Sean Stone, a seasoned consultant in the ecommerce landscape and founder of Spillover Commerce, is advocating for a dual-pronged strategy to propel online businesses to new heights. This approach centers on building a robust, branded presence on a merchant’s own domain, complemented by strategically leveraging the vast customer base and logistical advantages of Amazon. Stone’s agency, Spillover Commerce, named to reflect this very tactic, assists brands in navigating this complex ecosystem, particularly those experiencing challenges on Amazon while recognizing its indispensable role in the modern retail environment, or those looking to diversify from an Amazon-centric model.
In a recent interview, Stone articulated his philosophy, emphasizing that the most effective path to sustainable ecommerce growth lies not in an either/or proposition, but a powerful "one-two punch." This strategy involves first cultivating a profitable, branded website, which serves as the core of a merchant’s identity and customer relationship. The second, equally critical component, is to capitalize on the significant "spillover traffic" that naturally gravitates towards Amazon. This traffic, Stone argues, represents a substantial, often untapped, revenue stream that can be harnessed without diluting the brand’s integrity or exclusivity.
Stone’s journey into this specialized niche began in 2017, initially as an employee within an Amazon consulting agency, before launching his own venture, Stone’s Goods, in 2021. The agency was subsequently rebranded to Spillover Commerce in January of the current year, a name change that directly reflects his core advisory. His extensive experience managing Amazon advertising campaigns for a diverse clientele has provided him with a unique vantage point on the platform’s strengths and limitations, leading him to champion a strategic shift for many brands.
The Amazon Advantage: Trust and Convenience
A cornerstone of Stone’s strategy is acknowledging and capitalizing on the inherent trust consumers place in Amazon. This trust is not merely a matter of brand recognition; it’s deeply rooted in the platform’s unparalleled shipping infrastructure, customer service, and return policies. "Consumers love Amazon shipping. They trust it," Stone stated. "If something doesn’t work out, they’ll be taken care of and made whole. And that trust is insurmountable for many brands." This sentiment underscores why, despite the potential brand dilution concerns, maintaining a presence on Amazon remains a strategic imperative for most ecommerce businesses.
Stone’s recommendation is to approach Amazon as a secondary sales channel. This doesn’t imply abandoning the platform, but rather a deliberate curation of what is offered. Instead of presenting the full suite of products or the complete brand experience, merchants should consider offering a specific version of a product, a curated selection, or perhaps an item that complements their primary offerings on their own website. This approach allows businesses to benefit from Amazon’s reach and customer loyalty while safeguarding their core brand identity.
Bridging the Gap: Brand Building on a Transactional Platform
The conversation then turned to a common concern among merchants: the perception that Amazon is a marketplace dominated by low-cost, commodity goods, where brand building is an uphill battle. Eric Bandholz, the interviewer, voiced this sentiment, questioning how merchants can build something of value on Amazon when the platform’s environment often prioritizes price and rapid transactions over brand narrative. "The only people making money on Amazon are selling cheap, junk products," Bandholz observed. "The shipping is good, but the entire experience trashes my brand. I don’t see how merchants can build something of value on Amazon. Many Amazon sellers are data- and spreadsheet-savvy. They aren’t trying to build a brand."
Stone acknowledged this challenge, positioning Spillover Commerce as a bridge between these seemingly disparate worlds. He explained that success on Amazon and on proprietary platforms like Shopify requires distinct skill sets. "What wins on Amazon is the opposite of what wins on Shopify and Meta," he asserted. However, he quickly added that many merchants possess the adaptability to excel in both arenas, forming the basis of his "one-two punch" strategy. This duality, he believes, allows businesses to dominate the market without being confined by the limitations of any single platform.
Crafting Platform-Specific Offers: The Key to Dual Success
To illustrate how merchants can effectively implement this dual strategy, Stone outlined a practical approach to product offerings. When a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand aims for a revenue split, say 60% from its own domain and 40% from Amazon, the strategy must be deliberate. "Create platform-specific offers," Stone advised. "Don’t sell the same thing in both places. Whatever you sell on Amazon will be price-compared against similar items. Create an offer that makes sense for that environment. Perhaps it’s a lesser version of what you sell on your domain."
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of incentivizing direct purchases. "Provide incentives for shoppers to buy directly from your site. Maybe it’s a full bundle with the full experience." This encourages customers to engage more deeply with the brand and its complete product ecosystem.
