Barring the occasional setbacks, the UAE is one of the strongest economies in the MENA/GCC region. Emirati consumers have a high purchasing power and are willing to splurge on luxury goods. Even the buyers who are looking for reasonable price tags don’t compromise on the quality just because of high rates. This makes the UAE the most suitable place to get into for e-commerce ventures operating anywhere in the world like Amazon UAE.
If you are managing a local e-commerce enterprise and looking for new markets to explore, but without undergoing logistical and operational hardships and resources overspent, then you should consider selling your products in the UAE. Yes, you can sell in the UAE without a hassle of establishing any infrastructure on the ground or hiring local representatives or registering your business there. This is possible if you are working with an e-commerce Importer of Record such as Amazon UAE that is also working as an Amazon IOR.
In order to sell your products in the UAE, you can use the Amazon UAE marketplace via a seller IOR. This is the most hassle-free route you can take to reach to Emirati buyers. Here, we are going to discuss different things that you need to take into account in order to execute your plan of selling in the Emirati e-commerce sphere.
Don’t Just Barge Into the Market
The prospect of selling to an affluent consumer base is exciting. And in that excitement, many sellers forget to do the due preparation. For instance, you can’t just ship whatever you sell to Emirati ports through an e-commerce IOR and then get it on Amazon FBA. First, you need to assess what items from your product catalog are in more demand among Emirati buyers.
Look at the best sellers on Amazon’s local marketplace in the product category you want to sell in. It will give you a rough idea of the sellers and products you are up against. To refine your product search, you can use Amazon seller extensions (AMZScout, JungleScout, etc.) that can give you more meaningful details regarding an enlisted product.
Factor in Sales Rank and See How it Suits You through Amazon UAE
This is the most important part of the selection of the products you want e-commerce Importer of Record to deliver at an Emirati port. You need to see the sales rank of the type of product you want to sell. If the product ranks high, it means it experiences healthy sales but with a caveat of tough competition.
On the other hand, if a product ranks low, it means it doesn’t sell that well, but here you can build your own unique seller profile. However, you need to factor in the cost of storage because these products will spend a lot of time in Amazon’s inventory.
In short, you can select your item of shipments more wisely by looking at the ranking of products you want to market in the UAE in their respective Amazon UAE categories.
Be Ready for High Rates of Product Returns
You need to mentally, operationally, and financially prepare yourself to experience high rates of product returns. While offering you a lot of benefits as a seller, Amazon FBA also favors the buyers in some domains. For instance, it is quite easy for them to return a product. So, don’t get jittery by experiencing a high rate of product returns in the beginning.
It will smooth out as you make inroads in the Emirati market with more sales through the help of an experienced Amazon IOR Importer of Record.
Try to Win the Buy Box
It is important to understand that getting your products listed on Amazon UAE via an approved Amazon Importer of Record (IOR) service or Amazon IOR provider is not enough to make sales. Amazon is a tricky playground for sellers, and they need to outplay each other to earn maximum profits. The one thing you need to work on immediately after putting your products on Amazon FBA is to earn a place in the Buy Box.
It has been estimated that more than 80% of sales on Amazon go through the Buy Box. It is more than a good reason to strive to get a spot in the Buy Box on the pages of related products. Even though there is no sure-shot way to get into the Buy Box, but the following are the basic requirements that you need to fulfill to be a contender.
You Must Have a Professional Seller Account at Amazon UAE
If you want to win a spot in the Buy Box for your products in the Amazon’s UAE marketplace, then you must be registered on its Seller Central. It is not an issue if you are operating from within the UAE. However, an overseas seller reaching out to consumers in the UAE through Seller Central must be registered with the country’s relevant authorities.
For this very reason, many online merchants back out of the plan of selling on Amazon UAE because they don’t want to get into bureaucratic red-tapping and delays that consume a lot of time and effort and is simply not worth it. If you are working through a seller IOR that also acts as an Amazon IOR in the UAE, you just don’t get around all the governmental holdups but also get an approved seller status in the local Amazon market that increases your chances to get the Buy Box spot.
You Must Be Selling a Brand New Product
You have to deal with new products to fight for Buy Box. Reconditioned and refurbished items are not eligible for this esteemed spot.
The Product Must Be in Stock through Amazon UAE
The availability of a product is another criterion to earn a spot in the Buy Box. Here, the role of your Amazon Importer of Record is really important. It must maintain a steady supply-chain of your products to the Amazon fulfillment centers in the region, so your products always remain “in-stock.”
Pro Tip:
Even if you are working with an approved Amazon Importer of Record that is seamlessly delivering importing and selling services, sometimes getting a spot in the Buy Box remains an unlikely prospect. You can get around this constraint by bundling your product. For instance, if you are selling shampoo, you can bundle it with a conditioner or hair oil to make your own unique listing.
Snowball Your Product Listing at Amazon UAE
Thronging Amazon UAE with a laundry list of products is not always a good strategy, especially if you are using FBA and operating from overseas. Always start small and then snowball it. This means you should list a couple of products first, optimize their placement on the site, see buyers’ response, and then decide if you need to add more products to your account.
By starting out with fewer products, it will also be easier for you to streamline your overseas shipments and coordination with the seller Importer of Record.
Focus on Your Unique Brand
Carving out your unique identity among multitudes of sellers on Amazon is no mean feat. However, you must work on it if you are in it for a long haul. Upon searching, you will find out many sellers on Amazon who are not full-fledged LLCs but still hold their unique brand on Amazon.
You can take many measures in this regard. For instance, make sure you are uploading unique and customized product shots instead of using stock images and blurred photos. Similarly, write product descriptions that can extend the stay of visitors on the page.
Besides, dolling up the product pages, you need to do value addition to your products in order to become an Amazon brand in the Emirates. For instance, you can add lavish packaging to products before handing them over to your Amazon IOR. Similarly, add some complimentary items to the package. These measures will certainly cut back on your profit on a single sale, but overall it will improve your seller profile on Amazon UAE.
Keep Your Product Pages Buzzing with Activity
A product page devoid of any activity is not going to get any traction. You need to gather as much as reviews on the product. Similarly, the Q/A box on the listing page is another thing that attracts visitors. While reviews are dependent on the sales, you can take charge and start FAQs on the Q/A box on your own. Friends and family can help you a lot in filling up this section.
Funnel Some Invest in Amazon Marketing Service
If you are working with an experienced Amazon IOR (Amazon Importer of Record), then you are actually saving a lot of money on your logistics. So, it won’t be a bad idea to funnel some of those savings on getting a head-start on Amazon UAE. You can have your products appeared in the relevant searches through sponsored Ads by investing in Amazon Marketing service.
This is a good way to get frequent buyers on the Amazon UAE to notice your products and profile.
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