It's always a nice surprise when you find something extra in your purchase - an extra chicken nugget in your 8-piece meal or a 50% off coupon in your meal kit box. These little extras make you feel cared for and appreciated, and they keep you coming back for more.
This is how customers feel when they find product inserts in their Amazon package. These pieces of paper are little, above-and-beyond surprises that humanize the brand and make the customer want to return. By including these product inserts, brands are finding new ways to show their customers that they care.
You might be wondering if product inserts comply with Amazon's code of conduct. Rest assured, you can create and benefit from product inserts while still honouring Amazon's policies.
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What is Amazon's policy on product inserts?
- Avoid Requesting Contact Information for Negative Reviews - Amazon wants customers to be able to provide honest and authentic reviews about the products they receive, without any external influences. If a customer has had a negative experience with your product or service, it's crucial that their review reflects that. Asking them to contact you directly before leaving a negative review may seem harmless, but it can manipulate the integrity of your product's ratings and reviews.
- Avoid using manipulative language -
While Amazon encourages product reviews, it's important to maintain the authenticity of the feedback. Asking for specific reviews, or using language that tries to tug at the customer's emotions, is a violation of Amazon's policies. This type of language can paint an unrealistic picture of your product, and it can lead to biased reviews. - It's not a good idea to offer incentives for reviews (at least directly) -
Amazon has a strict policy against offering any form of incentives in exchange for product reviews. This includes offering additional products, discounts, gift cards, cash, or any other form of compensation. Such incentives can compromise the integrity of customer reviews, and Amazon takes this very seriously. - Do not ask you customers to buy from you directly -
While it may seem like a good idea to take your customer's business to another e-commerce platform, it's not allowed on Amazon. This type of behavior is seen as an attempt to bypass Amazon's platform, and it can result in your account being suspended. It's best to stick to Amazon's policies and only use your product inserts to provide valuable information to your customers. - Avoid bad-mouthing your competitors -
Making harmful statements about your competition is not only unprofessional, but it's also against Amazon's code of conduct. Your competition is also selling on Amazon, and Amazon wants to maintain a level playing field for all sellers. Negative comments about the competition can be seen as manipulative language and can lead to negative consequences for your account. - Do not (directly) ask your customers for their contact information -
Amazon prohibits sellers from over-communicating with their customers, which includes sending follow-up emails for reviews or new product announcements. While you can link to your social media accounts, requesting contact information through Amazon's platform is not allowed. This is seen as poor customer service, and it can result in your account being flagged. However, you can request this information through your social media channels outside of Amazon.
By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure a smooth and successful selling experience on Amazon. Familiarize yourself with Amazon's policies and conduct yourself - check out Amazon's actual code of conduct for using product inserts.
The two most important restrictions that Amazon sellers should be aware of are as follows:
- You cannot ask customers to write a positive review, provide an incentive to write a review, or attempt to divert negative reviews away from Amazon. This is covered in the Customer product reviews policies.
- You cannot push Amazon customers to your website or otherwise try to circumvent the Amazon sales process. This is covered in Amazon’s Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct.
What this means is that sellers are allowed to request reviews on Amazon product inserts, but not with any conditions, or attempts to manipulate what the customer writes.
How to design your Amazon product inserts -
Keep your text and graphics simple - too much text or too many images or graphics can appear overwhelming to customers, making them less likely to even look at your product package insert.
Choose text, pictures, and/or graphics carefully, keeping content focused, informative, and in-brand. In addition, ensure your text, font, and images are high-quality.
This will not only reflect positively on your brand and product but will also guarantee that your insert is easily digestible and memorable for the right reasons.
What to offer in your Amazon product inserts -
Inserts, along with coupons and other marketing material, are a useful way to market your product to your customers. You could offer a warranty, a giveaway, or a discount on future purchases. People will love receiving something for free with their purchase, so use this to your advantage!
When it comes to upselling and cross-selling, it's best to have mobile-ready QR codes. When you have a URL that can be accessed through a QR code, that is called a mobile-ready QR code.
Mobile-ready QR codes give you a way to instantly lead your customers to a landing page that can upsell or cross-sell them. Upselling and cross-selling are great ways to increase profitability and gain more customers.
Include Social Media handles -
Using social media is a great way to build a brand. When you involve your customers, they will feel more a part of the brand and this connection to the brand is what will eventually lead them to purchase from your brand.
Promoting your brand on social media is a great way to build your brand and start a conversation with your customers. This will lead to more sales and a better brand.
Amazon's policies state that you cannot direct customers to another website to make a purchase. However, sharing your social media pages is permitted.
Buyers who are active on social media will likely find it more convenient to like your Facebook page than to provide their email addresses. If they enjoy your social media presence, you can incorporate promotional posts there, such as a call to sign up for your newsletter.
How to use inserts to get Amazon customer data -
A lot of the time, Inserting cards and discount coupons will be deemed unnecessary and get ignored by your customers. To drive the most number of consumers to your website, you need to build a bridge that cannot be ignored.
A QR code-based product registration solution is the newest and the most result-driving method used by new-age brands these days.
How does a product registration solution help you connect with your Amazon customers?
Product registration solutions work by having a QR code placed on your product or product packaging. Whenever a customer wants to register for or claim a warranty or their product, the customer can scan the QR code and get directed to a custom-built page.
This custom-built page asks the customers for their purchase details along with their data like Names, phone numbers and email ids. This personal data is then used by brands for direct targeting, remarketing and bringing their customers to their websites.
A benefit of using QR code-based warranty solutions is getting direct access to the data of your customers which, can then be used to re-market and retain them.
Dyrect is helping Syska, PilotFish, FLO, and 100+ Amazon bestsellers connect with their Amazon customers using product inserts.
How to Implement Product Inserts into Your Packaging
One of the most effective ways to implement product inserts is by partnering with your product manufacturers. This will allow you to integrate the inserts directly into the packaging process and ensure that they reach the customer at the time of delivery. Here are a few steps you can follow to make the process smooth and seamless:
- Communicate your intentions to your manufacturer: Before you start, make sure that your manufacturer is aware of your intentions to include product inserts in your packaging. Provide them with a clear and concise explanation of what you plan to include and why.
- Work with your manufacturer to design the insert: Once your manufacturer is on board, you can work together to design the insert. Keep in mind that the design should be eye-catching and reflective of your brand identity. Your manufacturer can help you choose the right materials and printing techniques to ensure that the insert stands out.
- Incorporate the insert into the packaging process: With the design finalised, your manufacturer can now incorporate the product insert into the packaging process. Make sure that they follow your guidelines and print the inserts in accordance with your specifications.
- Test the process: Once the insert is integrated into the packaging process, it's important to test the process to ensure that it's working as expected. Have a small batch of products manufactured and shipped to you to see how the inserts look and if they reach the customer in good condition.
By following these steps, you can effectively integrate product inserts into your packaging and reach your target customers more effectively.
Not only will this help you achieve your goals, but it will also help you build a strong brand and foster customer loyalty.
Want to use Amazon product inserts to get first-party customer data? Book a demo here.
