Amazon Vendor Central is a powerful platform that enables brands to directly supply products to Amazon (also referred to as “1P” model). Vendor Central offers many advantages, such as owning the Buy Box, more sizeable bulk orders, access to enhanced content and marketing tools and so on. But managing Vendor Central comes with its own set of challenges. Partnering with an experienced Amazon vendor central agency can help you navigate these complexities, driving your sales growth and success on Amazon.
Common Challenges with Amazon Vendor Central Management
Working with Amazon directly creates significant advantages for established brands. But seizing all the opportunities that are associated with running a 1P business does not come easy: Without sufficient experience dealing with Amazon directly, interpreting Vendor Central reports and most importantly managing inventory and pricing, brands can end up getting caught in a net of contractual requirements and obligations that are hard to handle. Some common challenges include:
Demand Planning
Understanding and anticipating Amazon’s order cycles are vital. As orders are placed in bulk, it can be challenging for brands to have sufficient stock readily available. However, both over- and understocking can result in fees / lost sales.
Our team provides precise inventory management solutions, ensuring that your stock levels are always optimal to meet demand without incurring additional costs.
Price Control
As a 1P partner, Amazon purchases all products at wholesale prices. Amazon retail prices (the price that shoppers pay) can thus differ from your desired retail prices.
The reason therefore is that Amazon automatically matches its prices vs the next best online price. This can have a significant impact on other channels and consumer perceptions of your brand.
Vendor Central Specific Tasks
- Negotiating the Annual Amazon Vendor Agreement
- Analyzing and Actioning Vendor Central only reports, such as the ARA (Amazon Retail Analytics) Report
- Customer service: Although Amazon handles customer service for Vendor Central merchant, it is critical that you monitor and fully meet shoppers expectations
New Product Launches
Launching new products is a common challenge for Amazon Vendors. Given that products are new and do not have any sales track-record, Amazon’s algorithm driven procurement process may not initially have confidence in your new products and thus not order significant stock.
Our Amazon Vendor Central Management Services
Managing Amazon Vendor Central is a complex task that consists of many integrated activities spanning operations, as well as listing and ad optimization. To grow sales, one needs to master all three areas.
1. Operational Services for Amazon Vendors
Our vendor management services offer a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for brands seeking to outsource their entire Amazon operations to a trusted professional partner. For brands with strong in-house capabilities, such as demand planning, we also provide tailored, turnkey amazon vendor management services designed to complement your existing strengths, ensuring seamless integration and optimized performance across all areas of your Amazon business.
Inventory Management
- Demand forecasting
- Order management and fulfillment
- Inventory tracking
- Invoicing
- Returns
Account Management
- New product setup
- Price monitoring
- Brand registry
- Amazon storefront management
- Catalog management
- Reporting and analytics
Communications
- Annual renewal negotiations with Amazon
- Planning and negotiation for key sales events such as Amazon Prime Day
- Day-to-day interactions with Amazon account manager
2. Advertising Management Services for Amazon Vendors
We have extensive experience in setting up and optimizing Amazon Ads. With our proprietary Amazon bid optimization software, we are one of the few agencies that can fully automate keyword bidding for your ads. This allows us to maximize advertising performance towards your ACoS goals. Learn more about our Amazon advertising services:
3. Listing Optimization Services for Amazon Vendors
Amazon listing optimization involves more than just Amazon SEO (keyword, title and bullet point optimisation) —it is about refining every element of your Amazon listing. This includes not only standard product images and A+ Content but also, for some vendors, Amazon Premium A+ Content. Drawing from extensive experience across diverse accounts, we have a deep understanding of content and creative best practices. We are ready to leverage this knowledge to help your listings stand out and to drive conversions. Learn more about our experience with Amazon Listing Optimization and Amazon SEO.
