How to Set Up an Amazon Storefront? A Guide

Introduction 

Amazon is one of the most renowned eCommerce platforms, boasting over 740 million users and establishing itself as a crucial marketplace for sellers to showcase their products. However, with popularity comes increased competition. So how can you differentiate yourself? 

Enter the Amazon Storefront.

Amazon Storefront enables you to create a branded shopping experience for your customers. Instead of merely listing products, as an amazon seller, you can showcase your brand’s store, highlight key products, and craft a seamless shopping journey – free from distractions caused by competitors' products or advertisements.

Furthermore, a well-optimized storefront boosts brand credibility, improves customer trust, and increases conversions by giving shoppers a curated and professional buying experience.

In this blog, we will cover:

·  What is an Amazon Storefront?

·  Why should you have an Amazon storefront?

·  What are the requirements for creating an Amazon storefront?

·  How can you create an Amazon Storefront?

·  How to make the most out of your Amazon storefront?

What is an Amazon storefront?

An Amazon storefront is a customized, multi-page store on Amazon that showcases your brand’s products. It is a mini ecommerce website dedicated entirely to your brand. It offers a visually appealing and informative way to highlight your brand, showcase a curated selection of products, and differentiate yourself from competitors.

Why should you have an Amazon storefront? 

Here is why you should have an Amazon storefront:

Increased brand visibility

An Amazon storefront boosts brand visibility, as it is a dedicated space to showcase your products, brand story, and unique value proposition. Your customers will no longer have to individually search for your product because they can explore your entire catalog in one destination. This enhanced presence drives long-term customer loyalty and increases recognition and trust. 

Improved ad performance

Using Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display Ads, you can drive traffic directly towards your storefront, steering customers away from your competitor’s products. Furthermore, leveraging social media account ads like Facebook, email marketing, and more to drive traffic to your Amazon store can boost visibility and sales potential. 

No competitor ads

A major benefit of a storefront is that no competitor ads will distract your customers. In other Amazon ads placements like Sponsored Product and Sponsored Brand ads, customers are bombarded with ads from other Amazon sellers when they click on your product. But in your store, customers see only your products.

SEO benefits 

An Amazon storefront can appear organically in third-party search engines like Google. This means that any potential customer searching for your product could arrive directly at your storefront, completely bypassing Amazon's search results.

Easy performance measurement

The store insights dashboard offers comprehensive analytics on your store’s performance and customer behavior. You will uncover valuable insights into the sources of your store’s traffic, sales from your store, page views, and more. These KPIs allow you to optimize your content and strategies, ultimately driving improved sales for your store.

Upselling and cross-selling options 

Amazon storefront allows you to leverage upselling and cross-selling strategies to enhance the shopping experience and maximize revenue potential. You can curate product collection, feature bundles, and highly related items to encourage higher order values and increase customer retention.

What do you need to start an Amazon store?

Creating an Amazon storefront requires a Professional Seller Account and enrollment in the Amazon Brand Registry. 

Professional Seller Account

You also need a professional seller account, which costs $39.99/ month. Brands with the free individual account are not eligible to create an Amazon storefront.

Brand Registry

You need to be enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry, which requires you to own a trademark for your brand. This helps you access vital brand management tools and support from Amazon.

How To Set Up An Amazon Storefront?

Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up an Amazon storefront.

Step 1: Create a professional seller account

Creating an Amazon storefront starts with signing up for a professional seller account.

A professional seller account unlocks key business tools that enhance brand credibility and helps establish trust with customers. You will have access to features like product listings, inventory management, order processing, and valuable analytics, among others.

To create the account, the following details are required:

-   Name (as per income tax return)

-   Full address

-   Contact number

-   Email address

-   Business structure type (Limited liability company, partnership, corporation, or sole proprietorship)

-   Registration state

-   Federal Tax Identification (FTI) number

For identity verification, you will need:

-   First and last name

-   Date of birth

-   Government-issued ID like a driver's license or passport

-   Country of issue

-   A high-quality image of the front and back part of your ID

-   Bank account statement

A professional seller account costs $39.99/month and, therefore, you will also be required to provide your card details of a U.S. bank.

Note: Amazon might call you to verify your business contact number to ensure you are a legitimate business. Therefore, always double-check every provided information.

