The CPG Launch Playbook
Riley Bennett
Ultimate Guide to Launch & Rank Your Healthy CPG Brand on Amazon
Having worked with tons of a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, I've seen what works and what doesn't. This is my comprehensive guide on launching CPG on Amazon. It covers strategies for pricing, content creation, getting reviews, running Amazon ads, and ultimately achieving top rankings and profitability. Whether you sell healthy snacks, beverages, beauty, home consumables, or pet supplies – this guide is applicable for any consumable or Subscribe & Save eligible product. |  |
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Launching Your CPG Brand on Amazon?
This will guide you through what you need to know, best strategies, tips & tricks!
Intro
So, you've created a great product, now it's time to launch it on Amazon!
Amazon is the best way to reach the mass market.
Having a proper launch strategy can make or break a product's success, so it's important that you know what you're doing!
But what is a "launch"?
Basically, launch refers to the period when a product is first listed for sale on Amazon.
This phase is important because Amazon's algorithm makes it easier to rank when you're new – this is known as the honeymoon period.
I will start by showing a roadmap of what getting started on Amazon looks like.
If you don't have a Seller Central account yet, that's the first step! Below is the roadmap from signing up to sending stock into FBA. I recommend opening a SC account asap because somtimes there can be delays – so get that out of the way as soon as you can.
Account Setup Roadmap
On the account setup side, these are the steps to get up & running on Amazon.
Sign Up
Sign up for a Seller Central account at sell.amazon.com
Get Brand Registered
Enroll here. If you don't have a trademark yet, be sure to get one via IP Accelerator.
Add Products
Go to Add Products → Add UPC's and basic product info.
Category Approval
Amazon will ask for approval documents depending on the category.
Send Stock to FBA 📦
Do this as soon as inventory is ready to go.
On the creative side, here is the general roadmap to follow. If you're a brand new startup, then you'll need to start with branding! Followed by photoshoot and videos. If you're an existing brand, then you'll just need to make sure to get your Product Pages and Amazon Storefront looking great!
Creative Roadmap
On the creative side, here are the steps you'll need to get done.
Branding
Get your brand created! This includes but is not limited to: brand name, product names, website, logo, vision, brand voice, visuals, packaging, vustomeretc.
✅ Branding done
Photoshoot
Your photoshoot will be the bedrock of your brand, your Amazon pages, and your website – for years to come. Ask for a recommendation if needed.
✅ Photoshoot done
Videos
You already know that videos are extremely important in e-commerce. You'll want to get 3 kinds of videos
Videos
You already know that videos are extremely important in e-commerce. You'll want to get 3 kinds of videos
✅ Main video
✅ UCG highlights video
✅ Longform video
Product Pages
Time to sell! Make your Amazon product pages look great, optimized for conversion. My team at Amazing Creative is the best at this.
✅ Product Pages Done
Storefront
Your Amazon Storefront is like your second website! Make sure you do it right.
✅ Storefront Done
Hi, I'm Riley Bennett. Amazon Launch Expert.
Riley Bennett, Amazon Expert & Seller for 10+ years.
Here's my detailed Launch Checklist Timeline template in Notion if you'd like to use it!
CPG Launch Playbook
This is my CPG Launch Playbook. Below are the 6 pillars of a successful launch.
The first step is making sure you have a fully optimized listing - creative wise and keyword SEO wize.
Then, get your initial batch of reviews - fast.
Be sure to start at a discounted price to build traction.
Blast Sponsored Ads as much as you can to get initial sales velocity.
If you need more ranking power, optionally send external traffic to boost your rank.
6 Pillars of a Successful Launch 🚀
1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
Must look like a $10M brand.
| Get your initial batch of reviews fast.
| Choose a strategic sale price.
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4 | 5 | 6 |
Drive traffic with Sponsored Ads.
| The goal is to rank high organically.
| Optional for extra rank boost.
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Pillar 1: Million Dollar Listing
Creative
You've created a great product! Now you need to SELL it.
If you want to rank in the top-10, make sure that you have a Million-Dollar Listing.
