Do you know that third-party sellers, who utilize Amazon FBA, account for more than 60% of Amazon’s total sales, and this figure is climbing each year? However, as your Amazon FBA business scales, the tasks required to maintain and grow it can quickly become overwhelming. This is where an Amazon online assistant can make a significant difference.
By delegating time-consuming tasks to a specialized Amazon VA, you can focus on high-level strategies that benefit your business and aid in its growth. In this detailed post, we are going to explore how an Amazon FBA virtual assistant can help you scale your business efficiently and effectively. So, let’s move on further:
Why Hire an Amazon FBA Virtual Assistant?
Running an Amazon FBA business includes a myriad of tasks that are repetitive and extremely time-taking. These can typically range from addressing customer inquiries to managing inventory—stuff that takes your focus away from the big picture of scaling your business.
In this case, it is a good idea to outsource these responsibilities to an experienced Amazon VA. So, whenever you put these tasks into the hands of an expert professional, it lets you free up your time for activities that drive growth. Be it increasing your product line or creating a better marketing strategy, an Amazon FBA expert will take on tasks that hold you back.
Now, let’s break down some of the key ways an Amazon VA can help you scale quickly:
What are the Key Ways in Which an Amazon VA Can Assist You in Scale Your Business?
Product Research and Sourcing
Sourcing of products can be both demanding and time-consuming, but some virtual assistants or VAs excel in this area and can assist with every aspect of the process. Skilled VAs not only conduct product research, identify trends, and analyze competitors but also present their findings in a clear and actionable way. Many VAs also handle outreach, negotiate with suppliers, find bargains, place sample orders, test products, and a lot more. They can even manage relationships with your current suppliers, coordinate new stock orders, or resolve shipment issues.
Additionally, a VA can review your product listings for performance, track sales trends, research competitors, and perform data analysis. By entrusting these time-consuming tasks to a virtual assistant, you would be able to free up your valuable time for other major activities.
Customer Service
Virtual assistants can even manage customer service which helps in considerably impacting your business. While it is easy to get caught up in finances and sales, customer service is one such area that facilitates long-term success. For instance, handling reviews is an important aspect of customer service. How do you manage negative reviews? What’s your process? Training a VA to handle this task can save you time and effort. A VA can proactively seek out negative reviews, respond to them, and work to resolve any issues.
A skilled virtual assistant can enhance the overall user experience, helping to generate more positive reviews. They can take care of a wide diversity of tasks, from crafting effective message templates and addressing customer inquiries to leaving comments on reviews and managing replacements and refunds. While customer support is important, it can also be time-taking, if you decide to manage it in-house. So, it is suggested to delegate this responsibility to a VA. Thus, you can concentrate on more productive activities that can facilitate the growth of your business.
Shipping and Inventory
Managing inventory is considered to be a big task. An Amazon virtual assistant can assist you in this aspect by keeping a track on inventory levels. It helps in ensuring no items are missing, placing orders when necessary, and generating inventory reports.
When it comes to shipping, your VA can also handle the creation of shipping plans, print shipping labels for suppliers, download barcodes, and coordinate shipments with suppliers.
Craft Optimized Listings
Creating optimized listings is crucial for converting browsers into buyers, and a well-crafted listing can significantly impact your business. Search engine optimization (SEO) is key for Amazon search engine, so listings need to be optimized with the right keywords, considering the A10 algorithm. A skilled virtual assistant should stay updated with the latest best practices and algorithm changes. They should know how to strategically use keywords in your listings and in language that not only drives traffic but also persuades visitors to make a purchase. Whether you need a VA to create listings from scratch or review and enhance existing ones, their expertise can make a difference. They can also monitor listing performance and offer suggestions for improvements.
Most of the sellers rely on keyword research tools to identify the best keywords for their listings. You might want to hire a VA with experience in your preferred tool to handle this process. Additionally, effective listings involve making use of compelling images and videos. A virtual assistant can assist with multimedia elements to make your products stand out. You might even find a VA with photography or videography skills, or they could recommend a professional to enhance your product presentations.
FBA Reimbursement
Amazon FBA has a reimbursement policy. However, managing this aspect can consume a lot of your time and is cumbersome as well. This is where the role of a virtual assistant can prove to be invaluable. Your VA is able to effectively handle filing for reimbursements, tracking claims, and following up with customer service. All of these tasks can be tedious to manage on your own.
Fulfillment
When it comes to fulfillment, Amazon takes care of most of it for FBA sellers, so that is usually not a concern. However, if you are considering switching to Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) or planning to launch your own online store in addition to your Amazon business, a VA can assist with order fulfillment and processing.
Even if this is something you are contemplating for the future, having a VA with these skills can be beneficial as you expand your business.
Amazon Ads
If you are running ads to increase visibility for your products, a virtual assistant service can be incredibly useful. Managing ads can drive targeted traffic and boost sales, but it often involves a lot of work.
A virtual assistant with expertise in Amazon ads can handle tasks such as setting up campaigns via Seller Central, managing negative keywords, and creating compelling ads that attract shoppers. Ideally, your VA should also monitor ad analytics to identify high-performing ads, suggest adjustments, oversee ad budgets, and manage the entire process for you.
Reporting
Managing Amazon reporting can also be equally time-consuming, which is probably not your favorite part in running a business.
A virtual assistant is skilled in the job of managing your reports and bookkeeping. While you can automate some of this by syncing your Amazon account with your bookkeeping software, a VA can offer valuable support in effectively managing and reviewing your financial data.
Marketing and Social Media Management
Beyond Amazon’s platform, an Amazon dropshipping virtual assistant can help you market your business across other channels. From managing your social media accounts to coordinating with influencers, they can effectively manage the outreach that works to drive traffic to your Amazon store. So, this particular approach helps in increasing your brand’s visibility to drive more sales and contribute toward the overall growth of your business.
How to Hire the Right Amazon VA?
The success of your business depends on finding the right Amazon VA. You should begin by deciding what tasks you need help with, and identify whether the VA has such experience. Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, etc. will let you connect with qualified VAs for the tasks.
In this regard, you should focus on evaluating the prospective candidates on specific parameters such as experience, reviews from past clients, and how well they know Amazon’s platform. Also, it is important to make sure that their business values and communication style effectively align with your business.
How Much Does an Amazon VA Cost?
The cost of hiring an Amazon VA or choosing virtual assistant services can vary based on their experience, location, and the intricacy of the tasks you need aid with. Rates can typically range from $10 per hour for VAs who are located in countries like the Philippines to $25 per hour or more for U.S.-based VAs.
So, in this aspect, it is vital to take into consideration your budget and the value that a VA will bring to your business. While it is an investment, the time and energy you save can lead to considerable returns, especially in the long run.
Wrapping Up
That way, scaling your Amazon FBA business wouldn’t be an exhausting task anymore. Outsourcing to an Amazon virtual assistant means you can outsource those monotonous and time-consuming activities and channel your focus toward the big-picture strategies that grow your business.
From product research and inventory management to customer service and marketing, experienced Amazon FBA or E-commerce virtual assistant can help you squeeze the most from your business.