CASE STUDY: PLUGABLE
For Plugable, access to pilots and betas have helped him “ride the Amazon wave”
Plugable first started selling their USB-based products in Amazon’s stores back in 2009. Bernie Thompson, CEO of Plugable, recognized an opportunity when he saw it. “We wound up starting at a great time. Back then, you could rely on simply having a great product and you’d realize sales…you could ride the wave,” said Thompson as he compares Amazon in 2019 to Amazon ten years later. “That’s still true – you still need a great product – but there’s a lot more we need to know to stay on top of the wave.”
“I feel like our Strategic Account Services account manager takes our feedback and allows us to be heard.”Bernie ThompsonPlugable
One of the ways Thompson has invested in growing his business with Amazon is joining the Strategic Account Services program in early 2018. “There are a lot of other sellers out there offering customers similar products to ours,” says Thompson, “I want to make sure I am aware of what’s happening on Amazon so we can do things better, smarter, and faster…and Sonja helps us feel like we’re on top of things.” Thompson is referring to his Strategic Account Services account manager, Sonja V.
“We’ve always been really proactive in participating in the pilots and betas that Sonja puts in front of us,” said Thompson. “One recent example is the Voice of the Customer offering in Seller Central. What it does is consolidate customer feedback about our products in Seller Central. We can look at patterns in the information to help make our products better and it’s even helped to inform what new products we should make.” Sonja agrees: “Bernie always brings ideas and creative solutions to the table, and we truly appreciate that.”
“We’ve always been really proactive in participating in the pilots and betas that Sonja puts in front of us,” said Thompson. “One recent example is the Voice of the Customer offering in Seller Central. What it does is consolidate customer feedback about our products in Seller Central. We can look at patterns in the information to help make our products better and it’s even helped to inform what new products we should make.” Sonja agrees: “Bernie always brings ideas and creative solutions to the table, and we truly appreciate that.”
Sonja believes one of the reasons Thompson makes such a great candidate for beta programs is that he provides great feedback that helps make the programs better prior to being rolled out more broadly. “Much of Bernie’s feedback shaped the Voice of the Customer program. Seller feedback is fundamental to Amazon’s ability to make both the seller and customer experiences better,” Sonja said.
Thompson stressed that having a person to provide that feedback to – whether it’s surrounding a pilot or beta in which he’s participating or more general ways to make the selling and consumer experiences better – has been invaluable. “I feel like our Strategic Account Services account manager takes our feedback and allows us to be heard. It’s been a great benefit to the program.”
For more information on Plugable, visit their store
Thompson stressed that having a person to provide that feedback to – whether it’s surrounding a pilot or beta in which he’s participating or more general ways to make the selling and consumer experiences better – has been invaluable. “I feel like our Strategic Account Services account manager takes our feedback and allows us to be heard. It’s been a great benefit to the program.”
For more information on Plugable, visit their store
