In Focus: Rosetta Brands - Amazon Expert Urges Club Stores To Follow Spurs’ Lead
Sports clubs struggling to sell merchandise via their own club shops and other retail outlets during the pandemic are being encouraged to take a leaf out of Tottenham Hotspurs’ book and open an Amazon store.
Spurs became the first Premier League football club to sell goods via Amazon, in September 2020. Serie A club, SSC Napoli, had by then enjoyed more than two years’ presence on Amazon, having been the first football club in the world to join the retail giant. Since Spurs’ arrival on Amazon, rather less heralded arrivals have been those of Liverpool and Fulham FC, which seem to have snuck on to Amazon without much fanfare during the pandemic.
Amazon retail expert and specialist distributor via the Amazon Prime channel, Rosetta Brands, says many more clubs should follow suit and provide an extra revenue stream for their merchandise sales. It says clubs can not only keep vital income ticking through, but actually extend their reach and generate sales from fans unable to visit the store and reticent to keep paying delivery charges on items bought from online club shops.
Via Amazon Prime membership, they can not only get their club items on a next-day basis, but also not have to keep paying the annoying delivery charges that can deter online sales. As Rosetta Brands says, Amazon Prime has been a “game-changer” for retailers on the platform.
Napoli’s president claimed that his club’s arrival on Amazon was down to a growing fan base outside of Italy. He said, “It is very important to us to be able to offer them (fans) easy access to our merchandise and Amazon offers extraordinarily efficient distribution and order management services.” *
Such efficiencies are not easily won, however, and ensuring a store is optimised and operating in the manner that Amazon respects and rewards, is fundamental to maximising sales. Rosetta Brands has accumulated 11 years’ experience in making Amazon stores run super-effectively, ensuring its clients can generate the top-of-the-listings search rankings that push sales over the line, whilst reaching a worldwide audience.
Rosetta has made Amazon retailing an art form, having initially used the platform for its own brands. It now does everything for its clients from designing the online store in a way that is pleasing to both customer and Amazon, to optimising fulfilment and ensuring goods are shipped to designated distribution centres, ready for next-day Amazon Prime delivery. Enquiries about its services have soared during the pandemic, not just from first-time Amazon store owners, but from those who have tried Amazon for some time and failed to be found by users.
Rosetta Brands’ Nick Comer believes 2021 will be a watershed year for official club merchandise retail via Amazon. He says: “Clubs, of all sizes, cannot currently attract the required footfall to either stadia or club shops, so they need to find new ways of generating extra revenue fast. They have traditionally preciously guarded their brand and chosen to sell solely through their own club shops and online stores. This closes off some of the market to them.
“Whilst they may offer optional fast delivery options, half of shoppers aged 18-19 are not willing to pay for these and, although the percentage falls with age, it is still as high as 46% at the age of 40-49.** Delivery fees are the ‘parking charges’ of the retail world and, whilst sporting fans will not buy a rival team’s products, they will divert spend away from club shops and into substitute products, such as electronics, music purchases and clothing, if barriers to purchase appear.
“By using an Amazon Prime service, clubs can overcome this, get products out to fans fast and potentially encourage further purchases, if the fan likes what they receive and decides to buy more. It’s quick, easy and doesn’t require anyone to physically visit a club store.”
Working with Rosetta Brands sees all of the hassle of selling on Amazon removed from the customer’s shoulders.
Clubs wishing to discuss the options available, should contact Nick Comer on 01995 262101, sooner rather than later. Amazon’s store onboarding process can take several weeks and getting to the top of the rankings does not happen overnight. However, the optimisation process will surely and steadily see sales rising and the shop growing stronger, on an ongoing basis. For any club which struggles with its e-commerce, but recognises that a multi-channel approach is vital, that should be music to the ears.
* https://www.essentialretail.com/news/napoli-amazon-brand-store/