What is a Million-Dollar Listing? It consists of professional Branding, Photography, Videos, Copywriting & Graphic Design.
This is how I think about creative. Think of it as a physical store in the virtual mall of Amazon. You can also think of it as your secondary website.
So I always recommend investing as much as you can into your listing because it will get millions of eyeballs – and for every 1% boost in CVR, it will make you an extra $10,000 a month, or year, for example.
If you need creative help, my creative team amazingcreative.io specializes in designing high-converting Amazon pages.
Million Dollar Listing Framework
Branding
Photo Shoot
Videos
USP-Based Sales Pitch
Premium A+
Branding
If you don't have branding yet, make sure to get million-dollar branding! It's very important to make your brand look & feel premium. The better your branding, the better chances you'll have at longterm success on Amazon. There's a lot that goes into branding, so that's for another day.
Photo Shoot
Your photoshoot will be the bedrock of your brand, your Amazon pages, and your website – for years to come. So make sure you have a professional photo shoot done. If you need a recommendation, just ask me.
Videos
You already know that videos are extremely important in e-commerce. It's very true for Amazon. This is my Videos Framework for a Million Dollar Listing – I believe you should have 3 kinds of videos.
1) Main Video
I think of this like your commercial. Put it as video #1 on your listing, and front & center on your A+ and Storefront.
2) UGC Compilation video
Edit the best moments from all your UGC videos. This can be short.
3) Longform / Deep Dive Video
A thorough explanation/demo/deepdive of the product. Just get someone to talk for 5-10 minutes all about the product! And I think the best person for this is… you! The owner. You know the product better than anyone on the planet. Do this: hit record on your phone and just talk about the product as if you were talking to your best friend!
Talk briefly about why you created it, why it's different than the leading brands out there, and get into all the details of why it's awesome, how you use it, tips & tricks, and anything else that you would say to a friend. This is what shoppers want to know! Filming this on your phone today and posting on your Amazon is the highest ROI thing you can do for your Amazon business right now.
This can also be a mini infomercial, unboxing, demo, how-to, comparison to leading brands. You can also do a podcast episode about your product! 😍
Get these 3 videos and your conversion rate will skyrocket.
Video Ads
Video ads are an absolutely crucial part of success on Amazon.
Do this: take your 3 videos from above and have an expert video edior cut them up and make several videos for testing as video ads. The name of the game is "test test test, keep what's best."
Have an Amazon expert to edit 5-10 video cuts to test as Amazon Video Ads. Just like Facebook/Instagram ads, it's all about capturing attention in the first few seconds - so make sure to test multiple intro variations. If you need a recommendation just ask.
E.g. an infomercial, unboxing, demo, how-to, comparison to leading brands, or just someone talking all about the product for 5-10 minutes. This is something you can flim with your phone right now that will be the highest ROI for your business.
If you have existing happy customers from your website or social media, invite them to post an honest and genuine video review on what they like about it versus similar products they’ve tried and why it is the most amazing thing ever and has changed their life.
Also invite people to leave long, multi paragraph ‘love letter’ text reviews. These can be amazing for conversion.
Example of a product with all 3 types of videos: Puro
Example of a simple 90-second "From the Owner" video that you can film & edit on your phone.
UGC Videos
Having some UGC (User Generated Content) is important. There are many ways to go about getting it.
Ideas
Have people do blind comparison tests vs the leading brands.
How do I get UGC videos?
thesocialcat.com is micro-influencer platform where you can get UGC videos in exchange for just a free product. But the platform is $99/mo.
Billo is a popular UGC video platform, around $99 per video.
Genuine Testimonial Videos
When it comes to customer videos, what we're really after is genuine, heartfelt testimonial videos. You want to find people who have actually benefitted from your product. Just like any business, these are worth their weight in gold.
How do I get genuine tesimonial videos?
Basically, try to get ahold of really happy customers. If someone leaves a raving review, either on Amazon, socials, or your website, try to get in contact with them. Thank them and offer them a gift card or free product in exchange for filling out a survey. After they submit the survey, ask if they'd be interested in another gift to film a video testimonial where they go through their survey answers.
