In a recent article published by Digital Trends, tech journalist Kim Wetzel elegantly spun a tale of savvy online shopper growing frustrated with Amazon. Wentzel penned the article in the manner of letters written by lovers who feel their relationships slipping. In this case, she mentions a few reasons why she sees her relationship with Amazon is slipping: Fake reviews are eating away at her former feeling of a mutual trust, and she is also concerned about the new policy that seeks to punish shoppers who return too many items , and not necessarily to the same seller.
As Amazon Grows, So Does the Need for ASIN Protection Tools
Two other reasons cited by Wentzel about her waning love affair with Amazon will probably catch the attention of merchants who have generated new and unique Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASIN) for their products:
Too Many Fakes, Knockoffs and Counterfeit Products
There was a time when Amazon counterfeiters were mostly a headache for major brands such as Apple, which has already filed a few lawsuits against the retail giant for their perceived failure to flush out the fakers. This problem has gotten so widespread that shoppers are now calling on Amazon to do something.
Amazon: Not Quite the “Everything Store”
By now, everyone knows that Amazon’s business model is to list every single product on Earth, and this is what many shoppers want. Amazon’s sheer logistical power and efficiency in terms of shipping and handling makes shoppers want to return over and over, and they want to find absolutely everything each time they log into their Amazon accounts, but many brands are choosing to stay away due to the staggering growth of counterfeiters and unauthorized sellers.
The Need For ASIN Protection
Just like it took a few years for Amazon to become the world’s most dominant internet retailer, it may take the company a few more years to address the issues driving shoppers such as Wentzel to reconsider their relationship with the online shopping giant.
While recent efforts such as Brand Registry, Brand Gating and smart algorithms that look for copyright infringement have improved conditions for major brands listing their products on Amazon, average third-party sellers still need to keep a close eye on their ASINs.
Until Amazon figures out how to roll out comprehensive Brand Gating for all sellers, a move that would go against their business model of a completely open marketplace, your best bet is to protect your ASINs with subscription tools such as Brandlox.
Let Brandlox Watch Your Amazon Inventory
On Amazon, your ASINs speak for your brand and for you as a seller; for this reason, you should have control over who gets to be their distributors. Many sellers targeted by unauthorized merchants are not even aware that third parties are listing their products or hijacking their ASINs, and this often happens when the unethical action is not caught on time.
Once you have introduced 10 or more new ASINs, it becomes very difficult to track unauthorized merchants on your Amazon Seller Central dashboards. What you need is an e-commerce solution to notify you the moment this happens. Brandlox monitors all your ASINs around the clock and alerts about suspicious activity on the spot. You can choose to receive Brandlox notifications on your smartphone, via email or you can check your own dashboard.
Other Tools Brandlox Offers
Brandlox also offers tools to deal with difficult unauthorized sellers. Cease-and-Desist legal notices and test purchases will trap counterfeiters and get them removed from the third-party Amazon Marketplace.
Protect your ASINs. A Brandlox e-commerce consultant will help you get started. Call us at 866-848-6072.
