Working with Amazon Vendor Central can be a time-consuming burden, even for the more experienced.
From formulating effective advertising strategies to recuperating lost profits and everything in-between, navigating Vendor Central is paramount to maximize the potential of your brand.
Making the most of Amazon Vender Central requires separate software and experienced staff. Before going on a hiring spree and purchasing software licenses for in-house management you may want to consider outsourcing to companies that specialize in Amazon Vendor Central.
In this article we explore the top Vendor Central consulting services worth considering and a list of consulting companies that offer these services.
10 Amazon Vendor Central consulting services
Here is a list of key services to consider to get the most out of Amazon Vendor Central.
1. Fee and refund monitoring
Fee and refund monitoring is an essential part of doing business. On average, 5% of monthly revenue is lost to Amazon vendors because of unrecovered funds, chargebacks, and financial inaccuracies.
Common accounting errors that are eligible for reimbursement include:
- Customer returns
- Overbilling
- CoOP/MDF fee errors
- Deductions
- Chargebacks
- Duplicate billings
- Freight & damage allowances
Unfortunately, Vendor Central reports are not as simple to understand as they should be, and automated claim filing is not recommended. Hiring an Amazon Vender Central consultant to audit your account, report on issues, and file claims manually on your behalf is a great way to recover lost revenue.
2. Catalog management
Just listing your products is not enough. Your products need to be readily discoverable, visually appealing and available. On the front-end, catalog management is about how you arrange your products so that your customers can easily find what they are looking for. On the back, catalog management involves inventory allocations, advertising and promotions.
When considering a catalog management consultant be sure they cover the three main components–inventory allocations, content optimization, and advertising spend and promotion funding.
3. Price monitoring
Lets face it, Amazon does not have your back when it comes to ensuring your product was sold at the price you set. Be it intentional or accidental, pricing errors do occur and can impact your profit margins.
The right Vendor Central software can help with price monitoring, but you will still need an in-house manager and when a discrepancy is identified you’ll have to go through the reimbursement process. Selecting the right Vendor Central consultant can take care of all of this for you.
4. Amazon PPC advertising management
Advertising is the profit driver for selling products on Amazon. Ad spend will determine how far you can scale a product. The main benefits of ads include boosting sales and reaching warm targets, but there is also a lot of competition. Ads can be difficult to manage to produce real ROI.
Understanding the role of advertising in connection with other marketing factors such as product listing optimization is key. With the steep competition and constant up-front costs it makes sense to consider a consultant for managing your PPC ads.
5. Coupon and promotion management
Coupons and other product promotions are a great way to drive customers to your products, boost engagement with existing customers, and generate new revenue. Market research has shown that consumers are more likely to try a new product or change their planned purchase because of them.
While coupons are a must, you’ll want to make sure they are properly managed so they are not cutting too deep into your profits or being overused. A consulting service for coupon and promotion management will have the right algorithms and research strategies in place to balance the tightrope between over and under-usage.
6. Brand store management
With approximately 1.5 million active sellers, making sure you register your brand with Amazon is crucial. First, it will allow you to search for and report counterfeit products, copyright, and intellectual property violations. Second, you can build your brand store to increase shopper dwell time and sales.
Maintaining your brand store and protecting your proprietary property takes time and resources. Managing this in-house may be too much for your current staff to handle and not enough for a full time hire.
7. Product listing optimizations
Product listing optimization will dictate how well your products perform. Two main optimization strategies are A/B testing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). A/B testing through Manage Your Experiments allows you to test two competing versions of a product listing. Optimizing product metadata through SEO improves visibility and raises your products listing in search results.
Both A/B testing and SEO for your product listings takes a specialist’s touch to excel. The right consultant will know where to start to get the most out of the optimization process.
8. Amazon influencer marketing management
Amazon influencer marketing generates over 37% of traffic to the site and a $6.50 ROI per dollar spent on average. With such strong numbers it is clear that you will want to utilize this resource if you are not already.
There are a lot of influencers and several factors to consider when deciding who to reach out to. You’ll have to consider their fees, their followers, and whether their values align with your company–just to name a few.
Outsourcing Amazon influencer marketing management allows you to tap into the high ROI without the time-consuming process of selecting and vetting the right influencers for your brand.
9. Performance tracking and reporting
At the end of the day, performance tracking and reporting are everything. This is how decision-makers make their decisions.
While the importance of performance tracking and reporting cannot be overstated, it is often a necessary evil for the boots on the ground. The ones making it happen are busy doing just that. That’s why it’s worth considering a consultant for these tasks.
10. Direct Fulfillment setup and management
Amazon Direct Fulfillment allows you to utilize many benefits of Amazon such as their customer service and covered shipping costs. You will also have improved quality control, streamlined shipping, and lower risk of stockouts since you are in control of your products.
Utilizing a service can streamline the setup and provide the fulfillment services that are favorable to you such as real-time visibility of inventory levels across channels and reorder automations. This will allow you to get the best out of Amazon Direct Fulfillment while avoiding the worst (their fulfillment dashboard and product management).
Top 5 companies to consider
Here’s a list of top consulting companies to help you with your Amazon Vendor Central account.
1. RefundsManager
Refunds Manager is the go to consulting service for fee and refund management. With eleven years of experience we offer a comprehensive solution to recover your lost funds within Vendor Central accounts.
2. Team4eCom
With a dedication to streamlining operations and maximizing sales opportunities, Team4eCom is a full-scale Vendor Central management agency. With over 20 years experience and 500 employees they may be the right fit to help your brand thrive.
3. PEAK
As a leading Amazon Vendor Central consultancy, PEAK focuses on driving scalable growth. They provide performance tracking, continuous optimization, and tailored growth strategies through a hands-on approach.
4. Streiff Marketing
Streif Marketing uses their 33 years of combined experience to help you navigate the complexities of Vendor Central. They provide advertising campaign management, organic marketing, account operations, catalog management, product positioning, and they negotiate with Amazon for their clients.
5. BellaVix
BellaViz is a Amazon Vendor Central consultant that offers strategic insights and provides actionable steps tailored for their clients to achieve maximum performance on Amazon. Their comprehensive management services include account health management, daily account monitoring, Amazon SEO, content optimization, advertising, promotional management and more.
Looking for a consulting service to recover lost funds from Amazon Vendor Central? Sign up for Refunds Manager.
