With around 8 weeks to go until Black Friday which takes place on 24 November, online retailers need to start preparing for one of the biggest global retail days of the year.

With around 82% of all sales on Amazon going through the Buy Box, it’s a crucial time to be competing for this prestigious piece of cyber real estate. With this in mind our partners at RepricerExpress have put together a five-point-plan for ensuring you beat your competition for the top spot!

1. Price competitively

Price is, without doubt, one of the most important Buy Box criteria. Online shoppers trust that they will find low prices on Amazon. Ensure you keep an eye on your competition, including the current Buy Box winner, to stay competitively priced. Automate your prices with software that continually updates your inventory, instead of wasting time and effort manually repricing.

2. Ship on time

Amazon places a huge emphasis on fast and hassle-free shipping. If you think you’re going to struggle to meet the high standard expected, then you should consider using Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA). We strongly advise all sellers to keep a close eye on their performance metrics including the Order Defect Rate (ODR) and Perfect Order Percentage (POP). As below average scores will certainly impact your chances of featuring in the Buy Box.

3. Keep stock available

Obviously, if you have no current stock for a product, you can’t win the Buy Box. Therefore, ensure you stay on top of your inventory management and keep your most popular products in plentiful supply. Ensure your inventory quantity is always accurate to avoid being caught out.

4. Customer service matters

Customer service is very important to Amazon, widely regarded at the world’s most customer-centric business. Excelling in all customer service related metrics is the key to success on Amazon. On top of this, a focus on customer service helps to build better customer loyalty and the number of repeat purchasers.

5. Protect your seller rating

Sellers looking to win the Buy Box should aim for a seller rating of at least 90%, and ideally over 95%. Many sellers on Amazon manage to maintain a 100% feedback rating by managing their feedback using automated tools such as FeedbackExpress, which will alert you via email or SMS when you receive negative feedback, helping you to rectify the situation as quickly as possible.

Win more of the Buy Box

If you’d like more information about automating your online pricing across Amazon and eBay our partners at RepricerExpress are happy to help. Just visit their site for more useful tips on repricing software and winning the Buy Box.

www.repricerexpress.com