#342 Chatbots for Amazon with Paul Harvey of Seller Chatbot - a podcast by Michael Veazey

Chatbots for Amazon - What are they & How to Launch with them

What are chatbots for Amazon and why do they matter to Amazon or e-commerce sellers?

Chatbots for Amazon are definitely an on-trend topic for Amazon sellers and e-commerce marketers. The question is whether they are really worth investigating and using.



What are Chatbots?

They are like instant messaging meets automated email marketing (email autoresponders).

Facebook wants Messenger to be the WeChat of the west

Facebook Messenger has currently around an 80% open rate because most businesses are not using it yet. But this will probably change as more marketers spam the system!

It kills email in open rate, at about 20% open rate.

Also as Paul is a former maths teacher - not into spelling and grammar - but can create 50-60 word message easily and quickly, compared to a complex sales email.

WeChat

Any Amazon seller who has been to China will have used it.

You can use it to make payments or book a cab.

You can send payments etc. you don’t need to carry cash

Facebook wants Messenger to become a platform





Buy things

Give money to friends

Communicate



Facebook bought out WhatsApp; they own Instagram

In fact, 3 of the 4 top social media platforms are owned by Facebook. And they plan to combine them into one.



Who is Amazon’s biggest competitor?

FaceBook has 5X the user base that Amazon has.

As soon as FaceBook has that streamlined, it's going to start taking market share off Amazon in the e-commerce space.

In Africa not many people have FaceBook but they all have WhatsApp. Everyone used to have a Blackberry. Now it's messaging.



Where do you use Chatbots for Amazon?

Let’s say you’re launching a product - 2-3 months of samples, revisions, sourcing, then you ship it out.

This is what you’ve done on a bucket load of money. But now it’s on Amazon and you’ve done zero marketing.

You sign up to Manychat, you run ads on FaceBook with big discount and send users to buy on Amazon.

That is the launch!



Downsides of last-minute Amazon launches with Chatbots

But consider: this is to a cold audience! The amazon seller spent months sourcing but they did a poor job of launch.

It’s interruption marketing - people go to FaceBook to gossip, not to buy.

SO that means 1. High ad cost; 2. Big discount - because 80% off is the only way to get a response from a really cold audience.





To explore using Seller Chatbot software, click here

(affiliate link)

The secret to using Chatbots for Amazon: Pre-launch

That could be avoided with a pre-launch set of basic FaceBook ads 2-3 weeks before

Create a list in advance

Then reach out to a ready-made audience.



FaceBook ads

Whatever chatbot vehicle you use, you need fuel!

You need to get the ads working to get traffic.

The real skill is in the FaceBook ads. It’s the skill of finding an audience.

Before they launch - spend 2-3 weeks pre-launch;

This is when you “want to fail” - who is your ideal customer?

Where do they hang out? What do they do?

create 10 types of custom avatars/personae.



Chatbot Funnel for Amazon Pre-launch:

Eg selling a baby blanket,



1. Decide on your Avatars (about 10)



Mums who need babies to sleep better

Mums interested in charity

* Mums who go running etc. etc.



2. Create FaceBook ad:

"We have a new product launching in a couple of weeks.

Further episodes of Amazing FBA Amazon and ECommerce Podcast, for Amazon Private Label Sellers, Shopify, Magento or Woocommerce business owners, and other e-commerce sellers and digital entrepreneurs.

Further podcasts by Michael Veazey

Website of Michael Veazey