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Best Research Tool For Amazon FBA Beginners?

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Best Research Tool For Amazon FBA Beginners?

Could AMZScout hold the key to starting a profitable Amazon business in your spare time?

It just might.

After all, product research is arguably the single most important factor when it comes to successfully selling on Amazon. 

Choose the right products, and you’ve got a solid foundation to build on.

But pick wrong, and you’ll struggle to get anywhere at all.

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In this quick review, we’ll see how AMZScout can help you make the best product choices and determine if this is the right Amazon research tool for you.

AMZScout Overview
  • Ease of Use

  • Stability

  • Price

Summary

AMZScout is the Swiss Army knife of Amazon product research software, offering a tool for every purpose. With attractive pricing options and a strong suite of training videos, AMZScout is a great choice when starting your Amazon business. Click here to take it for a test drive.

Pros

  • Pro Plugin makes niche research easy
  • Product tracker helps you avoid making decisions based on short-term spikes
  • Product Database lets you get super detailed in your product research
  • Training is easy to follow and some of the best around for Amazon beginners
  • Affordable

Cons

  • You have to install a lot of Chrome extensions to get full functionality
  • Product Tracker only shows information from the point you add an item forward
  • Not as full-featured as some competitors

What Is AMZScout?

As mentioned above, AMZScout is an Amazon research tool at its core, providing a suite of functionality to help you find the right niche and products for your business. 

And, like most modern software, AMZScout is primarily a web application.

But to really appreciate all that AMZScout can do, we need to dig into its key features.

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AMZScout Features

As it turns out, AMZScout is far from a one-trick pony.

Indeed, the features that AMZScout brings to the table can be broken into three broad categories: product research, keyword research, and training.

Product Research

Product research is AMZScout’s bread and butter, and it all starts with the Product Database, which is where you land when you log in to the web app:

The Product Database lets you search across 10 different Amazon marketplaces by keyword or category, and you can filter by up to 16 parameters, including product weight, price, reviews, etc.

If it sounds like there’s a lot happening on the Product Database dashboard, that’s because there is. 

It can be a little overwhelming at first, but you’ll start to get the hang of it after a few searches. And the table of results delivers a ton of useful information about each product, including:

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  • Amazon category and subcategory
  • Product rank in the category and subcategory
  • Number of monthly sales
  • Per-unit profit
  • Product ratings and number of reviews

The Product Database also shows competitor information like the number of sellers for each product and its Listing Quality Score, or LSQ. 

The LSQ is a metric AZMScout developed to give you a quick idea of how tough the competition is. It takes into account factors like brand and item name length, number of bullet points and images in the listing, and seller type.

Once you find a product you want to know more about, you can click through to see its Amazon listing or over to Alibaba to look into buying stock.

You can also add items from the main dashboard to the Product Tracker.

Product Tracker

As the name implies, the AMZScout Product Tracker allows you to monitor a product over time. Add your favorites here, and you get a table view that shows basic product information.

And you can click through to see even more details, as well as a graph of product performance over time:

AMZScout Product Tracker

One major drawback to this view is that the graph only shows product performance from the time you add it to the Product Tracker (and not before).

Pro Extension

This Chrome extension takes the basic functionality of the AMZScout Product Database and adds a little rocket fuel to your product research.

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Just type in your search on Amazon, click on the Pro Extension icon in your Chrome toolbar, and voilà! 

You get a table with the same sort of product information you see in the main AMZScout web app, along with a few extra goodies:

AMZScout Pro Extension

The turbo boost comes from the proprietary ratings that AMZScout displays on this screen:

  • Product Score for Private Label: Is this a good candidate for private labeling? (higher score is better)
  • Product Score for Reselling: Is this a good candidate for reselling? (higher score is better)
  • Visibility Score: How many sellers are targeting this niche? (lower score is better)

But the Niche Score is particularly helpful when you’re just starting out. It rolls up all of the steps in Amazon product research into a single number to let you know whether you’re on the right track.

A score below 5 means the combination of demand, competition, and profit margin will make it tough for a newbie to succeed.

Get a Niche Score closer to 10, though, and your odds of finding success ratchet up in a hurry.

Of course, no one metric can guarantee results, but Niche Score can save you a lot of time as you’re narrowing in on a focus for your Amazon business.

