Amazon’s platform can help your business reach millions of customers. Before you start your ecommerce journey, Amazon recommends you obtain a GTIN from GS1. Find out why.
If you are a brand looking to sell online, to break into larger markets or to expand your reach, Amazon is an excellent place to start. With more than three hundred million registered customers, the ecommerce giant is the largest online retailer in the world and over 3,700 new sellers join the platform each day.
The opportunities available to SMEs are vast. 76 per cent of SMEs selling on Amazon are profitable and more than 60% of global sales are attributable to small and medium-sized businesses.
SME benefits
With its vast global reach, Amazon offers a powerful toolkit for SMEs to grow their business. It boasts a huge number of active users, giving small and medium sellers access to a far greater pool of potential customers than they could possibly hope to reach alone. Amazon also gives SMEs the ability to expand into overseas markets without having to invest in setting up their own operations and infrastructure.
While Amazon’s marketplace is certainly crowded, its search algorithm prioritises the display of products that are relevant to the user’s search. This levels the playing field and means that less established brand have a fair shot at gaining visibility and competing with larger and more well-known brands.
Another key advantage for SMEs is Amazon's well established and robust supply chain infrastructure. Amazon can manage inventory storage, picking and packing and even shipping on behalf of sellers. This frees you up to spend time on other areas of your business such as product and brand development, marketing and customer service.
Amazon also offers sellers tools to glean valuable data and customer insights. This business intelligence can be a powerful tool for better understanding your target audience and optimising your offerings.
Powered by GS1 standards
When you begin your Amazon journey, a correctly set up GS1 barcode is an important part of establishing yourself as a credible and legitimate seller. Marketplaces check these identification numbers in the GS1 database to make sure your product is linked to your brand, and not to another. If the two do not match, your account might be suspended, or you might need to relist or even relabel your products.
“We verify the authenticity of product identifiers by checking the GS1 database. EANs/UPCs that do not match the information provided by GS1 will be considered invalid. We recommend obtaining your product identifiers directly from GS1 (and not from other third parties selling EAN/UPC licences) to ensure that the appropriate information is reflected in the GS1 database."
Amazon - on why they recommend GS1 standards
Why Amazon recommends GS1 standards
Watch this video featuring Sam Heyworth, vice president of consumables at Amazon to discover the powerful ways that GS1-issued GTINs improve efficiency and business opportunities for small e-commerce brands.
Sam Heyworth of #Amazon discusses the powerful ways that GS1-issued GTINs improve efficiency and business opportunities for small e-commerce brands
