Thinking of signing up as an Amazon seller in SA?
We only have about 6-9 months before we can register and sign up for Amazon. In e-commerce, that’s not a lot of time!
The last thing we want is for you to be blindsided by this change in the e-commerce world. If you already have a product you’d like to sell on Amazon, that’s great! You’re already one step ahead. For those of you who don’t have a product to sell – listen up!
The key is to find a niche product that doesn’t have a lot of competition yet. How can you do this? We’re so glad you asked! The answer is simple. Manual research is the only way to find a new market gap. You’ll find many products that you can think of selling by navigating your way through the best sellers on Takealot (Amazon’s soon-to-be biggest competitor in SA). If you’d like to take it a step further, you can see what products are trending in other countries. The US and the UK are usually 6 months ahead of South Africa when it comes to trends, so taking time to do this research can help you find a unique product that will be in high demand… if it isn’t already.
Choosing a product to sell on Amazon can be nerve-wracking. Besides manual research, there are other tips that can help you prepare for this massive launch. One thing to keep in mind is sourcing locally. If your product can be sourced locally, you could benefit greatly! Firstly, sourcing locally for materials or manufacturers will help grow South Africa’s economy. Secondly, sourcing locally prevents importing from overseas which allows you to have a quicker turnaround time. Thirdly, locally sourcing your niche product idea will help make your product more cost-effective and allow for a higher profit margin. And lastly, Amazon could launch a marketplace store that is strictly for local products – this will give your business a massive upper hand in the market. Amazon did this in the Netherlands about 2 years ago and it really boosted small and local businesses!
When Amazon launches in South Africa, the algorithm will need some time to figure out what it is that South Africans are looking for on Amazon. This is exactly why we recommend getting in early and starting to prepare ASAP. When choosing a product, it’s important to keep the following factors in mind:
- Stock: more stock on hand means you’ll provide consumers with a quicker ETA. This could result in increased brand trust and good product/business reviews.
- Quality control: whatever product you choose to sell needs to be of high quality. Amazon values their consumers and will only accept the very best for them.
- Customer experience: This is a massive priority to Amazon. When choosing a product, you need to ask yourself how this product will improve the customer’s experience with your business.
- Trademarking: In South Africa, trademarking a product can take about 5-6 months. If you’re serious about being an Amazon seller, this extra step will help protect your business from upcoming competitors.
We know this can be a super overwhelming process, but we want to make it easy-breezy for you! Amazon has specific tools and plugins to help you build your business on their platform. Interested? Keep your eyes out for Part 3!
Written by: Billie and Code
