutual agreement between the two parties.

If you are associated with Amazon, either as a seller or a buyer, this is important for you. If you are asking “Why”, keep reading this blog till the end.

What is Cloudtail India?
How Did Cloudtail India Work?
What Went Wrong With Cloudtail India?
Is Shutting Down of Cloudtail India Good News for Retailers?

What is Cloudtail India?

Catamaran Venture is a venture capital firm i.e. it funds the startups or other organizations that require capital. The net worth of the company is around $ 127 million. It is headed by N.r. Narayana Murthy has made investments across high-growth sectors such as technology, eCommerce, healthcare, etc.

Amazon started functioning in India in 2013. It was the time when the online market in India was least developed and Amazon had to work hard to get customers.

For this reason, in 2014, Amazon India and Catamaran Venture initiated a joint venture under the name Prione Business Services. The basic objective of this venture was to bring more small retailers and businessmen online.

This on one hand would help the retailers to expand their market and reach more customers and on the other hand, helped Amazon to earn a reputation and recognition in the country.

Prione Business Services contributed quite a lot to advancing the online market in India. It provided support systems for the retailers or merchants by helping them with issues as small as listing or describing their products on Amazon.

According to the statement, Prione enabled more than 300,000 sellers and entrepreneurs to establish their online market. Also, it helped 4 million merchants with digital payment capabilities.

However, in the same year i.e. 2014, Prione also established its very own subsidiary company in India, under the name “Cloudtail India Pvt. Ltd.” which was engaged in the B2C retail business.

Under Prione’s ownership, Cloudtail worked as an online retailer and by the end of 2020, it was selling over 30 lakh products under multiple categories such as fashion, apparel, appliances, media, consumables, etc. on Amazon.

No doubt, Cloudtail India became the largest seller on Amazon leaving its other competitors behind with a great margin.

How Did Cloudtail India Work?

At present, Amazon has over four lakh sellers and more than two crore customers registered with it.

The normal procedure for retailers to sell their products on Amazon includes registering themselves on the website. After this, the sellers list their products on the website with the price that also includes the profit share of Amazon.

Generally, this profit share lies between 5-25% depending on the product category and price. This share includes commission, fixed fees, and other similar charges.

As the seller has to earn profit by selling these products, some amount of profit share is included in the price of the product due to which the customer has to buy the product at slightly higher rates.

The price of the product further increases as the vendor also has to pay delivery charges to Amazon which start from Rs. 82/- onwards. Moreover, these sellers also have to bear the promotion charges for their product which again adds to the price of the product. Therefore, the prices at which the customer has to buy the products of these brands are quite higher in comparison to what the seller would offer without including these charges.

However, as Amazon had its own equity in Cloudtail India Pvt. Ltd. the company does not pay any commission to Amazon for listing or selling its products. There is no delivery or promotion fee included for any of the products sold by Cloudtail.

Due to this the prices of the products obviously remain quite low in comparison to its competitors. This gave Cloudtail India an edge over other retailers.

Moreover, being the parent company Amazon prioritizes the products sold by Cloudtail India by always listing them at the top of the page. This further increased the sale of products making Cloudtail India Pvt. Ltd. the biggest seller on Amazon.

Amazon Cloudtail India Business Timeline

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What Went Wrong With Cloudtail India?

As per the law, India prohibits Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in inventory-based models for eCommerce. This means that the companies such as Amazon and Flipkart are only allowed to work as a marketplace.

These companies are only permitted to provide platforms to other sellers or merchants or businesses to enlist their products and sell them but they cannot list their own products on the platform.

Due to this legal concern, a number of objections were being raised by other retailers and merchants selling their goods on Amazon about the close partnership between Amazon and Catamaran Venture.

In this regard, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a Press Note on 26^th December 2018.

This note clearly disallowed the participation of marketplaces in any type of seller activity even through any “Group companies”. This means that these platforms are not allowed to sell their own products on their platform as this would hamper the business of other small retailers.

Here, Group Company meant two or more enterprises that directly or indirectly exercise 26% of the voting rights in another enterprise or appoint more than 50% of the board members in their entity.

To abide by this law, Catamaran Ventures 2019 increased its stake in Cloudtail India from 51% to 76%. Thus, the stake of Amazon in the joint venture was reduced from earlier 49% to 24% later.

Therefore, as Amazon now had only a 24% share in the joint venture, and the law spoke about 26% or more share, Cloudtail India Pvt. Ltd. could still sell products to Amazon without violating any law.

Even after this, the small businessmen and other retailers or vendors on Amazon claimed that the parent company of Cloudtail India Pvt. Ltd., i.e. Prione Business Services was established with the intention to help small retailers and sellers to start their online businesses.

However, as the online market has now gained enough popularity in the country, the target has been fulfilled and the company is no longer required.

In 2019, Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM) submitted a plea with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against Amazon and Flipkart.

In this plea, they accused these marketplaces of abusing their market dominance and preferential listing and deep discounting on products sold by selected vendors in which they control indirect stakes.

They alleged that these marketplaces were drawing indirect benefits from these brands indicating a conflict of interest. Due to this, the online market of small businesses is getting hampered as they are unable to efficiently reach their target customers.

In this regard, the Director-General of the Competition Commission of India launched an inquiry for alleged violation of Section 3 of the Competition Act, in January 2020.

To resolve this issue, Catamaran Venture and Amazon India first approached Karnataka High Court and later the honourable Supreme Court of India. However, both the courts stated that the companies should be open to such anti-trust investigations in their business practices.

In the light of this statement, as well as the changing regulatory environment and unfavourable eCommerce operating guidelines, both the companies announced the end of their seven-year-long partnership.

Hence, Cloudtail India was finally shut down.

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Is Shutting Down of Cloudtail India Good News for Retailers?

Honestly speaking, Yes. This decision will provide small businesses and other online retailers and vendors a level playing field. Strict regulatory rules were required in this field for a long time which have now been implemented.

This will also reduce the monopoly of these marketplaces to endorse a few specific brands that bring more indirect profit to them.

Overall, the small sellers will be benefitted who will now be able to sell their products in a healthy competitive environment.

Conclusion

With the partnership between Amazon and Catamaran Venture coming to an end, this is certainly an issue of concern for Amazon as it has invested around $ 1 billion in India.

Also, the customers might have to buy the products at slightly higher prices as the subsidiary brand is no longer available to provide the products at the least rates.

However, this will provide equal rights and symmetry to the small businessmen, sellers, vendors, etc. who will now have better opportunities to expand their online market.

FAQs

Is Cloudtail India owned by Amazon?

No, Cloudtail India was a joint venture with Catamaran Ventures but Amazon has purchased a 76% stake in the company and now Cloudtail is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.

Is Cloudtail India shutting down?

Yes, Cloudtail India will shut down its operations on May 1.

Who is the owner of Cloudtail India?

Prione Business Services Private Limited was the owner of Cloudtail India.

Why did Cloudtail India shut down?

As per e-commerce regulations, online marketplaces cannot own any direct stake in seller entities which is the reason Cloudtail India has to shut down its operations.

June 29, 2022

Website vs. Amazon vs. Flipkart: Where Can You Sell Better?

Selling your products online can be the most-effective way to reach out to a wider audience and increase awareness of your brand. Need not to say this can help you boost your sales severalfold.

As per records, 61% of the customers agreed that they made more purchases online during and after the covid-19 pandemic proving that e-commerce is the future of sales.

Still, most vendors hesitate while starting their online sales. The biggest reason to get confused is “which platform to use for selling their products for the greater benefits”.

One option is to create your own e-commerce website that gives you complete control of the sales. Other options are online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart which are already being used by millions of customers and are capable of increasing your product visibility.

If you are also about to start your online business but are confused about which platform to choose, we are here with the answers to all your questions.

Let us begin with understanding the basic difference between an online marketplace and an e-commerce website.

“E-commerce is a powerful tool to connect the unconnected to global trade” – Arancha Gonzalez

Selling with Amazon
Selling with Flipkart
Selling With Your Own Website

Difference Between the E-commerce Website and Online Marketplace

Although both online marketplace and e-commerce websites are built with the purpose of selling products, they are quite different from each other. Let us understand the key differences between the two:

Online Marketplace	Ecommerce Website
These are similar to the real-life shopping mall that offers a variety of products from different sellers. Three parties are involved: customer, seller, and website administrator. Example: Amazon, Flipkart, etc.	Here a single seller displays and sells his products. It is similar to a bakery shop selling self-made cakes and bread.
Existing traffic on the website makes it easier to get instant customers	Need to make efforts to attract the target audience
Can be set up quickly, mostly in a day or two. The vendor can immediately start selling after the registration is complete	It takes time to build and manage a website. Reaching your target audience is rather more time-consuming.
Extra costs like plan fees, referral fees, etc. are involved. Moreover, these websites keep a good share of the profit obtained by selling your products for themselves.	Once you have settled the website there are minimal costs involved in maintaining your e-commerce website.

