Amazzia Assists Companies in Selling Items Deemed 'Non-Essential' by Amazon
LOS ANGELES, April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 16, 2020, Amazon announced that it would be postponing 'non-essential' item shipments to their warehouses. This was because Amazon wanted to free-up their warehouse space for essential items due to the higher demand from COVID-19. This measurement was created out of necessity to help benefit Amazon users across the globe to receive items they need to stay protected from the virus. They decided what was deemed essential and non-essential by only allowing the shipments of products that fell within specific categories. The essential categories include - Baby Products, Health & Household, Beauty & Personal Care, Grocery, Industrial & Scientific, and Pet Supplies. While it makes sense that Amazon acted quickly and generalized many products into certain "essential" categories, they failed to recognize that some actual essential products would not be included in these categories and, therefore, not be able to sell when they are needed the most.
A perfect example of this scenario occurred with the Swiss air care brands Boneco and Envion. Boneco and Envion sell high-quality air purifiers, humidifiers, and other air cleaning products. The coronavirus pandemic had caused sales to soar for these brands at the beginning of the announcement of the virus. People around the world wanted to have these high-quality products in their homes to ensure that the air they are breathing is clean and purified, especially now that everyone is confined to their homes during the quarantine. In a time where things are so uncertain regarding the virus, and how it can be caught, it is imperative for people to feel that they are doing the best they can to have the cleanest air in their homes. For this reason, sales increased by a whopping 75% for these brands from February to March of this year. However, when Amazon announced that non-essential goods can no longer be shipped, Boneco & Envion fell into the non-essential category because they are listed in 'Home and Kitchen' rather than 'Health and Household.'
After the announcement, a total of ⅔ of the ASINs for Boneco and Envion were suddenly blocked. For many consumers, instead of the 2-day prime shipping that they were hoping for, they received messages that their air purifiers would take anywhere from 6+ weeks to arrive. As expected, many people canceled their orders, filed complaints, and expressed concerns that they felt an air purifier was essential to their home during this time. On the backend of Amazon, our eCommerce team at Amazzia received this message as they attempted to place orders:
"Temporarily prioritizing products coming into our fulfillment centers. We are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. For products other than these, we have temporarily disabled shipment creation. We are taking a similar approach with retail vendors."
Most would say that an air purifier has been proven as a high-demand item when there is a virus in the air. Our team worked diligently to file complaints to get these ASINs unblocked or shifted into another 'essential' category. Over time, this effort proved to be successful, as we now only have 4 ASINs blocked for both Boneco and Envion, and sales are back on the rise. Interestingly enough, you know what wasn't blocked at all during this decision by Amazon? Sexual wellness products. While there is no doubt these are useful products in their own right, is it safe to say that something such as an adult product is NOT more essential than an air purifier during this crisis.
All of this information goes to show that sometimes Amazon makes mistakes. Sometimes a disaster strikes and a company as massive as Amazon has to make quick, and generalized decisions that can really hurt some niche products that are extremely useful during this time. Sometimes small business owners or e-commerce retailers are dealing with larger problems and lose out on sales when they shouldn't have to. This is because they don't have the time or manpower to commit to fighting Amazon on getting their products back into the marketplace. Luckily, there are companies out there, like Amazzia, that have the expertise and extensive Amazon knowledge to fight these fights for your brand and help your sales soar on Amazon, even during times of crisis.
ABOUT AMAZZIA
Amazzia is your one-stop solution to all your e-commerce needs from brand gating to generating targeted interest and increasing sales. Our experts are the best kept secret for brand success on Amazon. We successfully navigate the complex, impersonal, and extremely automated world of Amazon so you can enjoy 24/7 brand protection and maximum sales. We partner with you to offer guidance, protection, and marketing expertise to help your brand thrive on the Amazon marketplace.
SOURCE Amazzia
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