9781601382993-26

Private Branding with Amazon’s WebStore

amazon’s WebStore allows you to:

Create your own branded e-commerce site in minutes.
Customize a Web site that suits your own merchandise theme and style and that can easily be updated and previewed.
Open a store with your own name and brand. You use your own domain name and URL address, and not a sub-domain off the main URL.
Have multiple WebStores under a single account with unlimited number of transactions, with no additional monthly fees.
Have an easy way to manage your site. It is simple to create and manage your product inventory, descriptions, images, and orders from your home- office location.
Use Amazon’s marketing tools to get you started on your venture. You can successfully promote your merchandise by adding product recommendations, customer reviews, and recently viewed items.
Offer an e-commerce site backed by Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee.
Gain the use of both the WebStore and Amazon Associates account at the same time. You can promote items in your WebStore that you are marketing as an Associate, and they show right next to your other product line.

Have you thought for a long time about starting your own branded online store, but have been putting it off because you are afraid that you do not have the time, resources, or skills? Put aside your reluctance and fears. With Amazon’s WebStore, you can create your own e-commerce Web site using Amazon’s technology, sales channel, marketing tools, purchasing, search mode, merchandising, invoicing, and fulfillment services. If you would like to easily build a Web site and enhance your product visibility, as well as make it easier for your customers to buy online, track their orders, and enjoy Amazon’s shipping perks, this is the best solution for you.

Briefly, the WebStore is a product that gives you the opportunity to build and maintain a tailored, branded e-commerce site and sell your own products. At the same time, you can leverage the Amazon technology, so you can have a total, packaged solution to online success. You get more than a WebStore when you sign up with Amazon; you also receive a personal domain Web site that allows you to tap into all the technical advantages that Amazon has been crafting for years. With the feature called “Seller Central,” you can completely design and maintain your WebStore right from your computer. You can add or alter information on products or services, enhance inventory, pick up your new orders, and make your Web site design even more appealing. For increased marketing purposes, your products will be listed both on your Web Site and on Amazon itself.

Amazon also gives your customers the opportunity to leave reviews and/or feedback on your products or services. If you get positive reviews from your customers for everyone to see, it is free advertising. When you go into your account, all you need to do is click on “Seller Performance” to see your latest reviews.

Easy-to-Build Site with Added Customer Protection

Another popular Amazon feature is called 1-Click WebStore. With just one click of your mouse, you can construct your WebStore. After signing up with Amazon, you can easily use this 1-Click feature to make your Web Site look and feel the way you want. There are several templates from which to choose, along with their unique colors and design. If you would rather have something more unique than these templates, you can quickly design your own page with Amazon’s tools. Once you feel that you have everything up and ready to view by your customers, check it out before going live with the simple publish-and-preview feature. At this point, you should look at the amount of time it takes to download the graphics. You do not want your customers to get impatient and go to another site because it took too long to get on your site. There are enough widgets and visuals from which to choose that you can find a happy medium between a dynamic design and the download time.

Adding your inventory to the WebStore is just as easy as the design with the Amazon tools, downloading software application, or flat files. If one of your items is discontinued, out of stock, or not available when you are published online, you will see a hole in your category page. When you take out this product or offer it for sale, you will need to publish your WebStore again in order to finalize the changes. Your customers will use their Amazon customer account to add products to their shopping cart and purchase them. People without these accounts can easily create one when they are ready to shop. Meanwhile, anyone who buys under the Amazon name receives the company’s safety protection. To manage your orders, it is just as easy as the design and sale. You receive a notice through your e-mail or through Seller Central when a customer orders. If necessary, you can use this same online tool to keep track of all orders, as well as give customer refunds.

Plus, when you start your business, you need to have more than just products. You also need some means of protecting yourself as well as your customers. Amazon protects you from payment fraud and makes sure that customer orders are legitimate. Further, the company covers you with the A-to-z Guarantee. Both you and your customers can feel comfortable knowing that the purchased items are being protected.

Fulfillment Services Available for WebStore

Similar to other Amazon programs, the WebStore owners can use Amazon’s fulfillment services and spend time building the business — and not packing and sending. Your inventory and orders are processed utilizing the same system used by Amazon, which handles all the picking, packing, and shipping well before the expected mail date. After a decade of business and millions of orders, Amazon’s fulfillment center has evolved into one of the most advanced networks. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) can be used for Amazon orders or those from other channels, your own Web site, or catalog and in-store retail sales. You always own and control your FBA inventory and can send more, or request returns at any time. Fulfillment fees are charged to you at the time of a sale, and FBA items are eligible for Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime.

With Amazon Drop Ship, you can procure millions of products from multiple suppliers in addition to Amazon and re-sell them to your customers while maintaining no inventory or warehouse. You can place orders for products listed on the Amazon Web site using Drop Ship by Amazon, and the merchandise is shipped directly to your customers. You can also benefit from the wide selection of products in more than 40 categories at extremely competitive prices. With Drop Ship by Amazon, you can sell millions of products to customers without needing to stock or pre-purchase anything; customize your product selection and display the merchandise on your Web site; leverage a broad, deep product selection based on the Amazon Web site listings and extensive fulfillment capabilities with Amazon Web Services; and determine the prices you charge your customers.

Case Study: Larry & Dottie Nylin

Larry and Dottie Nylin

In the Garden and More

1218 Clarendon Street

Durham, NC 27705

919-286-3623

www.inthegardenandmore.com

Larry and Dottie Nylin are ministers who work with those in need in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area. In 2001, they began their Web business,“In the Garden and More,” which sells garden décor for outdoor and indoor living, as a means to support themselves as they ventured into full-time ministry. Their initial Web site was not an Amazon WebStore. In 2005, they were approached by Amazon WebStore, and they were so impressed with its ease of function that they closed their initial Web site and went totally with the Amazon WebStore. It has been a great advantage for them.

The WebStore is an ideal answer for the Nylins, because Amazon provides all the services they need: As the couple says, “WebStore by Amazon is simple to use, helps you create a Web site that has pizzazz and looks professional, and is easy to maintain. Plus, it also gives you two platforms on which to sell — Amazon.com, as well as your own WebStore — and they process all my credit card transactions. What could be better than that? WebStore by Amazon has been an excellent choice for our business. It is affordable and professional, and it has helped our business grow.” Especially helpful, says Dottie Nylin, is the trust and the use of the Amazon name in search engine marketing.

The Nylins are presently ministers at Hope Chapel in Apex, North Carolina, and founders of Grace Place Ministries, Inc. in Durham. Through the proceeds from their WebStore, the Nylins have been able to join others to provide help to the many people in need in the Raleigh/Durham area.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Open Your Amazon WebStore

Before opening your WebStore, you will need to register and log in. The setup wizard guides you through a six-step process. You can create and manage your WebStore with Amazon’s wizard and account management options. Merchants can register for the WebStore by visiting Amazon and clicking on the link at the bottom of the homepage and signing up: 1) with their existing Amazon Seller Community Account, 2) using their existing Amazon Customer Account, or 3) by creating a new Seller Account. Again, it is recommended that you use a separate account from your personal one.

1. When registering for their WebStore, sellers are asked to walk through a six-step process. Enter the business name as it should appear on the store.

2. Enter business address.

3. Enter credit card information.

4. Complete identity verification (by phone).

5. Review information.

6. Submit and log in to Seller Central.

WebStore provides a number of options to help merchants learn about this program and the process, including:

WebStore Quick Start Guide
WebStore Merchant Manual
Contextual Help — Inline help on all the pages
Seller Central Help Center Video Tutorial