Now, when we know the basic differences between these two platforms, we can move forward to discuss the details of each of them.

Although there are plenty of online marketplaces available, Amazon and Flipkart have cornered the Indian e-commerce ecosystem for a long time, and each of them is a veritable gold mine for you if you know how to use them to their full potential.

Similarly, building your own e-commerce website can also be extremely productive if used correctly. So, if you want to maximize your profit, you’ll have to choose the right platform for selling online.

Each of these online selling platforms has its own set of benefits. Let us understand each of them one by one.

Selling with Amazon

Founded in 1994, Amazon has emerged as the leading e-retailer across the Globe. As per a survey, the net sales of Amazon grew up from US $88.99 billion in 2014 to US $469.81 billion in 2021, which is a growth of more than 400%.

The prime membership of Amazon offers rewards like 2-day delivery, video streaming, music, etc. It is preferred by most of its customers who are quite engaged in shopping.

Amazon hosts a maximum number of vendors on its platform and is known to have the highest reach across the globe.

Amazon Seller Registration

Selling on Amazon requires you to go through a registration process, similar to what you would do for creating an online channel.

Amazon seller registration is a three-step process as mentioned below:

The seller on-board process allows you to decide your product category, create listings, and enter your product details.
On Amazon, you can list your products for free, provided you are willing to give up a certain percentage of your sales in exchange for visibility.
You can also opt to pay a small fee to make your product listing a featured item, which will appear at the top of the search results.

Benefits of selling on Amazon:

Reach

Amazon has a massive user base and a presence in several countries, which means that you will have a huge audience to cater to through your products.

Visibility

Amazon puts a lot of emphasis on product listings, owing to the fact that customers usually browse through products before they decide to buy something. In fact, product listing is one of the most important aspects of selling on Amazon.

Data

Amazon offers a lot of insight about your customer base, which you can use to increase your sales and make better marketing decisions.

Delivery & Returns

Amazon provides the seller with FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) service. This means that Amazon will take care of your product delivery and customer care. Moreover, when a customer returns your product Amazon will bear the logistics.

Branding

You can use Amazon’s platform to build your brand, leveraging the website’s popularity among customers to attract more buyers.

Selling with Flipkart

As per a survey, Flipkart Private Limited reported revenue amounting to approximately 433 billion Indian rupees in the financial year 2021. Additionally, the e-commerce player had an increase of 25 percent in its revenue, compared to the previous year.

Unlike Amazon, Flipkart is more of a niche player and hosts fewer sellers, but that doesn’t make it any lesser of a great place to sell online.

Flipkart Seller Registration

The seller registration procedure for Flipkart is similar to Amazon, but it can take 1-2 days to get the business up and running with the required paperwork submitted to the company while Amazon takes 24 hours to approve the account. In some cases, the process may get delayed but it gets resolved once you contact seller support.

Benefits of selling on Flipkart

Niche Audience

Flipkart has a niche audience, which means that you get the opportunity to cater to your target customers, making it easier to retain them.

Visibility

Flipkart puts a lot of emphasis on high-quality product listings, which means that you can maximize your visibility on this platform just by providing quality products.

Data

Flipkart offers a lot of data that you can use to make better marketing decisions and improve your sales.

Sales

You can receive payments through Flipkart’s payment gateway, which means that Indian customers and those from neighbouring countries can also shop from your store.

Delivery & Returns

Flipkart handles the cost of delivery or picking returns. They also provide a customer care facility for your product.

Branding

You can use Flipkart’s popularity to build your brand, and get more customers to your store.

Selling With Your Own Website

As per a survey, 52% of the sellers stated that they only sell through their own website, while 42% sell through both their website as well as an e-marketplace, and only 6% stated that they only sell their products through an e-commerce website.

According to another survey, in 2020, the private labels shared more than 50% of repeat purchases under all categories. The largest repeat purchases were recorded in the cosmetics category i.e. around 75%. The other categories such as grocery, wellness, furniture, etc. also showed a hike in repeat purchases.

Creating your website

In comparison to selling on any e-commerce website creating your own website can be a tedious job. You will have to manage a lot of different aspects right from payments, and orders to setting up a full-fledged store.

This might even be cost-intensive and way more difficult than the simple process of registering and selling available on other e-commerce platforms.

Benefits of selling on your website

Store control

You are the owner, you set the rules. So, you do not have to worry about any change in terms, designs, or priorities. You can change your product priority. You can also design your website in accordance with your product to improve customer retention.

No comparative purchase

Online marketplaces offer hundreds of options to buyers in your product category. This might reduce your visibility. On your website, buyers only see your products and are able to appreciate the quality and variety you have on offer.

Amount deduction

Other than sharing a certain percentage of profit with the e-commerce platform you use, there are several charges that you are expected to pay. These may include plan fees, referral fees, etc.

Analytics

Instead of just being dependent on the data provided by the e-commerce platform, you can choose your own analytics. Google Analytics can help you identify your best-selling products, and most visited products, track buyers’ activities, etc.

Brand loyalty

A customer buying your product through an online marketplace platform will recommend that particular website in return for your product quality. However, if the purchase is made directly from your website it becomes a means of oral publicity.

Conclusion

So, which option is better? We say it is completely your call.

In this blog, we have tried to list all the pros and cons of owning an e-commerce website as well as selling through an online marketplace like Amazon or Flipkart.

However, no matter which option you choose for yourself just remember that looking at the current scenario selling products online is not a choice but a necessity. So, if you have decided to sell your products online, you have already made a step towards success.

Looking at which option to choose, with their unparalleled brand recognition Amazon and Flipkart are a great fit for first-timer and casual sellers who do not want to spend much time worrying about customers and related issues.

Also, selling your products here cut down the risk percentage. Amongst these Amazon is arguably the largest e-commerce platform while Flipkart has a loyal customer base, that trusts the site for quality.

At the same time, they may not be suitable for keen sellers owing to a number of hoops like fees and competition. This might also create difficulty for the small businesses to make their presence felt on these platforms.

At such a point, creating your own website can help you make your presence felt, maximize your profit, and increase your brand loyalty.

FAQs

Is it better to sell on your own website?

Yes, selling on your own website is always better than selling on any online marketplace because you don’t have to share the commission with the marketplace but building an audience can be quite a tedious task.

Can I have my own website on Amazon?

No, you cant have your own website on Amazon, you can only sell your products via Amazon.

Do I need an e-commerce platform to sell online?

It is not necessary to have an e-commerce platform to sell online, you can sell through various online marketplaces or through social media.

June 9, 2022

Top 5 C2C eCommerce Startups in India

There are plenty of business model options available for startups. They choose according to their business field, work, and customers they want to engage with. Among such, the Customer to Customer (C2C) business model is quite prominent. In this business model, customers trade products with each other. This is majorly done through auctions and assessed advertisements.

With the growing marketplace in India, many startups are pursuing a C2C business model. The C2C businesses combine with eCommerce technology and gather their potential audiences.

C2C companies like eBay, and Amazon sell their products and services through a well classified or through an auction system. The customers generally purchase goods from another customer through a third party, where the transaction occurs.

When it comes to India, there are dozens of companies that follow the C2C business model and many have adopted it lately. The eCommerce and online auction platforms specialized in the technology of the third party which stimulates the buying procedure. In this article, we will be talking about the top C2C eCommerce companies in India. Let’s get started!

1. eBay
2. Coutloot
3. Quikr
4. Olx
5. Amazon

1. eBay

eBay website

India’s leading online platform, eBay provides auctions, timely purchasing, and assessed models of trading from person to person. The company was established in 2006, headquartered in Goregaon (East).

eBay offers a broad range of product marketing, categorized into dozens of lists including Apparel, Cars and bikes, computers, personal loans, health & beauty, antiques, jewellery, real estate, mobile phones, travel, and many others. eBay is listed out in ‘Top Websites in India’ with the ranking of 25th.

2. Coutloot

Coutloot Website

Coutloot is a social commerce platform founded in 2015. It is widely known as India’s biggest offline and online social marketing platform that offers its customers the service of selling anything online to buyers with reasonable bargaining, across the country.

Coutloot also provides documentation, cash on delivery, and logistics services to its customers. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

3. Quikr

Quikr Website

Quikr is a very prominent online C2C eCommerce marketplace, launched in 2008 that offers a series of posting and reacting to free local confidential ads of various kinds including Apartments, Pets, furniture, jobs, events, cars, housing, and others.

Today, Quikr has expanded its services to more than 940 cities across India. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. According to Alexa, Quikr is listed in the ‘Top Website in India’ at the 16th position.

