Want to launch a line of supplements on Amazon? Just follow these 5 proven steps
Based on expert predictions, the global market for supplements and nutraceuticals will be around $109 billion by 2025. The demand is very real and very strong for these products, and technology is making it increasingly easy to get in on a piece of the action.
In fact, selling supplements stands out as an equally good business option for both experienced and up-and-coming entrepreneurs — particularly those who sell on Amazon, the world’s largest retailer.
Regardless of your experience level, you still need a plan. If you’re interested in breaking into the nutraceuticals market on Amazon, here’s what you need to do:
1. Go by the book
Supplements are health products, and the last thing you want to do is wind up in the crosshairs of the Food and Drug Administration as a fledgling business owner. Have no fear, however: Amazon has your back when it comes to legal concerns. They’ve already put together a compliance checklist to help ensure you stay on the right side of all federal, state, and local laws pertaining to supplements.
2. Source your product
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the legal responsibilities associated with operating in the supplements market, you need an actual product to sell. Whether it’s something you’re designing yourself or a private label product, there are lots of things to consider here. Who will manufacture the supplement? How will it be packaged? What kind of branding will you use? And how will you get the products to your end consumer? This step can take a lot of time, patience, and energy — so be prepared to give it that.
3. Legitimize your brand
Amazon won’t let you sell on their site unless they know they can trust you — or, more accurately, trust your business. Set yourself up to sail through Amazon’s strict vetting process by first setting up a website and social media pages for your company, securing a base of followers, and ensuring that you have a positive digital footprint.
4. Build out your product line
Selling a single supplement is not just far less profitable than having a whole line of them, it also reduces your brand’s credibility in the eyes of a consumer. Instead, have five or six separate products to sell, all with equal thought and effort put into their design and marketing. This gives the impression that your brand is both high-quality and here to stay.
5. Promote and market your products
You can blog about your nutraceutical products; you can pay for ads on Google or Facebook; you can ask family and friends to promote your brand. There are a lot of ways to market your product line — the important thing is that you leverage as many as are appropriate for your brand. You want to maximize the visitors to your Amazon shop.
Bonus tip: Don’t be afraid to fail
The supplements market is huge and still growing. The process of getting involved is relatively easy, and the barriers to entry are low. But despite this, failure is still common. Competition is stiff and there are plenty of areas where a mistake will cost you dearly, especially if you’re new to managing a business.
The key is to not let any of that stop you. Entrepreneurship is a challenge worth facing, and obstacles should be expected. When you make mistakes, learn from them and move on; don’t dwell. And if you fail completely, pick up the pieces and start over — or leverage your new knowledge and experience into a fresh opportunity. Nothing is fixed; there are always new things to sell, new markets to get into, and new ways to supplement your income.
