Amazon Seller Central overview: the basics of managing your account

We’ve written about Amazon Seller Central (ASC) on this blog many times, but we’ve never reviewed its functionality and features. But this is the main tool for any seller on the platform. Through your personal account, you can:

• manage inventory balances;
• run marketing campaigns and set up ads;
• fulfill orders and serve customers;
• process payments and receive business reports.

In addition, ASC offers users many options for automating processes and performing bulk transactions.

Home page

On the first screen, we immediately see cards with key indicators of our business: open orders, current sales, and total balance. Each of them can be expanded to get more information.

Pay attention to the long line located in the header of the page. It is designed to quickly find answers to frequently asked questions. We recommend using keywords. For example: “add a new product”, “create a discount”, “set up ads”. Amazon has a huge knowledge base. You can also find the necessary information in the HELP menu (right corner) or on the seller forum.

In the Marketplaces section, you will see the active sales markets. By default, there are three of them: the United States itself/divided into Canada and Mexico. You can also add others: for example, the EU.

The Open Orders card shows completed orders and those that are in the pending status. If you work with the FBA model, it is only important to keep track of the change in numbers, as Amazon will do everything for you. If you work with another model, you have to ship the product yourself, confirm the tracking number, and put the order in the pending status.

In the Today’s sales section, you can view statistics for different time periods: current date, week, 15, and 30 days.

Buyer messages are a very important category in Amazon Seller Central. Try to respond to incoming requests as soon as possible and do not let messages hang for more than 24 hours. The speed of interaction with customers affects the reputation of the store and the place the platform will give you in the overall ranking.

IPI stands for Inventory Performance Index, a metric that evaluates the effectiveness of inventory management (the score varies from 0 to 1000). A low IPI can lead to restrictions or additional fees for storing goods on Amazon.

Main menu

By clicking on the three bars in the upper left corner of the screen, we get access to the main tools, programs, and metrics of the seller.

The first 4 categories correspond to the sales lifecycle:

1. Catalog – adding products for sale.
2. Inventory – tracking inventory and managing warehouse balances.
3. Pricing – manual and automated pricing.
4. Orders – fulfillment of orders.

In the Inventory section, pay attention to the following indicators:

• Available – goods that are already in stock. They are processed and scanned;
• inbound – products that are still on the way;
• unfulfillable – products in improper condition/returned.

Products in the Unfulfillable category can be disposed of or sent to a prep center to be restocked.

Amazon Seller Central is also a marketing tool

In your account, you can not only set up ads within the platform, but also run other campaigns that affect the increase in sales. The available options will depend on the country and status (for example, whether you are registered in the Brands category, or whether you use the FBA or FBM model).

We advise you to pay attention to:

Coupons. Coupons encourage the audience to make impulse purchases using them (displayed on the product page).

Lightning Deals. Temporary promotions and limited offers that allow you to increase the number of sales in the moment and attract the attention of a new target audience.

Posts and LIVE. Additional opportunities for product presentation and promotion. Help to share information through posts, articles, and live online video broadcasts.

Brand Content. A tool that allows you to create more informative product pages with additional images, videos, and text to attract attention and convince customers to make a purchase.

Attribution. An analytical tool that allows you to track how advertising affects sales outside the platform. It helps to understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Little-known or underestimated features of Amazon Seller Central

If you want to increase the number of product reviews, we recommend paying attention to the Amazon Vine program. The idea is this: you send a product for review to qualified participants (for free), and in return, they create content: reviews and testimonials. You can also use the Request a Review option to ask the buyer for a review of the purchased product.

We recommend that you do not ignore the Inventory Age indicator – analyzing its dynamics will help you optimize inventory management and avoid long-term storage. Restock Inventory data is equally important. It will help you determine when you need to replenish your warehouse to avoid shortages or surpluses.
And, of course, we recommend that you periodically check out the Growth Marketplace section of your Amazon Seller Center for tools and resources to help you grow your business, educational materials, and tips on how to optimize your listings.