Step 2: Register with the Amazon Brand Registry

Once Amazon approves your professional selling account, the next step is applying for Amazon’s Brand Registry (ABR) program.

The ABR is a program that protects your brand from copycats on the platform. With this, the Brand Services of Amazon will help you eliminate counterfeit sellers and products that disobey your brand’s trademark. Furthermore, the program also offers access to advanced selling tools like enhanced content for product pages, professional presentations, and more.

Applying for Amazon’s brand registry requires an active or pending registered trademark, which must be “text or image-based trademark from approved government intellectual property (IP) offices.

The first step to apply for the program is creating a Brand Registry account using the same credentials used to log in to Seller Central. After creating the account, click on “Enroll a new brand” to start the process.

You will be required to fill in the following information:

-   Brand name in the exact format as per trademark record

-   Logo image as per the trademark, if the trademark is image-based

-   Trademark registration number or the pending trademark registration number in the exact format provided by the issuing IP office

-   Product categories for the brand

-   Image of the product or product packaging that displays your brand’s name

-   Brand website and distribution information

After filling out all the information, submit the application for review.

Amazon will verify you are the owner of the trademark by reaching out to a public contact associated with the trademark registration. The contact will provide you with a verification code, which will be needed to complete the enrollment process.

The ABR review process can take time between 24 hours to over a month.

Step 3: Create your store’s homepage

Once your brand is registered, log in to your Amazon Seller Central Account. Navigate to the “Stores” section to see the brands that qualify for storefront. Choose your desired brand and select “Create a store.”

The first step is to enter your brand display name and brand logo.

The next step in designing your store is creating a compelling homepage, as this is the page that will greet your customers and create a strong first impression.

Before choosing the design, you will need to add a meta description so that your brand storefront appears on Google search results. Ensure it is compelling, keyword-rich, and accurately describes your brand. 

To make it easy for sellers, Amazon offers pre-created homepage designs, which are:

-   Marquee – Using big images to highlight multiple products from your brand.

-   Product highlight – Focusing on best-selling products with a strong image or video.

-   Product grid – Showing all the products from your catalog.

They also have a blank option without code for sellers wanting to create the homepage from scratch.

After selecting the design, you can use Amazon’s drag-and-drop feature to customize your store. You can click on the individual tiles and modify them with text, videos, or images. The tiles also have a linking option that directs your customers from one page to another page in your store, or a specific product, or a product category.

Every element in your homepage should align with your brand, speak to your customers, and differentiate you from your competitors. View the store as if your customer were seeing it. What would they like to see at the top? What colour will help them associate with your brand? Why are they searching for your products?

A great example of a homepage is Google’s Fitbit.

They have opted for a minimalist design with the top of the page promoting their latest products. But what we love about their homepage is the “product comparison” section.

Customers looking to purchase a watch often compare different options to find the one that meets their preferences and requirements. Google Fitbit has recognized this need and prominently features a comparison on their homepage, making the shopping experience easier for their customers.

Step 4: Customize your header 

A critical part of your Amazon storefront is the header, which can feature your logo, tagline, and key message.

A great example of a well-done header is Petcube. They have used a logo, tagline, and image to communicate their brand identity instantly and set the tone for the shopping experience. 

Here are some key points for creating an engaging, visually appealing, and brand-aligned header:

• Choose high-resolution and clean images that communicate your brand identity.

• Ensure your logo is clear, centrally aligned, and properly sized to fit the header image.

• Use a tagline that conveys your brand’s unique selling proposition. 

• Maintain a balance of white space and focal points to guide customer’s attention.

• Ensure your header is mobile-friendly, as many customers shop on their phone apps.

Tip: Check Amazon’s creative guidelines for the exact dimensions of the banner image. 

Step 5: Build your store pages

The next step in the process is adding pages to make it easier for shoppers to navigate your store.

The new page you created will appear on the navigation below your header image.

You can create multiple pages that can be categorized by product categories or they can also include new arrivals, best sellers, discounts, customer reviews, etc.

Follow these steps to create a page:

1) Click on “Add Page” from the left-hand menu.

2) Add a title to the page.

3) Enter the meta description for your page.

4) Select your page template: Marquee, product grid, or product highlight.

A great example of a brand that has effectively included pages in Anker.

They have placed “What’s New” and “Deals” at the beginning of their navigation tab. Following that, they have organized the various types of products.

