Amazon Prime Day and Brand protection – what is the right approach?

Amazon Prime Day is full of unknowns

Previous Prime Days allowed brands to use the event to test out strategies and restock for Q4 shopping holidays. But unfortunately, from last year no such luxury exists. As Amazon does not reveal the exact date of Prime Day until a few weeks prior, brands are now choosing whether or not to invest in Prime Day.

The reason behind this is that for many companies supply chain uncertainty makes it impossible to forecast inventory. Just as some are preferring to host a deals day on their own channels on Prime Day, others choose to use that promotional window and invest on Amazon’s Prime Day.

Discounted prices, promotions and bundle deals of popular and desired products are in stock for this year’s Prime Day which is set for June 21 and 22. Amazon Prime Day attracts a huge amount of new and old customers. But besides them, it also attracts fraudulent activity and criminals looking to peddle counterfeit products. High profile events, online sales, marketplaces and social media are notorious grounds for counterfeits. On those occasions, brand owners are not only fighting among themselves for top spots even in reviews (which can also be fake) but also all fast-moving counterfeiters.

up to 34% of all reviews placed on Amazon so far in 2019 were fake and are increasing by 16% compared to previous months *fakespot analysis

Why this is a growing concern for brand owners?  In the modern ecommerce environment, brand image and identity are everything. 97% of shoppers are relying on online customer reviews to help them make a purchase (*according to Which?) meaning that the spread of bot comments can hurt brand reputation. Brand image is about delivering a consistently positive brand experience from end-to-end. Maintaining consistency while quality stays undoubtedly high is the best image a brand can have.

Amazon has enhanced the enforcement process against counterfeiting activity through Transparency, Project Zero, and investing more than $700 million while employing more than 10,000 people to protect its stores from fraud and abuse (*via Amazon press center). However, Amazon’s tools and measures are just one part of the picture. Only when used in conjunction with online brand protection technology, platforming tools allow brand owners to significantly reduce the level of infringement.

Only 6% of attempted seller account registrations passed Amazon’s robust verification processes and listed products for sale. Amazon seized more than 2 million counterfeit products before being sent to a customer and destroyed them so they were not resold elsewhere in the retail supply chain *Amazon 2020 Brand protection Report

A comprehensive, intelligent approach is needed to tackle sophisticated counterfeiting networks that span on multiple marketplaces, websites, social media and other platforms. Accurate listings, A+ content and working together with Amazon’s Brand registry can help you not only protect and improve your brand but to provide your customers with the right experience (Check our guide “How to choose the right software”). And all this can be automated with the right partner. ecommotors has over 25 years’ experience selling and managing motor brands on multiple online marketplaces and web stores. We specialise in brand and reputation protection for automotive. Whether it’s the Amazon brand registry or customer service interactions with buyers, we put your brand in the best possible light and keep it there. Our services are focused on projecting your brand values at all touch points in the consumer experience, from the moment they find your listing to after they take delivery of their order. And we’ll extend that approach across all the online marketplaces and channels where you want to be present.

If you would like to find out how ecommotors can help you accelerate your aftermarket presence, or for a no-obligation introductory discussion, please get in touch.

To find out more about the automotive aftermarket, or for a no-obligation introductory discussion, please contact us.