Pre-2018, Amazon Vendors had access to “vendor managers,” or people from Amazon who worked with them specifically to help their brands grow on the platform. This was a massive help to vendors, especially smaller vendors, who were just starting out selling on Amazon or who needed help getting things set up. However, Amazon made the decision to leave the vendor managers to large vendors and leave smaller ones to fend for themselves.
How did this impact vendors?
This came as a shock to many Amazon vendors who relied on the vendor managers to help them with their accounts. They would still get the help, but it would be automated by algorithms and they would have to utilize the “contact us” button if they wanted to get in contact with an actual person from Amazon. It’s easy to understand why people would be upset about this, but when you really think about it, it wasn’t such a bad thing.
The shift forced people to become more self-sufficient selling on the Amazon platform while continuing to grow their brands and increasing sales. Rather than having a vendor manager, they were given access to Vendor Central, or the Vendor Success Program. This program is still fairly new since it was only implemented in 2018, which means many vendors still don’t know all there is to know about it. It’s important as a vendor to understand the tools you are given so you can utilize them and use them to your advantage. Because of this, we gathered some of the most important information you would know about the Vendor Success Program (or VSP) to reach a new level of success selling on Amazon.
Who is the VSP meant for?
The VSP is meant for small to medium-sized vendors on Amazon. According to Vendor Society, “Amazon operates on an 80/20 rule. They support and interact with the top 20% of vendors while the other 80%, or ‘tail end’ vendors, are left to their own devices.” Knowing this information, it makes more sense why Amazon would try to automate things as much as possible for their small to medium-sized vendors and save their manpower for their top vendors. You can still get support from Amazon if you are in the majority category, but it is slightly more difficult than it is for bigger vendors. However, you still have plenty of tools available to use provided by Amazon and the Vendor Success Program.
It gives the vendor more of a responsibility
As a business, Amazon wants all of their vendors and sellers to succeed on the platform. However, as Amazon has grown, it has become significantly more difficult to keep up with the high demand of support requests, questions, complaints, and comments. Because of this, Amazon has put more trust in its sellers and vendors to take more control of their stores and products and become successful on their own. There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to selling on Amazon, and just because they cut back on their live support doesn’t mean you can’t get it elsewhere. For example, the Amazon experts at Laser Sight Digital help clients every day find success and growth in the Amazon space. If you need help setting up your account as a vendor or you want ideas on how to scale, you can contact us any time and we will be more than happy to help.
It gives vendors opportunities to scale
Your top priority as an Amazon vendor is to scale your business. There are many different ways to go about this, but when it comes down to it, Amazon wants you to scale your business too. When you make money, Amazon makes money – which is a win-win situation for everyone. This is why Amazon provides many different ways and ideas for sellers and vendors to scale on their platform. Once you get into the Vendor Seller Central, play around with the tools and services available to you. You might find that some things work better than others, so don’t get discouraged if things aren’t coming together right away. It might take some trial and error, but you’ll get there. Plus, you can always contact Amazon’s vendor support if you need assistance from a live person.
At Laser Sight Digital, we are committed to helping our customers find success on Amazon. If you are looking for some help with your business, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team is full of Amazon experts who are ready and willing to help you take your business to the next level (see more about hiring Amazon experts here).
To schedule a free strategy session, visit our website and fill out the form. One of our team members will get back to you within 1-2 business days, then we can get started on your growth. We look forward to serving you!