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4. Olx

Well, Olx has made quite a strong presence in the digital market in today’s era. The company was established in 2006. Olx is known as the strongest and most popular consumer to consumers (C2C) based digital platform in India.

Olx offers the service of selling, buying, and renting goods through free assessed advertisements from customers’ locales. You can buy anything including cars, bikes, furniture, mobiles, computers, apartments, electronics, and properties, digitally. Olx is ranked 32nd by Alexa.

5. Amazon

Amazon is an extremely popular and largest online retailer across the world. The most interesting thing about Amazon’s marketing is it operates both business consumers (B2C) as well as consumer to consumers (C2C) business model. Although the company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States, in India, the company is known to be the biggest E-commerce company.

Amazon has over 334555 employees with annual revenue of $221.60 billion. The company was founded by Jeff Bezos who has stepped down from the position of CEO of Amazon. It acquired around 83 companies such as Canvas technology, Blink, Pillpack, and Ring.

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Conclusion

There are tons of companies in the market that are shifting towards the consumer to consumers (C2C) model and getting great outcomes. Through this, the companies are improving their customer relations and developing more potential audiences. Especially the eCommerce companies opt for the C2C business model. And with such growing technology and marketing, C2C based companies are making enormous outcomes.

FAQs

What is an example of C2C in India?

Some examples of C2C eCommerce startups in India are eBay, Amazon, and Quikr.

What is C2C?

C2C is a business model in which the customers trade with one another in an online environment.

What is the difference between C2C and B2B?

In a C2C model, the customers trade with one other while in a B2B business model the company concentrates on providing the raw data for another company.

June 9, 2022
Master the Art of How to Do Amazon’s SEO With Its New A10 Algorithm
As a customer, whenever you land on the Amazon platform, your motive is to buy a particular product. Ever since Amazon launched its marketplace in the year 2000, it has successfully turned many people into robust e-commerce entrepreneurs.

The product that is required by the customer must be available to that person. Now the whole question revolves around who he/she will buy the product from. If you want your Amazon store to sell that particular commodity to that customer, then it is vital to anticipate the usefulness of Amazon SEO (Search Engine Optimization). With over 2.5 million sellers, Amazon SEO has proven to be a successful advertising search engine to locate buyers.

Amazon SEO strategies are needed at this hour as the level of competition is now off the charts. Although Amazon has generated a handsome profit for digital entrepreneurs, the service may be withdrawn if the essential products are not available to potential buyers.

Search Algorithm- An Overview
Amazon’s A10 Search Algorithm
Factors Affecting Amazon’s A10 Algorithm
Amazon SEO Strategy – Product Listing Optimization
Leading online sources where consumers search for products worldwide (as of April 2021)

Search Algorithm- An Overview

Let us first understand the meaning of the search algorithm to understand better how it works in Amazon. Search algorithm refers to the process of locating a particular data amidst a collection of data. It is a fundamental procedural algorithm that involves the usage of computer science to derive the goal state. Artificial intelligence has tightened its roots and laid an impact on the working of these algorithms.

Amazon, like Google, assesses search results using an algorithm that takes into account a variety of parameters. Currently, A10 is the name of the underlying search engine. Unlike Google, Amazon is laser-focused on the shopping experience of the shoppers. The sole priority of Amazon is conversion and growing sales metrics. The algorithm searches for relevant data using the keywords, historic data also matters a lot. The A10 algorithm determines the pertinence of millions of products stored in the Amazon database to search queries entered by customers.

You have to serve a double purpose – maintain your customer loyalty as well as optimize your respective product listing under Amazon’s search algorithm for ranking higher on the search results page.

Amazon’s A10 Search Algorithm

The main change that Amazon bought was an update in the Amazon A9 algorithm. The A9 focused on getting a better ranking by using pay-per-click (PPC), keyword consistency, and paid advertisements on Amazon. But A10 algorithm has shifted Amazon’s focus to revenue-per-click from PPC. Now, more focus is laid on consumer behavior in the current phase to fight competition.

The Amazon SEO process is based on Amazon’s A10 search engine. A10, an Amazon subsidiary situated in Palo Alto, California, developed its search engine technology to help buyers find the most relevant products on the Amazon platform. A10 algorithm lays a strong emphasis on searches of buyers and gives them more accurate results to their findings. Amazon A9 dragged the profitable products to the users, whereas A10 delivers the most relevant data to the shoppers even if it is not profitable.

A10 does not pay much heed to sponsored links due to which PPC has lost its importance. But it still holds certain great value and is not declared completely irrelevant. You just have to add a more polished and strategic approach while using PPC.

The Authority of the seller plays a vital role as it involves hustling after positive feedback is received from the customer. It also highlights the fact that A10 supports vendors with a longer tenure on Amazon in comparison with the newer ones along with better returns handling capacity.

Amazon A10 Algorithm

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Factors Affecting Amazon’s A10 Algorithm

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the prime concern of the sellers as they want their products to rank higher on the Amazon platform. Here are some factors that the A10 Amazon algorithm suggests, will improve the SEO of the products:
- Seller Authority- Amazon and seller’s activity run simultaneously to each other. Amazon gives great weightage to seller’s activity in the market platform, enclosing performance metrics, inventory levels, feedback on the customer’s rating, and method of fulfillment. All these concerns are related to consumer experience and Amazon’s A10 algorithm works after that thoroughly. The seller has to maintain the quality and quantity of products in its catalog, good enough for the buyers to be attracted to the seller’s products. The refund rate, cancellation of orders, and efficient order tracking must be handled with care. All these endeavors will result in the creation of excellent value for customers. This will enhance your chances of appearing on Amazon organically.
- Handle Your Keyword Game- Buyer persona is a very crucial aspect of selling on Amazon. The A10 algorithm proposes that the customer intended keywords that engage the customer’s attention are important. The customer should be able to relate to the product they are looking for. Overstuffing the product titles and descriptions with long-tail keywords is not necessary but the customer must find relevance while reading them both.
- Maintain Your Impression Rate- Your product must be visible on the Amazon website. Sellers must ensure that their products have the highest views on Amazon, affiliate sites, and partner sites. The higher the views on your products, the higher will be the rank.
- Conversion Rate to be Monitored- There is no point in having views on your products or having a substantial amount of leads if you can’t convert them into potential sales. Conversion rate involves a huge contribution to the ranking of products.
- Obtain Positive Reviews- The most decisive ranking factor after Amazon’s A10 algorithm is obtaining a good review for your product. Whenever you buy a product, you always land on the reviews section to gather information about the likeliness of the products. You look for other people’s reviews as they have already bought that particular product and are familiar with its exact features and benefits of it. Social proof is a must to convince the buyers about the usability of the product. Positive reviews make the A10 algorithm place your product inventory higher in the search results. For attaining a higher review rate, you have to inculcate a feeling of belongingness among the customers and build a continuous healthy relationship.
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Amazon SEO Strategy – Product Listing Optimization

The product listing optimization can be done with the following:

Conducting A Keyword Research

You must realize that without keywords your products will be portrayed as meaningless and they won’t be able to reach the desired customers. One most efficient way to conduct keyword research is the amazon search bar. Whenever you type a product name, many related product categories show up. That is where you should initiate your keyword research. The Amazon search bar will automatically complete your search and also provide you with the necessary keywords for your products.

Many tools will guide you through the process of keyword research, like Semrush, Keyword planner, and Ahrefs. These tools will yield a list of keywords that will help you to understand the search volumes and rating of the particular keywords. With these keywords, you can now optimize your product listings.

Optimizing The Product Content

Amazon – Product content optimization

In the Amazon marketplace, shoppers understand the language of a well-written sales copy, so, for product optimization, you need to take the following into consideration:
- Plan an engaging product title- The product title is the first text that customers will see on your product listing. It should be simple and provide the most important information about your item. Amazon SEO is greatly influenced by the product-title ranking factor.
1. Include a brand name that becomes a household name for people easily.
2. Specify all the product details and their usability.
3. Mention the key features of the product.
4. Give information about the quantity and dimensions of the product.
5. Mention the product size and color.
You can rapidly attract your customers’ attention and increase your company’s sales potential by optimizing your product title. But don’t stuff your product title with a lot of keywords, as the Amazon A10 algorithm might not read it naturally which will send it to the spam folder automatically.
- Write a good product description- A detailed product description is the most useful in pitching to customers for effective sales as Amazon is a pure online marketplace. Make maximum use of this avenue for sales maximization. This section is usually located at the bottom of the page and a shopper who is contemplating buying will search for information in this area. Writing a good product description is very important as it emphasizes conversion rate. It will assist the shopper to understand the benefits and uses of the products. A shopper might get the necessary product feature that he or she is searching for in the product description.
- Optimize the bullet points- The target audience can be persuaded when your sales copy is written in bullet points. Because bullet points are readable and understandable, so your buyers will pay special attention to this section. Tell your buyers about the benefits of your product (rather than just the characteristics), and provide important details like features and dimensions.
Concentrate on Creating High-Quality Photos

If you want your sales volume to be high, then incur the greatest expenditure by buying a high-resolution camera for the best image quality. The best possible light must fall on each product. This is the most important purpose of product photography.