Below are survey quesions that you can ask happy customers.
Survey Questions for Great Testimonials
Customize this to your liking and be sure to ask any specific questions that would make sense for your product. The idea here is to capture the essense of the before-after story of the customer.
What was the problem you had before discovering the product? What did that feel like? What were you unable to do that you wished you could? What negative impact did that have on others around you? (if applicable)
How did you discover our product/company?
What were your main questions or concerns you had while shopping / choosing a solution?
What were your thoughts while through the shopping process?
What were biggest doubts and/or concerns about this?
What made you ultimately choose us?
How do you use the product in your daily life?
What is an unexpected benefit or thing you enjoyed?
What was different compared to similar competitors you’ve tried? (mention specific competitors if applicable.)
How is is life better now that the problem is solved / after the product/service?
Where are you at now? How does that make you feel? What are you able to do now that you couldn’t before? What positive impact did that have on others around you?
Example of a genuine testimonial video:
If you have media feature videos, put them on Amazon!
Example of a Media Feature Video
USP Based Sales Pitch
What is your USP? “Unique Selling Position”. Amazon is a comparison platform. So don’t just explain the product.
Make sure you clearly show people why are you different, unique and better than the other options – this is your "USP Sales Pitch".
This is important because it actually helps shoppers make their buying decision!
You see, Amazon is a compaison platform by nature. When people shop, they are almost ALWAYS comparing several options! So that’s why my fifth key is USP-based messaging! This means, focus your creative & copywriting on your USPs’ – Unique Selling Positions. This means helping the shopper understand why you are UNIQUE & BETTER than the competition.
Do this:
Have 1 comparison chart showing you vs the top 1-5 leading brands in your niche. This should be in the gallery and the A+
Have 1 more comparison infographic going into detail on why you are unique & better compared to the leading brand(s). For example this can be an infographic with 1 big bold headline such as “Why We’re Better Than The Leading Brand” followed by a chunk of text with your USP based sales pitch!
In fact, I made some comparison chart templates that you can copy & edit in Canva, link below.
Comparison Charts
Make an infographic comparing to the top 2-3 leading brands, show why you’re amazing and they stink. For the gallery and A+.
Examples of good comparison charts:
Premium A+ Content
Premium A+ Content is the best! It allows you to have premium modules such as videos. So make sure to unlock it, use it, and add videos (you can add up to 3 videos)!
How to unlock Premium A+
Step 1)
Have 5 regular A+ content approvals in the last 12 months. All you ahve to do is this: duplicate any regular A+ content 5 times and submit them for approval.
Step 2)
Make sure Brand Story us activated for all ASINs!
After doing these steps, check back and we've found it usually unlocks within 7-15 days. Usually it refreshes every Friday, but as always, Seller Central can be wonky.
Premium A+ content looks like this:
Examples of great Premium A+ pages!
Storefront
Make sure to have an Amazing matching storefront as well!
Storefront best practices
Your main video should be front & center - as a full width video.
Pro tip: add "follow us
Examples of amazing Storefronts:
Pillar 2: Get Reviews Fast
Getting Reviews
When you launch on Amazon, the first thing you need to do is get your initial batch of reviews. I've found that when we get 30 reviews in the first 30 days, it tends to be a good launch.
How do I get 30 reviews in the first 30 days?
1) Enroll in Amazon Vine
We normally enroll 20-30 units per Parent ASIN. It’s limited to 30 max per Parent ASIN.
2) Turn on Review Request Automation
This can be done in Jungle Scout or Helium 10. It’s a no-brainer because it increases your review rate. If you are wondering which one to go with, most advanced sellers use Helium 10.
3) If you want more reviews, then a site you can use is fbareviews.com. It's like a third party version of Vine, where you give free products in exchange for reviews.
Should I ask friends to leave a review?
No. This is against TOS and not worth your time.
How many reviews should I shoot for?
Just worry about getting your first batch of 30 or so reviews in the first 30 days. From there, the big milestone is hitting 1000 reviews. Using Review Request Automation and an Insert Card can help get you there faster. Other than that, you'll get there when you get there.
