Overview:
- Amazon customer service left our customers dissatisfied
- Amazon did not improve our business & deteriorated our margins
- The superior offer and product guarantee is on our website
Have you ever wondered if MonkeyFeet is available on Amazon? In the summer of 2023, we found ourselves pondering the same question and decided to venture into selling our flagship product on the platform. As a company, we anticipated that this move would introduce us to a broader customer base and elevate the shopping experience for Amazon loyalists.
Our primary objective is to increase product sales and better service our customers, so we thought, why not give it a try? We decided to list our product on Amazon for a four-month trial period, aiming to assess the financial outcomes and overall experience.
Following a four-month evaluation, we gained fresh perspectives that led us to the ultimate decision to remove our products from Amazon. First and foremost, we did not observe the anticipated upswing in overall sales, which was our primary aspiration. Since Amazon takes a substantial fee for just being on the platform, this was an extremely important aspect for our business. To compete for visibility on the platform, we were compelled to utilize Amazon's "Fulfilled By Amazon" shipping service and invest in Amazon advertising. These further deteriorated our margins, making it harder for our company to survive and continue to do what we do best - create and innovate in the fitness industry. Paradoxically, as our business started to deteriorate, it became increasingly challenging to deliver value to our customers.
Surprisingly, our Amazon presence led to a suboptimal experience for our customers as well. Amazon's intermediary role, which separates brands from direct customer interaction, hindered our ability to address customer service issues and warranty claims effectively. We were unable to collect contact information from our new customers, making it impossible to provide them with the support they needed to succeed with their purchases. This disparity manifested in negative customer reviews and higher return rates, which significantly differed from those who purchased directly from us. We also observed a surge in counterfeit products entering the market just a few months after our initial Amazon launch. These low-quality replicas only pushed our customers further from the exceptional experience they seek with our products.
Lastly, we realized that our website offered customers a superior overall package compared to Amazon. Direct customers get extended return periods, enhanced warranty terms, expedited two-day shipping options, and always the lowest prices. Moreover, our direct customers received exclusive offers and insights into our latest product offerings. Our promise to be there for our customers throughout their fitness journey, offering them the best products for their success, made us realize that Amazon didn't fit our business goals and didn't serve the best interests of our customers.
While we would have liked to remain on Amazon for the convenience of our customers, we hope you can recognize the overarching negative impact that Amazon can have on a small business that is genuinely committed to their customer. We invite you to continue supporting our brand and promise to take the extra margin that would have gone to Jeff Bezos’ mega-yacht and use it to make our products and services even better!
Buy MonkeyFeet Directly from Animalhouse Fitness
