By Richard Peck
The main problem facing most would-be Amazon is knowing "what to sell".
This is more than just knowing the specifics about how the process works of identifying profitable products... it's more about the backend schematics of how the *process* of Amazon selling actually works.
This includes everything from sourcing boxes, getting stock and ultimately building a brand that can withstand the tough-and-tumble of competitive selling.
Fortunately, there is a very simple way to resolve this problem - it's called the boxed product strategy. This tutorial is going to examine exactly what it is, why it works and what it means for Amazon sellers who either wish to extend their current business, or build a brand new one from scratch...
The "boxed product strategy" is simple.
It suggests that it's the box that sells the product, not the product itself. This means that if you're looking to sell a product which has "already been done" - rather than just copying the product in an attempt to get some "me too" sales, you should look at creating a box of stuff to sell.
Think about the likes of boxer shorts / underwear. They've pretty much all been done before - every fashion brand has them, as well as all the no-named "big box" retailers like Walmart. Of course, the varying quality and price is determined by the likes of the fabric, name and other attributes.
The secret to "getting ahead" of the curve in that space would be to not just get your own underwear made (which is done with the likes of Alibaba), but them bundling them with something else and including them all in a nicely designed box.
For example, you may have several pairs of socks, a comic book, some other accessories (such as eau du parfum) or simply a "bundle pack" of the underwear you have. Depending on what you put into the box, you can then charge a higher price for the product.
The point here is not that you're making an Amazon product, but you're actually able to enter a market which is typically heavily populated with products already.
By offering a higher priced item, you're essentially positing your brand/product at a completely level to everything else (which essentially removes the competitive element of market penetration - you never want to just rip off someone else's product because once they find out, they'll bite you back 10x worse).
Thus, we have the workings of an idea. The idea is that if you're able to find an unencumbered product (typically something that isn't patented etc), you should have the opportunity to build a "boxed" version that includes a large number of peripheral items. This is the "boxed product strategy"...
Find A Product To Sell
The first step is to find a profitable product to sell. This is relatively simple now, thanks to the likes of Jungle Scout - which provides real product data & sales information.
There are two ways to approach this. Either you find a product that you want/know how to make (it could be a hobby or something), or you find a product that's already selling.
Obviously, going with the latter option opens you up to massive amounts of competition, whereas the former will typically have less interest. Without the demand derived from the market, it's not going to be feasible to create an effective product.
I'm not going to get into specifics of this - that is for another article.
Find A Supplier
After you've nailed down a product, you need a supplier. This typically takes the form of Alibaba, but can actually be a domestic supplier as well.
Again, this article is not about sourcing product. The point is that you need to either get a product manufactured, or buy in a white label version that you can put your own brand onto. This is what you'll be selling.
Get a Box Designed
Now, this is the important part. Rather than just shipping the products in vanilla white boxes - you need to get a snazzy box designed.
The important thing to note is that it's not the "design" of the box that's going to make a saleable product - but the contents of it, and ultimately what the box actually does.
For example, if you want to sell "inflatable pool toys" - make a big box with a ton of pictures of the different "animals" you can put in the pool.
Make them collectible and have a ton of them. This way, if someone is looking to buy a new set of inflatable pool toys, your "collection" will far outweigh the competition who'll typically have one or two variations for sale.
Without getting into too much detail - the "box" isn't about making a big package, or even putting multiple products into the same offer - it's about creating a compelling solution for their potential issue (inflatable pool toys are generally to keep their kids quiet, hence they need to be fun).
Start Selling Said Box
After doing this, you need to start selling the boxed product. This is a case of getting a bar code from GS1 (which costs per year), and then putting it onto the box.
The product can then be placed onto Amazon proper through a "professional" Amazon account (which costs $40/mo).
Whilst this might sound relatively expensive, it's one of the cheapest opportunities of all time - the most important being that you can actually direct customers directly to your Amazon page, giving you a great set of distribution methods for your products.
Promote The Product In Publications etc
Once you have a valid product, you need to promote it.
This is best done by purchasing advertising space in industry publications, then branching out into a wider scope of audience.
For example, if you're trying to sell women's lingerie - buy ad space in women's magazines. If that doesn't work, try getting FB ads and then work on getting people to promote the products via word of mouth.
Another tactic you could use would be to sell to men. Men don't know what size their partner is (generally), so your hook is to give them a SIMPLE way to buy lingerie. Give them a GUARANTEE - "PERFECT LINGERIE, GUARANTEED". This way, you could sell to men during the likes of Christmas and Valentine's day - the TWO days that best represent chocolate sales.
Obviously sounds simple, but isn't.
As with any business venture, selling on Amazon carries a large amount of risk and you have to be prepared to lose any money you invest.
The above blueprint is just an introduction to the idea that you're able to package products into "boxed editions" - allowing you to essentially sell them en mass without attracting the wrath of the incumbent retailers.
Article Source: Amazon's "Boxed Product" Strategy