High-resolution images improve the click-through and conversion rates. This will automatically persuade the buyers as they will be able to see the exact product they are searching for. It becomes more convenient for the shoppers to search when the main image is engaging. This will contribute to a great click-through rate. Good images will leave a positive impact on the minds of users and will assist them in their buying decision. Sales are highly affected by this.

Construct a Convenient Pricing Strategy

Everything you do on Amazon related to the product lays a direct impact on the Amazon conversion rate. Product pricing on Amazon significantly affects the conversion rates if you put up a competitive pricing strategy. The product you sell must be priced at par with your competitors, and if your product price is optimized effectively, then your conversion rate will be positively impacted. But remember, if your pricing is above others on the search page then your product is likely to be overlooked. Make sure there is a proper price comparison done before you launch your products as you don’t want to be overlooked. Sellers Automatic Pricing Rule is a tool that will assist you in matching the prices quickly and will tell you whether your product is priced at a higher-end or a lower-end.

Psychological tricks applied by Amazon on Its Pricing

Pricing strategies are used to finalize a cost of a product by considering market conditions, demand, etc. Amazon also has many strategies in use

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Conclusion

An ideal Amazon SEO plan cannot be built with a magic formula. Instead, it requires constant toil and research, along with constant monitoring. Learning the fundamentals of the SEO process is already a huge step toward your e-commerce success. To stay at the top of the search results, you must keep up with the latest trends, algorithm updates, and ongoing optimization. You must track your performance metrics on Amazon Seller Central using the given parameters.

FAQs

What is Amazon Product SEO?

Amazon Product SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of ranking your products higher in the search results by optimizing your product listing as per the related keywords.

How is Amazon’s A10 algorithm different from A9?

Amazon’s A9 algorithm focused on leading the customers towards more profitable products whereas its A10 algorithm focuses more on providing the customers with more accurate results for their searches.

What is Amazon Best Seller?

Amazon Best Seller is a badge that appears on certain products listed on Amazon. It means that the product has the highest number of sales in a particular category. Amazon’s algorithm updates this status hourly, however, it may take 24-48 hours to appear.

How to do SEO for Amazon products?

SEO for Amazon products can be done with product listing optimization. This includes:
- Conducting keyword research
- Optimizing product content
- Construct a convenient price strategy
- Concentrate on high-quality pictures
- Utilize backend search terms
May 23, 2022
Seven Psychological Tricks Applied By Amazon In 2022

‌‌‌‌Amazon is the most common e-commerce platform providing services across the globe. The start of an Amazon was quite simple with a single product in its basket. Now in the year 2022, Amazon consists of millions of products on its e-commerce platform. Apart from the e-commerce market, Amazon has also topped in its Technology business.

It is not an easy task to manage and achieve a position as high as Amazon has reached. There are many tactics applied by Amazon in all possible directions. The prime service enabled by Amazon earned it many customers. Especially those who wanted to receive their product delivery within a short period. Apart from these, Amazon is famous for good quality products at a lower rate. To achieve this, Amazon applies many Psychological Tricks in its pricing strategy.

Amazon’s Pricing Strategy
Need Of Using Psychological Tricks By Amazon
Basics of Amazon Data Collection
Psychological Tricks Applied By Amazon On Its Pricing Strategies:
1. Concepting The Prices Lower Than Other Platforms
2. Grouping For Comparison
3. Preparing A Free Gift For Customers
4. Additional Clarification
5. Periodic Sale
6. Attaching Social Reviews
7. Summing Up The Cost With Number 9

Amazon’s Pricing Strategy

Each platform has its pricing strategies built for better functioning. Pricing strategies are essential to finalize a cost of a particular product or service by considering many related aspects such as market conditions, demand, supply, etc. Amazon also has many strategies to use for its pricing model. The pricing model used by Amazon is to keep the prices as low as possible to achieve a higher buying rate. Based on this model, pricing strategies are planned.

Need Of Using Psychological Tricks By Amazon

The graph demonstrates a tremendous increment in the annual net sale of Amazon mainly because of its strategies.

Each seller needs to be ahead of others. For this purpose, they need to use tricks. One of the most useful methods is to apply psychological tricks. Psychological tricks are used to make customers believe that the deal cracked by them is truly a saving one. However, Psychological tricks are just a trick. There are many tricks one can apply for increasing sales.

Apart from each seller, Amazon as a whole also needs to be ahead of its competitive platforms. For this purpose, multiple psychological tricks are used by Amazon in its pricing strategy.

Basics of Amazon Data Collection

It is not a mystery now that all e-commerce platforms collect their users’ data. This data is then used by the platforms to provide better services. The same is done by Amazon too. Amazon collects all inputted data from its users such as searches made on Amazon, filters applied, etc. This data is then combined with a few psychological tricks to make Amazon work as a customer store.

Psychological Tricks Applied By Amazon On Its Pricing Strategies:

Amazon is a continuously evolving platform. There are many chances for one trick to be applicable now and get an alternative after some time. This is mainly because the process is always applicable to improvement. Some of the psychological tricks are:

1. Concepting The Prices Lower Than Other Platforms

Amazon is known for its high-quality products at cheap rates. But is it factual or just a concept? Amazon sells its products at an average rate and not at low prices. However, the most trending products are sold at Lesser prices than on other platforms. This itself allows the manufacturers to sell a higher number of products at a minimum profit. On the contrary, some products have significantly higher prices on Amazon to indicate a better pricing strategy for customers.

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2. Grouping For Comparison

Similar Items are grouped together to provide a better understanding and comparison of products without the need of visiting any other place.

Comparison is the key to reaching a decision. Amazon understands this well. Amazon allows its users with three or more similar options of the same product with different packages. This allows the customers to make better choices from a single platform only, rather than going to other places for comparison of prices.

3. Preparing A Free Gift For Customers

Giving a free trial always has a better impression on customers. It can give them trust in the provided facility. Way Amazon allows its customers the facility of using Amazon Prime free of cost for 30 days. Once a customer starts using this facility, they will indirectly feel debted to Amazon. One can also try to purchase as much as possible in this period just for the sake of that membership. It can also make others purchase the facility once its free trial is completed.

Amazon Prime Launches Free Gaming Benefits for Indian users

As the lockdown in India is extended further, Amazon wants its users to enjoy gaming content at home. Amazon Prime members in India can now get gaming benefits. The Prime members will also get access to a bundle of mobile gaming content. The games will also include free in-game content

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4. Additional Clarification

The complete clarification about shipping details helps in the proper placement of orders as per need.

There are many customers purchasing orders from Amazon as a gift. Giving out clear clarification about shipping details and days required for the order to arrive can ultimately speed up the process of purchasing. This can be because no one likes to receive the product after its needed date. This step gives an ultimatum to customers without the actual use of any warning.

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5. Periodic Sale

Periodic sales work as a time bomb, the difference is that they work on the human mind. For any product available in the sale, with a limited time offer. Customers do not have the option of pondering much on the same thing. This forces the customers to make a quick decision. Hence, eventually, they can also lead to good sales once the psychology is well understood.

6. Attaching Social Reviews

Customer Reviews Summed Up For Easy Understanding.

Almost everyone goes to the comments section of Amazon before purchasing a product. This gives the impression of the received product. There are thousands of users purchasing products from Amazon. Each customer can’t read all the given comments for a better understanding of the product. Hence, Amazon came up with a great solution of summarising all comments into one simple rating box. This allows quick and easy identification for customers. Higher the rating, the higher the number of customers willing to buy the product. Keeping the review and rating box on the product detail page is a great innovative step taken by Amazon.

7. Summing Up The Cost With Number 9

The Easy Explanation Of “Charm Pricing”.

Also known as “Charm Pricing“, it is considered one of the most successful strategies used by Amazon. In this method, the left number of cost is exchanged with the number “9”. Price number ending in 99 or 9 number makes the Price looks quite lesser than the whole number of cost. It primarily deals with the thought process of the human mind. It is estimated that Nine ending prices are slightly lower than the one ending a process or whole numbers.

Conclusion

Amazon is known for its multiple services. It is one of the best examples to acknowledge e-commerce platforms. Amazon is always in a changing phase. Amazon has its share behind making great Strategies for its products to be on top. This takes the teamwork of both the manufacturers and Amazon together for increasing its rank in the eye of customers. Amazon is always known for its good quality products at less prices. To maintain this, Amazon takes the help of psychological tricks. Some of the psychological tricks have been explained above.

