It’s been just a week since the SCOE 2014 Amazon Seller’s Conference in Seattle.
SCOE is the Seller’s Conference for Online Entrepreneurs. Each year over 200 Amazon sellers and dozens of companies who make tools for online entrepreneurs (like SellerEngine) come to Seattle to listen to talks by industry experts, learn about what’s new in the world of Amazon, and connect with each other. It’s a great opportunity to pick up tips for growing your Amazon business.
Keep reading to find out why I thought this was the best Amazon Seller’s conference ever and why you should definitely come to SCOE next year!
The Speakers
I didn’t get to attend every talk and session, but here are my favorites along with the tip from each I thought was the most valuable.
Lisa Suttora: Visual Content Velocity
Lisa always give great talks and this year’s discussion of visual content marketing was no exception. She showed everyone how important (and easy) it can be to use Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram to market your products. This was a great way to kick off SCOE 2014.
- Lisa’s Best Tip: Don’t forget to link directly to your Amazon offer. Many sellers make the mistake of linking to the product page, where another seller could end up with the sale you’re doing the marketing work for! The way to do this is to visit your Amazon storefront, search for the item you want, click on that item and finally use that URL when linking to the product.
Jennifer Artabane: Marketplaces are Eating the E-Commerce World
Jennifer’s from Channel Advisor and she talked about how 3rd-party marketplaces are the future of online sales. Starting with the success of Amazon’s marketplaces around the globe, other retailers are following suit, including Sears and New Egg and before you know it, the majority of ecommerce will be taking place through marketplaces.
- Jennifer’s Best Tip: Start looking to sell globally. International marketplaces are only going to get bigger. Whether it’s an international Amazon marketplace or a country-specific site, look for ways to take advantage of the growth in international sales.
Bob Willey: Sourcing for Amazon & FBA
Bob’s talk on strategies for finding inventory was awesome! He talked about tools you can use to scout (like Profit Bandit), the best stores to shop at and more. The biggest thing I took away from his talk was that you should never say, “I can’t find anything to sell.” If you’re saying that, you’re not looking hard enough. Bob lives in a pretty rural area and he still manages to come up with better inventory than sellers in areas with twice the stores! It’s all about thinking creatively and being persistent.
- Bob’s Best Tip: Vary your scouting and sourcing routine. Don’t just visit the same stores over and over at the same times. Add new stores to your scouting trips and hit your usual stores at different times of the day and week. Find out when new inventory gets shelved and when sales get updated. Don’t write a store off just because it was a bust in the past. You never know what you might find on your next visit.
Michael Anderson: Deconstructing Growth for Multi-Channel Merchants
Michael, the CEO of Etail Solutions, gave a great talk about continuing to grow your business. He busted the myth that many sellers believe, that success and growth are all about top line sales numbers. Newsflash: It’s all about profit! Michael talked about the ways sellers can maximize profit on their existing sales, freeing up additional capital for growth.
- Michael’s Best Tip: Don’t pass up opportunities to become more efficient and profitable because you’re stuck in a pattern of inefficiency. What he means is that if you’re scrambling and spending all day fulfilling orders, take the time to try a better solution (whether it’s hiring a new employee, trying out new software or working with a logistics company) rather than just fighting the same losing battle over and over.
Ian Lurie: The Marketing Stack
Ian is the CEO of Portent, a digital marketing agency in Seattle. He’s consistently one of the best speakers I know. He’s funny, honest and incredibly knowledgable. His talk walked us through the marketing process, from connecting with potential customers to creating repeat, loyal customers.
I’ll just share Ian’s slides here so you can see the whole thing:
- Ian’s Best Tip: Don’t ignore customers who are just searching for information. Create interesting, compelling content that aids customers in the research and discovery process. Don’t just target your content towards customers who are ready to buy. If you do, then you’re missing out on more than half your audience.
Coming Up in Part 2
Next time, I’ll tell you what else I loved about SCOE 2014:
- The Attendees
- The Vendors