Amazon Service Provider Network (SPN) is a services marketplace that provides on demand professional assistance to third party sellers on Amazon marketplaces through a network of third party (3P) service providers (SPs) with the objective of enabling them to launch and grow their business on Amazon marketplaces. SPN has listings in 18 services from 1000+ service providers in 21 countries. Yearly, we see 2+ MM SPN page visits, and over 100K sellers opt for these services.
Q1. What does Amazon expect from Service Providers?
We expect SPs to listen and fulfil the diverse needs of sellers and bring innovation into services to deliver them to sellers faster and in a cost-efficient manner. We expect you to meet and raise standards of quality and processes, laid out across services by Amazon, to serve established and emerging sellers alike. As Amazon expands its reach, we are looking for partners who are competent, trustworthy and have global presence.
Q2. What’s in it for me?
Our vision is to make SPN a one stop shop for services that help sellers launch and grow their businesses on Amazon.
- The SPN program provides you a direct bridge to the sellers, making your services discoverable to more sellers across locales every day.
- Amazon SPN team will be extending internal support required for elevating the service quality in a convenient and affordable manner through product solutions.
- You will have access to the Learning Management System, which is a specialized solution with constantly evolving training content that can enable you to create a customized learning path for your team.
- You will have access to SP Central to help manage your leads and enable you to track and improve your service delivery. It has features such as requests management dashboard, search & filter capabilities, bulk operations, and email/SMS notifications to sellers on status updates.
Q3. How does Amazon ensure quality and what are potential risks?
We track service delivery, build mechanisms to monitor service quality for specific services and actively seek both quantitative and qualitative feedback from sellers. Being a marketplace, we do not discriminate amongst SPs and hence transparently display the feedback rating of all SPs, their reviews and number of sellers serviced by them after being onboarded on the marketplace. We track SP responsiveness and service delivery at regular intervals and may suppress listings of SPs when they are unable to deliver on desired standards.
Q4. What are next steps?
Amazon SPN team has a qualification process to select SPs for the SPN program. Once the SP places with us a request for onboarding, parameters like SPs' size, growth potential and focus/experience on e-commerce will be assessed. On clearing the assessment, the SP is empaneled on the marketplace, post which, they sign an Amazon Seller Services Listings Agreement with Amazon. All commercial and performance agreements if desired exist between sellers and SPs.
Q5: What are the various services within Amazon universe that a service provider can register for?
In Amazon, we are constantly working to expand our service universe and keep launching new services basis seller needs. Currently SPs can register for following services:
1) Imaging: Photo-shoot services for sellers. Features include table-top and model shoot products.
2) Cataloging: Listing assistance and content services for ASIN creation including search optimized titles and keywords.
3) Account Management: Services which helps sellers with everyday operations, managing account health and pricing assistance to help sellers scale business on Amazon.
4) Advertising Optimization: Assist sellers to manage sponsored advertisement campaigns. Service features include keyword optimization, optimized bids and targeted campaigns.
5) Domestic Shipping(IN only): FBA sellers can use this service to ship their products to a designated Amazon Fulfilment Centres (FC). Service features include doorstep pick up and FC appointments
6) Training: SPs offer in-person/ remote training covering the following modules: launch modules, managing inventory, fees on Amazon, order processing, managing returns and performance management
7) Accounting: Assist sellers with Amazon payment reconciliation, filing VAT returns and profitability reports
8) A+ Cataloging (EBC): Create enhanced detail page experience for customers. A+ differentiate the products and provide rich immersive customer experience for the product listings.
9) Compliance: SPs provide testing, certification, inspection, audits, and quality assurance services.
10) Taxes: Tax services can help sellers with tax registration and filing of monthly, quarterly, and annual taxes based on sales and return on Amazon,
11) FBA Preparation: Labeling, poly bagging, quality checks, storage and bundling/kitting products before sending to FC and packaging services to help sellers achieve SIOC compliance
12) International Shipping: Shipping services for international sellers to dispatch products to FCs or directly to customers
13) International Returns: Process return products from international customers
14) Storage: Warehousing services for sellers
15) IP Accelerator: Services for helping sellers research potential brand names and file trademark applications to protect their brand
16) Excess inventory: Services to liquidate or donate excess FBA inventory
17) Translation: Listing translation services to enable sellers to list products in local language of different marketplaces
18) Seller Reinstatement action (IN only): Assist suspended sellers in drafting corrective plan of action.
Depending on marketplace requirements, some of these services may be offered. Visit this link to view services offered in different Amazon marketplaces.
Q6: Who will pay me for the services I render to sellers? Do I get to decide how much can I charge for these services?
Currently, sellers directly pay SPs offline for the services rendered. The T&C for payment including mode of payment, days of credit, and advances, if any, are mutually agreed between sellers and SPs. SPs can update their prices of service offering on SP Central. These prices are listed on our website for sellers to refer.
Q7: How can I on-board myself as a service provider with SPN? Is there an exclusivity agreement that I need to sign with Amazon?
Amazon strives to maintain a high bar on quality of SPs, and the on-boarding process for SPs vary across marketplaces. Depending on the marketplace, the qualification process may consist of: a) profile assessment - which includes verifying SP’s past experience in services, organization registration details, and team size b) technical assessment - which tests SPs know how of Amazon processes, systems, guidelines and previous experience with Amazon sellers. To get onboarded, please apply using the "Submit a request" link below. Service providers don’t need to sign any exclusivity agreement with Amazon.