If you’re already selling on Amazon, you might be wondering whether to keep investing in it. If you’re not, you might be wondering whether it’s worth starting at all.
That’s the question I want to answer here.
Amazon is still one of the most visited retail platforms in the UK, and for many customers it’s the first place they go when they’re looking for a product. That hasn’t changed.
So yes, Amazon is still a viable sales channel. There are brands doing very well on it, and for the right product, it can be a meaningful part of a wider ecommerce strategy.
Why Amazon is still working
At a very simple level, the opportunity is still there.
Customers are actively searching for products. They’re ready to buy. And Amazon makes it very easy for them to do that.
For brands, that means access to a large, high-intent audience that would be difficult (and expensive) to reach elsewhere.
But access doesn’t guarantee results.
Why it doesn’t work for everyone
Amazon isn’t right for every brand.
And it isn’t a quick win.
It’s also not passive. It needs ongoing input, whether that’s time spent managing the account, or budget invested in advertising to stay visible.
For Amazon to work, a few things need to be in place. Your margins need to support it once fees and advertising are factored in. Your product needs to make sense on the platform, both in terms of demand and how it competes. And you need to be prepared to invest time, budget, or both, into making it work.
That might be through improving your listings, building visibility, running ads, or simply understanding how the platform operates well enough to make informed decisions.
For some brands, that all works. For others, it doesn’t.
What I would look at before deciding
There isn’t a single answer to whether Amazon is worth it.
If you’re currently selling, the question is usually whether it’s working as well as it could be, and whether it’s worth continuing to invest – or even to invest more, to really get things going.
In that case, I’d usually be looking at things like:
- How visible your products are
- Whether your product(s) are converting well
- Whether the numbers actually make sense once all costs are included
If you’re not on Amazon, you need to look at whether it makes sense for your product and your business before you commit time and budget to getting started.
That might include:
- Are your profit margins strong enough to handle Amazon’s fees and ad costs?
- Are people already searching for products like yours on Amazon?
- Do you have the time and resources to launch properly, and keep things running smoothly?
So, is it worth it?
For some brands, Amazon can be a very effective sales channel.
For others, it’s not the right fit, or not the right time.
The important thing is understanding which of those applies to you, before you commit time or budget.
Final thoughts
Amazon hasn’t stopped working.
But the way you approach it matters more than ever. If anything it’s harder and more expensive than it was when I first started selling (10 years ago now) and I don’t see that changing.