Stratably’s Product Launch Research Findings with Russ Dieringer - Episode 358

Ecommerce Braintrust

Welcome to another episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast hosted by Acadia’s Head of Retail Marketplaces Services Julie Spear and Director of Retail Operations, Jordan Ripley.

Today we’re joined by a friend of the show and a frequent guest: Russ Dieringer of Stratably, a research firm providing unbiased insights on how to do better business with Amazon and its peers.

We’ll be diving into launching products on Amazon - something many claim to have a secret sauce around, but a topic we haven’t seen holistic industry research on.

Make sure you tune in to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Russ, and Jordan discuss:

• 1P vs. 3P Brands on Amazon: The nimbleness and product innovation advantage of 3P brands.

• 25% of brands use Amazon as a launching pad for new products, adopting a "test and learn" approach.

• Many launches on Amazon are dictated by timing issues rather than strategy.

• Tactical aspects like SEO, PDP development, and inventory planning.

• Emphasis on case studies to demonstrate the impact of well-executed launches.

• Seasonality and Launch Timing: Insight on launching seasonal products 6 months in advance of peak season.

• Using Amazon's event calendar for strategic planning.

• Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): low adoption of AMC tools.

• Potential benefits like advanced targeting, audience creation, and quicker market entry when AMC is used effectively.

• The complexity of product launches within large organizations and strategies for better coordination.

• Insights into the typical timeline for reaching baseline sales post-launch.

• Media Strategy and Ad Spend: Higher average ad spend for new products and the balance between ad efficiency and speed-to-sales.

• Importance of upper funnel support for product visibility and sales propulsion.

• The critical role of leaders in Amazon initiatives and the necessity of cross-department collaboration for successful launches.