Additionally, they created category pages such as “For Phones,” “For Laptops,” and so on, with sub-pages under each category featuring different kinds of products. This type of navigation makes it easier for shoppers to find the products they need.

The key here is to make sure that you are offering a convenient and unique shopping experience for your customers. Pay attention to the smallest details to ensure that navigation is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing shoppers to find what they are looking for easily. 

Step 6: Customize your store sections

Once you are done creating the different pages and sub-pages, you need to customize your entire store to showcase your products and improve customer experience.

Like on the homepage, the design you choose will have tiles, which can be used to add product images, images with text, shoppable images, text, normal videos, and background videos. For example, you can also add a product grid or gallery tile to display multiple products.

A well-designed, user-friendly and visually-appealing storefront helps boost sales while reinforcing your brand’s identity. For each of the store pages, it is vital to use high-quality images and A+ content to capture shoppers’ attention and increase engagement. Don’t be afraid to think out of the box – finding a unique way to stand out is essential, as customers will compare your store to competitors.

A brand that has created unique pages is Adidas.

As a customer clicks on the specific page, they are greeted with an attractive image that fits the brand’s aesthetic. Additionally, each page has a different header image that fits the various categories.

The unique factor of their pages is the interactive elements. A customer can hover on the image below the navigation tab to find a “black dot” displayed on products worn in the picture. Putting their pointer on the black dot shows a small pop-up displaying that specific product. This small feature helps customers find the products they want with ease.

You can also read our blog on Amazon Storefront Optimization to find best practices to design and structure your Amazon storefront.

Step 7: Submit your store for review and publish

After designing all the pages, you need to submit your store to Amazon for review to ensure it meets their creative policy before going live.

Before you do that, preview your storefront to ensure everything looks and works exactly how it should. Simply select “Preview” from the navigation bar to view it. Here are some things to look out for:

-   Grammar issues, spelling mistakes, or image inconsistencies

-   Functionality of all links and buttons

-   Optimized well for both desktop and mobile devices

Once you’re happy with your storefront, submit it to Amazon for review. You need to hit “Submit for publishing” to send it. You will be offered 2 options:

1) Standard: In this option, your store will be available to customers as soon as the store is approved.

2) Scheduled: This option gives the choice to request a future date and time when you would like the Amazon storefront to be available to your customers. The requested date and time need to be at least 24 hours in the future.

Once you have submitted the store for review, Amazon will check if it meets their policies. To avoid rejection, ensure your store meets Amazon’s eligibility requirements and store content creative guidelines and acceptance policies.

The review process typically takes 24 hours but it can take up to 3 business days. Keep an eye out for any suggested revisions that Amazon may request.

Once the review process is over, your store will be immediately available to customers or at your requested date and time.

How to make the most out of your Amazon storefront?

To make the most out of your Amazon storefront, ensure the following:

Leverage Amazon Ads

Leveraging Amazon ads, specifically Sponsored Brand Ads, is one of the most effective ways to maximize your storefront’s potential. Sponsored Brand Ads allow you to direct customers to your storefront. Therefore, by strategically targeting high-intent shoppers, you can increase brand visibility, boost conversions, and improve overall performance.

With multiple ads running for different products, it can be hard to keep track of all. An Amazon PPC Ad Optimization Software like atom11’s helps you optimize ad spend and enhance ad performance through retail signals.

<Product screenshot of Amazon Ads Bid Booster and AMC insights>

With atom11’s AMC suite, you can use AMC insights and the Amazon Ads Bid Booster to improve visibility by targeting look-alike and upper-funnel audiences, maximize ROI by boosting bids for high-performance segments, and gain a competitive edge with smarter ad placements.

High-quality images and videos

A critical part of an Amazon storefront is high-quality images and videos to attract customers and showcase your products.

Incorporating professional product images builds trust with your customers and enhances the overall visual appeal of your storefront. You also need to use video content like product demos, testimonials, and brand stories. These elements can improve engagement and conversions, as they help customers see your products in action.

Optimize titles and descriptions

Optimizing your product titles and descriptions for search engines is key to rising above all the noise from your competitors.

Titles are headlines that grab the customers’ attention and invite them to click on your product listing. They should be relevant, keyword-rich, concise yet informative, compelling and highlight key features to ensure they appear on relevant searches and attract high-intent shoppers. While visible keywords are important, you can also make use of backend keywords to improve product ranking.

