Planet Amazon Podcast Episode 11
Beyond Online Selling: A Fresh Perspective on Amazon Strategies
In this episode, we are joined by James Thomson, a managing partner at Equity Value Advisors and a veteran Amazon strategist who has helped hundreds of brands sell billions on Amazon, co-authored two Amazon books, co-founded one of the most important conferences for Amazon Sellers, The PROSPER Show, and serve as a CSOat Buy Box Experts. Having spent two decades navigating the Amazon ecosystem, James is here to share the secrets of how brands can truly succeed on this ever-evolving platform.
James explores the transformative power of Amazon's advertising platform, the disruption caused by lesser-known brands in the marketplace, leveraging customer reviews, managing brand presence and channel conflicts, and the importance of maintaining a consistent brand story. Additionally, he discusses the strategic aspects of managing relationships with Amazon, balancing online and offline strategies, adapting to diverse marketplaces, and concludes by showcasing how small businesses can leverage Amazon's direct-to-consumer opportunities for transformation.
For more information about James Thomson, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/jblthomson/
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About the Speakers:
Managing Partner Equity Value Advisors
James Thomson
James Thomson is the Managing Partner of Equity Value Advisors, advising brand executives and investors that are seeking guidance on how to accelerate ecommerce revenues, and to align ecommerce and physical retail distribution and pricing strategies. Formerly at the managed services agency Buy Box Experts, James was the Chief Strategy Officer helping brands sell over $3B online, as well as supporting private equity investors with portfolio brands sold on Amazon. He also served as the business head of Amazon Services, the division of Amazon responsible for recruiting tens of thousands of sellers annually to the Amazon marketplace. He also served as the first Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) account manager. Prior to Amazon, James was a management consultant and retail banker.
In 2015, James co-founded the PROSPER Show, a continuing education conference for large Amazon sellers, and in 2017 co-authored the book “The Amazon Marketplace Dilemma”, designed for brand executives seeking to optimize their Amazon marketplace distribution strategy. In 2020, he co-authored the book “Controlling Your Brand in the Age of Amazon”, designed for brand executives struggling to handle critical channel management issues caused by pressures from the Amazon marketplace.
He holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Alberta, an MBA from Vanderbilt University (Owen School), and a Ph.D. in Marketing (B2B Pricing & Distribution) from Northwestern University (Kellogg School). James has guest-lectured at more than a dozen business schools around the world, including Stanford University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, and Dartmouth University. James has been featured over 400 times in Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, The Washington Post, Consumer Reports, Entrepreneur, Inc., CNBC, Bloomberg, Internet Retailer, Globe and Mail, CBC, and many more. He has also done television interviews on CNBC, PBS Frontline and CBC.
James has had 3 successful exits as Founder/Operator with Buy Box Experts, Prosper Show, and Skubana. James is an investor and board member/advisor for Mamenta, Mavi.io, DaVinci Micro Fulfillment, Logie.ai and Shoppable.ph. James is also a paid advisor to Fortunet.
Phelps United President
Adam Shaffer
Adam is a pioneer in direct marketing and digital eCommerce of technology products and solutions to both consumer and commercial markets. With over thirty years of industry experience, and the unique ability to manage large organizations and startups, he has been responsible for successfully managing and driving growth at some of the largest publicly traded IT Solutions providers. He has found success helping Amazon sellers scale their eCommerce channel as part of their overall brand strategy through his company’s proprietary technology, services, and distribution platform. Ultimately, this has helped clients navigate the most complex waters of the largest eCommerce site in the world.