If you are a brand looking to sell online, break into larger markets or expand your reach, Amazon is an excellent place to start. With more than three hundred million registered customers, the ecommerce giant is the largest online retailer in the world and over and over 3,700 new sellers are joining the platform each day. 

The opportunities available to SMEs are vast. 76 per cent of SMEs selling on the Amazon are profitable and more than 60% of global sales comes from small and medium-sized businesses.

With its vast global reach, Amazon offers a powerful toolkit for SMEs to grow their business. It boasts a huge number of active users, giving small and medium sellers access to a far greater pool of potential customers than they could possibly hope to reach alone. Amazon also gives SMEs the ability to expand into overseas markets without having to invest in setting up their own operations and infrastructure. 

While Amazon’s marketplace is certainly crowded. Its search algorithm prioritises showing products that are relevant to the user’s search. This levels the playing field and means that less established brand have a fair shot at gaining visibility and competing with larger and more well-known brands.

So, when you begin your Amazon journey, a properly set up GS1 barcode is an important part of establishing yourself as a credible and legitimate seller. Marketplaces check these identification numbers in the GS1 database to make sure your product is linked to your brand, and not someone else’s. If the two do not match, your account might be suspended, or you might need to relist or even relabel your products!