Beyond titles, bullet points and detailed product descriptions also play an important role in conversion. Simple to read, keyword-rich and benefit-driven bullet points and descriptions help customers understand your product value and convince them to buy it.

We understand that keyword optimization for each product can be time-consuming. Luckily, atom11’s search term harvester helps you identify high-performing keywords and optimize your descriptions and titles for better visibility.

It also helps you create custom rules for keyword harvesting, negates non-performing keywords, and adjusts campaigns and bids as per your preference. 

Track key metrics 

As soon as your storefront is approved, you will have access to Amazon’s brand analytics – a free, comprehensive analytics tool that provides valuable insights. Monitor different key performance indicators (KPIs) like traffic, conversion rates, and sales to make informed and strategic decisions about your products and advertisements.

Amazon also offers a Store Quality Rating feature to help you improve your storefront’s performance and achieve better results. Through this tool, you can view your store quality rating, see how it compares to your peers’ stores, and receive recommendations and insights on optimizing it. The feature is available under the “Brand store quality tab” on the Advertising console.  

Add calls to action

Add calls to action (CTAs) to guide your customers towards making a purchase. Using clear and action-driven CTAs like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Explore Collections” to encourage customers to move onto the next step in the purchasing decision, whether it is adding a product to their cart or exploring more of your product catalog.

However, you need to strategically place your CTAs throughout the storefront – banners, category pages, and product highlights – to ensure that they improve engagement and conversions.  

A brand that is making use of CTAs well is Yeti.

All the grids of their homepage include a prominent button that says “Shop Now”, which directs them to the product pages. This helps in reminding and reinforcing to the customers to click on the link and explore their products. 

Conclusion 

Setting up an Amazon storefront is a simple yet crucial way to build a strong brand presence, increase conversions and enhance the shopping experience on the eCommerce platform. One way your customers will view your store is when they find your products on Amazon’s search results page. The other way is through Sponsored Brand Ads that allow you to direct potential customers to your store. And atom11 can help you with it.

We help you achieve your brand objectives through our full-funnel Amazon advertising automation, powerful analytics, and seamless campaign optimization. From simplified ad management tools like search term negator, bid optimizer, and more to data insights and creating custom audiences with AMC, we ensure your ads reach the right shoppers while maximizing ROI.

Ready to supercharge your Amazon Storefront and advertising strategy? Book a demo with atom11 today!

FAQs 

Can anyone open an Amazon storefront?

Yes. Amazon’s storefront is an easy self-service store builder that anyone can create with no design or coding experience needed. However, you do need to have a professional selling account on Amazon. 

How many followers do you need to open an Amazon storefront?

There is no minimum follower requirement to open an Amazon storefront. However, building a following through promotions and marketing can help drive more traffic to your storefront, potentially increasing sales and visibility.

How much does an Amazon Storefront cost?

Creating an Amazon storefront itself is free, but to access the storefront feature, you must have an Amazon Professional Seller account, which costs $39.99 per month. You may also incur additional costs for advertising, product promotions, and other business-related fees.

What is the difference between Amazon store and storefront?

Amazon store offers limited customization options, while a storefront offers more flexibility. Brand-registered sellers can add logos, product categories, and layouts to their storefront for a unique branding and shopping experience. 

What are the qualifications to have an Amazon Storefront?

The qualifications to have an Amazon storefront include having an active Professional Seller account, being registered in the Amazon Brand Registry, and meeting Amazon’s performance standards. Your brand must also comply with Amazon’s policies regarding product listings, shipping, and customer service.

Is an Amazon Storefront profitable?

An Amazon storefront can be profitable, but success depends on factors like product quality, pricing strategy, branding, and marketing efforts. The storefront provides more control over your branding and customer experience, which can lead to higher sales if managed effectively.

How do I get paid from my Amazon Storefront?

You get paid through Amazon’s payment system, where earnings from your storefront sales are transferred to your bank account. Payments are typically disbursed every two weeks, minus any applicable fees and deductions for returns or refunds.

Can you sell your own products on Amazon Storefront?

Yes, you can sell your own products on an Amazon storefront. The storefront is designed to showcase your products, and you can list, promote, and sell them directly to customers through your Amazon seller account.