FEEDVISOR-2018年亚马逊市场报告（英文）-2018-20页-1mb

报告摘要

The State of the Amazon Marketplace 2018 Summary

Core Content Overview

This report is based on a survey of 1,200 Amazon Professional sellers, providing insights into their strategies, challenges, and growth in 2018. It highlights the evolving dynamics of the Amazon marketplace, including increased competition, the global reach of sellers, and the growing importance of Amazon's platform in their business models.

Main Categories and Trends

1. Sellers Scaling Operations

74% of surveyed businesses now employ 1–5 people, down from 84% in 2017.
5% increase in businesses with 50+ employees.
High-volume operations are hiring more to keep up with growing demands.

2. Geographic Distribution

California remains the top state for Amazon sellers, with 13% of respondents based there.
Other major states include Florida, New York, Texas, and New Jersey.
19% of sellers operate outside the U.S., showing the global nature of the Amazon marketplace.

3. Global Ambitions

37% of sellers are currently selling outside the U.S.
26% plan to expand internationally in 2018.
24% of sellers are based in the U.S. but sell from there.
7% are based in Canada.

4. Amazon's E-commerce Dominance

Amazon.com generated $178 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest e-retailer in the U.S.
49% of sellers rely almost exclusively on Amazon for their sales, with 81–100% of their revenue coming from the platform.
Walmart and Jet have seen an increase in their combined share from 17% to 25%.
35% of sellers now sell on their own websites, down from 39% in 2017.

5. Top Product Category

Home & Kitchen is the most popular category, with 20% of sellers actively selling in this space.
Health & Personal Care and Clothing & Accessories are tied for second place, with 9% of sellers in each.
Books & Movies follows with 9% of sellers.

6. FBA vs. FBM

Sellers with 60% or more FBA have significantly higher profit margins than those using FBM.
21–30% profit margin for sellers with 60–100% FBA.
25% profit margin for sellers with less than 60% FBA.
FBA is seen as a key driver of profitability and growth.

7. Private Label Growth

44% of sellers now generate revenue from private label brands, down from 68% in 2017.
38% of sellers listed private label expansion as their top business goal for 2018.
Amazon's own private label brands are especially popular among millennials, who value quality and price.

8. Inventory and Pricing Strategies

20% of sellers have less than 20% of their catalog subject to MAP (Minimum Advertised Price).
Sellers are hesitant to expand into MAP-restricted products due to penalties and manufacturer restrictions.
Repricing software usage increased by 15%, especially among sellers with $250K–$2M in annual sales.

9. Advertising and Promotion

55% of sellers with under $250K in annual sales spend less than $1,000 on advertising.
32% of sellers with $250K–$2M in annual sales spend less than $50K on advertising.
Amazon Sponsored Ads are still the most popular advertising method, used by over half of the surveyed sellers.
Product listings have moved up to the second most used promotion method, with 38% of sellers focusing on optimizing them.

10. Technology and Software Adoption

75% of high-volume sellers (over $2 million in annual sales) use inventory management software.
75% of these sellers also use order management and shipping software.
Scouting software usage increased among all seller sizes.
Analytics and assortment review software saw significant growth among smaller sellers (under $250K), with increases of 27% and 45%, respectively.

Seller Priorities for 2018

Diversifying to other platforms remains the top goal, but decreased by 21% from 2017.
Adding private label products is the second highest priority, with 32% of sellers targeting this.
Expanding globally is also a top goal, with 30% of sellers planning to do so.
Hiring more people is a lower priority, with only 14% of sellers planning to hire more in 2018.

Challenges and Concerns

Direct competition with Amazon is now the top concern, with 40% of sellers identifying it as such.
Marketplace fees, negative feedback, and high storage fees are the next biggest concerns.
Seller-fulfilled Prime (SFP) is seen as a growth opportunity, with 33% of sellers using it.

Industry Knowledge and Learning

Webinars remain the top source of industry knowledge, with over 50% of sellers using them.
Blogs and conferences are the second most popular sources.
Sellers value actionable intelligence and are looking for ways to learn from other sellers and stay updated on best practices.

Conclusion

The Amazon marketplace continues to be a dominant force in e-commerce, with sellers increasingly relying on it for growth and profitability. As competition intensifies, sellers are scaling their operations, adopting technology, and exploring new strategies like private label and global expansion. While challenges such as competition, fees, and inventory management persist, the use of data-driven tools and software is helping sellers navigate and thrive in this dynamic environment.

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