Is there a way to keep B2B customers from getting B2C promotions?
I want everyone to buy at least two items, so I give a 5% discount if anyone buys 2 or more.
On the B2B side, the price is already discounted for 1 item. Plus, they get tiered discounts. However, my 5% offer is showing for them, too. I’d rather it not. They are already getting a good deal.
Why not turn off B2B pricing? Well, I want them to buy more than 2. I want them to buy 5 or 10.
The Amazon Business program was very slow to gain traction.
It was so unsuccessful in getting sellers to participate that Amazon added the requirement to accept Net 30 terms from business buyers.
Any business buyers I have had were small companies no more likely to buy multiple items than consumers.
I think you would do well to analyze whether the buying patterns of your business buyers are any different from consumers, and consider removing the business pricing.
Yes, the patterns are different, which is why I want to target business buyers.
We felt the same frustration, and couldn’t find a way. We ended up using the bulk sizes to incentivize the bigger sales. A case can be as small as 2. Since we provide free shipping, a lot of our “savings” are just shipping economies (1 item has $10 shipping baked in. Shipping 2 in one box is only $15…so we passed the $5 savings on to the customer). The bulks also have reduced Amz fees, so by taking that into account we were really able to get the pricing aggresive for our larger bulks.
I don’t know if the algorithm gives preference for B2B discounts. We removed them once the bulks were added…but if you price a bulk so that it still keeps the same margin, you could still offer an extra 5% off for B2B buyers and have the same final profit that you’re getting now offering tiered pricing plus 5%. We have a pricing spreadsheet which has all formulas, so we use that to figure out profit per unit for the bulks.
The one small caveat with bulk is that it should ship as one unit. We got special boxes which hold 2, which became a case. So, it was an easy change for our shipping team. (Our other bulks get palletized, but that’s due to weight…we’d have bought larger boxes for larger quantities had it been possible.)
We are actually surprised by the bigger companies buying from us through the B2B channel…like, recognizable names.
Net 30 is our standard term with our (off platform) customers…and we do work with many large, old companies who are as long as Net 365. Since COVID, we’ve seen several of our longtime customers moving from Net 30 to Net 60. So, I can see why Amazon had problems getting these large corporations on board with anything faster than Net 30.
I had some big company buyers buy from me on Amazon. They all used credit cards to pay not POs and Net terms.
The business buyers who bought were small, marginal, often on person companies.
The cost of issuing a PO and accounts payable processing was postulated in the business press to be $35, 5 years ago. Many if not virtually all big companies had purchasing agents issuing credit card orders.
If your orders are big ticket, that is a key to why you see a different picture.
Yeah. My business customers tend to be educational institutions and government agencies. I mean, the government is buying from me? I think partly because they have to satisfy small business quotas, which is why I went and got that certified.
I’ll assume you already have done so…but if not, complete the 889 self certification. That should open up more government orders too.
We get orders with all sizes on PO payments…but I totally agree with your point. Our experiences off-platform support the credit card trend, too.
Even if I sell nothing related to telecommunications?
For one of our automotive based business’ we have had several repeated large orders from business customers. Mostly rural auto repair shops using our products.
There are two parts to 889. The first is that you don’t sell those items, the second is that you don’t use those items.
I sell a lot of books to libraries and academics. They did not use to make me wait to be paid, but now they get 30 days to pay. I am OK with that but don’t love it. Prof at well-known midwestern uni bought a book for 395. and I had to wait 30 days for payment. I guess it is better than having the book sit on my shelves for another year.
Is it worthwhile for a small bookseller to seek 889 certification? Would it make the Smithsonian Library buy more books from me?
Generally-speaking, I’m in agreement with what our friend @QuestMark seems to being trying to impart:
Given the recent focus on Section 889 compliance by The Fedz (amply illustrated by certain of Amazon’s announcements & the like over the last year, if even if one isn’t aware of that otherwise), it would seem that there has most-likely been emplaced a trip-wire threshold for non-compliance that could prevent governmental, educational, and corporate entities alike from even so much as considering this or that of your offers in its absence.
Thank you for this information. I read through and checked everything, including my phone and router and computer (the only things that my business uses that are telecom). I qualify, so I filled it out and uploaded it to Amazon. Hoping this unlocks more opportunities.
I just submitted my Section 889 Certification. I hope to report back with no decrease in sales.
I believe my sales increased. However, [insert official government agency] did not accept that certification. They made me fill out their own 889, which required a digital signature. Not even physically signed and sent back was accepted.
This was both my B2B and B2C experience with Amazon. Nice for sales, frustrating for feedback.
Did you ever figure out a workaround for this @Amazon_Seller ?
I just raise the quantities for the tiers.
