Why Amazon Sellers Need to Follow Excellent After-Sales Support/Marketing?

Have you ever tried buying something online from a seller/business and never heard from him/her/them again? Well, it has happened to me several times. And though it really didn’t irk me much, I can’t help but feel a bit used and unappreciated.

Maybe it’s because I grew up in a pre-online world where human interaction was an integral part of the sale process. A business environment where customers were treated as valuable commodities rather than just potential sales figures.

And with what we’re doing here at SellerLift, I can’t help but feel nostalgic about the demise of actual human interaction in this modern age of online sales.

It is undeniable though that the internet has leveled the playing field for any type of business, big or small. Long gone are the days where sales figures relied heavily on how much money you throw at traditional marketing platforms like print, TV and radio. Now, a business owner just needs to go find a selling platform, create an account, and start selling his/her products.

But then again, if it has become that easy, then there will be thousands, or even millions out there doing the exact same thing, selling the exact same product as you.

So why would they choose you over the competition? And furthermore, how do you make them come back to you every time?

After-Sales Support: The Human Factor

We’ve all heard of the phrase, “no man is an island”. As a species, we yearn for interaction… physical interaction if possible. Why do you think forums (the grandfather of social media platforms) were all the rage in the early 90’s?

Admit it or not, we are all social beings. And we crave interaction regardless of form and medium. And when it comes to business, the company that can leverage that emotional need wins consumer loyalty.

And this is where your after-sales support comes into play.

Of course, it is close to impossible, and impractical, for you to deliver every package by hand to satisfy the human connection idea that I have been blabbering about. But you do have the option to connect with your customers.

You need to understand that to Amazon users, your store is merely just a bunch of words and pictures. And that most of them landed on your page because they like the picture that you posted. So basically, it has nothing to do with YOU as an individual. So by reaching out to your customers, even if it’s just through email, you now have a chance to show them who you are as a person.

after-sales support is not just about asking a customer how you can help him/her. No, that thing is standard practice. What I’m trying to get at is for you to start building a relationship with your customers, making them feel valued and appreciated.

Do this and not only have you broken the virtual divide that separates the two of you, but also the air of indifference most customers have towards businesses.

How To Implement An Effective After-Sales Support Strategy On Amazon

In the old days, after-sales support were mostly done through phone calls. Though some companies/businesses still employ the method till now, some consumers find it intrusive. Plus, being a small Amazon store, I’m pretty sure you don’t have time and the money to call each customer on your list.

So the best solution is through email. And I’m not just saying that because I am part of a company that sells an email sequencing application for Amazon sellers. No, it really is your best option.

Emails are non-intrusive and it provides the receiver the power to either respond to it or not. This simple choice of deciding whether to reply to an email from a business can be somewhat empowering for consumers. This makes them somewhat happy, but vulnerable at the same time. (I know I will rot in hell for this someday)

An effective after-sales support email needs to have these several components:

  • It has to assure the buyer that the he/she has a way to contact the seller about anything pertaining to the product that he/she purchased
  • A promise that any problem pertaining to the product he/she purchased will be addressed swiftly in his/her favor
  • It has to be written in a way that does not read as automated. In short, it should feel personal and reflect whatever personality the seller wants to convey

Now, that’s just the first part….

An effective after-sales support email campaign does not end with one email. “Campaign” being the operative word, it entails planning and careful consideration. I know of an Amazon seller that has different types of email templates based on the geographical location of his customers. For him, this ensures that the after-sales support email he sends is absolutely relatable to its recipient. And you know what, from the stats he showed me, it works wonders for him.

Now you can either replicate the process I just mentioned, or come up with your own. Regardless of how you write and format your email, you need to consider that after-sales support emails;

  • Should be relatable in terms of how it is written and presented
  • Can also be employed as a discreet marketing email
  • Needs to have a fluid flow from one email to the next

Now let me break that down for you.

-Should be relatable in terms of how it is written and presented:

Just like my example of how that Amazon seller formats his emails, your email should also be reflective of the type of products you are selling. Meaning, you should know what type of demographic would most likely purchase your product. By demographic, I’m referring to age, gender and income.

Yes I know, this will take a bit of work on your part. But remember, the idea is to connect with your buyer. And by putting in this extra effort, you boost your chances of connecting with him/her and getting a reply.

-Can also be employed as a discreet marketing email:

The key word here is “discreet”. So never send typical marketing email that shows your other products unless you want your email address to permanently reside in his/her spam folder.

Of course you can mention your other products, but do so in a passing manner. For example, you can send a catalog of other products that are relevant to what the buyer bought. Or maybe, you can send a catalog with a discount coupon and say that’s it’s a thank you gift for purchasing something off your Amazon store.

Again, NEVER hard sell. Your objective is to create a relationship with your buyer.Not to make him feel like you want to milk him/her dry.

-Can also be employed as a discreet marketing email:

The key word here is “discreet”. So never send typical marketing email that shows your other products unless you want your email address to permanently reside in his/her spam folder.

Of course you can mention your other products, but do so in a passing manner. For example, you can send a catalog of other products that are relevant to what the buyer bought. Or maybe, you can send a catalog with a discount coupon and say that’s it’s a thank you gift for purchasing something off your Amazon store.

Again, NEVER hard sell. Your objective is to create a relationship with your buyer.Not to make him feel like you want to milk him/her dry.

-Needs to have a fluid flow from one email to the next:

Campaigns end, when you want them to end, or until they have outlived their purpose. So when creating an after-sales email campaign, or an email marketing campaign in general, make sure that your content flows smoothly.

This means that you need to come up with a draft and streamline each and every succeeding email for them to integrate smoothly with the last one.

Again, this will take a bit of time to do, but business success and longevity does not come fast & easy.

And now we are almost at the end of this article. But before you jump to another page, let me first thank you for reading up to this part.

This only cements the fact that you are indeed serious about your Amazon business and want to see it grow. I wish you all the luck in the world with your endeavour, and rest assured that we here at SellerLift will continue to provide content that can help you realize your dreams of making it big on Amazon.

Oh, before I forget, yes, our email sequencing program can absolutely help streamline your after-sales email marketing. And no, you don’t need to be a computer wiz to make it work.

All you need to do is;

  • Connect SellerLift to your Amazon seller account
  • Load the emails you made and set which emails goes out first and when, etc etc

And that’s it. Now, whenever a sale is made, SellerLift will automatically send your customer the emails you formatted.

Anyway, if you have questions about SellerLift, don’t hesitate to drop us an email.

That’s it for now, till the next article.

Cheers!