Amazon is the largest online marketplace enabling merchants from a variety of industries to sell items worldwide. Notably, the Sports & Outdoors niche is the second largest product category supplied through this platform, reaching 21% of the market share. 

This means that the outdoor industry on Amazon is highly competitive, and it takes a clever strategy to promote the products belonging to it successfully. Below, you’ll find pro tips on how outdoor brands can increase Amazon sales effectively.

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Top-5 Amazon Strategy Advice for Outdoor Product Sellers

If your company is willing to be among the Amazon brands with top-selling outdoor products, it’s crucial to map out a clear tactic using best practices and testing new approaches. 

Read ahead to learn about the tips that have proven to be effective as a part of an outdoor brand Amazon growth strategy:

1. Sell the Right Items

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Amazon is indeed a large commercial space, yet it’s not the best outlet for every item.

When it comes to high-touch and fit-dependent gear, like tents, frame packs, and ski boots, it might be tricky to sell it on Amazon. 

On the other hand, outdoor accessories, commodities, and replenishment products are very much in demand and are considered to be the best outdoor products on Amazon in terms of sales. Some great examples are hiking socks, camping utensils, and daypacks.

However, expect high competition in these niches and prepare accordingly:

• Analyze your competitors.
• Determine what makes your outdoor products unique and focus on these features when marketing them.
• Create a buyer persona and target it.

This way, you’ll be able to understand which of your products are in demand among Amazon buyers and will be on the way to beating your competition.

2. Use Amazon Prime Day in Your Favor

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Apart from Black Friday in November, when the whole world is waiting for grand sales, the marketplace also hosts its own Amazon Prime Day in mid-July. This occasion is a great sales opportunity for outdoor brands, as summer is the season when people tend to spend a lot of time outside their homes.

A well-timed advertising campaign or a thought-through product launch during this period can bring you massive success. For instance, LifeStraw, a manufacturer of water filters for both home and the outdoors, invested in advertising on Amazon and ran a timely sale on Prime Day 2019. 

According to the Head of Brand, Tara Lundy, this resulted in sales of over 200,000 units of its Personal Water Filter and made it become one of the top-selling products in the US and Canada. 

3. Embrace the Legacy Products’ History

If you are not new to Amazon and already have some items that have been selling great over extended periods, it might be best to keep their brand name even if you are planning to introduce some updates. 

According to Rich Hill, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, it is wise for outdoor brands and retailers that focus on consistency in the marketplace. He mentions that if a company changes the brand name of a product on Amazon, it loses all of that item’s reviews and client feedback. 

This would mean that you would have to start rebuilding the product’s reputation and rankings, which requires a lot of effort, while the existing name would just keep accumulating ratings.

4. Buying Ad Space Is Important

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While organic growth is possible, don't overlook the opportunities provided by buying ad space from Amazon. Choosing this tactic will enable you to catch the attention of a lot more target customers.

For example, if you type in “waterproof jacket”, you will see sponsored items popping up before the best sellers, giving the former a significant competitive advantage.

5. Fight Сounterfeits and Unauthorized Sellers

Copycats and counterfeits steal a share of the market from legitimate merchants and gear manufacturers. To ensure your outdoor brand’s steady growth on Amazon, take part in Project Zero, the marketplace’s initiative that focuses on eliminating counterfeits with the help of machine learning, product serialization, and human diligence.

Another way to protect your outdoor brand’s intellectual property is to join the Amazon Brand Registry (ABR). This service offers advanced search options that allow you to locate and call out trademark infringement on Amazon. The marketplace claims that over 130,000 brands are participating in this program, and the members report 99% fewer suspected trademark violations since the initiative’s launch in 2017.

As an example, OtterBox, an outdoor brand, sued a company that was selling counterfeits based on a test purchase conducted by Amazon and won the case.

Another outdoor company, Nite Ize, also filed a lawsuit against counterfeit product importers, and the case is awaiting resolution.

Apart from vendors of counterfeits, there are unauthorized resellers who dump the products’ price, thus affecting original brands. Make sure you report those to Amazon, and its representatives will either deal with them directly or reach out to an outsourcing company, thus potentially improving your revenues.

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Other Recommendations on Improving Your Amazon Performance

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Apart from the more industry-specific guidelines mentioned above, there are also general recommendations applicable to any brand operating on Amazon for you to keep in mind:

• Choose a Selling Approach. Deciding whether you will be selling products as a 1P, 3P, or an Amazon Storefront merchant will be decisive for your marketing strategy.
• Invest in SEO. Search Engine Optimization is as vital on Amazon as it is on Google, so include keywords in product titles, bullet points, and descriptions while keeping them informative.
• Add images. When it comes to Amazon, high-quality images that demonstrate the critical product features speak louder than words in the listing.

Amazon’s scope is large, so the marketplace features plenty of nuances. Remember that you don’t have to deal with all of them alone. Having a trusted partner that knows how to increase Amazon sales specifically for brands in the outdoor industry is a guarantee of frictionless growth for your revenues. Algofy Outdoors is ready to be your trusted partner across marketing channels - reach out to us to get started!