Other Product Research Tools

Beyond these core utilities, AMZScout also offers up a few other tools to help you with product research:

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  • Monthly reports detailing emerging Amazon trends
  • Weekly “hot products” reports that zero in on areas with exploding sales numbers
  • Quick View – a Chrome extension for comparing products side-by-side from Amazon search results pages
  • Stock Stats – another Chrome extension, this one for “spying” on your competitors’ stock levels
  • Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale – and one last (for now!) Chrome extension for evaluating how suitable a product is for each of these three business models (dropshipping, arbitrage, wholesale)

Keyword Research

Once you’ve decided on which products you want to sell (and figured out how to source them), you have to actually list them on Amazon.

But just throwing your products into that massive marketplace won’t get you very far.

No, to give your listings the best chance of turning up in user searches on Amazon, you need to ensure you’re targeting the right keywords…yeah, it’s hard to get away from SEO, even for business models outside of blogging!

Anyway, AMZScout provides another box of tools to help with keyword research.

Reverse ASIN Lookup

Enter an item’s ASIN, and this tool returns a list of keywords – along with information about search volume and competition – that you can use in your Amazon listings:

AMZScout Reverse ASIN Lookup

Amazon Keyword Research

This one’s a pretty straightforward keyword tool where you type in a seed phrase and get back a bunch of related keywords:

AMZScout Amazon Keyword Research

Keyword Tracker

The Keyword Tracker is a Chrome extension that lets you enter a product ASIN and then track the keywords that the product ranks for over time:

AMZScout Keyword Tracker

You can choose how often you want to update the information for each product, ranging from once an hour to once a day.

Training

Loading up on features is great, but they won’t do you much good if you don’t know how to use them…and why.

You need some training.

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Luckily, this is one area where AMZScout really shines, especially if you’re just getting started on your Amazon trek.

The Amazon Private Label training is a 22-video course that walks you through every aspect of starting an Amazon business, from doing initial product research (surprise!) all the way to a tutorial on how to ship your product to Amazon FBA.

The first eight videos in the series are free, but you need a subscription to access the rest of the course.

Overall, this training is easy to understand and follow, and it’s one of the best courses around for Amazon beginners.

If you’re a bit more seasoned, you can jump into AMZScout’s Masterclasses offerings, which tackle more advanced topics, like pay-per-click ad strategies, sourcing local products, and international Amazon sales.

There’s also a “University” option, which offers up a series of premium courses (with matching premium prices) led by instructors with hands-on experience in building successful Amazon businesses.

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How Much Does AMZScout Cost?

As of early 2023, AMZScout offers two basic subscription levels:

Pro Extension

The Pro Extension package gives you access to the Chrome extension plus the basic training courses. Pricing is $259.99 per year or $599.99 for lifetime access. 

Note that this level does NOT give you access to the full-blown research tools or trend and product reports.

Seller’s Bundle for Amazon

The Seller’s Bundle gives you everything the Pro Extension package does but also adds on access to the full web application, as well as all the weekly and monthly reports.

Pricing is $49.99 per month, $379.99 per year, and $1599.99 for lifetime access.

Free Trial

The good news about all this is that you can try AMZScout for yourself with a free trial that gets you access to all the tools. And, unlike a lot of software trials, you don’t have to use a credit card to sign up – just an email address gets you in.

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The free trial limits how many searches you can run, but it’s enough to get a pretty good feel for AMZScout’s capabilities.

You can sign up for the free trial on the AMZScout homepage

AMZScout Alternatives

For as much as AMZScout offers, it’s far from the only game in town when it comes to tools for conducting your Amazon product research.

Jungle Scout is probably the most popular of them all and provides even more features than AMZScout, though at a higher price point.

But be sure to check out our Jungle Scout review to learn all about this excellent Amazon tool.

Helium 10 is another popular full-featured option that offers up several pricing options.

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Brady Cook ran through all the major players in his article on Niche Pursuits: Need an Amazon Sales Estimator? Here Are Your 7 Best Options

Definitely worth the read!

The Verdict

So, is AMZScout worth the price and time investment needed to learn how to use the tool?

If you’re just starting your Amazon business, the answer is a resounding “YES!”.

AMZScout gives you all the tools to pick a niche and specific products you want to sell. And the training modules alone will jumpstart you along your journey.

If you’re a little more experienced and want a more full-featured product, then AMZScout may not be the absolute best choice for you, especially when tools like Jungle Scout and Helium 10 don’t cost all that much more on a monthly basis.

