Data has always been king for Essam Gawish, a wholesaler from Queens, NY.
Essam had previously worked for an eCommerce development agency, so he already had experience with selling products online and using different data points to fuel their growth.
He even briefly consulted with Amazon sellers, something that he was immediately intrigued by.
In early 2021, he decided to venture out on his own, and Gawish Products was born. But as his Amazon catalog quickly grew and he entered more competitive categories like Health & Beauty, Food, and Toys, he knew that he needed more help managing his vast inventory data so he could continue to be profitable.
“I put a lot of time in researching and reading and watching videos,” Essam said. “I was doing my homework early on when I thought about getting an inventory management system which I knew I would need at a certain point once I reached a certain number of SKUs.”
“I came across the RestockPro name and I started to research it more and got the answers from what came through. I wanted restock suggestions and it was there,” Essam said. “I liked the interface and how I could see things clearly. And then I contacted the (eComEngine) team and they were really nice people, like Jennifer, the first one I spoke to.”
Now that Essam’s spent some time getting to know the tool, we sat down with him to learn more about his favorite features and what he would tell others who may be on the fence about trying it.
Essam is enrolled in the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program and enjoys the many conveniences that it offers (Prime eligibility, streamlined order fulfillment, and more Buy Box ownership are a few obvious examples).
But despite all of these advantages, FBA sellers still have many challenges to overcome, particularly when it comes to inventory management.
It’s still your responsibility to replenish your inventory – Amazon doesn't do you any favors telling you when or how much of an item to order.
Many FBA sellers create complicated spreadsheets to painstakingly document these details and attempt to solve this problem. However, this method is prone to errors and can be tricky to navigate, especially as you scale.
But as his business began to flourish, Essam didn’t have the time or energy to do this manual work himself.
“I wasn’t going to do the animal work,” he said. “I wasn’t going to do Excel. I just wasn’t going to do it.”
RestockPro connects to your Seller Central account via the Amazon API, making it possible to automate many of the FBA inventory tasks (like restocking!) that would otherwise keep you tied up for hours.
With RestockPro, you can simply point, click, and restock. The software analyzes more than 70 different data points to deliver timely restock suggestions based on your unique business needs.
Priority flags and tags make it abundantly clear what items need immediate attention to stay in stock and preserve their profitability, product reviews, and Amazon ranking.
This functionality is exactly what Essam wanted.
Restock suggestions was the center of everything about the software and it was always in the shade for me with others. It's the cherry on the pie for me, with it being right there for you to see. This is what I was looking for.
Amazon also has some pretty strict inbound shipping rules for FBA. It can be a lot to keep up with – everything from barcode requirements and box contents to product labeling falls on your shoulders. Some sellers will outsource these endeavors while others, like Essam, prefer to dig in and do it themselves.
He noted how helpful RestockPro’s Products page has been when it comes to communicating the various prep requirements from Amazon.
“The Products page is a really great reference for me for many things,” he said. “I need to be able to know how to pack a product. Right now I can open the product page on RestockPro and if there is anything required for the prep, I will see it right there.”
RestockPro keeps all of your supplier, product, and cost information in a secure cloud-based location so you can access it anytime, anywhere. While most product settings are automatically imported from Amazon, you can also attach notes, tags, product fees, prep details, supplier settings, and more to closely monitor and track your FBA SKUs.
Today, Essam sells exclusively on Amazon US, Canada, and Mexico. He uses RestockPro daily to streamline his inventory processes and maintain a higher level of visibility into his products.
If you’re going to use RestockPro, you're going to have a wider and more in-depth vision on your products, your warehouse, your inventory, and everything related to your stock and restocking....I was blind and I started to see.
The eComEngine team is also thrilled that Essam has recently made the switch over to FeedbackFive, a new FeedbackFive plan that helps Amazon sellers get reviews faster and more easily monitor their ratings. Regularly analyzing his review data will also help Essam make more informed inventory decisions.
“We rely on the analysis of accurate data in our decision-making process. Choosing the right partner is key to our success,” he said. “I need support and I get it from you guys.”
If you're a current RestockPro user who would like to share your story in an upcoming case study, please contact us.