3 Brand Building Takeaways from Amazon Accelerate

Amazon Accelerate 2022 is the premier annual seller conference in Seattle or virtually from anywhere with over 2,500 in person attendees and 20,000 virtual attendees.  Amazon wants to be the best place to launch and build a successful brand by removing historical retail barriers, inventing new capabilities on their behalf and helping sellers share their story in rich and engaging ways. Below are my top three takeaways from this year’s event.

Video commerce is the next wave of shopping behavior on Amazon.
Amazon sellers and the commerce industry as a whole have realized the power of video to tell a brand story and drive purchase decisions.  Amazon is creating more opportunities throughout the shopping journey to leverage video. Some of these placements include Sponsored Brands Video Ads, Streaming TV Ads, Amazon Live Shopping and Product Detail Pages (specifically video placements and Premium A+ Content). The sellers we spoke to are eager to make the video production process faster, scalable and smarter.  Amazon recently launched a Creative Services Marketplace and are planning programs to make this easier for sellers.

Authenticity is key to tell a brand story.
Shoppers are becoming more purpose-driven in their purchasing decisions, especially GenZ consumers. This means, showing authenticity in the brand, how the product is made, and the people behind the business are becoming of the utmost importance. Amazon is finding more ways for brands to showcase their unique products and company story, like with the ability to display multiple video units and image carousel modules on Product Detail Pages.

To be successful, the creative and content must communicate:

• Usefulness – clear message of differentiation and uniqueness
• Trustworthiness – authenticity and reliability. This is often done through lifestyle video and images that communicate empathy, history and passion.
  
• Quality Aesthetic – high res, clear, imagery and video to bring product look and feel to life

Spend time on goals beyond immediate sales.
Amazon has evolved its shopping experience as a place to discover new brands and products.  Marketers should think about a full-funnel strategy to reach new customers and make lasting connections.  Full funnel means every stage of the funnel—awareness, consideration, purchase, and loyalty. When it comes to the awareness stage, Amazon found advertisers who create a Sponsored Brand Video Ad see 5.3% increase in awareness the next month in comparison to those that don’t.  By monitoring top-of-search impression share over time, brands can measure brand awareness more effectively for top and mid funnel campaigns. One tip in the mid-lower funnel stages is to leverage Sponsored Display Ad format with contextual targeting. Amazon cited that brands saw a 29% increase in conversions for custom Sponsored Display Ads compared to templated units.  That paired with contextual targeting enables advertisers to target specific products or product categories is a winning combo.

In Conclusion
Amazon’s big plans mean ample opportunity for advertisers. And now more than ever, they can build meaningful relationships with their customer base. VidMob is an official Creative and Brand Experience partner of Amazon Ads, helping sellers and brands tell their story through data-driven creative to drive sales.