This is what I call a "Home Run" – 1000 reviews with a 4.3+ rating. If you can hit that, you'll be in a great place.
Pillar 3: Sale Price
Sale Price
When launching, you want to focus on pushing for RANK and SALES VELOCITY.
In general, the lower your price, the more units you'll sell! And thus, and the faster and higher you'll rank on page 1 – and the more likely you are to get a Hot New Release in [Your Subcategory] badge.
But exactly how much of a discount should you do?
Well, this is a question that requires thought and strategy. Every business and product has a different goals and financial situation, so you need to come up with a launch sale price that makes sense for that product's goals!
Here are sales price frameworks for launch phase.cf fv vvv2
Framework A: Start at Regular Price
This school of thought is to lower the price as we go on so we continually have the "Lowest price in 30 days" sale badge. We start off at the regular price without a discount while we enroll in Vine reviews (and optionally fbareviews). We keep it at regular price for the first 2 weeks – we should get a few sales via PPC. Then we implement a 10% off sale price which should get us a strikethrough price. Then after another 2 weeks, we increase the discount to 15% which should retain the sale badge. We do the same thing in another 2 weeks, lowering the price to 20% off. Optionally, you can keep lowering the price again to 25% off, 30% off and so on – this depends on your goals!
Week | Sale Price Discount |
|---|---|
Day 1: Enroll in Vine Reviews | 0% |
1-2 | 0% |
3-4 | 10% |
5-6 | 15% |
7-8 | 20% |
9+ | adjust accoding to your goals! |
Framework B: Start on Sale
In this school of thought, we start at an aggressive sale price out of the gate on day 1, and raise the price every 2 weeks.
Week | Sale Price Discount |
|---|---|
1-2 | 40% |
3-4 | 30% |
5-6 | 25% |
7-8 | 20% |
9-10 | 10% |
11-12 | 5% |
13+ | adjust accoding to your goals! |
How much of a discount should I start with?
Rule of thumb: you will need to thing about and determind the lowest sale price that you are comfortable with.
$1.00 Cheaper Rule: This school of thought says that if you can beat your top selling direct competitor by $1.00 in price, then you will get a flood of sales from price shoppers (most shoppers).
Pricing Strategy Tips
Think about competing with the top 10
Look at the top 10 ranked products on page 1 for your main target keyword. Can you compete there, price-wise?
Make sure you A/B test prices
Over time, split out different prices and adjust based on your goals. Testing prices is a must on Amazon. If you haven't tested your prices, then you haven't even played the game of Amazon.
How low should I price?
You need to do the research and come up with a plan that works for your busienss goals. In general, the lower the price, the faster you'll rank.
How long should I stay on sale?
There's no way to tell until you test. In general, slowly raise the price by 10% every 2 weeks and monitor results. Your long term goal is to find the "sweet spot price" – a balance of volume and profitability that works for your business goals.
Reviews-based pricing approach
In this approach, you increase the discount price as your reviews increase. This corresponds with waiting to have 2-5 reviews until turning on PPC, and increasing the discount as soon as you have 30 reviews, because the assumption is that the CVR will be higher with 30 reviews, and thus having even more of a discount will lead to even more sales – a snowball effect.
Week by week approach
In this approach, you basically just monitor everything on a weekly basis and make an adjustment to the price based on what makes sense for your goals.
