Imagine going through all the trouble to source a product and set up a business, only to see zero sales on Amazon or performance metrics not being met.
However, this may be an easier fix than you think. All you need to do is conduct an Amazon account audit and address the issues one at a time.
More importantly, conducting this audit regularly can help you isolate any challenges that prevent you from scaling your brand drastically on the e-commerce platform.
Whether you’re a new seller looking to launch a product or a seasoned seller with years of experience, we recommend regularly following a set Amazon account audit template or a good Amazon account audit checklist.
Auditing an Amazon account may be daunting. Therefore, we’ve compiled a checklist to help you get started:
What is an Amazon Account Audit?
Conducting an Amazon account audit is critical for several reasons:
Policy Compliance: Ensures adherence to Amazon’s policies, reducing the risk of suspension or account closure.
Sales Performance: Identifies areas for enhancement in product listings, pricing strategies, customer feedback, and more.
Cost Savings: Optimizes inventory management, enhances customer service, and ensures on-time fulfillment, all contributing to improved profitability and business growth.
Competitiveness: Helps sellers stay ahead of the competition, maximize sales profits, and maintain a successful FBA business.
How Often Should You Conduct an Amazon Account Audit?
The frequency of an Amazon account audit depends on your sales volume, ad spend, and conversion rates. You should conduct an audit if your sales volumes are drastically changing or if your product conversions are low and your ad spend is high.
Additionally, audits should be prioritized during changes in Amazon FBA fees or when scaling quickly. We recommend a deep audit every six months and an advertising audit every 2–3 months. Use the same audit template each time to compare data and isolate issues effectively.
Self Audit vs. Third-Party Audit
Self-Audit: Conducted by you or your internal team. Inexpensive but may result in bias and errors.
Third-Party Audit: Outsourced to a specialized firm. Provides comprehensive and objective evaluation with professional recommendations.
New sellers with limited budgets should conduct self-audits. However, as you grow, efficiency becomes critical, making third-party audits more beneficial.
How to Conduct a Deep Amazon Account Audit
Setup Audit:
- Verify business, personal, and billing information accuracy.
- Ensure correct information for all products and Amazon store.
Policy Compliance Audit:
- Check the Account Health section for notices or alerts.
- Address any product compliance requests and rectify violations promptly.
Performance Audit:
- Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) like ad-related sales, conversions, revenue, and RoAS.
- Compare KPIs from previous audits to measure the impact of changes.
Listing and Product Detail Page Audit:
- Ensure listings are retail-ready with high-quality images, clear titles, descriptive bullet points, and A+ content.
- Monitor CTR and CVR to gauge listing effectiveness.
SEO Strategy Review:
- Optimize listings with high-performing and competitor keywords.
- Ensure keywords are indexed and listings follow Amazon SEO best practices.
Pricing and Competitiveness Analysis:
- Compare product prices with competitors and understand market positioning.
- Avoid pricing strategies that violate Amazon’s policies.
FBA Audit:
- Inspect FBA-related inventory practices and compliance with FBA seller requirements.
- Examine shipping plans and timelines for errors.
Customer Service Audit:
Review customer feedback, response times, communication quality, dispute resolution, and customer satisfaction metrics.
Train customer service teams and utilize tools to improve efficiency.
Financial Health Audit:
- Track fees like listing, referral, fulfillment, and additional service fees.
- Evaluate financial performance, fee structures, profit margins, financial risks, and utilize financial tools.
Security Measures Assessment:
- Identify security issues and protect against unauthorized access.
- Focus on compliance, confidentiality, and data security.
Advertising Audit:
Analyze campaign structures, performance metrics, ad group targeting, keyword performance, and bidding strategies.
Regular audits are essential for maintaining competitiveness and maximizing ROI.
Common Errors Limiting Brand Potential
Wasted Ad Spend: Spending on non-converting ads. Track top-performing keywords and reduce bids or move underperforming ones to the negative keyword list.
Underutilized Placement Settings: Adjust bids by placement to secure top search positions.
Missing Campaign Funnel Structure: Implement structured campaign layouts to optimize ad spend and conversions.
Final Thoughts
Conducting regular Amazon account audits is essential for compliance, sales performance, inventory optimization, customer service improvement, and business growth. Following a detailed audit checklist helps adapt to changing dynamics and improve financial health.
For a comprehensive audit, check out the entire blog here.