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The good news is, you have nothing to lose by taking advantage of AMZScout’s free trial…and maybe a whole lot to gain!



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AFFILIATE MARKETING

The future of affiliate marketing in a crumbling cookie world, ET BrandEquity

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The future of affiliate marketing in a crumbling cookie world, ET BrandEquity

Image used for representative purpose (iStock)

Ratan Tata backed company Earnkaro is a website that offers users an opportunity to earn an income via affiliate marketing. With the third party cookie crumbling, Earnkaro is adopting local storage, a technology that stores data directly in the user’s browser. Local storage uses the capabilities of a user’s browser, to establish tracking mechanisms. This technique involves storing data on the user’s device to track interactions and transactions, operating independently from traditional cookie-based systems. It enables Earnkaro to accurately track when a transaction leads to cash flow to a partner site, by storing information about the transaction directly on the user’s device. Essentially in a browser, there are three types of storage – localStorage, sessionStorage and cookies. This is where first party, second party and third party data come from. Earnkaro also uses a technology called server to server integration – which it already has in place with its partner sites like Myntra, Nykaa and Flipkart.

“As we transition away from using cookies, we’re adopting a method known as server-to-server integration. Instead of relying on cookies to track purchases and activity, we monitor these transactions through a session that’s saved on the retailer’s server. Once a purchase is made, the transaction details are tracked and shared directly with the affiliates from the server, eliminating the need for third-party data sources,” says Rohan Bhargava, co-founder of Earnkaro and Cashkaro.

Earnkaro is 60% into implementing these technologies to prepare for a world where the third party cookie has crumbled. The main reason a cookie was needed is to solve for the challenge of marketing attribution challenge. Everytime someone visits a web link from a certain source, the cookie captures the source of traffic.

Addressing the attribution challenges in the absence of third-party cookies, Pradeep Kumaar, the CEO of NP Digital India, mentions the viability of contextual advertising and new tools like Google Fledge as potential alternatives for tracking engagement and behavior. “Contextual advertising and technologies like Google Fledge represent a new frontier for tracking user engagement in a privacy-conscious world,” he says.

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What needs to happen at a technology level, for affiliate marketing to carry on smoothly is that the cookie needs to be replaced. “If anybody carries out a transaction, when the pixel fires right at the transaction stage, you identify who is the last click attribution – who’s the person with the last cookie. Obviously with the world we’re moving to, you can’t store third party cookies. We’re using local storage instead of the cookie for last click attribution,” says Bhargava.

Bhargava explains that another alternative is using a Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP), such as Branch or AppsFlyer, which is used to determine where a user’s last interaction came from before making a transaction, whether it’s Google, Facebook, or another source. MMPs are crucial for advertising in an in-app environment where cookies aren’t used. As we move towards a world without cookies, brands are incorporating MMPs’ software tools, known as SDKs (Software Development Kits), into their websites. SDKs provide the necessary tools to integrate with these MMPs, offering a unified view of where traffic is coming from. This approach ensures a consistent source of information, avoiding discrepancies between different data sources. According to Bhargava, using these technologies, the affiliate industry can smoothly transition to operating without cookies.

The world of affiliate marketing is bracing for a significant shift as Google prepares to phase out third-party cookies from its Chrome web browser by the third quarter of 2024. On January 04 2024, Google Chrome began its phase out of third party cookies from its browser to 1% of its users. With the removal of these cookies, marketers will need to find alternative ways to gather user data for targeted advertising and personalisation. For affiliates, who generally work on a ‘pay per performance basis’ – the challenge lies in tracking user journeys from an affiliate link to a purchase, which could potentially affect the accuracy of attributing sales to the correct affiliate.

The phase out of the third party cookie is largely driven by growing user concerns around privacy as well as regulations passed by other countries such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). GDPR was passed in the European Union in May 2018. Under this regulation, websites cannot store third party cookies without user consent. CCPA was passed in the same year and it mandates that websites must offer an opt-out option for users regarding cookies that sell personal information.

30% of Paisabazaar’s business comes from its affiliate marketing efforts, but Sachin Vashishtha, the chief marketing officer at Paisabazaar is not worried. “Affiliate marketing makes up a small part of our media mix spending. However, it’s worth noting that affiliates that rely on third party tools to capture convergence would be in trouble, with the demise of third party cookies, these tools would face challenges and so would affiliate marketers who use these tools,” he says.