Price Strategy Video
Price Strategy FAQ
When it comes to a successful launch on Amazon setting a competitive launch price is crucial
Match or beat top competitors' prices
Test and find the sweet spot for profitability
Competitive pricing is key to rank and sell quickly on Amazon
Research the top competitors of the product to set a competitive price
Consider the item count when pricing for comparability
Price comparison is important in the early stages with low reviews
Amazon ranks products based on their prices and sizes compared to similar products on the bestseller page
Set sale price, regular price, and MSRP, then test and adjust based on organic ranking and sales velocity
Lower price for higher conversion rate and faster ranking on Amazon
Lower price leads to higher conversion rate, more sales, and faster building of reviews
Optimizing for profitability on Amazon requires investment to buy real estate (top page one ranking)
Invest in reviews and ranking in year one for higher profitability later
Focus on break even and investing back in reviews and ranking, as well as creating more content and videos
Competitive pricing, unique product features, and strong branding can also help with ranking and increasing conversion rate
Investing in page one for your Amazon listing can lead to potential revenue of up to $1 million per month
The top sellers invest $30,000 to $60,000 to get to the top page one real estate for their target keyword
The ranking algorithm is based on conversion rate and sales, with potential revenue increasing after securing page one real estate
Getting solid reviews and rankings leads to increased sales and profits for e-commerce brands
Once a brand has a solid rank with thousands of reviews, sales and reviews will snowball and lead to the holy grail of profitability
Achieving profitability involves tracking, testing, and monitoring conversion rates, performing A/B testing for pricing, finding the sweet spot between profit, cash flow, and daily sales, and using tools like Jungle Scout to track and monitor organic rankings.
Test different sale prices to monitor the product's ranking
Monitor the product's ranking closely
Sales velocity and inventory are crucial for competitive pricing
Subscribe & Save Tips
We love Subscribe & Save! It's an amazing tool that we have as Amazon sellers. Growing your Subscribers will be a big part of your success as a CPG brand. We love it, pay attention it, test it, and nurture it.
How do I maximize Subscribe & Save sales?
The best strategy right now is to implement Subscribe & Save Coupons. This is a new feature which offers shoppers an additional discount on their first S&S order. At launch phase, test a 25-40% off S&S Coupon and this will drive a lot of sales & rank.
How do I activate S&S?
It automatically turns on after the algorithm sees you have sufficient sales velocity and in-stock rate. Typically this is around 2-4 months after launch.
What should the discount be?
Long term, 10%/15% is the default standard, and what most brands do. As always, test & do what makes sense for your goals!
At launch, do this: test out an aggressive S&S coupon. This could be 15, 25%, 30% or 40% depending on how aggressive you want to push, your inventory, and budget.
Case Study: a CPG client in a very competive category was struggling to rank on page 1 for their main keyword. Then we tested out a 40% S&S Coupon for 30 days, and it boosted their sales velocity and rank to page 1.
Subscribe & Save Coupons
Should I use Subscribe & Save Coupons?
Yes! This is an amazing new feature. As mentioned above, this is a great tool when you want to push for subscribers, rank, and sales velocity. Many newly launched products are doing 30-40%+ Subscribe & Save coupons.
Many top brands have a 15-40% evergreen S&S coupon – something to test!
For example, ALOHA is a #1 bestseller and they have a 40% S&S Coupon active, with 5%/15% regular S&S discount.
Mezcla has a 15% S&S coupon active with 5%/15% regular S&S discount.
Other brands are not utilizing a S&S Coupon but have a 10%/15% regular discount.
Subscribe & Save FAQ
 | What is a good retention rate? The average retention rate typically falls around 50%. Anything above 70% is excellent. This greatly depends on the discount and the nature of the product.
According to this source, products in Subscribe & Save saw an average of 20% incremental revenue growth for those products.
Read more about Subscribe & Save. |
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Pillar 4: Sponsored Ads
Sponsored Ads
In general, at launch, we put in a $100/day budget to start testing & gathering data, then adjust twice a week. Depending on CPCs and how competitive your target keywords are, you will know to raise or lower it.
Test, test, test, keep what’s best.
Video Ads - test at least 3 videos with 3 different beginnings each. Use large on screen words that explain as simply as possible why you’re unique & better.
Competitor Targeting Ads (Sponsored Display)
Brand Headline Ads
In launch phase, Top of Search is where you want to be. To us, our KPI’s there are what matter.
What is a good TACOS?
Long-term, in profit optimzation phase, 20% is great and 10% is amazing.
In launch & rank phase, you want to keep TACOS as high as you can. Basically the more you spend, the more sales you’ll get, thus the faster and higher you’ll rank.
