In conversation with
Schönebacher Mühle

One of the biggest challenges was creating complete and high-quality product listings. We were clear that incomplete listings, missing brand stores and an inadequate brand story were not an option for us. We therefore invested a lot of time and effort into optimising our product presentation, including detailed descriptions, high-quality images and relevant keywords.

A further challenge was maintaining and managing three brands at the same time. This required a coordinated effort from our entire team to ensure that each brand received the same care and attention. Thanks to the proficient, proactive support of account managers, our listings and brand identities were crafted to the highest standards right from the beginning. It wasn't until we were sure that our brand presence and listings were perfect that we went live on Amazon.

For our Welzhofer bird food, we intentionally only selected items in large containers, as our experience in our own online shop has shown that end users prefer to buy such items online. We also regularly test creative bundles and starter packs. For our KittyLux cat litter, we decided to offer multi-pack bundles as an additional option. Bundling saves us money on shipping costs, and we are then able to pass these savings directly on to our customers with price reductions.

To optimise our product range and keep a constant eye on the competition on Amazon, we use an external tool for Amazon. By drawing up market analyses and monitoring the competition, this tool helps us make well-founded decisions, meaning that we can ensure that our products are high quality, while also meeting the needs and expectations of our customers.

With Welzhofer already being an established brand with good name recognition, it was easier for us to get started, as we had a solid customer base from the off. It was more challenging with KittyLux, however, as we first launched this brand on Amazon and it did not yet have the same level of recognition.

To ensure success for both brands from the start, we placed particular emphasis on high-quality listings with A+ premium content and comparison tables. Presenting products in this detailed and appealing way helped customers to choose the right product for them. In addition, we committed substantial resources to Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands ads to increase the visibility of our products.

Our brand Donath Vogelfutter was already being sold on Amazon via the Vendor programme, meaning we could build on the existing good rankings and incorporate them into our Seller account. This meant that we could quickly generate visibility and sales without having to start from scratch.

Successful marketing campaigns on Amazon are the result of a well-coordinated interplay of various measures. We've found that bringing together both Amazon internal strategies and external techniques has yielded the best results.

In addition to Amazon Ads, we use marketing measures on other channels, such as social media, to tap into a larger demographic and drive extra traffic to our Amazon listings. Another key factor for our success is our excellent customer service. Satisfied customers leave positive ratings and reviews, which play a crucial role in boosting our product rankings.

We therefore prioritise responding to customer enquiries quickly and efficiently and resolving problems promptly. From time to time, we use the Amazon Vine programme to generate initial reviews for new products. Through this programme we can receive trustworthy reviews that help potential customers with their purchasing decisions and improve our rankings.

As a rule, we are happy to take part in all Amazon Deal events, offering exclusive promotions on special occasions to our loyal customers, many of whom are repeat buyers. The most effective deals for us are those that we can submit with the support of our account manager, as they have proven to be particularly impactful. In addition, Prime-exclusive discounts are popular with our customers and help drive repeat purchases. We also offer Subscribe & Save for many of our products, providing customers with discounts to encourage repeat purchases and offer them ongoing savings.

Our top priority for 2025 is to scale our business. A significant focus will be launching our new high-quality dog food brand "Fellows - Gefährten fürs Leben" (Fellows - Companions for life). We want to quickly and efficiently establish this brand on the market while ensuring that it offers the same high quality and customer satisfaction as our existing brands.

In addition, we are planning to break into new markets by selling "Fellows" abroad via Amazon, which will enable us to tap into an even larger customer base and increase international brand recognition of "Fellows" and Welzhofer GmbH. Expanding abroad with "Fellows" and successfully launching this new brand are our main priorities for the coming year

For us, the real game changer is communicating with other sellers and openly exchanging ideas with each other, as these conversations allow us to gain valuable insights and learn about best practices. We also stay up to date using a variety of resources such as podcasts and LinkedIn posts about Amazon. In addition, we regularly participate in events and conferences to learn about new strategies and developments and to network with other sellers.

Understanding the market is important as it will allow you to identify the right keywords and find the USPs that are relevant to your customers. Invest in good product images and create high-quality A+ content to fully showcase your products. You can then slowly start with campaigns to promote your products.

Stay up to date and informed about the latest trends and updates on Amazon. Constantly adjusting and improving your strategies is key to ensuring long-term success on the platform.