‌‌‌‌

FAQs

Who is the CEO of Amazon?

The current CEO of Amazon is Andy Jassy.

When was Amazon Incorporated?

Amazon was incorporated in 1995.

What is the cost of Amazon Prime for one month?

Amazon Prime costs about Rs 179 per month.

Do retailers use any tricks to increase their sales?

Retailers on Amazon use a number of tricks in order to achieve a higher sale compared to their competitors.

May 14, 2022
Top 6 Billionaires Tackling Climate Change

The world has evolved and is still in the process of evolving. We are surrounded by technology and have our hands on things that are making our life easier. However, the more we have evolved, the more we started ignoring nature. This has resulted in drastic climatic change, so much is that we are losing 149 billion metric tons of ice in Antarctica. This has led to the rise of the global sea level in a big way, and researches shows that by the year 2050 big populated cities will get under the water.

Now, the richest and wealthiest people have also contributed to climatic change. The richer they are, the more their carbon footprint increase. Reports claimed that half of the global emission is caused by the 10% wealthiest people in the world. Nw, with great power, comes great responsibility. This rare planet now needs to be saved. We do not have a planet B. Fortunately, some of these wealthy people are aware of what their actions are doing to the world. So all of them are doing their part to save the planet. In this article, we will talk about some billionaires and what they are doing to tackle climate change. So without any further ado, let’s get started.

Jeff Bezos
Elon Musk
Bill Gates
Bernard Arnault
Mark Zuckerberg
Larry Ellison

Jeff Bezos

The second richest person in the world and the founder of E-commerce giant Amazon, Jeff Bezos is clearly aware of what carbon emission is doing to the world. To counter the situation, Jeff Bezos along with Amazon has started an initiative known as The Amazon Climate Pledge, it is signed by other 104 corporations and its main target is to achieve net-zero carbon emission by the year 2040. Apart from that Bezos also has set up a fund called Bezos Earth Fund. Amazon also has a climate fund of $2 billion and this will be invested in new unique technologies that are needed to make a zero-carbon economy. In his Bezos Earth Fund, it is $10 billion and already 16 groups that working on climate change are given $790 million.

Elon Musk

There is hardly anyone who isn’t aware of this person, Elon Musk is currently the richest person in the world with his company like Tesla and SpaceX. He is now the owner of the popular social media site, Twitter as well. From the very first, this person is aware of what Carbon emission is doing to our world. His company Tesla is an electric carmaking company which is an alternative to fossil fuels. His company is known for energy-saving and also for avoiding waste. In 2021, Musk donated $100 million to an NGO called XPrize. XPrize has hosted a competition of four years through which they pledge to find a solution to achieve the removal of 10 gigaton carbon removal target per year by 2050.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates is not only known for his wealth but also for his philanthropy, the founder of the popular multinational tech company Microsoft. Gates is very much aware of the climate change issue the planet faces and has always spoken about its drastic consequences. Being that upfront about climate change, his company Microsoft took many steps to save the planet. In 2019, Microsoft pledged and set a target to source 100% renewable electricity by the year 2030. It has also decided to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as well. Bill Gates has already authored a best-seller known as ‘How To Avoid A Climate Disaster’. Apart from Microsoft has taken a big challenge of being carbon negative by the year 2030. Microsoft is also part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge and has signed it.

Bernard Arnault

The French business Tycoon Bernard Arnault is the chairman and CEO of the biggest luxury goods company LVMH. Some of the biggest luxury brands like Louie Vuitton, Dior and Sephora are under this. Under the directive of Arnault, LVMH has its own program called LVMH Initiatives For the Environment (LIFE) program, it has decided a target to achieve the use of 100% renewable energy and eradication of fossil-based plastic use in packaging by 2026. Apart from that, LVMH claimed to achieve their goal of 25% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020, in fact, they reportedly surpassed 37% of carbon emissions 12% more than their target.

Mark Zuckerberg

The man behind the biggest social media platform, Facebook and the company Meta is Mark Zuckerberg. Meta in 2021 said that it has reached its target of net-zero of carbon emissions and energy that it has purchased. In 2019, it was one of the largest buyers of renewable energy and is also on the path to investing funds in the projects of carbon removal and nature-based compounds. Zuckerberg along with Meta is focusing on sustainability and is working to tackle the impact of climate change in the world.

Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison is the co-founder and the former CEO of Oracle Corporations. The Oracle Corporation has always believed in sustainable business and has several sustainable goals. Larry Ellison started the SailGP catamarans race in the year 2018, it is to be the first climate positive sport. Its main slogan is ‘Powered by nature’ and has set a target to be 100% charged by renewable energy sources by the year 2025. Apart from that, Ellison has also bought a Hawaiian island and has pledged to turn the island into a place of clean energy. He brought the island in 2012 for $300 million.

Conclusion

With the threat of global warming rising every day, the planet is in danger. There are companies that are playing a big role in the increase of global warming as they are producing carbon emissions. The Billionaires are now taking responsibility and are coming forward by initiating new projects and taking part in sustainable development programmes to save the planet.

FAQs

Who is the richest person in the world?

Elon Musk is the richest person in the world.

Who is Jeff Bezos?

Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur and the founder of the biggest E-commerce platform Amazon.

How much CO2 does the world produce?

Approximately, the world produces over 43 billion tons of carbon emissions every year.

May 1, 2022

Jeff Bezos: Story of The Retailing Giant

Who doesn’t likes shopping, but to go out to a store for a handful of things is very cliché. Online shopping/e-commerce is the new trend that people are really benefiting from. Consumers can find the products of their interest by visiting the website of the retailer with just a few clicks directly or by searching among alternative vendors using a shopping search engine. An online store evokes the physical analogy of purchasing products or services regularly. One of the largest online retailing companies is Amazon, founded by Mr. Jeff Bezos.

Jeff is an American businessman, founder, and executive chairman of Amazon. Jeff Bezos is a person who has brought new reforms to the e-commerce business. He has diversified the e-commerce business into many segments with a listing of around 20 million products. He is also a big enthusiast of aerospace services, thus founded his own aerospace manufacturing company Blue Origin.

Jeff Bezos – Biography
Jeff Bezos – Personal Life
Jeff Bezos – Career
Jeff Bezos – Amazon
Jeff Bezos – Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos – Net Worth
Jeff Bezos – Philanthropy
Jeff Bezos – Awards & Recognition

Jeff Bezos – Biography

Born

12th January 1964, New
Mexico

Citizenship

American

Education

Miami Palmetto Senior High
School(1982) &Princeton University

Title

Founder & Executive
Chairman of Amazon, Founder of Blue Origin, Founder of Bezos Expeditions

Spouse

MacKenzie Scott (m.
1993–2019)

Net Worth

$ $150.1 billion (April 2022)

Jeff Bezos – Personal Life

Jeff Bezos with his mother Jacklyn Bezos

Jeff Bezoss’ aka Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen was born in New Mexico. His parents Theodore Jorgensen and Jacklyn Jorgensen were college students when they got married and completed their classes on the night shift while bringing baby Jeff along. After they got divorced, his mother married a Cuban immigrant Mike Bezos, who adopted Jeff when he was 4 years old and changed his name from Jorgensen to Bezos. Bezos was brought up in Miami and completed his schooling in the Miami Palmetto Senior High School. Jeff worked at McDonald’s as a short-order line cook during the breakfast shift, when he was in high school.

Jeff graduated from Princeton University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science. After Bezos completed college, he started working for Filtel, a telecommunication company tasked with building a network for international trade. There in 1992, he met MacKenzie Tuttle, who was a novelist and the two fell in love, and got married the next year. They both moved to Seattle in 1994 where Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.

Jeff Bezos – Career

In the early stage after graduation, Bezos was offered jobs from Intel, Bell Labs, and Andersen Consulting. Bezos started his career working with Fitel, a company that built networks for international trade. During that period, he was promoted to head of development and director of customer service. Jeff became a product manager at Bankers Trust, and that is when he switched into the banking business. He worked there from 1988 to 1990. During the mid-1990 he shifted to D.E. Shaw & Co. a hedge fund dealing with mathematical modelling. He worked there till 1994, in the duration he was the fourth senior vice president of the company. On 5th July 1994, a phenomenon struck in Bezos garage and he created Amazon. Bezos called his new firm Cadabra at first but subsequently changed it to Amazon in honor of the Amazon River in South America. His passion for aviation and aerospace crafts never waned as Amazon’s retail company grew. He explored different opportunities and by the year 2000, he started his own company Blue Origin, which is an aerospace manufacturing and suborbital spaceflight services company.

