Is Your Business Ready To Compete With Amazon Haul This Black Friday?

With the Amazon Haul storefront, shoppers can expect low cost items under $20 that span 35 popular categories, including home, fashion, and electronics.

 When using the platform, shoppers will also benefit from:

• Free shipping for all orders over $25
• Free returns for all orders over $3
• Order discounts including 5% off orders over $50 and 10% off orders over $75

Though Amazon is known for shipping products to customers at lightning speeds, Amazon Haul will be a little bit different. Instead of next day delivery, customers can expect to wait between one to two weeks to receive their orders, which is a small trade-off for the slashed prices.

As smaller businesses manage their ecommerce sites leading up to the Black Friday rush, they may find that they can’t offer discounts that are as competitive as Amazon’s. However, there are plenty of ways that independent brands can leap over this hurdle. 

Just look at Small Business Saturday (November 30), which is another key part of the holiday sales season. With 49% of shoppers eager to purchase clothing or accessories on this day, smaller businesses can offer shoppers an intimate and personalized shopping experience that Amazon can’t replicate – particularly due to its sprawling marketplace that doesn’t specialize in one specific type of product.

If you run a smaller online store and want to make some strides this Black Friday, here’s four steps that you can take to keep up with ecommerce behemoths like Amazon:

1. Think quality, not quantity – The low cost products on Amazon Haul will most likely vary in quality, due to the vast number of partners selling on the platform. Communicate the quality of the items you’re selling to customers in your product descriptions via evocative copy, bullet pointed lists of key features and benefits, and high-quality imagery and videos.
2. Hone in on your niche – Though Amazon Haul sells items in 35 different categories, you’re more likely to have a specialist niche that you know the ins-and-outs of. Use this to your advantage. You could create ecommerce blog content to show customers that you’re an authoritative voice in your industry, or work alongside influencers with values that align with your brand.
3. Personalize the experience – To stay in tune with consumer needs, think about how you can personalize the online shopping experience for your customers. Could you use browsing behavior to recommend specific products to them?
4. Expand your delivery options – Even if you can’t offer next day delivery, you need to think about what shipping methods are most convenient for shoppers. Crowd-pleasing shipping strategies often include local pickup, so shoppers can retrieve a parcel at their leisure, or priority shipping for any timely orders (a.k.a. Christmas presents!).

With the right ecommerce strategies under your belt, your business stands a better chance against titans like Amazon, Shein, or Temu. Though your brand won’t have the same global reach, you can offer shoppers a more thoughtful shopping experience, be it through personalization, high-quality goods, reliable delivery, or a memorable niche.