From TV stations to Amazon's cross-border e-commerce
She started with 0 experience

Relying on a team of less than 5 people and a cost of 60,000 yuan
Breaking through the industrial product circuit, achieving sales exceeding 10 million in 4 years
This is her path to promotion in Amazon's “Steady and Win”

How did she test the waters of the cross-border market for industrial products from a young white seller;
Also, how to find an efficient “ToB style” to successfully open up multi-dimensional operations on the C-side +B-side?Today, we invited Grace. We hope that her entrepreneurial experience and practical tips will take you on the path of rapid growth of cross-border industrial products.

Seller Profile: Grace
Main categories: industrial products (steel wire ropes and chucks)
Joined: 2021
Entry sites: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany
● Highlights: Starting at 60,000 yuan, growing tens of times in 4 years
● “Ace” steel wire rope clip, the subcategory ranking rose from 100+ to TOP30 within 2 years after launch
● Amazon enterprises account for 30.1% of B-side orders, and sales are expected to exceed 10 million in 25 years

Back in time around 2020, Grace was working on a TV channel in Shenzhen. Out of her understanding of the TV industry and TV shopping field at the time, Grace felt the business opportunities of non-traditional retail, which also aroused her interest in “sales.”

In the early days of her business, Grace had no clear sense of direction for product selection. She planned 5 products as an initial test, including household consumer goods such as yoga balls and pizza knives that were more suited to C-end needs, as well as categories that eventually survived. Currently, her main business direction is steel wire rope industrial products.

She recalled that the former household products are generally ordered for one product; however, industrial products such as steel wire ropes occasionally generate situations where a large number of products are ordered. In this way, advertising costs and other related costs can also be shared through this. For the founders, she noticed that there is more room for development in this direction.

Grace was confused by the product selection process in the early stages of her business. From testing the waters to confirming the final direction of her main business, Grace continuously summed up her experience and refined her own “business experience.”

Grace:
Because we are a startup company, more products such as pizza knives and yoga balls are aimed at home consumers, but industrial products are not the same. They are suitable for both home use and commercial use. We found that this kind of order is large and can share advertising costs very well, which is a good development direction for startups.

Grace, who tried cross-border e-commerce for the first time, had no ready-made successful experiences for her direct reference. Like many other “new sellers,” she also experienced many problems and challenges. Fortunately, her “business intuition” enabled her to quickly find the key points to break the game.

Breaking point 1
Localized product optimization
Precisely fit the consumption habits of different markets

After the product was returned, Grace found the answer using Amazon platform tools. She gradually learned from extensive customer feedback that the original wood in the US market would be dehydrated and dried, and in the end, the actual size used was about 3.6 inches x 3.6 inches.

Based on this, she made targeted adjustments to the entire batch of products for the US market. However, at the same time, in the UK market, the original specifications were retained to meet local needs. Due to adjustments in the design of the same product between different markets, this product has always been in the TOP30 position.

Grace：
The core secret to our sales growth is to make full use of the platform's data and tools, such as analyzing the direction in which the products currently sold can be optimized through the growth potential dashboard in the Amazon back-office growth module, customer reviews, and customer voices, and continuously refine our products.

For Grace, the biggest characteristic of cross-border e-commerce is that it brings merchants and customers closer. With the support of the Amazon platform, the merchant can see real direct feedback from customers. These voices help her continuously optimize her products and help her go from a “newcomer” to an “expert” step by step.

Breaking Point 2
Accurate grasping of customer needs
Seize opportunities to fill gaps in the market

Grace's other flagship product was not born by chance, but the result of her truly breaking new ground from the customer's perspective.

In the early days of her business, she frequently interacted with customers in the Q&A section. At the time, a customer left a message asking if a separate wire rope clip (commonly known as a “card head”) was being sold. Grace accurately captured the customer's need and quickly conducted research with the team. They discovered that the wire rope clip is not just a gap in their product matrix. Looking at the market, there are only one or two businesses that sell products in this direction. In order to seize the vast space in this segment, Grace and her team resolutely adjusted the selection based on customer feedback.