As a rule of thumb, many Amazon-savvy brands aim for the break-even point the first year. The first year is viewed as building REVIEWS and RANKING. Then in year 2-3+, optimize for profitability by testing pricing, spend and placements.
Examples of video placements:
Pillar 5: Organic Rank / SEO
Organic Rank / SEO
Amazon is just a search engine - and the whole point of Amazon marketing is to rank as high as possible organically.
Fun fact: Did you know that Amazon is the largest search engine in the world after Google and YouTube?
About 70% of the clicks & sales happen in the top-20 organic ranking positions – so the big money is made there!
The first thing I look at when I'm auditing a product is it's organic ranking position. If it's not ranking in the top-20 for any target search terms, then I know exactly why it's not selling well!
Trying to rank high organically is the entire game of Amazon and it's the game we play as an Amazon PPC/SEO agency.
This pillar is all about paying attention to your organic rank, and making sure you're doing everything properly to maximize it.
First of all, SEO stands for "Search Engine Optimization", which in my mind basically refers to the whole game of trying to rank high in search engines. Then there's what I call "Keyword Optimization" (fronend & backend) which refers to making sure the proper keywords are in the fronend and backend of a page.
You're familar with Google search, right? Well, Amazon works the same. There's an algorithm that determines the order of search results based on the search term that you just searched.
How does the ranking algorithm work? Basically, Amazon wants to put the best option for the customer on top for what they just searched! Kinda makes sense.
How Does The Ranking Algorithm Work?
How high you rank is basically a factor of how well you convert, and how many units you've sold in the past 180-days. So that's why you want to push hard for sales in the first 6 months.
Keep in mind: you need to have enough FBA inventory to support a high ranking. If you don't have sufficient inventory, the algorithm will basically not allow you to rank very high because it knows you won't be able to keep up with the demand – so make sure you preemptively stock up with as much FBA inventory as you can.
How do I rank high on page 1?
1) Have a high conversion rate. Normallly to rank in the top-20, you need a 20%+ conversion rate. The cool thing is, the whole point of having a Million Dollar Listing, 30+ reviews, and a competitive Sale Price is is to have a high as possible conversion rate!
2) Sell a lot of units in the first 180-days. Again, everything we are doing in the first 4 pillars is geared to maximizing this!
So, all you have to do in addiiton to the first 4 pillars is make sure you are doing proper Frontend & Backend Keywords strategy. This basically means that you have the proper keywords on the listing, and in the backend.
The simple steps of keyword optimization:
Step 1) Keyword Research
Be sure to do keyword research to determine the most relevant keywords!
Step 2) Optimize Frontend Keywords
Basically, make sure the most important terms are in the title!
Step 3) Optimize Backend Keywords
Basically, make sure all the most important words are in the Backend Search Terms. You get 250 characters total. No need to repeat words.
Pillar 6: External Traffic
How to Drive Outside Traffic
There are many ways to drive traffic to your Amazon listing. I think the easiest and most cost effective way is to list your product on a deal site / giveaway site.
Paid | Free |
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How do I drive traffic via Rebaid?
It's pretty straightforward. Go to rebaid.com and sign up as a seller. Add your product info. Determine the # of daily giveaways and the rebate amount. Most sellers do 80%, 90% or 100% rebate. In most cases I recommend just doing a 100% rebate.
How do I determine the # of daily giveaways?
Look at the top 20 ranked products for your main target keyword and see how many daily units they are selling. In theory, to rank in the top 20, you'll need to sell as many daily units as them. That being said, if they are selling 50-100 units a day, you're not going to give away 50-100 units on Rebaid.
I normally recommend this strategy: start with 5 units a day for 15 days, then adjust. If you're still not ranking satisfactorily, increase it to 10 units a day for 15 days, then adjust. Repeat this process until you're ranking where you want to be. Then, slowly wane off the daily giveaways – don't just cut it off! If you're at 15/day for 15 days and ranking well, lower it to 10/day for 15 days and see what happens, and if you're still happy with the ranking, lower it to 5/day for 15 days, and if you're still happy with the ranking, cut it off to 0/day. See the stair stepper framework below.