The Blue Origin-launched New Shepard vehicle reached space in 2015, and also landed successfully back on the Earth. Bezos also bought The Washington Post, the major American newspaper, in 2013 for $250 million. He also owns a venture capital firm, Bezos Expeditions, through which it manages many other investments. Bezos co-founded biotechnology company Altos Labs with Yuri Milner, the founder of Mail.ru, in September 2021.

Jeff Bezos – Amazon

Amazon was established as an online bookstore. He started Amazon with an initial investment of $300,000 which he took from his parents. Although Amazon began as an online bookshop, Bezos had always intended to extend the company’s offerings to various other product categories. Three years after Bezos launched the IPO of Amazon and listed the company. After the expansion in 1998, Bezos diversified into the online sale of music and video, and by the end of the year, he had expanded the company’s products to include a variety of other consumer goods. Amazon was running well and Bezos needed funds, thus he borrowed $2 Billion from American Banks and launched Amazon Web services, which was a big failure. Huge losses were incurred at that time. Taking a rebound in 2003 from the instability Amazon turned a profit of $400 million in the financial year. After a great research Amazon launched Kindle in 2007 which was an e-book reader device that was similar to a video game device. By the year 2013, Amazon was recognized as the largest shopping retailer in the world. With this great success, Jeff was featured in the Forbes list of richest people in the world, and on 27th July 2017, Bezos became the world’s wealthiest person over Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates when his estimated net worth increased to just over $90 billion. On November 24, 2017, his net worth topped $100 billion for the first time, and on March 6, 2018, Forbes named him the world’s wealthiest person, with a net worth of $112 billion. Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon on July 5, 2021, after exactly 27 years of founding it. His net worth is currently estimated at $150.1 bn, as of April 2022.

Jeff Bezos – Blue Origin

In 2000, Bezos founded the company Blue Origin, a human space flight startup. Bezos always had an interest in space travel and development on other planets for the livelihood of the human race. Blue Origin had a quiet profile after its creation until 2006 when it bought a huge plot of land in West Texas for a launch and test site. Following the company’s rise to prominence in the late 2000s, Bezos expressed an interest in lowering the expense of human space flight while simultaneously improving the safety of extra-terrestrial travel. During a short-hop test flight in September 2011, one of the company’s unmanned prototype vehicles crashed. Despite the fact that the disaster was seen as a setback, news sources emphasized how far the business had progressed in spaceflight since its inception. Bezos has been superstitiously wearing his “lucky” Texas Cowboy boots to all rocket launches since the accident.

Bezos met with Virgin Galactic chairman Richard Branson in May 2013 to explore commercial spaceflight prospects and tactics. He has been compared to Branson and Elon Musk as all three are billionaires who prioritize spaceflight among their business interests.

Jeff Bezos took a flight into space on his own rocket made by Blue Origin on July 20, 2021, thereby becoming the second billionaire to fly into space in the same month. The crew of his spaceflight also included his brother. Blue origin has also focused on starting a suborbital tourism business in the future.

Jeff Bezos – Net Worth

Bezos was one of the youngest billionaires of America. He became a millionaire in 1997 when he launched the first IPO of his company Amazon which gave a revenue of $54 million. He was first included in the Forbes World’s billionaires list in 1999 with a net worth of $10.1 billion. After the economic recession, his wealth decreased by 17.7%. By 2010, he had risen from 68th place to 43rd place thanks to the % improvement. After the great success of Amazon and boom in the market, Bezos in 2015, rose to be the 5th richest person in the world. After some increases in Amazon’s stock price, he surpassed Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest person in July 2017. At present (April 2022), Jeff Bezos is the third richest man in the world with a total wealth of $150.1 bn. He was dropped to the second position in 2021 when Elon Musk became the richest man, and eventually dropped another ranking.

Jeff Bezos – Philanthropy

Bezos being a successful businessman, is a great philanthropist too. He has donated much of his income to the needful people of America. Bezos and his family first donated $15 million to his alma mater, Princeton University. He then pledged $35 million to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Then in 2013, he pledged $500,000 to World reader, a non-profit founded by a former Amazon employee. Bezos in 2017, gave $ 1 million to the press community, and a year later he tweeted that he will donate $2 billion to a fund deal to the American homeless to establish non-profit schools.

In September 2018, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos announced a philanthropic fund of $2 billion to carry out both the initiatives, which he called Bezos Day 1 Fund. Behind this fund will be two groups – the Day 1 Family Fund and the Day 1 Academies Fund. Jeff Bezos plans to help homeless families and create preschool education in low-income areas.

“MacKenzie and I share a belief in the potential for hard work from anyone to serve others. We all have that capacity,” Jeff Bezos wrote on Twitter.

The world’s richest man then, with an estimated wealth of over $150 billion, Jeff Bezos planned to create a network of non-profit preschools for students who belong to low-income communities. Additionally, Bezos hopes to help the existing non-profit organizations to tackle the homeless crisis by making food and shelter accessible to the homeless destitute.

The Day1 Family Fund will cater to homeless households by providing the existing organizations, performing the “needle-moving work”, with a yearly allowance. On the other hand, the Day1 Academies Fund will administer the launching and operating of a network of top-quality, Montessori-inspired preschools offering full scholarships to the student.

“We’ll use the same set of principles that have driven Amazon. Most important among those will be genuine, intense customer obsession. The child will be the customer,” wrote the tech mogul on a notice posted on his Twitter handle.

This development was unveiled after a year the Amazon founder posted on Twitter urging his 222,000 followers for suggestions on philanthropic offerings that would address urgent needs and also have a lasting impact on society. In less than six hours after his request on the networking site, there were more than 3,600 replies, suggesting contributions to affordable housing, improvement in healthcare facilities, veterans’ organizations and LGBT causes, etc.

He’s been donating billions of dollars and a study denotes that Jeff in a current situation donates approximately 25% of his income to many NGOs and centres that help the poor and the people in need. In April 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Bezos donated $100 million to food banks through Feeding America.

Jeff Bezos – Awards & Recognition

In 1999, Bezos received his first major award when Time named him Person of the Year.
In 2008, he was selected by U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s best leaders.
Bezos was awarded an honorary doctorate in science and technology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2008.
In 2011, The Economist gave Bezos and Gregg Zehr an Innovation Award for the Amazon Kindle.
In 2012, Bezos was named Businessperson of the Year by Fortune.
He is also a member of the Bilderberg Group and attended the 2011 Bilderberg conference in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and the 2013 conference in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. He was a member of the Executive Committee of The Business Council in 2011 and 2012.
2014 – 2018, he was ranked as the best-performing CEO in the world by Harvard Business Review.
He has also been featured in Fortune’s list of 50 great leaders of the world for three straight years, topping the list in 2015.
In February 2018, Bezos was elected by the National Academy of Engineering for “leadership and innovation in space exploration, autonomous systems, and building a commercial pathway for human space flight”.
In March 2018, at the Explorers Club annual dinner, he was awarded the Buzz Aldrin Space Exploration Award in recognition of his work with Blue Origin.

FAQs

What is the full name of Jeff Bezos?

The full name of Jeff Bezos is Jeffrey Preston Bezos.

How old is Jeff Bezos?

He was born on 12 January 1964. He is 58 years old (2022).

How did Jeff Bezos start Amazon?

Jeff Bezos has started Amazon as an online bookstore.

How old was Jeff Bezos when he became a billionaire?

He became a billionaire in 1999 when he was 35 years old.

What is Jeff Bezos’ net worth?

He has a net worth of $150.1 Billion (April 2022).

April 30, 2022

How to Start Amazon FBA Business in 2022? (Beginners Guide)

They say, there are hundreds of ways to make money on the internet. Rightly so, there are. From freelancing to starting up your own e-commerce business on the internet — there’s so much you can accomplish via the web. If you aren’t living in a cave, you must have heard about Amazon’s Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) business model, something that has quickly turned into a rage among online sellers.

Step 1: Pick That First Product That You Think Will Be a Winner
Step 2: Sourcing The New Product
Step 3: Market Your Product Extensively

Amazon FBA Business — what it is all about?

So, let’s assume you’re an online seller. Now, think of a setup where you get to choose the products you want to sell, along with the supplier who can meet the requirements, source, package and ship the same. All of this happens in one of Amazon’s fulfilment centres, where Amazon takes care of shipping from where things are taken care of.

Amazon FBA Homepage

No folks, it ain’t exactly the Amazon Affiliate thing. This is slightly different!

There are a few important things that one needs to grasp before starting the much enticing Amazon’s FBA business. However, the journey can be highly rewarding and fruitful if you get the basics right. It does come with its own share of pros and cons but that doesn’t take anything away from the fact that FBA provides a huge platform for sellers to make it big on the internet. Take a look at the pricing of the Amazon FBA.