Since then, the wire rope clip was successfully launched, attracting more customers with similar needs in a short period of time. As a result, the “clip” became one of Grace's best-selling products. As demand increased, Grace took the lead in experimenting with large packaging strategies on “cards”: recombining products into large packages for sale in response to the needs of customers with large group purchases. This not only satisfies the potential needs of B-side customers, but also allows the advantages of corporate purchasing (quick feedback, accurate capture of customer behavior) to be fully verified.

Advantages of large packaging:
- More in line with the needs of enterprises for batch procurement
- Rapid increase in sales
- Reduce overall sales costs and enhance cost performance advantages

Precisely because of this groundbreaking experiment, “card head” sales increased further, and overall sales costs declined. As a result, Grace gradually opened the door to exploration on the ToB side.

What is a big package?(Large Pack) Attracts B-side traffic and accelerates sales conversion
A large package is a product composed of several single sellable products, such as a 6-pack of keyboards (each keyboard is usually sold separately). Delivery in large packages can be combined and the cost of each item can be reduced, saving costs for business buyers, as well as increasing sales and profits for sellers.

Grace is a middle-aged female entrepreneur, and “seeking stability” is the key word in her business philosophy. “We are expanding step by step, stabilizing this site and then making the next one. Abbottt, Premiere Creative’s creative director.

In her opinion, only by setting a firm foundation for each step can the risk of every attempt to be made later can be reduced. It was this practical business style that enabled her to gain experience in the ToC field and transition smoothly and naturally to the ToB field. In the process of exploration, she also gradually summed up her own “rules of growth.”

By default, ASINs listed on Amazon stores can be sold on both C-side and B-side
Your store probably already has B-side orders!
Follow these steps to enter the B2B platform to check the store's B-side sales:
👉️ Step 1: Log in to Seller Central.
👉️ Step 2: Click the top button in the upper left corner to open the menu and click B2B > B2B Platform.

In the corporate purchasing business, Grace makes full use of the BPQD tiered pricing tool provided by Amazon to set multiple price levels: small orders maintain marginal profit, while large orders enjoy discounts.

Currently, 90% of Grace products have BPQD, and based on analysis and feedback from multiple data reports, they are divided into three to four discount tiers, ranging from 3% to 15%. This tiered pricing not only allows small-volume customers to place orders with confidence, but also attracts the attention of corporate buyers and balances profit and risk.

Through careful adjustments, Grace's share of corporate purchases went from less than 10% to 14% + in all stores, and soon won the largest order of over 500 pieces.

In addition to the pricing tools, the various resources on the platform have also been of great help to Grace. From time to time, Amazon's corporate purchasing manager will share information on product selection, compliance, etc. with her. BPQD is the guidance obtained in the operation manual shared by the enterprise manager.

In the current market environment where there is no certainty, the e-commerce business in the European and American markets continues to grow. According to a recent analysis by Forbes magazine, it is estimated that almost 23% of retail orders will be digital by 2027. Meanwhile, emerging e-commerce companies are still facing the challenge of maintaining success. In particular, e-commerce sellers (Amazon, Temu, TikTok Shop, Shein, eBay, DTC independent sites, etc.) that sell on multiple channels at the same time have more obvious challenges: operating systems for different sales channels, maintaining a good and consistent customer experience, managing overseas inventory, shipping orders, etc. Addressing these challenges can be both expensive and time-consuming for a growing small to medium business.

In the current market environment where there is no certainty, the e-commerce business in the European and American markets continues to grow. According to a recent analysis by Forbes magazine, it is estimated that almost 23% of retail orders will be digital by 2027. Meanwhile, emerging e-commerce companies are still facing the challenge of maintaining success. In particular, e-commerce sellers (Amazon, Temu, TikTok Shop, Shein, eBay, DTC independent sites, etc.) that sell on multiple channels at the same time have more obvious challenges: operating systems for different sales channels, maintaining a good and consistent customer experience, managing overseas inventory, shipping orders, etc. Addressing these challenges can be both expensive and time-consuming for a growing small to medium business.

