2022 is the year of omni-channel selling. If you aren’t selling successfully on Amazon, the world’s largest online marketplace, it’s time to change that. The platform is home to more than 9.5 million global sellers offering every product you can think of (and then some). So, how do you stand out?

To get the most out of your Amazon sales channel and showcase your brand, consider creating your own unique Amazon presence with an Amazon Store.

What is an Amazon Store?

An Amazon Store allows sellers to spotlight their brand and increase sales via a customized Amazon web address. It’s a do-it-yourself solution that provides an immersive and curated shopping experience for customers.

An Amazon Store will house all or a collection of your brand’s products and can be single- or multi-page in nature. Stores are open to brands that sell through Vendor Central or brand-registered merchants (more on that later) who use Seller Central.

Why create an Amazon Store?

When you establish an Amazon Store, you carve out your own corner of Amazon’s web platform dedicated solely to your brand and products. Amazon Stores are the only location on the website that won’t showcase a competitor’s products alongside yours, ensuring your products are top-of-mind.

Expand your reach and discoverability

An Amazon Store is a curated destination for consumers to shop for products and for you to increase brand awareness. Traffic can land on your unique web address from search and detail pages, or through customized, targeted advertising on your end.

When shoppers land on your Amazon Store, they have access to your full product catalog. This gives them an easier way to browse, minus your competition.

Customize your brand experience

Unlike a basic listing, an Amazon Store enables sellers to use graphics, layout, and other interactive elements to engage shoppers.

Your Store is the best opportunity to showcase products, get customers to relate to your brand, and guide them through the purchasing process without interruption.

Boost your retention

Customer lifetime value (CLV) and retention generally have a bigger impact on direct-to-consumer stores (i.e., from your Shopify or BigCommerce store), but having your own Amazon Store can affect CLV as well.

Amazon found that recently updated Amazon Stores earn 21% more repeat visitors and 35% higher attributed sales per visitor. This bodes well for your overall CLV, with larger cart volumes and more return visitors.

How to set up your Amazon Store

An Amazon Store provides your own storefront to showcase your brand story and leave a lasting impression. Each Store won’t necessarily have the typical Amazon layout — it can be completely customized to match your brand’s look and feel. Here’s how to make it happen.

1) Register your brand

Amazon Stores aren’t a free-for-all. To create your Store, you must first register your brand with the Amazon Brand Registry. This helps protect your intellectual property (IP) and guard your brand’s name on Amazon.

Amazon Brand Registry required information

To enroll your business in the Amazon Brand Registry, you need the following:

• An Amazon seller account
• An active, registered trademark in the country where you plan to enroll OR a pending trademark filed through the Amazon IP Accelerator
• Your brand name or logo, displayed prominently on all products and packaging

You may face country-specific requirements as well. For example, for sellers in the United States, the Amazon Brand Registry also requests:

• Trademark registration number with the United States Patent and Trademark Office
• Any brand marks, which can include text or an image/design, such as a logo
• The product categories your brand products should be listed under (apparel, sporting goods, electronics, etc.)
• Countries where your brand’s products are manufactured and/or distributed

If you’re unsure whether or not you meet the requirements for the Amazon Brand Registry, take a moment to review the criteria first.

2) Customize product pages with A+ Content

A+ Content is just one of the many tools available to help you describe your product features. With it, you can include a unique brand story, enhanced images, and text placements to make your products stand out.

You can find the A+ Content tool and others by logging in to Seller Central and navigating to Advertising >> Brand Content. All A+ Content is subject to approval by Amazon, which can take up to seven days.

A+ Content can include the following.

Improved product descriptions

Provide more details on product features and uses to support bullet points and images on the main product detail page. This helps customers make purchase decisions by proactively answering questions they may have. Enhanced product descriptions appear in the “Product description” section of the Amazon detail page.

Here are some ideas of different elements to include:

• Custom paragraph headers and images
• Unique image and text layouts for a customized look
• Product comparison charts
• Bulleted feature lists for ease of reading

Brand content

Educate customers about the history of your brand as well as your mission, values, and product lines. Brand content appears in the “From the brand” section of the Amazon detail page.

