Selling on Amazon this Diwali: Boost Profit and Sales

Amazon India seller Muneeb Kazi shares his tips for selling on the Amazon.in marketplace this Diwali in this blog post.

Diwali is one of the most significant cultural celebrations in India. It is celebrated very enthusiastically by the Indian population. Due to spiritual reasons, people buy new things during Diwali, and the majority of them tend to shop online. So, Diwali is to India what Christmas is to America.

Selling On Amazon During Diwali

During the five festive days of Diwali, people flock to online shopping sites to buy gifts for their loved ones. Buyers purchase everything from smartphones and laptops to furniture and clothing during this period, either as gifts for someone or for personal use. Sellers in India typically experience their highest volume of sales all year during these five days.

"The number of new customers has increased 5x over last Diwali with 70 percent of the customer acquisition coming in from tier II and tier III geographies," Amazon India head Amit Aggarwal said in an email interview last year.

Last year, Amazon hosted a Great Indian Festival Sale, which resulted in over 15 million units being sold in the span of just five days. Predictions for Diwali 2017 expect this number to increase by four or five times this year.

So if you are selling on the Indian marketplace, this is an opportunity not to be wasted.

How to Boost Sales and Profits

Amazon is the world's most competitive marketplace with millions of active users. The competition can be fierce, so it's good to have a plan in place for success selling.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

Opt for FBA

Working with the Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) program benefits merchants in many ways. The FBA program helps you by storing your inventory and processing your orders quickly, which is especially helpful during busy times like Diwali. FBA sellers often have strong seller feedback scores, which can help increase product ranking and influence Buy Box ownership. It also gives you access to Amazon Prime customers.

Send Your FBA Shipments on Time

As the festive season approaches, sellers across the country are planning to send their FBA shipments to their respective warehouses. Make sure you send your inventory at least a month beforehand. Sending your shipment late may cause you to miss the Diwali sales, which could be a huge loss for your business.

Price Smarter

You might want to try setting your price competitively and keeping your margin as low as possible this Diwali. This will often reward you with more sales in the long run. But also remember to add 5-10% of your sale price (depending on your product) to your cost price to minimize your return expenses.

Increase Your Product Reviews

People love reading the opinions of others before making a buying decision. Increasing your product reviews will help you draw more customers to your products this Diwali. You can use FeedbackFive to request product reviews for each of your ASINs.

Advertise Your Products

I am a seller on the Amazon India marketplace, and from my own personal experience, it seems that Indians start shopping around 15-20 days before Diwali. They begin adding products to their cart but do not check out. They wait until the festival days to check out as they consider those days to be auspicious. Advertising during the sale days can prove very costly and cannot guarantee you your expected sale. Therefore, my suggestion would be to start your advertising campaigns at least a month before Diwali.

It takes smart planning to prepare for a successful Diwali shopping season. Bear these tips in mind while applying your strategy and you will watch your sales soar!