Amazon Posts Now Appearing Within Storefronts On Desktop

Is Amazon destined to become the biggest social media platform for ecommerce? The evolution of Posts would suggest that something very exciting is slowly unfolding.

In this article, we’ve broken down the exact utility of Posts, what the latest update suggests for the future of the program, and how brands should be thinking about Instagram-esque content within the context of the Amazon marketplace.

Read on to learn more!

 

 

What are Amazon Posts?

Posts are social media-style posts with product images and captions that are native to Amazon. By clicking on a Post, shoppers get redirected to a product detail page where they can purchase the product in question. Shoppers can also elect to ‘Follow’ a brand by clicking the button at the top of the Post.

 

On the left: Example of an Amazon Post from Simple Mills

You have to be brand registered in order to upload Posts through your Amazon Advertising dashboard. There is no cost associated with uploading this type of creative content to Amazon.

 

To learn how to create a Post, check out the following article – Amazon Posts: Guidelines, Best Practices & FAQ

 

Where do Posts appear on Amazon?

Initially, Posts were only visible on product display pages via the Amazon mobile app or whilst viewing the Amazon marketplace on a mobile browser.

However, there has been a recent development. Posts can now be found within Amazon Storefronts for some brands on desktop! At this point in time, it doesn’t appear that Amazon has rolled out the change to all categories.

This development suggests Amazon are looking to increase the visibility of Posts. By default this link appears on the very last tab of the Storefront menu – there is currently no way to adjust the positioning of the ‘Posts’ link.

 

 

Above: Screenshot from Keto and Co’s Amazon Storefront

 

After clicking on this link, shoppers can scroll through all of the recent Posts.

 

 

Above: Screenshot from the Simple Mills Amazon Storefront

 

If a brand has yet to upload any Posts, the Posts tab will be completely empty, and a message will read ‘This brand has no posts’. This seems to suggest that Posts will be a staple on Storefronts moving forward, a strong incentive for all brands to start posting.

 

Posts work in tandem with the ‘Manage Your Customer Engagement Tool’, learn more – Amazon Manage Your Customer Engagement Tool –
A Sneak Peek Of The Beta Program

 

What are the implications of this update?

So far, Posts has followed the trajectory of many past Amazon marketing and advertising initiatives. This involves starting on mobile, followed by plenty of testing and adjustments as the scope of the program slowly expands.

Up to now, Posts has accounted for <1% of overall traffic for multiple Bobsled clients experimenting with the program. However, considering their enormous audience of loyal Prime shoppers, it makes sense that Amazon will be trying to turn Posts into a huge social media platform for ecommerce sellers.

This recent development of adding Posts to Storefronts on desktop indicates Amazon’s desire to increase the visibility of Posts, and it provides brands with more cross-sell and up-sell marketing opportunities. It also suggests that Posts may eventually get rolled out to more locations on the marketplace, such as product display pages on desktop.

One would imagine that the ultimate manifestation of this type of concept would be a standalone Posts app that would compete directly with Instagram and Facebook. Shoppers could ‘Follow’ their favourite brands and make one-click Prime purchases via their personalized feed. Who knows whether this type of concept would ever come to fruition, but linking a social media account to a Prime membership would certainly eliminate many barriers that currently exist with social media ecommerce e.g. getting new traffic acquired through Instagram or Facebook to check out through an unfamiliar D2C website. So there does appear to be a huge incentive for Amazon to continue developing Posts.

 

Takeaways for brands

Right now, due to the infancy of the program, it’s difficult to ascertain exactly how important Posts will become. There are however some immediate steps brands should be taking:

• Get brand registered. Registered brands have a huge advantage on Amazon. If registry is something you have yet to pursue, start the process asap, so you can start using Posts –Amazon Brand Registry FAQ.

 

• Make sure that your Amazon Storefront looks great. You can customize your Storefront to reflect the personality of your brand. Learn more – Best Amazon Brand Stores: Tips, Mistakes, and Examples.

 

• Have a few Posts live so your Storefront doesn’t look incomplete. If a brand has yet to upload any Posts, this tab on their Storefront will be empty, and a message will read ‘This brand has no posts’, which doesn’t incentivize shoppers to click ‘Follow’.

 

• Capitalize on the early mover advantage and start amassing followers on Amazon today. Acquiring followers now while Posts is still in its infancy could have exponential results in the future. So if you have yet to post anything, upload something asap! Simply repurposing your last few posts from Instagram will do the job for now. Learn how to create a Post –  Amazon Posts: Guidelines, Best Practices & FAQ.

 

• Start experimenting with the ‘Manage Your Customer Engagement’ email tool. This free tool, which is currently in beta, allows brands to initiate email campaigns to Amazon shoppers who have elected to follow your brand via Posts or your Storefront. As Amazon becomes more crowded, it’s important to try and use every marketing tool at your disposal. Learn more – Amazon Manage Your Customer Engagement Tool – A Sneak Peek Of The Beta Program.