Amazon is the #1 e-commerce site in UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.  These five countries alone account for 324 million consumers and over 30 million Prime subscribers.  With access to such a large group of online shoppers many companies, manufacturers and vendors have considered expending their Amazon profile to include a pan-European sales strategy.  Unfortunately, many companies quickly abandon their plans to jump the Atlantic when they begin looking into complications such as conversion rates, individual VAT tax registration, shipping, language barriers, warehousing, returns and political instability (Brexit). 

VAT Taxes and Brexit

When considering selling on Amazon EU the first hurdle is typically the Value Added Tax or VAT registration.  In years past you could start with your VAT registration in the UK and fulfill to most of Europe from that one location.  With Brexit at the doorstep, the UK will no longer be able to fulfill to other countries.  Germany has stepped in to play this role.  While the UK has the most sellers on any European Amazon channel, Germany has the most buyers and will be the future center of Amazon trade in the EU.  At RevStep we have trusted European VAT specialists that we partner with who will help with your VAT registration, manage your quarterly filings, provide warehousing space for shipments and returns, and even provide an EU shipping address if needed. 

Language Barriers and Optimization

We have all seen listing on Amazon that were clearly written in another language and run through Google Translator.  They do not inspire buyer confidence.  When considering a pan-European approach to Amazon sales it is important to note that each listing must be optimized by a native of that country to inspire optimal buyer confidence.  A good friend of mine visiting the UK recently had a classic “lost in translation” moment when his English girlfriend told him she was going to, “Wash her hands in the toilet”.  At RevStep we use native listing optimizers in each country to ensure that unique cultural details are included in each of your listings to encourage trust, connection and keyword optimization.

Logistics

RevStep was started by a group of friends who were selling their own products on Amazon.  For years we traveled to China almost monthly establishing enduring relationships with factory owners, manufacturers, forwarders, shipping companies and certification companies.  We have seen the entire scope of the product life cycle and can help you save time and money because we know what you don’t know that you don’t know.  We recently revamped the logistics of a company that was sending large shipments of product sent from China to the US where it was promptly repackaged and sent to Europe.  Unaware of their ability to ship directly from China to the FBA warehouses in Europe RevStep was able to save them a great deal of time and money.  

Because of our experience selling our own product on a multitude of Amazon platforms RevStep is in a unique situation to see the end from the beginning of your European expansion plan.  We have employees and trusted partners in all of the major European marketplaces and we are eager to help your business make the leap.  In 2018 Amazon created nearly 12,000 new jobs in Europe.  They invested over $5 Billion dollars in infrastructure is Spain.  Germany is Amazon’s second-largest market with nearly $20 Billion dollars in net sales revenue with the UK not far behind.  With 60% fewer active sellers compared to the United States there is significantly less competition in Europe and a major barrier to entry.  To learn more about how you can expand your Amazon sales opportunities please request a free consultation with our European Expansion team by emailing info@revstep.com.