Amazon Seller Reports are essential tools for sellers aiming to make data-driven decisions to boost sales, improve product performance, optimize inventory, and understand customer behavior. By understanding and utilizing these reports, sellers can stay ahead in Amazon’s competitive marketplace and maximize their growth potential. This guide will dive into each type of Amazon Seller Report, showing you how to access and interpret the data to optimize your business.
What Are Amazon Seller Reports?
Amazon Seller Reports offer insights into multiple aspects of a seller’s business, from inventory levels and sales trends to customer demographics and advertising performance. Available within Seller Central, these reports allow sellers to analyze data, spot trends, identify problem areas, and make informed decisions. Some of the most impactful reports include Inventory Reports, Sales Reports, Advertising Reports, and Customer Insights.
Benefits of Amazon Seller Reports
- Data-Driven Decisions: With access to precise metrics, you can make smarter choices about inventory, marketing, and pricing.
- Customer Insights: Discover who your customers are and how they interact with your products, enabling more targeted marketing.
- Improved Inventory Management: Monitor stock levels, avoid overstocking, and prevent out-of-stock situations.
- Enhanced Sales Performance: Identify best-sellers and optimize underperforming listings, maximizing profitability.
Let’s explore these reports in detail and understand how to use them effectively.
1. Sales Reports
Types of Sales Reports
Amazon offers several sales-related reports, each providing insights into different facets of your sales data. Some of the main types include:
- Business Reports: Covering sales, traffic, and other key performance metrics.
- Detail Page Sales and Traffic by Parent Item: Shows views, sessions, and conversion rates.
- Orders and Returns Reports: Tracks order fulfillment and returns.
How to Access Sales Reports
- Log in to Amazon Seller Central.
- Go to Reports > Business Reports.
- Select the report type from the menu on the left.
Using Sales Reports
Analyzing Traffic and Conversion
Review metrics like page views, sessions, and unit session percentage (conversion rate) for each product. High traffic with a low conversion rate might indicate the need for optimized listings, better images, or improved product descriptions.
Tracking Orders and Returns
The Orders and Returns Reports help monitor fulfillment rates and identify products with high return rates. If a particular item has an unusual return rate, investigate potential causes—such as inaccurate descriptions or quality issues—and consider improving the product or listing.
2. Inventory Reports
Inventory Reports are essential for managing stock effectively. Amazon’s key inventory reports include Inventory Health, Manage FBA Inventory, and Restock Inventory.
Types of Inventory Reports
- Inventory Health: Provides data on current stock, excess units, sell-through rates, and inventory age.
- Restock Inventory: Gives recommendations on when to reorder products, based on sales trends.
- Manage FBA Inventory: Lists your current FBA stock and helps you track shipments to Amazon’s fulfillment centers.
How to Access Inventory Reports
- In Seller Central, navigate to Reports > Fulfillment.
- Select Inventory from the dropdown list.
Using Inventory Reports
Monitoring Stock Levels
The Inventory Health report lets you track your current stock and identify excess inventory. Aim to balance your inventory to avoid excess storage fees while ensuring you have enough stock for upcoming demand.
Improving Sell-Through Rate
Check the sell-through rate (sales divided by the average inventory held) to determine how quickly products are moving. If you notice a low sell-through rate, consider using promotions or discounts to improve sales velocity.
Setting Up Restock Alerts
The Restock Inventory report recommends when to reorder specific products to prevent stockouts. This is particularly useful for high-demand items, helping you avoid missed sales opportunities due to low inventory.
3. Advertising Reports
Amazon’s Advertising Reports provide data on how well your ads are performing, helping you allocate your budget more effectively and target the right customers.
Types of Advertising Reports
- Campaign Performance: Tracks impressions, clicks, and sales for each campaign.
- Keyword Performance: Shows which keywords are driving the most traffic and conversions.
- Search Term Reports: Provides insights into search terms customers are using to find your products.
How to Access Advertising Reports
- Go to Reports > Advertising Reports in Seller Central.
- Select the report type and date range.
- Click on Create Report to generate and download the report.
Using Advertising Reports
Optimizing Keywords
Use the Keyword Performance report to identify high-performing keywords, as well as those that aren’t converting. You may want to increase bids on effective keywords and lower or pause bids on less effective ones.
Improving Campaign ROI
Evaluate the Campaign Performance report to assess the return on investment (ROI) for each campaign. For campaigns with low sales and high ad spend, consider optimizing the ad content or audience targeting to improve results.
Targeting Search Terms
The Search Term Report helps you understand how customers are finding your ads. By identifying popular search terms, you can refine your keywords and improve your ad visibility for relevant searches.
4. Customer Insights
Understanding your customers is key to tailoring your marketing efforts. While Amazon doesn’t provide detailed demographic information, you can still gather valuable insights through Buyer Behavior and Product Reviews.
Types of Customer Insights
- Buyer Behavior: Analyzes metrics such as repeat purchase rates and average order value.
- Product Reviews: Shows feedback from verified buyers, highlighting what customers like or dislike.
How to Access Customer Insights
- Navigate to Reports > Business Reports.
- Select Detail Page Sales and Traffic by Parent Item.
Using Customer Insights
Tailoring Marketing Strategies
If a product has a high repeat purchase rate, consider loyalty discounts or special offers for returning customers. Understanding buyer behavior can help you design targeted campaigns that appeal to your most loyal customers.
Improving Product Quality
Product reviews provide direct feedback on your offerings. Identify common complaints or issues mentioned in reviews, and work on addressing them to improve customer satisfaction and encourage positive reviews.
5. Returns Reports
Returns Reports can help you identify products with high return rates, giving you the opportunity to address potential issues proactively.
How to Access Returns Reports
- In Seller Central, go to Reports > Fulfillment.
- Select Returns from the dropdown.
Using Returns Reports
Identifying Issues
Analyze the reasons for returns and see if patterns emerge. If customers are returning a product due to “Item Not as Described,” you may need to update your product description to clarify details. Addressing these issues promptly can improve customer satisfaction and reduce future returns.
Optimizing Product Listings
If returns are high for specific products, consider re-evaluating the listing and addressing potential sources of dissatisfaction. This can involve providing clearer descriptions, better images, or even slight modifications to the product.
Best Practices for Using Amazon Seller Reports
To get the most out of Amazon Seller Reports, keep these best practices in mind:
- Regularly Review Reports: Set a schedule to review each type of report weekly or monthly to stay on top of trends and performance.
- Identify Trends Over Time: While one-time data is helpful, looking at trends over time provides deeper insights into what’s working and what needs adjustment.
- Act on Insights: Data is only as useful as the actions you take. Use the insights from your reports to make data-driven adjustments to listings, campaigns, inventory, and customer service.
- Set Alerts and Track Key Metrics: For critical metrics like inventory health or sales performance, set alerts in Seller Central to stay informed of any sudden changes that require immediate action.
Conclusion
Amazon Seller Reports offer a wealth of data to help you optimize every aspect of your business. From managing inventory and improving product listings to refining advertising strategies and understanding customer behavior, these reports are invaluable tools for growth. By using them consistently and strategically, you can make data-driven decisions that improve your sales performance, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive success on Amazon.
If you’re looking to optimize your use of Amazon Seller Reports or need support in managing your seller account, Marketplace Valet can help. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in harnessing the power of data to boost your Amazon business. Contact us today to learn more!