Paisabazaar relies on first party cookies and data and does not encourage the use of third party tools. Vashishtha also mentions that Paisabazaar has server side attribution in place. Affiliate marketing campaigns for the brand are only limited to a few channels like email marketing.

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“We are anyway advertising on platforms like Google and Facebook and that’s why we discourage affiliate campaigns on those platforms,” he says. He emphasises that in general, the brand’s reduced dependence on third party cookies and data means it will not be affected overall by the cookie phase out. He also stresses the importance of investing in robust data architecture and having a good CDP in place to try and capture as much data as possible using first party cookies. These platforms help create unified customer profiles from direct interactions, significantly reducing the dependency on third-party data.

In a world moving away from third-party cookies, affiliate marketers must explore fresh avenues for partnership with influencers and content creators. With influencers also dabbling in affiliate marketin, adapting strategies to maintain these collaborations becomes essential. “Most social media users are creators and influencers who focus on first party data. They can directly present to their audiences about a brand and can share the link and affiliates and marketers can make use of the data from that link,” says Kumaar.

Publishers will also have to figure out ways of diversifying traffic sources in the new cookie-less environment and according to Kumaar, the only way to do this is by creating more interactive and engaging content. Consent based marketing which builds trust between the consumer and the brand is the way forward as the third party cookie crumbles.

Kumaar also underscores the potential of deep learning and AI in maintaining hyper-personalised targeting capabilities through contextual advertising, similar to the precision previously enabled by third-party cookies. This advancement is beneficial for advertisers by facilitating more accurate campaign planning and audience targeting based on consumer behavior insights. “The integration of deep learning and AI with contextual advertising brings us closer to achieving the level of personalisation we had with third-party cookies,” Kumaar remarks.

  • Published On Mar 15, 2024 at 08:14 AM IST

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Which Video Site Is Best To Make Money?

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Which Video Site Is Best To Make Money?

If you’re curious about the differences between YouTube vs. Rumble – such as which will bring you the most ad revenue as a video content creator, you should definitely keep reading! In this comparison breakdown, we’ll discuss:

  • The pros and cons of the two platforms
  • Comparisons of ad revenue
  • Audience size
  • User interface
  • And more

So, let’s determine which online video-sharing platform will be best for you as a creator in the online video industry.

YouTube vs. Rumble: Comparing Ad Revenue

The main difference between Rumble and YouTube is how they monetize their content. This dramatically impacts potential earnings for creators. We compare Rumble vs. YouTube advertising revenue below.

YouTube Monetization

YouTube’s Partner Program is how creators monetize their content and earn money on the platform. Unlike Rumble, YouTube has video monetization requirements creators must meet before they can start earning money.

Before they will pay creators, YouTube makes their creators make and share videos without earning money from the ads they place in their videos. YouTube can place ads on your videos without you even being eligible for monetization. This is a point of contention for some creators.

Monetization requirements for joining the YouTube Partner Program include having:

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  • 1,000 subscribers
  • 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days

Reaching 1,000 subscribers is the main hurdle creators face when trying to achieve YouTube monetization. This requirement sometimes deters new creators from continuing with this endeavor. Learning how to increase YouTube subscribers is a key part of creators’ journeys on the path to start earning money from their quality content.

Between the two platforms, YouTube has more monetization requirements than Rumble.

YouTube Partner Program

So, how does YouTube pay its creators?

The YouTube Partner Program will pay creators based on a revenue-sharing model.

Ads are served on your video content, and creators earn a percentage of the ad revenue. This monetization method means you could earn a lot of money as your videos gain popularity. After you start monetizing, earning YouTube passive income is a great way to earn more money as a creator.

Rumble Monetization Options

When learning how to make money on Rumble, creators are often surprised at the monetization options that are readily available to them.

Unlike YouTube, Rumble offers immediate monetization options for its creators. It doesn’t have subscriber or watch time requirements. Having this ability to immediately start monetizing your videos gives Rumble an advantage that other platforms don’t have.

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Monetization opportunities are instantly available for Rumble creators.