Now that you’ve finalized the FBA business — knowing how to start FBA is important because it is where the money lie, let’s get that straight!

Before you ask yourself the much-coveted question — ‘ How can I launch an FBA business and make it successful? ‘, we have the answer! Let’s get a quick hold of the important steps to start one. Here they are:

Step 1: Pick That First Product That You Think Will Be a Winner

Well, It is time when you tone down your excitement and start researching for that one starter product — one winner that can be a potential game-changer for you. It must be noted that the first step is perhaps the hardest, as well as the most time-consuming part of the whole process as it demands a whole lot of research and study to get to that one product.

Nah! We don’t want you to take unnecessary pressure and be intimidated by the ask, but getting the right first product is integral for the growth that you’ve always imagined for yourself and your business.

The right product can simplify the journey ahead while picking the wrong one can make things tougher in the long run. If there’s little to negligible demand for your product, if the niche is super-competitive and the cost price is on the higher side — then it may have a negative impact on your profitability.

However, you can avoid all of it by devoting time to product research, rigorous brainstorming and zeroing down upon the right suppliers (more on that in the next step).

Note: Getting the right product isn’t just enough, as it marks the beginning of a continuous trial and error mechanism that will polish you and your business for what works and what doesn’t.

So, even if you get that potential winner — always remember there’ll always be better products or better suppliers for the same. But, at the end of the day, you need to remember that everything starts from something and this is your chance!

Pick a Market That Excites You, and Finalize Upon a Niche

Think Big, Start Small.

Start with what excites you, problems or products that you’re passionate about and then let your brain produce a brainchild — something that will lead to that one ‘winning product’.

It is important not to confine yourself while brainstorming. Think broadly and think differently — write your ideas down. You can always narrow them down later, so do not hesitate.

It is good to finalize upon a niche, rather than targetting broader categories as the competition is relatively less, and there’s more scope for growth and profitability in the long run. A product line based on ‘Electronics’ can be too broad to create the right kind of positioning but a niche like ‘smart wearables’ can help you position your business better.

Do a Lot of Market Research — Do it. A lot of it

Okay, so you’ve picked something that excites you! Great, now it is time you start indulging in some preliminary research for your product or niche. Start asking yourself questions, and keep looking for answers. This is when you can change yourself to find products that are potential problem-solvers for real-world problems related to your niche.

Let’s assume that you’ve decided upon this electronic neck massager. Your search can start from something as simple as googling about it. You can also search major marketplaces to check the list prices for this particular product.

Does your product belong to that $8 to $40 bracket? If so, it is a positive sign for your business since products that fall into that bracket make up for great ‘impulsive’ purchases. This shall help you to stock up accordingly.

You can upscale your research game by using tools that make the job easy for you to finalize that one potential winner. For example, you can use tools like Ahrefs for keyword research, analysing traffic on a particular keyword and coming up with the right kind of products based on traffic and footfalls on a given keyword. This can be instrumental in finalizing that perfect product title.

Next, you can check Best Seller Ratings (BSRs) on Amazon to understand what sells well on Amazon. Don’t let this metric determine your decisions. Rather, consider it as a validation for your niche. However, if there are too many items dominating a category, it may imply that there’s too much competition in that given category and it may be harder for your first product to breakthrough.

Using advanced tools like Jungle Scout and Helium10 can simplify this step and ensure effective market research that helps you upscale.

Avoid Competition — It Is Good but Not for Starters

Think of it this way. You wouldn’t want a crazy amount of competition rooting behind your first product because — it is your first product! No points for guessing, you would want a pretty smooth and seamless journey to establish yourself in the FBA business, and sadly — a competitive niche or category won’t be aiding you.

If there are big brands established for a particular product or niche, it is generally a red signal to get into that category as at times — categories are known by the brands leading them which also means that you’ve to accomplish or offer something miraculous with your product or marketing to breakthrough. Although, we would always want you to think big and make it big, breaking into categories with ‘brand whales’ can be tough, to say the least!

Selling via a private label can go a long way in starting and succeeding in an FBA business as it doesn’t just give you more freedom while running your business but also gives you a better shot at marketing your product to the top of the listings. All of us love brands and their marketing endeavours for a reason. Right?

Step 2: Sourcing The New Product

So, now that you’ve addressed the elephant in the room, and figured out what your product would be — another challenge awaits. The key is to figure out the source of your product — the suppliers.

Find a Reliable Supplier

Suppliers with a good reputation, great production facilities and on-time delivery commitments are crucial for the growth of your FBA business. As it all depends upon the cost, it is generally a good idea to get products from countries that are known for affordable production pricing like China and India.

If your supplier manufactures another range of products as well, then it may be a wise idea to be in their good books backed by good behaviour and on-time payments as they can be crucial for the growth of your FBA business.

Cracking the ‘Shipping’ dilemma

Sourcing and shipping are largely interrelated as sourcing would be influenced by the shipping terms i.e. by train, by air or by cargo. For domestic shipments, air and trains are generally preferred whereas international terms include water shipment and cargo, as international sellers operate in some of the most competitively priced markets, and hence shipment via water becomes a no-brainer.

Step 3: Market Your Product Extensively

Picked a product, and found a supplier too? Damn! Things look great but then you realise that the crucial part would be to market it the right way so that the right kind of audience reaches out to get connected with your brand.

A listing on Amazon does guarantee some eyeballs here and there, but the real deal lies in the fact that the positioning can mostly make or break the product for you. The right marketing mix can help your product grow leaps and bounds on Amazon and that is what we want. Isn’t it?

Get a Winning Product Description That Rakes in Traction

We are sure you’ve figured out the mechanism and your product too looks absolutely incredible. That is for sure! However, as sellers we want our customers to understand our mission, vision, culture and what we tend to market through our products and the product description goes a long long way in establishing all of that and even more.

The copywriting, SEO, pictures and detailed product page are crucial for the success of an FBA business. Remember, Great product descriptions succeed at establishing a connection with their masses in ways that conversions start following automatically.

Running Ads and getting PPC campaigns to help in establishing the connection between you and your audience. Right from product reviews to the ads, every aspect of the brand’s decision-making revolves around those who’ve used it — the customers in the first place.

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Conclusion

Once you get hold of all of the above, there’s nothing that would stop you from making it big, and that is the beauty of this era.

FAQs

Is it still worth starting Amazon FBA?

If you are just started selling on Amazon and only sell your products on Amazon, Amazon FBA is worth the money. However, It can be quite expensive for sellers who have low-profit margins.

How much does the average Amazon seller make?

An average Amazon seller makes $1000 to $5000 a month.

How much does it cost to start an Amazon business?

You need to have at least $5000 to $10,000 to start selling on Amazon.

April 13, 2022
List of Companies Which Provides Work to Gig Workers of India
Gig employment has revolutionized the Indian economy in recent years, providing a large number of jobs for the population and adding to the country’s GDP in the long run. It is getting so popular that people are actively choosing gig work over regular work due to the convenience and flexibility of the job. Companies that recruit gig workers save money on office space, equipment, and other expenses, while workers enjoy flexible work schedules and the opportunity to do something they like and also earn more by doing multiple gigs.

Gig jobs were already popular before the pandemic, but since the COVID outbreak, many individuals who lost their normal employment have turned to gigs, which are very easy to find and offer an excellent opportunity to make money. More businesses are turning to gig workers in place of full-time staff, and their operational methods are shifting as a result. This allows them to hire more talent but at a lower cost.

Companies that provide gig jobs are expanding in India, and they are assisting a large number of people who are looking for work. We’ll take a look at a few of these businesses in this article.

List of Best Companies for GIG Workers
1. Flipkart
2. Urban Company
3. Bigbasket
4. Swiggy
5. Zomato
6. Amazon
7. Dunzo
8. PharmEasy
9. Ola Cabs
10. Porter
11. Uber
12. Mr. Right
13. Blinkit
About Gig Economy and Benefits and Challenges of Gig Workers

Flipkart

Flipkart – Gig Economy Company

Most of the gig workers working at Flipkart are delivery service people. Founded in 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, the e-commerce giant connects sellers to the consumers and delivers the products to the customers. Flipkart also provides training to its supply chain employees and provides them with all the gear necessary for the job.

Urban Company

Urban Company – Gig Economy Company

Urban Company is an on-demand home service platform that allows consumers to access a variety of services from the comfort of their own homes. Urban Company currently has 35,000+ skilled professionals providing 7,50,000+ services each month, as well as having a worldwide presence in four countries.

Bigbasket

Bigbasket – Gig Economy Company

Founded in 2011, Bigbasket is an online grocery delivery service that brings goods to your home once you place an order. The company employs roughly 35,000 people across 30 Indian cities, a large percentage of which are delivery drivers.