The Gymreapers Case Study: Branding in a Commoditized Market
Stone then presented a compelling case study of Gymreapers, a company that has successfully navigated the challenges of selling a commoditized product—weightlifters’ wrist straps—on Amazon. Despite the market being saturated with similar, often cheaper, alternatives, Gymreapers generates a significant $10,000 in monthly revenue from these wrist straps alone. This achievement is particularly noteworthy given that competitors offer comparable products at half the price.
The secret, Stone revealed, lies in Gymreapers’ sophisticated branding and external traffic generation. "They get huge sales on Amazon from roughly 200 Facebook ads," he noted, referencing his research in the Facebook Ads Library. "They also use TikTok influencers." Crucially, these external advertising efforts are not directly promoting the wrist straps on Amazon. Instead, they are driving traffic to Gymreapers.com for higher-priced, bundled powerlifting gear, such as belts, knee and elbow straps, and deadlift straps.
"The Amazon sales are indirect," Stone explained. "The Meta ads are for high-priced powerlifting bundles… all sold on Gymreapers.com. People seeking only wrist straps are searching for ‘Gymreapers’ and landing on Amazon." This creates a situation where consumers, already familiar with the Gymreapers brand through external marketing, search for the brand name on Amazon, leading them to purchase the wrist straps at a premium price. "So they sell the same product for 50% more than Chinese competitors by having a strong brand and external traffic sources." This example powerfully demonstrates how a strong brand, cultivated off-platform, can command higher prices and drive sales even for seemingly commoditized products on Amazon.
Bundling on Amazon: A Question of Conversion
The discussion then shifted to the effectiveness of bundling on Amazon as a customer acquisition strategy. Stone expressed skepticism regarding its efficacy in driving organic ranking, a critical factor for success on the platform. "Bundling on Amazon doesn’t really work," he stated. "What drives organic ranking on Amazon is the conversion rate."
His experience suggests that the optimal strategy on Amazon involves presenting a high-converting single product on a dedicated product detail page and maximizing organic sales for that item. While bundling is possible, it is unlikely to achieve the same level of performance as a well-optimized single product with a strong conversion rate. This highlights the importance of focusing on individual product appeal and optimization rather than relying solely on package deals.
Building Brands Beyond the Marketplace: A Strategic Imperative
For Amazon sellers looking to establish a more enduring brand presence, Stone outlined three key areas of focus. The first is achieving "Amazon product-market fit," which he assumes sellers already possess if they have a history of sales on the platform.
The second critical element is "Meta market fit." This refers to identifying products that are well-suited for advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Stone provided a clear distinction: "Don’t advertise a mop on Meta, but do advertise a cool robot vacuum cleaner." This highlights the need to align product appeal with the visual and engagement-driven nature of social media advertising.
The third pillar is, as previously discussed, the development of "platform-specific offers." This ensures that what is presented on Amazon is distinct from, and complementary to, what is offered on the merchant’s own website.
Identifying Offsite Opportunities: Leveraging Data and Creativity
Addressing the challenge of identifying offsite sales opportunities without relying solely on internal Amazon data, Stone emphasized the fundamental importance of having a dedicated website. "All sellers — on Amazon or otherwise — should have a website," he stressed. While acknowledging that not all customers will migrate to a proprietary site, he noted that a portion will, particularly those seeking a more personalized brand experience.
The key, Stone suggested, lies in actively engaging with these customers. "Then engage with those customers. Ask about their preferences, such as likes and dislikes on Amazon as well as product suggestions. Just think creatively." This direct customer feedback loop is invaluable for understanding customer needs and preferences, informing product development, marketing strategies, and ultimately, the refinement of platform-specific offers. By fostering a direct relationship with customers, even those who initially purchased through Amazon, merchants can gather crucial insights and build a more resilient brand ecosystem.
Sean Stone’s advice represents a pragmatic evolution in ecommerce strategy. It acknowledges the undeniable power of Amazon while championing the long-term value of building and nurturing an independent brand. By mastering this "one-two punch," online merchants can not only survive but thrive in the increasingly competitive digital marketplace, capturing both immediate sales and cultivating lasting customer loyalty.
For those seeking to learn more or engage with Sean Stone’s expertise, his agency’s website is SpilloverCommerce.com, and he can also be found on LinkedIn.