Grace:
When deciding to build this industry or this track, be sure to focus and invest wholeheartedly.

In the beginning, Grace was completely based—no supply chain, no capital, no experience. In a small office of 500 yuan a month, she invested full time in entrepreneurship and management, exploring little by little, and trying to complete every aspect of the operation alone.

When talking about how to start a business as a first step, she said, “Just what suits you.” Whether it's human resources, supply chain resources, platform resources, or product selection experience, you should consider measuring your own trial and error costs. It is necessary not only to calculate investment costs when developing products, but also to plan and imagine earnings expectations. As a visitor, she believes that the analytical tools and data on the Amazon platform can fully meet the needs of startup entrepreneurs. For example, tools such as product selection compasses and business opportunity detectors on the Amazon platform can provide a strong reference for “newbies” who have just entered Amazon in terms of product selection.

Grace:
When others think that the products in the Red Sea are selling well, I think very calmly and rationally about my resources and funds.

Grace believes that small costs can leverage big opportunities. She doesn't blindly follow popular products, because although most popular products are mature in the market, they also mean fierce competition. She chose a niche category, which had lower risk, more controllable trial and error costs, and was also able to discuss “small-batch, multi-batch” cooperation methods with the factory.

Grace's ability to do business in Europe is inseparable from her accurate insight into the European market. European corporate buyer customers, especially large strategic enterprise customers, tend to receive VAT invoices from a single supplier to reduce the time costs of administrative work and simplify the procurement process. In response to this demand, Amazon Business Purchases launched the IBA feature for sellers in Europe.

IBA is an upgraded free billing service based on VAT calculation services. It can use Amazon ABEU as an invoice header to issue a unified invoice to help sellers meet the needs of more business buyers.

According to the data, more than 300,000 corporate buyers chose to purchase from suppliers that have already launched IBA, and B2B sales increased by an average of nearly 10% in the first two months after opening the service.
For Amazon Business Sellers
1) IBA features are free at no additional cost.
2) After opening IBA, you can reach 21 buyers from various large strategic companies (Audi, BMW, Siemens, etc.) and more business opportunities for business customers.
3) The invoicing experience remains the same
For business buyers
1) Receive VAT invoices from a single supplier
2) VAT invoicing reduces administrative work time costs and streamlines procurement processes
3) Business buyers can set management policies to identify offers that display the “Amazon VAT Invoice” badge (explained below)

IBA invoicing logic: In order to have Amazon as the sole invoice holder, when a business buyer places an order with Amazon Business, Amazon will allow you to sell inventory to Amazon Business EU SARL (also known as ABEU), and ABEU can immediately resell that inventory to that business buyer. Amazon Business EU SARL becomes the invoicing legal entity, making your inventory available to customers who would not otherwise buy from a third-party seller.
IBA activation steps: If you are a seller selling in the UK marketplace or one of the four European marketplaces (Germany, France, Italy, or Spain) and use Amazon VAT Calculation Service (VCS), you are eligible to join the IBA. All IBA eligible sellers will see the IBA settings interface [Amazon Billing Settings] on the [Settings-Tax Settings-VAT Calculation Settings] page.
In the screenshot below you'll see:
l Status page (top): The seller's VCS registration status is reflected on the VAT calculation settings page.
l IBA Status Page (below): Sellers can select settings. If it shows “You currently allow Amazon Business to buy and sell your products to Amazon Business customers” as shown in the image below, then you have successfully activated the IBA service.

Click “Edit Settings” to enter the IBA settings page, and click the “Save and Continue” button to complete the activation of the IBA service. On this interface, you can also find an introduction to IBA operations, as well as frequently asked questions that sellers are concerned about.