You can earn money in several ways as part of the Rumble Partner Program. These include:

  • Rumble Player Revenue: Rumble also offers a revenue share model for its creators. Videos on Rumble earn money based on engagement, not only views. Creators will earn money based on comments, likes, shares, views, and more. The overall engagement on your video plays into the share of the advertising revenue you will receive.
  • Video Licensing Deals: Creators can also increase their earnings by receiving video licensing deals. If a third party licenses your videos, you earn a percentage of the licensing fee. Fees are based on the terms discussed in each licensing agreement.
  • Platform Partnerships: Rumble partners with other high-traffic websites and large companies, including Yahoo, Xbox, MSN, and more. When your videos are syndicated through these platforms, creators will earn a percentage of the revenue from these deals.
  • YouTube Monetization: That’s right, Rumble has a channel on YouTube. Rumble will feature its creators on their YouTube channel. If your videos are featured, you will earn a cut from the ad revenue your video generated.

While YouTube monetization is limited to revenue share, Rumble offers its creators many more options. The additional monetization opportunities also present unique options for creators to feel like they have full control over their income streams.

When deciding between Rumble and YouTube, their vastly different monetization methods are the main factors to consider. The additional effort in reaching 1,000 subscribers can pay off in the long run for successful YouTube creators. But, the hard work required to reach 1,000 subscribers can feel daunting.

What are the Rumble and YouTube differences when it comes to user experience?

YouTube User Experience

Since the platform has been around since 2005, many of its users have been consuming content on the platform for a very long time.

It’s undeniable that YouTube has played a key role throughout the history of vlogging. For many people with a free account, YouTube is the video platform where they watch a variety of videos during both their childhood and adulthood.

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This storied history means many users already have a deep familiarity and comfort with the platform. Going to YouTube’s website to watch video content is likely second nature to many people. On the other hand, migrating to a new platform like Rumble can take a mindset shift for viewers.

Combined with a user interface that’s easy to navigate, YouTube offers a user-friendly experience.

youtube vs rumble

Additionally, YouTube offers faster server speeds than Rumble. With such a powerhouse parent company (Google), it’s nearly impossible to beat YouTube’s server speeds.

Additional Social Options

YouTube also offers other ways for creators to connect with their audiences. Additional social aspects of the platform include:

  • Shorts: An alternative to TikTok, YouTube Shorts are 60-second videos designed to drive traffic to your long-form videos.
  • Posts: Creators can post short-form content and pictures directly to their subscribers. This feature is great for teasing upcoming content, alerting subscribers to new videos, and making channel announcements.

These additional features give creators unique ways to drive more traffic to their videos and easily communicate with their subscribers.

Rumble User Experience

Rumble also offers a user-friendly experience for its creators and viewers.

Watching videos on Rumble and YouTube is a very similar experience. The user interface appears to be almost the same as YouTube. The YouTube similarities are striking.

youtube vs rumbleyoutube vs rumble

Additionally, Rumble operates on their own server. While this does translate to slower server speeds, they can still provide a great user experience when hosting live streams. This is imperative for gamers and other types of influencers. If live streams are a major part of your content strategy, Rumble could be a great platform for you to try.

Rumble also takes additional measures to help creators target their audience. This includes customized tags and a streamlined process to upload videos. If audience targeting and an easy upload process are important to you, Rumble could be your platform.

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YouTube vs. Rumble: Comparing Audiences

How do audience size and engagement compare Rumble and YouTube? This is a major part of deciding which platform to upload videos to and spend your precious time on.

Audiences on YouTube

One of the key differences when comparing YouTube vs Rumble is the audience size on each video platform. When you look at the most visited websites worldwide, YouTube consistently ranks in the top two positions.

YouTube has a vast user base with billions of users on its video platform. When comparing YouTube vs Rumble, YouTube remains superior regarding user base size and monthly active users.

Viewership on Rumble

Rumble has a significantly smaller user base than YouTube. However, this can entice new creators because they can grow on the platform. After all, it becomes too big. The earlier you join new video platforms. You can become one of those larger creators because there’s less competition.

The platform’s main goal is to lift up smaller and newer creators with an edgy or alternative viewpoint. The platform likes content that goes against mainstream opinions and views. This can potentially translate into a viewership that’s looking for a specific type of content that may or may not align with what you’re creating.

One of the best parts of Rumble being a newer platform is that you can upload your existing YouTube content and earn money immediately. If you want to earn more money as a creator, this is a great option.

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Comparing the Pros and Cons of Rumble vs. YouTube

We break down the key differences to consider when comparing Rumble vs. YouTube below.

YouTube Pros and Cons

Pros: