As the holiday season approaches, brands are looking for innovative strategies to maximize their presence and sales on Amazon. So, we outlined effective strategies for driving outside traffic to Amazon – and the benefits – from increasing brand awareness to optimizing conversion rates. Whether you're aiming to reach new customers or retain loyal ones, understanding the right approach for your brand is crucial this season. Let’s dive in.

What are some of the strategies to drive outside traffic to Amazon and what are the benefits?

We recommend several strategies to successfully drive outside traffic to Amazon that your brand can try out this holiday season. These strategies include:

1. Running influencer campaigns on social media: This is a great way to reach a large audience of potential customers who are already interested in your products. In the case of our client, we ran a TikTok influencer campaign that resulted in a 150% increase in sales rank.

2. Leveraging Amazon Attribution: Amazon Attribution is a tool that allows you to track the performance of your marketing campaigns across different channels, including Amazon and offline. This can help determine which strategies are most effective in driving traffic to your Amazon listings.

While there are many benefits of driving outside traffic to Amazon, some key results are:

1. Brand Referral Bonus: The Brand Referral Bonus is a program that rewards sellers with 10% of the sales price of their products if the sale originates offline. This is a great way to get credit for the traffic you drive to Amazon from other channels.

2. Increased sales rank: A lower sales rank means that your product is more likely to be seen by potential customers.

3. Increased brand awareness: When you drive traffic to your Amazon listings from other channels, you are also increasing brand awareness. This can lead to more sales in the long run.

4. Increased conversion rates: When potential customers are already familiar with your brand and products, they are more likely to convert into customers.

Many brands would rather drive traffic to their “.com,” as it is generally more profitable and allows them to collect more first-party data. Knowing this, how should brands think about the types of traffic they send to Amazon vs .com?

Let's look at the data. 70% of Amazon shoppers are new-to-brand customers, while 30% are repeat buyers. When deciding where to drive traffic, consider your end goal and what is most likely to lead to a conversion from that shopper. Moreover, think about the stage in which your Amazon business is in. If it's still in the initial growth stage, it may be worth investing more in Amazon traffic to build reviews and awareness of your DTC.

To break it down into two different strategies, here’s what we recommend.

1. For reaching new to brand customers: Consider using Amazon where customers can read trusted reviews and reap the benefits of Prime. This will make it easier to hit buy on your product. When deciding what products to feature, prioritize your “first touch” products that are at a lower price point to build reviews and credibility.

2. For targeting brand loyal customers: These customers know exactly what they want and are likely to return to your DTC site repeatedly. Focus on selling those exclusive, innovative, and more expensive products on your own .com and highlight those products in branded or remarketing campaigns that drive to your .com.

In today’s retail media space, it's increasingly challenging to compete. What should brands do right now to ensure they are creating maximum value on Amazon this holiday season?

1. Amazon Rewarded Display: Akin to a rebate, this allows brands the chance to offer exclusive deals, discounts, and special access. Having a compelling offer attached to your products can lift your CVR from both a value and rewards standpoint, and will go a long way this holiday season. When crafting the optimal promotion strategy, be sure to test discount types, duration, amounts, and more.

2. Amazon Subscription Boxes: These are a creative and unique way to craft a bundle, but with a continuous engagement element: they can encapsulate your entire product line. Not only do they make the perfect holiday gift, but they can be a great way to expand a brand's loyal customer base. Additionally, consider featuring your product in the Subscribe & Discover Club box to gain visibility from new customers.

3. Influencer Marketing: Amazon has invested a lot in influencer, so it's a great opportunity to leverage these features and stand out from your competitors. To get started, you can:

4. Sponsor Amazon Influencer Events: Highlight your brand and gift hundreds of influencers at once. This is a great way to get a lot of UGC content at once. At Direct Agents, we can provide Amazon attribution links to gain as much data as possible on the effect of the event.

5. Influencer Storefronts: Work with influencers to highlight your product on their unique storefront. Shoppers typically trust influencer recommendations 2x more than brand recommendations.

6. Repurpose UGC Content: Use UGC influencer content within your product page, as 92% of shoppers report watching online videos every week. Highlighting your unique selling points in these videos is the best way to drive conversions from an awareness tactic.

If you need guidance on building a strong holiday Amazon strategy that aligns with your brand’s unique goals, we’re here to help. Reach out to marketing@directagents.com to talk to one of our eCommerce experts today.

Allison Eng, Senior Growth Strategist, Direct Agents

Bridget Menne, eCommerce Client Success Manager, Direct Agents