March 2011 Fulfilment by Amazon Merchant Update

Get the big picture with the new All Orders report

In January, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) launched the new All Orders report for FBA sellers.

The All Orders report provides current data on FBA orders, both pre and post shipping, in both flat file and XML formats.

You can find a link to the report on the Amazon Fulfillment Reports page when you sign in to your seller account. https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/ssof/reports.html?ie=UTF8&ref_=ag_fbareports_dnav_home_T1

Here's what you get

With both flat file and xml formats, by Order Date and Last Updated Date options, and Amazon-fulfilled network (AFN) and merchant-fulfilled network (MFN) orders, the All Orders report will enable you to:

• Answer the question "How much did I sell today, this week, this month..?"
• Retrieve order data in near real-time to synchronise with local systems
• Analyse data to help understand product popularity and velocity
• Monitor active demand to discover and react to order volume spikes as they occur

Like our other fulfilment reports, the new report is available through Merchant Web Services (MWS) and your seller account.

Note: The report does not include customer identifying data. It cannot be used to drive your fulfilment process. You should continue to use your current processes for order-fulfilment. We recommend you use the Amazon Fulfilled Shipments report to support you in your VAT invoicing for FBA orders. Simply ask a member of your staff to direct these orders during your absence via Multi-Channel fulfilment. We will take care of the rest. For more on account status, search Help using keyword "vacation."

Spring cleaning... in March

Unsellable Removals: Now is a good time to remove your items that cannot be sold. You can see your unfulfillable inventory from the Inventory Amazon Fulfils view in your seller account. Sort by clicking the "unfulfillable" column. You can also see detailed item disposition in the Daily Inventory History report. All unsellable items must be removed from inventory within 90 days.

Aging Inventory: Do you have inventory which is still sellable but is just not selling? You can find out in your Inventory Age report. This report will give you a snapshot of inventory by age and enables you to quickly identify which products are not selling, so you can determine appropriate actions: offer a sales price, create a promotion, or even remove the items from the fulfilment centre.

For more information on removing inventory, go to FBA Help section 6.4 Create Removal Orders.

Testimonial from French FBA merchant Tangerik – ‘Thanks to Fulfilment by Amazon, my revenue has doubled’

Tangerink was established in 2006 and sells a full range of cooking utensils for cheese (graters, cutters, platters, fondue and raclette sets, etc.). Founder and Director Mark Rutten had the following to say about his experience with Fulfilment by Amazon.

“The first thing I liked about Fulfilment by Amazon was that it took care of the packaging and delivery. That was a big load off my shoulders. As I don’t have to ship my own parcels any more, I figure I’m saving about 4 hours a week. If I say I can make about €100 an hour, I’m saving €1,600 a month. I’m not saving that much in any other area. FBA is offering tailored packaging that costs less, has better quality and is ultimately more suited to my products”

“With Fulfilment by Amazon, I feel I have a shop where loyal customers come to stock up regularly. It’s a site they can trust, where they don’t have to worry about the still often lingering concerns with buying online. Moreover, I get the service quality and customer loyalty that Amazon can provide.”

“Why should I be worrying about the tasks I don’t enjoy when FBA does them so much better than I do?” Mark Rutten admits that Fulfilment by Amazon has truly changed his life. He has more time and more customers, and is offering a better service. “I was quite optimistic when I signed up for Fulfilment by Amazon but the programme has really exceeded my expectations”.

FAQ: Responding to negative feedback

FBA Sellers have been asking our Seller Support team how to address negative feedback from an Amazon.co.uk buyer. We all agree excellent customer service can help you increase sales and customer loyalty. FBA's Feedback Strikethrough policy is designed to help deal with negative feedback relating to customer service. When a buyer rates an order fulfilled by Amazon on your behalf based only on the service they received from Amazon, we can remove the rating and strikethrough the buyer comment.

If a buyer says the order was received on time but that the condition is not as described or the seller has not responded to a request for a VAT invoice, the rating will not be removed and the feedback will remain in place. You still have options for dealing with negative feedback. In your seller account on the Manage Orders page, you can communicate directly with the buyer using the Contact Customer tool. Here are some tips to remember when communicating with the buyer:

• Keep communications private: Don’t post responses on the feedback page that might embarrass or anger the buyer.
• Ask for specific details: Find out what about their experience went wrong.
• Offer a solution: Make sure the solution addresses the issues the buyer mentions.
• Ask to remove feedback: After you have confirmed a solution has been reached, politely ask the buyer if they would remove their negative feedback.

Learn more about the FBA Feedback Strikethrough policy and Getting Good Feedback with Customer Service.

Packaging Requirements

Please make sure you are packaging items in a manner that can withstand the rigours of shipping and handling. Learn more by going to FBA Help section 5.8 Packaging Requirements
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_rel_topic?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200312670

Sharp Items

Sharp items include any product that has a sharp or pointed edge that, when exposed, presents a safety hazard to associates, carriers or customers receiving or unpacking the product. Sharp items must be packaged so that the sharp or pointed edge will not become exposed during the normal course of order fulfilment (i.e. receipt, stocking, shipment preparation and transit to the customer). Any sharp items that pose a safety risk may be rejected at the receiving centre and returned at the expense of the merchant. Learn more under FBA Help Section 5.8.3. Sharp Items.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_rel_topic?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200312670

Thank you for using Fulfilment by Amazon. We wish you a very successful 2011.

Sincerely,
The FBA Team

In this issue...

Useful Links

Tell us your story

Tips and Reminders

March 2011 Fulfilment by Amazon Merchant Update