Think of driving external traffic via Rebaid like adding fuel to the fire. The more daily sales from external traffic, the higher youi'll rank. But you don't want to spray fuel on the fire all at once, you want to make it a slow and steady burn. The algorithm likes consistent external traffic.
Stair Stepper Framework
This catapults your ranking for 2 reasons:
1) It increases your conversion rate. This is because all of the visitors from the giveaway site are buying, it increases the total pageviews/orders ratio.
2) It increaes your daily sales velocity.
Since the algo is based on CVR and daily sales, that's why it spikes you up in the ranking.
Is using Rebaid within TOS?
Although many sellers use it every day, it's a gray area. Make sure to read the updated TOS yourself and proceed at your own risk. All I know is I've used it many times, and I haven't seen any account suspensions. That said, it is known that sellers have been 'search suppressed' from using 'ranking manipulation' techniches such as giveaways. When you get search suppressed, it's not a suspension, but it prevents you from ranking in search for a period of time.
Should I use Rebaid?
Are you not ranking on page 1 after following all of the other pillars? If yes, then you may need to drive external traffic.
Do I need to drive external traffic?
I think of driving external traffic as a tool that we can whip out if we need more ranking boost.
Your Social Following & Email List
Additionally, if you have a social following or email list, it's a no-brainer to promote your Amazon launch to them.
Your Social Following
Your Email List
Tips & Tricks for CPG
Tips on Package Sizes
In the CPG world, there's a lot of strategy that goes into finding the right size/offer. With Amazon, this is especially true. There's no "one size fits all" strategy, so you'll need to test out different sizes/offers to see what works for Amazon specifically.
Pay close attention to competition: see what is selling best for them. That said, the same offer might not make sense for your business goals.
To sum up one of the most common strategies, you'll basically launch a smaller, lower priced size/offer, which will get a higher volume of sales at a lower profit margin. This can make sense because it helps you build up your sales velocity, rank and reviews.
Have a small "Sample Size"
Offer a small sample size so people can try out your product at a low price. For example: If your standard offer is a 12-pack, have a 2-pack as a "sampler". At least to start. This can help you build reviews. This is perfect because you can use this "Sample size" for reviewers, produt testers, giveaway campaigns, and influencers.
Have a Variety Pack
Provide a variety pack so customers can try all the different flavors. This helps them find their favorite and encourages repeat purchases.
Have a Variety of Size Options
Consider offering a main size, small sample size, best sellers variety pack, and family/bulk size. Also test a 2-pack or 3-pack of your best selling flavor or product.
Example lineup
Main Size
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As always, test different offers and keep what’s best! It can be worth trying out various options in year 1, then in year 2 keep only what makes sense, and phase out what doesnt.
Examples
Tips on Price Testing
Testing prices is a big part of the Amazon marketing game. So make sure you test different prices!
What should I make the sale price?
For launch/rank phase: keep it 20-30% off. The lower your price, the faster you will rank high.
How do I get the strikethrough price?
Ideally you have the red savings percentage aka "strikethrough" price. This is proven to boost CVR. Normally this only appears when it's the lowest price in 30 days. Ideally you have both a sale price and coupon at all times for long-term as they help conversion. But you must do the tests yourself to see what works best.
How do I determine the best possible price for my product?
It's all about testing prices around your target range to find the sweet spot. When you're trying to push for rank/sales/marketshare, keep the price lower. Then when you have a satisfactory organic ranking position on page 1 (ideally top 20), then raise the price by $1 every two weeks and monitor organic ranking position and TACOS. Your job is to monitor and adjust based on what makes sense for your company's goals. Some brands prefer a lower price with higher daily sales, but lower profit margin. Other brands prefer a higher price with lower velocity, but better margins.
What about the cost per count?
Yes, make sure to pay attention to the Cost per Count! This is important because many shoppers make their buying decisions based on the price per count!
FBA Inventory: What to Know
There are two main things to know when it comes to inventory. Firstly: try to never run out of stock. This penalizes you in the ranking algorithm. It’s not the end of the world, but try not to.
