The internet giant may be threatening industries left and right, but its newest campaign aims to discount one of its longest-standing critiques: that Amazon is bad for small business.
While there’s something to be said for owning your presence online with a dedicated website and brand, understanding how it plays into the Amazon landscape is a crucial part of your e-commerce puzzle as an entrepreneur. You don’t have to be completely reliant on the platform to succeed, but it shouldn’t have to be your mortal enemy either.
Amazon Storefronts sets this idea into motion, specifically highlighting curated collections and an online small business experience. They are continually adding new features and metrics to support the Storefront initiative to entice further action from brands and agencies. Let’s break down this newest initiative and provide additional context with some of our favorite Amazon Storefront examples.
What Are Amazon Storefronts?
Amazon Storefronts are a section of the Amazon platform dedicated to small businesses and the ideals they represent.
Rather than lumping every product into a never-ending list, Amazon Storefronts aim to provide an experience. One that guides interested buyers through portals of unique goods and seller stories.
This is, after all, what consumers appreciate about the small business approach. There’s a personal touch, a personal story that translates into so much more than the items being sold.
Through Amazon Storefronts, shoppers are presented with the opportunity to get to know who brands are and what they stand for. They get a mom-and-pop-shop experience, though virtually, through an online retailer responsible for 49% of all nationwide online sales annually.
Amazon currently has 20,000 small businesses featured in the Amazon Storefronts section, with more to be added as categories continue to expand over time. These businesses are represented across a handful of sections.
You can familiarize yourself with new businesses through Meet the Business Owners, which gives shoppers a behind-the-scenes look at the people behind the products. Curated Collections provides a sampling of highlighted products based on categories like Home & Kitchen, Jewelry, Electronics, and more. And Storefront Deals focuses specifically on featured products based on discounted pricing.
Amazon Storefront Examples Worth Exploring
From handmade soaps to jars of honey from family-owned farms, the offerings found through Amazon Storefront are as eclectic as the small business owners creating them. Here are some of our favorite Amazon Storefront examples worth exploring for inspiration.
Amazon Storefront Example: Steiner Optics
Steiner Optics has been producing high-quality optics since the late 1960s, trusted — as they advertise — for life’s defining moments. Visit their Amazon storefront page and you’ll have no trouble discerning what they define those moments as.
They’ve used their page to clearly distinguish use cases for their products in conjunction with the audiences they’re looking to cater to. From the serious hunter to birding hobbyist, the context they provide around product categories helps to resonate with those they know are most likely to make a purchase.
The company also plays it smart with a mention of their Lifetime Heritage Warranty towards the top of the page scroll. If you have a clear benefit that works to separate your brand from the rest, there’s no need to bury the lead.
Amazon Storefront Example: Polar Bottle
In a world where water bottles have become their own kind of status symbol, there’s no shortage in competition for a company like Polar Bottle. This is why establishing authority at the top of their Amazon storefront page, with a mention of how long they’ve been in business, serves them well.
Additionally, they highlight benefits across every category, establishing connections across customer needs and customer lifestyles. Including featured products, with price point call-outs, brings the messaging full circle. They provide many interactive tiles to better lead customers to what they’re looking for and, ideally, the shopping cart.
Amazon Storefront Example: Mother Dirt
Mother Dirt champions their branding through and through. And their Amazon storefront page is no exception to that.
Their slogan, “Good bacteria for great skin” is clearly the focal point, centrally positioned in the header. Scroll down and visuals are the emphasis. Copy highlights key benefits, but they rely on categories defined in their navigation to help tell the full story. Outside of categories for their products alone, they’ve built out a ”The Science” page for the sake of brand credibility.
Amazon Storefront Example: Klik Belts
With one of the shorter Amazon storefront pages featured, Klik Belts keeps things short and sweet. The video situated at the top of their page literally does the talking with easily digestible benefit snippets highlighted below.
They rely heavily on the product itself, showcasing a variety of styles and colors across corresponding price points. But what they really do well at the bottom of the page is to cleverly show their belts “in action.” It’s a simple way to tell a linear story from top to bottom — i.e. learn about the belt, buy the belt, and use the belt.
Amazon Storefront Example: R+Co
If Klik Belts represents all things simplistic in layout, R+Co is the complete opposite. Their Amazon storefront page marries their branded creative style with Amazon listings. The set up puts their products front and center and allows them to highlight new or featured products at the top of the page.
With call-outs like “100% vegan” and “show-stopping hair” scattered throughout the page, they indirectly cater to product value and audience types. Additionally, the press section at the very bottom of the page provides another unique way to establish social proof.
Our Favorite Amazon Storefront Examples
For small businesses looking to make a name for themselves through Amazon, developing a strategy around Amazon storefronts, just as you would a website, can go a long way. You have a unique story — one that customers are eager to hear.
If you’re ready to tell it, we’re here to help. Contact the team at Amplio Digital to start building your brand and growing revenue through the Amazon Marketplace.
