The Amazon sales platform provides a unique opportunity for new entrants and challenger brands to establish a foothold in the new markets. In some categories, the usual market-leading brands either haven’t prioritised Amazon as a sales opportunity, haven’t invested in the full set of skills for success, or have come late to the party to see that their usual #1 spot is already occupied.
This provides an environment where products and brands that are either completely new to the market or have a low bricks-and-mortar presence can find themselves with a huge opportunity as these unlikely #1 products show.
Health and Personal Care is a category that was historically dominated by condoms and toothbrush heads. But here is a protein bar that routinely tops the category and frequently tops the food category too. Grenade made a strategic decision to focus on getting Amazon right and to use the Amazon bestseller rankings to translate their success across to bricks and mortar stores as a route to broader success in the UK market – an approach that has served them well.
When it comes to chilled coffee you’re most likely to think of Starbucks. So how is the little-known Barista brand owning Chilled Coffee on Amazon? It’s unclear whether a strategic decision has been made for Starbucks not to pursue sales on the core Amazon platform, or whether this is an oversight. Certainly there is plenty of presence on fresh, but with Starbucks absent from the main arena in chilled coffee, space has been left for a range of smaller and/or independent brands to operate. Barista has seized the initiative and leapt to prominence within not just chilled coffee, but the whole chilled tea and coffee category, winning both sales and reviews.
Enter stage left Rummo pasta…A well-regarded, high quality pasta brand direct from Italy, Rummo are in limited distribution in the UK, where Napolina is market leader. However, since Rummo made a commitment to robust supply, strong content and investment in Amazon advertising their sales have grown to land them the number spot on the Amazon bestseller ranking for Pasta.
And finally the Syrups and Treacle category…surely that would be headed by beloved Tate & Lyle Golden Syrup, right? Wrong. Tate and Lyle don’t appear to have any direct selling relationship on Amazon, leaving Sweet Freedom, with their low calorie, vegan formulation, appealing designs and delicious flavours to get to #1 and top not only the Syrups and Treacles category, but also both Dessert Sauces and Toppings too.
Aside from a commitment to growth on Amazon fuelled by a strong investment in advertising, what else do these brands have in common? They have placed their trust in MinsterFB to execute their Amazon strategy, and we are delighted to partner with them in their quest for growth.