#79 - Velocity Sellers Showdown: Eric & James Answer Big Questions!
Manage episode 493150638 series 3566824
- 01:51 - Q01 - Is Amazon good for small businesses?
- 04:59 - Q02 - You only have inventory for one platform - Where do you put it: Amazon or your own website?
- 07:15 - Q03 - Is it ever worth losing money on a product on Amazon?
- 09:40 - Q04 - When is the best time to expand internationally, at the beginning of the growth, maxed out your growth, or never?
- 12:59 - Q05 - Premium Branding vs. Value Branding: Should emerging brands position themselves as high-end to boost ASP (average selling price), or compete on price to win market share?
- 17:10 - Q06 - Which is more important: Great products or great marketing strategies?
- 21:20 - Q07 - Bad images or Bad SEO - Which one is worse?
- 24:10 - Q08 - Will 4 Days of Prime be better than 2?
The battle lines are drawn as Velocity Sellers launches its exciting new debate series with a showdown between two Amazon experts, Eric Peterson and James D, moderated by Pete "Velocity Pete" Sims. This premiere episode dives deep into today's most pressing Amazon marketplace questions, offering invaluable insights whether you're just starting your e-commerce journey or looking to scale your established business.
Our experts tackle fundamental questions like whether Amazon remains beneficial for small businesses in 2025, with fascinating perspectives on the balance between opportunity and competition. You'll discover why both experts unanimously recommend launching on Amazon before building your own website, especially when resources are limited. They share practical wisdom about strategic loss leaders, explaining how short-term product losses can generate long-term gains through improved visibility and customer acquisition.
The debate heats up around international expansion timing, with both experts warning against premature global ventures that can cannibalize inventory and dilute focus. Perhaps most surprisingly, they agree that marketing strategy ultimately trumps product quality for Amazon success, sharing real-world examples of how powerful positioning and imagery drive conversions more effectively than specifications or features.
When it comes to listing optimization, discover why compelling images consistently outperform even the most meticulously crafted SEO, and why "people buy images" in the e-commerce environment. The episode concludes with thought-provoking predictions about Amazon's extended Prime Day events and whether they truly benefit sellers or simply create customer fatigue.
Throughout this lively exchange, both experts provide actionable strategies you can implement immediately to improve your Amazon business. Whether you're wrestling with branding decisions, expansion timing, or marketing priorities, this episode delivers expert guidance wrapped in an engaging, sometimes humorous debate format that makes complex e-commerce concepts accessible and applicable.
Ready to transform your Amazon selling approach? Subscribe to the Velocity Sellers podcast and reach out to [email protected] if you'd like to participate in a future Showdown episode!
Chapters
1. Introducing the Velocity Sellers Showdown (00:00:00)
2. Is Amazon Good for Small Business? (00:02:13)
3. Amazon vs Your Own Website (00:05:18)
4. Losing Money on Amazon Products (00:07:12)
5. When to Expand Internationally (00:09:38)
6. Premium Branding vs Competitive Pricing (00:13:16)
7. Marketing Strategy vs Product Quality (00:17:24)
8. Images vs SEO on Amazon (00:21:27)
9. Four-Day Prime Day Debate (00:24:18)
79 episodes