Episode # 142 – A Sampling of Success on Amazon – John Willkom – Amazon Legends
09/06/22 Nick Uresin

Everyone loves a free sample, but did you know that you can use the power of Amazon to get samples of your product into consumers’ hands? John Willkom is an omni-commerce expert, the Senior Vice President & Head of Ecommerce at The Mars Agency, and the author of the Amazon best-selling basketball book, Walk-On Warrior. John explains his unique approach to building brand awareness on Amazon, what’s on the cutting edge of ecommerce, and which two metrics you need to stay on top of to grow on Amazon.
Takeaways:
- Amazon uses a company called Send Me A Sample so that consumers can ask Alexa devices to send them a sample of a certain product and Amazon will ship it to them automatically. This is a great way to get your product out there and get feedback in.
- Using digital sampling through Amazon, you can replace the traditional, in-store demos with something that converts better, creates massive brand awareness, and doesn’t require a huge budget.
- Send Me A Sample operates as a fulfillment service and they are where you send your sample inventory. Amazon’s role is just to feature the currently available samples on a webpage and when asked about samples through Alexa.
- A great way to get the most from your sample campaign is to simultaneously run digital ad campaigns that entice consumers to order the free samples. You will see more accurate results with a larger sample size of people trying your product out.
- The potential of voice is just beginning to come into view and it offers perhaps the most frictionless buying experience available.
- You’ll never find one solution that will generate tons of orders in perpetuity. You need to have a test-and-learn mentality to find what works for your product and speaks to your customers, and when this changes over time, you need to keep testing.
- Amazon is currently beta-testing a new tool in Seller Central called Search Query Performance which allows brands to see the total number of impressions, clicks, add-to carts, and purchases for the brand.
Quote of the Show:
- “There’s no reason why voice isn’t going to usher in the future of TV shopping” – John Willkom
Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-willkom-8267ab19/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnWillkom
- Amazon Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1983693065/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=johnwillkom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1983693065&linkId=541a0fd2de764f68fb090f262170f54a
- Company website: https://www.themarsagency.com/
Shout Outs:
- Send Me a Sample – https://www.sendmeasample.net/
- Analytic Index – https://analyticindex.com/
Ways to Tune In:
- Apple Podcast (Leave a Review): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amazon-legends-podcast/id1589750284
- iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/94668552/
- Podchaser (Leave a Review): https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/amazon-legends-podcast-1986925
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/092e0e83-44d8-42a3-9efd-f57daad2bbff/amazon-legends-podcast
- Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Podcast/B08JJQKM6V
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01NnJ5SHgUFTBDr77HtExu?si=7850ec72879e401e
- Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xODM1ODcwLnJzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiG09G16uH1AhWSrnIEHbUABo0Q9sEGegQIARAD
- Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/amazon-legends-podcast
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/DWPXafoC-RY
Amazon Legends is sponsored by Argometrix, the authority on, and leading supplier of, competitive intelligence for online retail. To learn more, head over to https://argometrix.com/
Amazon Legends is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
Sponsors
A2X Accounting
A2X is a world-class software company which automates accurate ecommerce accounting for thousands of ecommerce businesses worldwide. Whether you are selling on Shopify, eBay, Etsy, Amazon or Walmart, A2X will give you confidence your financials are accurate and the insights you need to run your ecommerce business efficiently.
Use the following coupon codes to receive discount on A2X Accounting services:
- COUPON1
- COUPON
Helium10
An eCommerce suiteto manage and sell products, find keywords, identify trends, optimize listings, streamline advertising campaigns, and more on Amazon.
Use the following coupon codes to receive discount on Helium10 services:
- ARGOMETRIX10 – 10% off onall plans (including annual plans)
- ARGOMETRIX50 – 50% off on first month
Carbon6
Top 1% Amazon sellers rely on Carbon6 tools to scale, optimize, and stay ahead of the curve.The C6 suite of tools makes it simple to optimize and streamline every aspect of your Amazon business.
-
PixelMe
-
SellerTools
-
AMZAlert
-
ZonTools
-
ScanUnlimited
-
PPCEntourage
MerchNinja
-
PrettyMerch
-
SoStocked
Use the following coupon codes to receive discount on Carbon6 services:
- COUPON1
- COUPON2
eComBalance
eComBalance offer monthly bookkeeping services for growing eCommerce brands, agencies, and software companies.
Click here to sign up for eComBalanceand get 1 month free.
Spread the word!
If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, then please support me with a review on Apple Podcasts. It's easy and takes 1 minute! Just Click here to head to Apple Podcasts and leave an honest rating and review of the podcast. Every review helps!