For all anyone knows right now, Amazon may or may not be getting rid of Vendor Central. Or it may or may not be merging it with Seller Central. Or it may or may not be purging smaller vendors in an effort to increase profitability.
Will any of this actually happen? Maybe.
Or maybe not.
Amazon’s opacity with certain rules, guidelines, and transitions is nothing new, with ancient un-updated input limits in style guides and fees for certain categories with seemingly arbitrary distinctions. Longtime merchants on Amazon are accustomed to a “will they, won’t they” sense of suspense when it comes to the site’s changes, but this new cliffhanger is different. Merging Vendor Central, or purging smaller sellers, is in an entirely different class from character limits and title restrictions.
Amazon’s new aggressiveness when it comes to hobbyist sellers and unprofitable products is a wake-up call rather than a serious alarm for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) selling on Amazon. Regardless of what will or will not occur on Vendor Central, many SMBs are proactively taking stock of their situation on Amazon. For some, this involves the very basic step of applying for brand registry. For others, this involves freezing unauthorized resellers or taking control of the Buy Box. Others intend to completely revamp their listings, intent on maximizing profitability to counter or mitigate Amazon’s fees.
Whether an SMB fears a purge or is preparing for a merge, taking action requires a significant amount of work. And this work isn’t just a daily grind – in-depth knowledge of Amazon (as in-depth as possible for outsiders) is crucial for effective maneuvering of the site, from understanding competitors to learning what customers want to ensuring inventory is managed in an appropriate way. Whatever Amazon is or isn’t planning for the future, these premonitions and predictions are a sign that your products should be fully optimized and your ads expertly managed, if not to avoid Amazon’s wrath, then to maximize your potential for success on the site.
Amazon isn’t easy. Rules are changed, limits are imposed, and threats to small and unsuccessful listings are serious. But small and unsuccessful listings are always at risk, if not of a purge then of irrelevance. Weak listings are not in a much worse situation should Amazon act; nor will strong listings find themselves in a much more different situation than their current one. Any changes Amazon might make to Vendor Central, or to ads, or to character limits should be met with analysis rather than panic – and experts are needed not only to properly analyze product data, ACOS, and the like, but to fully grasp its importance and act on that information efficiently and effectively.
To navigate Amazon, and to weather any serious, substantial, or sudden changes to the site’s status quo, requires more than casual glances at Seller Central. It requires a team of specialists capable of monitoring every facet of the e-commerce experience, saving a company precious resources that it would otherwise have to split between the actual brand and its presence on Amazon. Knoza knows Amazon, and Knoza knows how to make any of Amazon’s changes as beneficial to your company as possible. To lose Vendor Central would be a big event; to gain Knoza as a partner would be bigger still.