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Packaging Tips
When I talk about packaging for Amazon, there are two topics. The actual physical packaging, and the packaging image. There are some tips & tricks around editing the packaging image to make it more clickable on Amazon Physical packaging best practices What the product is should be the biggest text - not the logo. The logo should be secondary. E.g. if the product is heart healthy trail mix, then "HEART HEALTHY TRAIL MIX" should be front & center. On the right is a bad example of this. Packaging image Pro-tip On the main image on Amazon, use Photoshop to make the size and serving/count appear bigger – so people can see the size at a glance. |  |
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Case Study: for our CPG client Healthy Earth Snacks, it wasn’t obvious how large the bag was just from looking at the main image. So in Photoshop we added “1.5lbs” and "20 Servings" in large font on the packaging image. This increased their sales!
Insert Card Tips
If building your email list is important to you, then using an insert card is the most common method that Amazon seller use to gather emails. In case you didn't know, Amazon doesn't provide you with customer email addresses. So by using an insert card, you can ask customers to scan a QR code where they enter their email to get something, like a warranty, coupon, or free product.
What should I put on the insert card?
The highest converting CTA is proven to be offering a free product. Makes sense, right? People love free stuff. For example "Scan here for your free bottle"
Should I ask them for a review on the card?
This is what many brands do… It's a horrible strategy because the scan rate will be very low. People don't want to leave a review when they just opened the box! That's why you need to intice them with some other reason.
How does it work?
CTA on the insert card → they scan the QR Code → they land on a Landing Page → they put in their email Email → they get the Gift/Coupon → they get your Monthly Email Promotions.
Insert Card
They scan the QR Code
Landing Page
They land on a Landing Page where they put in their email
Free Gift
They get the Gift.
Email Drips
They will be on your email list getting your monthly email promotions How big should I build my email list?
How big should I build my email list?
Your first milestone is 1000. When you hit 10,000 emails, you can use it as a "lookalike audience" in Amazon DSP Ads which we've seen can be incredibly effective!
What should I sent to my email list?
Best practice in ecom is to send out a monthly email promotion. If you don't have this set up, do it asap as it's one of the easiet ways to increase revenue. You can push people to Amaozn or to order on your website – at the end of the day, getting subscribers on your website is the highest profit margin.
In addition to monthly promos, promote new product launches to your email list.
What tools do I need? A tool that automates this is getreviews.ai. It's a simple survey builder which
Code for 10% off: L0M580PX
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Here’s my insert card template in Canva so you can edit it and customize it to your brand.
Make sure to use a dynamig QR code so you can change the destination address later. I use Geniuslink.
Potential Sales
How much revenue can I make on Amazon?
This depends how good your product is, market demand, and market competition. Top ranked products can do $1,000,000+ in monthly revenue for big niches.
Example: on page 1 for ‘protein bar’
IQBAR: 40,000+ units, $1,000,000+ monthly
Quest Bar: 150,000+ units, $3,000,000+ monthly
Four products do 7-figures, many do multi 6-figures.
Amazon DSP Ads
Once a product has a solid high page 1 spot and 100+ reviews with 4.0+ rating, DSP ads can be an amazing way to scale. It targets and re-targets shoppers on and off Amazon. Many of our DSP clients het 4.0+ ROAS. Get in touch at amazingmarketingco.com if you are interested in DSP ads management.
Some CPG Clients
Sparkling Mama Drink Mix
Natural Delights Mejdool Dates
Odyssey Elixir Nootropics Drink
Healthy Earth Snacks Mixed Nuts
YuGlo Sleeping Lip mask
Hella Phat Healthy Veggie Broth
YOUN Beauty Retinol Moisturizer
REVIPP Complete Hair Care Bundle
Groovy Paws Compostable Dog Poop Bags
Paw Nectar Dog Nose Balm
Dr. Cuddles Dry Pet Shampoo
Supplements - lots (see my supps strategy video)
Interested in Working With Me to Launch & Grow Your CPG Brand?
If you would like a proposal/quote, get in touch at amazingmarketingco.com