• Carousel display with full-screen background on both desktop and mobile devices to appeal to all users
• Image and text cards
• Links to other products and the brand store

3) Tailor your Amazon Store to your brand specs

Once you’ve enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, you can build a store that gives your customers an immersive and rich online shopping experience. Your Amazon Store will not only serve as your product catalog, but will also introduce customers to your brand and story.

When you create your Store, you’ll receive a unique Amazon.com web address to use in your marketing plans. You can showcase your newest and best-selling products in your Store and give customers personalized recommendations to provide a curated shopping experience.

How to build an Amazon Store: A step-by-step guide

To build your Amazon Store, you simply need a seller account and be enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry. Here’s how to get started:

1. Log in to your Seller Central account and select Store >> Manage Stores.
2. Click the “Create Store” button to begin building your Store.
3. Choose a template for your Store. Each one will include adjustable tiles for images, text, video, and other content. Template options include:

• Product grid: A simple way to display your brand selection
• Marquee: Includes a curated product display plus space for additional imagery, product description, and customer quotes
• Showcase: A flexible option for brands who have a wide selection of products with plenty of additional space for product information and rich visuals

4. Open Store Builder to build your brand’s online store within Amazon.
5. Click on Page Manager and select “Add a Page” to create a page for your Store. Customize it by adding a page name and description, then choose a page template.
6. Add and rearrange content on your page using the Tile Manager. You can combine product images, text, and video to create a unique and engaging experience for your customers.
7. Curate your storefront by handpicking which products are displayed, or use dynamic widgets to populate displays automatically, like best-selling products or your recommendations based on visitor behavior.

Dynamic widgets use Amazon data, including keyword search, best-selling products, and/or user recommendation history to help you optimize and update the products that appear on your Store.

8. Use the Preview Window to see how your Store will look to desktop and mobile users. If you’re unhappy, simply click on individual tiles within the page to make any changes you want.
9. Repeat steps 5-8 to build out pages for your Store.
10. Once you’ve added all necessary pages to showcase different features, product categories, top sellers, “Handpicked Items,” etc., click “Submit for publishing.” The publishing process involves moderation, which can take a few days, so keep an eye on the Status Bar to monitor progress.

Avoid rejection by reviewing the Creative Guidelines before you submit.

The importance of building a great Amazon Store

Building a great store on Amazon creates a unique space for customers to interact with your brand. Optimizing your page and carefully curating the content you display can increase conversions.

Remember: The entire shopping process can be done from a store page, meaning customers can add to cart or “buy now” right from your Store! This is why shoppable images and key product placements are essential.

What makes a good Amazon Store?

Simply launching an Amazon Store doesn’t guarantee success. So, what makes a good Store?

Clear USPs

Customers should easily understand each product’s unique selling point (USP) when they arrive on your Amazon Store. Take advantage of the A+ Content tool to ensure you clearly highlight the USP for every product. The more clearly you define your products’ selling points, the more confidence your customers will have in choosing “Add to Cart” (or better yet, “Buy Now”).

Easy-to-navigate product catalog

If your product catalog is difficult to navigate, customers could bounce from your Store and return to Amazon.com, where your competition’s products await.

Your product catalog should be easy to browse, with clean, clear category listings and high-quality imagery. In fact, using shoppable images makes the catalog even easier to navigate, allowing customers to buy on sight.

Cohesive brand experience

Your Amazon Store should feel like yours. This means your brand is front and center, with its colors and theme visible to solidify its look and feel on every page and product listing. Keep your written content on-brand, too, including your A+ Content.

Utilizing video

Video is incredibly powerful, especially in your Amazon Store. Consider using an Explainer Video on your storefront to introduce users to your brand, vision, and mission. Meanwhile, use product videos on product pages to introduce customers to your wares in a more intimate and interactive way.

Wrapping up — Use your Amazon Store to grow your brand and customer relationships

An Amazon Store is a free tool to create a unique, customized space for your business on Amazon. It acts like a unique ecommerce site while providing the perks of selling via Amazon, such as Fulfillment by Amazon, access to Amazon seller tools, and the trust that comes with selling on the world’s largest e-tailer.

Are you ready to set up your own Amazon Store, but need logistics help to manage your growth and scale? Work with MyFBAPrep for FBA prep, FBM fulfillment, and more.