Not All Buy-Box Time is Equal
Over 83% of all sales on Amazon are to the Buy-Box owner. Beyond brand reputation, the length of time one controls the Buy-Box has an enormous monetary impact. Buyer activity can be impacted by holidays, product release cycles, the day of the week, and even the time of day. Grey Market sellers know this and many deploy algorithmic re-pricers to take advantage of technology to maximize their profits. Advancements in AI and machine learning have further complicated this conflict.
Grey Market Sellers Have Sophisticated Strategies
Due to the nature of Grey Market selling, many of these unauthorized sellers operate with intermittent or low total inventory that they deploy to maximum effect while maintaining a minimal profile to avoid detection. Many re-pricing strategies will list/de-list items on minute-long cycles targeting only the densest periods of shopping. Industry-standard MAP enforcement software scans Buy-Boxes several times a day with leading tools checking hourly. This has resulted in large gaps in both visibility and coverage.
Advanced Protection Techniques
To combat these tactics sophisticated brand protection teams look towards data and automation to get the full picture. Persistent tracking of Buy-Box activity allows teams to identify patterns of behavior. Programmatic Test-Buying allows teams to obtain physical evidence on episodic inventory the moment it enters the market. Here are some strategies you can implement to gain greater control over Buy-Box behavior.
Zinc Enforcer samples at 15-minute intervals to illuminate the more advanced repricing behavior Grey Market sellers exhibit. Our automated Test-Buying allows for a 75% reduction in costs compared to in-house programs. To learn more, reach out to our team.