Overview
Amazon’s Supply Chain and Operations
It is important to understand how Amazon operates in order to recognize the benefits and functionality of the Sellercloud integration.
Amazon is a customer-focused marketplace designed for a seamless shopping experience, allowing buyers to find products without sifting through multiple vendor listings. To achieve this, Amazon uses a Single Product Detail Page, where multiple sellers share the same listing ID (also known as ASIN).
Amazon creates an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) and assigns one per product. ASINs reference catalog data, track product inventory, and index catalog pages for search and browsing purposes. Products can only be listed once in one category, even if they relate to two or more categories. Duplicate products are deleted during regular audits, and engaging in duplication may result in being barred from selling on Amazon.
Creating a new listing can be a complicated process. A seller is typically required to submit the product with a long list of specific details in order to list it properly. Amazon provides the necessary templates to upload, but they are often changed. Sellercloud works to overcome these hurdles and has developed features to benefit Sellercloud users.
The Create Products From a Channel feature “captures” a product from Amazon with all values required for listing and creates it in Sellercloud. You would then launch the product on Amazon, and the product will be listed. Click here for more information on adding products via Amazon.
The Shadow Products feature overcomes the one ASIN per product challenge by creating two profiles for a single product while maintaining a shared inventory. For example, a cellphone charger that works for two different phones is likely to have separate listings. Nevertheless, you will not be able to list them under both listings unless you create a shadow product. Amazon will recognize them as two different products and allow multiple listings. Click here for more information on how to create and manage shadows, as well as common use case scenarios.
FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) is a fulfillment option offered by Amazon in which sellers are responsible for storing and shipping their products to customers. This means that sellers must handle their own packaging and shipping logistics. With FBM, sellers are in charge of all aspects of fulfillment, which allows for more control over branding and customer communication.
FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) is a fulfillment option that allows sellers to store their products in Amazon’s warehouses and have Amazon handle the picking, packing, and shipping of those products to customers. FBA is a good option for sellers who want to take advantage of Amazon’s logistics network and customer service while minimizing the time and resources they need to spend on fulfillment and logistics. Click here to get started with FBA.