This is a guide to everything we’ve published on the PriceSpider blog in August. Starting with the most recent content, you’ll find brief descriptions of each post with a link to where you can read the whole thing.
How Brands Can Win as Amazon’s Third Party Seller Database Goes Public (August 26)
Amazon is about to let brands peek behind the curtain to see their third party seller database. This is a huge step toward better transparency, but on the Ecommerce Connected podcast, Anthony and Sales Team Six discuss some of the challenges brands are going to have with this data:
- It’s all self-reported. This is just the information sellers gave to Amazon. So many unknown sellers are going to remain difficult or impossible to contact.
- Amazon probably won’t verify it. There are thousands of new sellers on Amazon’s marketplace every day, and they haven’t verified this data when they’ve made similar moves in other regions like Mexico and the EU.
- Sellers can have multiple aliases. The names brands find here may not be the same names they use elsewhere (so it really helps to have other lists you can cross reference).
FAQs About MAP Policies (August 20)
Pricing policies can be confusing. This post answers some of the most basic questions people have about MAP policies, including:
- What is a MAP policy?
- Why does my brand need a MAP policy?
- Are pricing agreements legal in the US?
- What’s the difference between a pricing policy and a pricing agreement?
- What counts as the “advertised” price?
- What happens if someone violates my policy?
- Can I call a seller if they violate my policy?
- What if someone appeals their violation?
- How do I even know when violations occur?
How to Keep Your Brand from Becoming a Commodity (August 13)
Brand commoditization happens when consumers can’t tell the difference between your brand and the others in your category. And if they think all the brands in your space are the same, they’ll choose the product with the lowest price. This post is about how brands can prevent brand commoditization—so that customers will be willing to pay their price.
5 Benefits of an Effective MAP Policy (August 5)
Used (and enforced) properly, a MAP policy can provide the following benefits:
- It lets retailers focus on service (instead of competing over price)
- It creates a path to eliminate bad sellers
- It makes revenue more predictable
- It limits negative buying experiences
- It builds trust with your retail partners
