Amazon accelerate 2022: new features roundup

The long awaited Amazon Accelerate 2022 seller conference has come to a close. In addition to the many interesting speakers and breakout sessions, 8fig‘s team paid special attention to the new features and updates that Amazon announced.

We’re here to break down the biggest announcements. Read on to learn about Amazon’s latest updates and find out how the new features can help you scale your business.

Amazon Accelerate 2022 Updates

• Customers Ask Alexa
• Tailored Audiences
• Buy With Prime marketing solutions for DTC
• Express Payouts
• Additional Analytics and Data tools
• Veeqo launch

Customers Ask Alexa

One of the features getting the most buzz across the media is the Customers Ask Alexa function. Soon, brands will be able to provide their own answers to questions about their products or services. When customers ask Alexa a question related to a brand, Alexa will respond with the brand’s answer and a link to their storefront.

“Amazon recognizes brands as experts on their products,” Rajiv Mehta, general manager of Alexa Shopping at Amazon, said in a press release. “With this new capability, we have made it easier for brands to connect with customers to help answer common questions and better inform their purchase decisions.”

While Amazon announced these branded answers specifically as responses to questions about the brand itself, many people are expecting an inevitable transition to ads and sponsored content. This could be an interesting marketing opportunity for brands in the future.

As always, answers will be filtered through quality checks and content moderation before they’re released to the public.

The Customers Ask Alexa feature will be released via Seller Central to certain brands in October 2022 and to all eligible sellers in the US sometime in 2023.

Tailored Audiences

Email marketing is a great way for brands to reach customers. Amazon has therefore expanded its Amazon Customer Engagement tool, which allows sellers to send email marketing campaigns at no extra cost.

The Tailored Audiences feature gives brands the ability to send targeted emails to three new audience types in the Amazon Customer Engagement tool: repeat customers from the last year, recent customers, and high spending customers. Templates will be available to help sellers easily craft and send these emails.

In addition, Amazon is providing users with the ability to monitor email campaign performance and engagement. Metrics will include emails delivered, conversion rates, click-through rates, opt-out rates, and sales.

The Tailored Audiences feature is currently in beta testing, and will be released to all US sellers at the beginning of 2023.

Buy With Prime Marketing Solutions for DTC

Back in April, Amazon announced Buy with Prime, a service that allows DTC brands to utilize Amazon’s payment and fulfillment options. Amazon Prime customers could check out using their Amazon account, even on alternative eCommerce sites.

Now, Amazon has introduced a number of marketing solutions for DTC brands using Buy With Prime.

DTC brands can now advertise Buy with Prime products on Amazon to drive traffic to their website. They simply create a Buy with Prime page on their storefront in Amazon and then use Sponsored Brands advertising to drive traffic to that page. Customers will be able to preview the product details from the Buy with Prime page and buy it directly from the brand’s own website with Amazon Prime. This feature is currently in beta, and only available by invitation.

Co-branded Buy with Prime social media ads are another new marketing solution for DTC brands. Amazon announced the feature, which is funded and managed by Amazon, to help Buy with Prime sellers reach potential customers on Facebook and Instagram. When shoppers click on the relevant social media ads, the product page on the seller’s website opens. Shoppers can then purchase the product using Buy with Prime. This feature is also available by invitation only.

Amazon also announced the Buy with Prime Marketing Toolkit, which includes a Buy with Prime badge that DTC sellers can include on their website. This gives sellers the ability to advertise their products next to a Buy with Prime logo, letting customers know that they’ll be able to pay with Amazon Prime and receive the free, fast delivery associated with Prime purchases. The toolkit is free to all brands who have active Buy with Prime listings.

Express Payout

One of the biggest challenges for eCommerce sellers is the length of time it can take to receive revenue after making a sale. Amazon aims to change that with Express Payout. Using this service, eligible Amazon sellers in the US can receive deposits in their bank accounts within 24 hours, instead of waiting three to five days for payouts.

Express Payout will be free for users until September 2023, and will then cost a flat fee per payout. It can be a great help for sellers who struggle with cash flow.

Additional Analytics and Data Tools

Sellers on Amazon now have several new analytics and data features to help them optimize their listings, products, and marketing.

The Manage Your Experiments tool helps brands improve their product detail pages so they can achieve higher conversion rates. Sellers can run A/B tests on various aspects of their listing including main images, titles, A+ content, and more. They can also choose to automate their A/B tests, automatically publish their winning experiments to the product page

Amazon’s Search Analytics Dashboard, which was launched earlier this year, now includes a new insights dashboard. Search Query and Catalog Performance data and ASIN-level details are two new features that give sellers data to help them understand customer shopping behavior. They can then run marketing campaigns to target new customers as well as encourage repeat purchases. The Search Analytics Dashboard expansions will be available to sellers this month.

Customer Reviews Insight is an expansion on the Product Opportunity Explorer, which was released in 2021. Using this feature, sellers will be able to use customer reviews and product ratings to help figure out what products and features customers want to see. This gives sellers the ability to forecast sales potential of new or upgraded products.

Veeqo: Multi-Channel Shipping Software

Amazon also announced the launch of Veeqo for US based sellers. Veeqo is a multi-channel shipping software that Amazon acquired earlier in 2022. It is designed to lower shipping costs and shorten the time it takes to fulfill orders.

ECommerce brands can use Veeqo to get lower rates on shipping services including UPS, FedEx, DHL, and the US Postal Service. Veeqo also offers a number of tools to help sellers access lower shipping costs.

A Growth Partner to Take Your Brand to the Next Level

Are you looking for new ways to grow your Amazon business? 8fig is the growth partner you’ve been looking for. We offer Amazon sellers a complete AI CXO to help power their growth, along with unlimited, continuous growth capital. What’s more, our Growth Plans are completely flexible, meaning that you can adjust your payment schedule and remittances in real time with the ups and downs of your business.

Sign up for an 8fig Growth Plan today and see how we can help you reach your full potential.