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Swiggy

Swiggy – Gig Economy Company

Swiggy is an online food delivery service that brings food right to your door. Founded in 2014, Bangalore-based company that operates in 500+ cities. Swiggy is also known as one of the fastest-growing unicorn companies in India. This delivery business, which employs over 1,30,000 people, makes around 1 million deliveries every day.

Zomato

Zomato – Gig Economy Company

Zomato was launched in 2008 as Foodiebay, and in 2010 it was renamed Zomato Media Pvt Ltd. Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah were the founders of the Zomato. The business joined India’s Unicorn club in 2018. It is available in a variety of countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Amazon

Amazon – Gig Economy Company

Amazon first entered the Indian market in 2013, and it has since grown to become one of the country’s largest online retail platforms. Amazon has created Flex, which provides part-time delivery work and other Amazon gig jobs in India for workers who want to make extra money. Those who have their own vehicles are eligible to apply for the delivery job, and can earn around Rs.140 per hour.

Dunzo

Dunzo – Gig Economy Company

Kabeer Biswas, Ankur Agarwal, Dalvir Suli, and Mukund Jha established Dunzo in 2014. It’s an online service that delivers necessities and groceries to customers’ homes. The company is headquartered in Bangalore. Jaipur, Gurgaon, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad are among the eight major cities in India where Dunzo is now active.

PharmEasy

PharmEasy – Gig Economy Company

PharmEasy is an online drug and healthcare supplies delivery service based in Mumbai. The application also provides online doctor consultations and telehealth. PharmEasy app works by taking the customer’s prescription, verifying it at the store, and then delivering the medications as needed. During the pandemic, the company also launched the gift a mask campaign, in which customers were encouraged to donate a mask to frontline employees, with the company matching each donation.

Ola Cabs

Ola – Gig Economy Company

Ola cabs, often known as Ola, is an online taxi and rideshare service that offers consumers rides that can be simply booked online. The company, which is based in Bangalore, provides services in practically all of the country’s main cities. Despite its many issues, Ola continues to have a large user base in the country.

Porter

Porter – Gig Economy Company

The company was founded in 2014 and is active in over 13 cities and has served over 50 lakh customers. The Porter provides transportation aids to the customers, which also helps the owner-drivers with employment and provides them with a consistent source of income. For now, the company has around 2 lakh owner-drivers.

Uber

Uber – Gig Economy Company

Uber began operations in India in 2013, and it has since served over 95 million riders and drivers. It is an online taxi and rideshare company that accepts online reservations for rides. Uber India has supplied gig jobs to a large number of drivers, however the Uber structure in India is very different from that in other developed countries.

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Mr. Right

Mr. Right – Gig Economy Company

Mr. Right is a home service business that offers a variety of services such as appliance repair, deep cleaning, and more. The company accepts orders online and will send a professional with a good track record to the customer’s home to complete the work. The organization employs over 60,000 freelancers and offers a variety of home services.

Blinkit

Blinkit – Gig Economy Company

Blinkit, formerly Grofers, is an online platform for ordering groceries and other necessities. Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar founded the company in 2013. The company began operations in Delhi and has since expanded to other cities. The company’s goal is to alleviate the problems and inconveniences that customers and merchants face as a result of the market’s disorganized setup.

Conclusion

Gig jobs are slowly but steadily gaining popularity in India. Because of the pandemic, there has been an increase in gig workers, and some individuals are enjoying it and do not want to return to their former jobs. Gig jobs offer convenience and flexibility. Gig workers make up a major portion of the country’s workforce and contribute significantly to its GDP. It is something that the authorities must address, and actions to protect gig workers and provide them with fair working conditions must still be taken.

FAQs

What is gig work?

Gig workers work as short-term, temporary, or independent contractors for one or more companies, rather than a regular, in-office, full-time position with a single corporation.

How much do gig workers earn in India?

The average salary for gig workers in India is around Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000.

What is the most popular gig job?

Delivery driver is the most popular gig job.

What is called Gig economy?

Gig economy is a workforce environment for short-term employment, contractual jobs, and independent contractors who do not get monthly wage, isntead they get paid for completing a Gig.

Which are the Gig Economy Companies in India?

Top 10 Gig Economy companies in India are:
- Flipkart
- Urban Company
- Bigbasket
- Swiggy
- Zomato
- Amazon
- Dunzo
- PharmEasy
- Ola Cabs
- Porter
March 22, 2022
How E-Commerce Brands use AR/VR to Enhance The Shopping Experience?

This article is contributed by Anshul Agarwal, Co-founder of XR Central.

Most people we know, when they need to buy supplies, will take a few hours or more in order to: a) go to the shops, b) search for the desired shop, c) go to the relevant section in the desired shop, and so on and so forth, you get the picture. The internet has made e-commerce faster and more convenient than ever before, but there are still things that we hesitate to buy online. We want to try on glasses, try on clothes, see how everything fits before we click that button. And for that, you have to take a few hours to go to the shops.

The advent of the metaverse, and technology like 5G, will make e-commerce even more intuitive and convenient for customers. Now, you can scan your body or enter your measurements and try on all sorts of clothes and accessories on your virtual avatar. With the level of precise detail made possible in the metaverse, this will be as close to the real experience as possible and will take a fraction of the time. And if you think, well, this is an activity that I’d like to do with friends, then the social component – that gets missed from a lot of e-commerce experiences at the moment – will also be there for you. Your friends will have the opportunity to create their own avatars and accompany you on virtual shopping trips from the convenience of their own homes.

Indeed, XR-powered platforms power the collaborative and social aspect of retail via omnichannel messaging and real-time avatar interaction. You and your friends will be able to stroll in a fully immersive experience through the shops in your local neighbourhood – or even thousands of miles away. And shop owners will have a chance to showcase their goods effectively while maintaining their customers’ level of trust. There is also a rise in AR apps you can use to project makeup and accessories onto your face. Snapchat, for example, is debuting a version of Shopping Lens that will enable users to swipe through different kinds of makeup and cosmetics and virtually try them on their faces. Attached to the AR overlay will be detailed on prices, colours, and sizes. Major brands have already signed on to this new way of shopping and there are predictions of more and more brands jumping on the bandwagon soon.

Last year, Gucci made a big splash selling NFTs of digital clothes and accessories for millions of dollars. As we transition to a predominantly digital presence, we can expect to see a big uptick in our Direct-to-Avatar (D2A) purchases. For an appearance-conscious generation, digital avatars will need to exhibit personal flourishes via clothes and accessories. We know what makes us unique in real-life, but what will that be in the metaverse?

Like we’ve seen with H&M’s new virtual store, it will be possible to have cross-platform flexibility and access to major brands in a virtual setting. Users will be able to access retail stores on their tablets, smartphones, laptops, or by using VR-enabled headsets or glasses. Having stores at a ‘virtual’ address will offer brands a chance to be hyper-local in a truly global setting, and to gain access to a wider audience and secure cutting-edge brand equity.

For brands that don’t want to go all out on digital products, there is an opportunity to have hybrid showcases – where real-world creations are matched with virtual accessories to be sold as NFT collectibles. NFT collectibles are custom digitized tokens that, by definition, are truly exclusive. They cannot be exchanged with each other. And it’s low-cost, without raw materials, fittings, export duties, and comparable workers’ fees. Users can have their NFTs digitally rendered into Instagram or Snapchat filters, Zoom filters, QR codes, and seamlessly project an extension of their personality into the digital realm. In fact, the highly scalable and highly custom nature of virtual retail will make it so that retailers will create less waste and be able to recruit new customer bases with relative ease.

A case in point for retail’s future in the metaverse is the participation of FMCG companies. You could think that FMCG doesn’t really fit in the metaverse, but we have innovative branding strategies being implemented by the likes of Hellmann’s mayo – who created a campaign on Animal Crossing regarding food waste – and Proctor and Gamble – who created lifelike skin for avatars to advertise their Venus razors. A unique, multi-faceted campaign can result in a hundred-fold increase in social media mentions and make creaky brands seem slick and savvy.

And lastly, home shopping will become easier. We now have interior designers and decorators visualising furniture and all manner of home accessories in a rendering of your flat. And using AR shopping apps – like Amazon’s Room Decorator – you can see how that new bed you’re thinking of buying will look in your room, or how that painting or that rug, or that vase will look in your home. The tools powering the metaverse will provide an unprecedented ability to visualise 3D objects accurately, so you can be confident of your purchase.

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Conclusion

So, in summary, retail and e-commerce have a bright future in the metaverse on a number of different fronts. Some of them are already here and some will continue to evolve and mutate far into the future. It will be interesting to see where we land.

March 21, 2022