As the move from brick-and-mortar stores to online shopping accelerates, 2024 promises to be a banner year for the e-commerce sector. ,According to Shopify, global e-commerce sales are expected to reach USD 6.3 trillion, representing a 9.4% increase from 2023.
With such immense growth, the world of e-commerce has become increasingly competitive. However, new and emerging brands can gain an edge with the help of Amazon Launchpad.
Started in 2015, the Amazon Launchpad program helps emerging businesses bring their innovative products to the marketplace and reach Amazon’s more than 310 million active customers.
Numerous case studies conducted by Amazon demonstrate how Launchpad has helped guide new brands and products in various categories towards success. Unfortunately, however, high-performing products on e-commerce marketplaces often attract unwanted attention. Successful products are usually the target of unauthorized sellers, counterfeiting, and hijacked listings, which can pose a significant threat to a brand’s reputation and sales.
What is Amazon Launchpad?
Launchpad offers qualifying brands a platform to showcase their groundbreaking products through enhanced visibility, marketing support, and access to Amazon’s extensive network of services, such as Amazon’s Premium A+ service, an improved product description feature available to sellers enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry. Through educational resources and merchandising initiatives, Launchpad equips startups with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of e-commerce successfully.
Who Qualifies for Amazon Launchpad?
The overall goal of Launchpad is to bring new and exciting products to the marketplace. As such, the primary requirement for enrolling in the program is that the brand must offer something unique and innovative to Amazon’s customers. One example of a successful Launchpad product is Plankpad, a German fitness accessory that pairs with iPhone and Android. Since joining Launchpad in February 2020, Plankpad sales quadrupled over 12 months.
Amazon will consider sellers who have listed products on the platform’s US marketplace for less than four years or have enrolled in the Brand Registry within the past four years. As the program targets newer products and startups, participating brands should have less than USD 10 million in gross sales.
What About Brand Protection for Amazon Launchpad Brands?
Launchpad does not explicitly provide brand protection as a primary feature of the program. However, participating in Launchpad can offer indirect benefits related to brand protection, such as enrollment in the Brand Registry and access to Project Zero, which works to combat counterfeiting.
While Launchpad does not guarantee brand protection on its own, it can serve as a platform for startups and emerging brands to access tools, resources, and support from Amazon to help protect their brand from bad actors.
As an Amazon Launchpad brand gains popularity and success on eCommerce platforms like Amazon, it becomes more susceptible to grey market activities such as unauthorized third-party selling, counterfeiting, patent infringement, and more.
Outside of Launchpad, sellers should remain vigilant and proactive in monitoring and enforcing their brand rights on the Amazon marketplace with their strategies.
The Bottom Line
According to Forbes, Amazon accounts for 37.6% of all e-commerce sales worldwide, the highest market share of all e-commerce companies.
Recognizing the need to continue bringing innovative products to their customers to remain the world’s No. 1 e-commerce marketplace, Amazon began Launchpad to attract quality brands to their platform.
Ultimately, the goal of every brand taking advantage of Launchpad should be to eventually exceed the program’s sales metrics and transition out of the program.
From there, e-commerce businesses will need online brand protection software such as GreyScout, which provides sophisticated scanning of online marketplaces in real-time to detect threats such as unauthorized selling, Intellectual Property (IP) infringement, grey market activity, and more to stay one step ahead of bad actors.
