If you own an ecommerce store, tracking conversions in Google Ads is usually straightforward. Everything, from the initial visit to the final purchase, happens on your website and is clearly reported as an online conversion.

But what happens when your business model includes sales happening outside of your website, such as in a physical store, over the phone, or at third-party marketplace? These are still conversions, but if you aren’t tracking them, you aren’t seeing the complete picture of your campaign performance. By connecting ad clicks to offline conversions, you can close the loop on when an ad drives an in-person sale. This gives you a complete picture of your sales funnel, allowing you to optimize your conversion rate even further.

What is offline conversion tracking for Google Ads?

Offline conversion tracking is how you indicate to advertising platforms like Google Ads that a customer converted after leaving your site. Any conversion action happening outside of your website—even if it happens on another digital channel like social media or a third-party marketplace—is considered an offline conversion.

Some examples of offline conversions include:

• A potential client books a call with a sales rep and then converts later over the phone.

• A customer clicks an ad and later purchases something in-store.

• A customer signs up for subscriptions via a subscription platform, such as Recharge.

• A customer lands on your product page, then converts via a third-party marketplace like Amazon Marketplace.

Measuring offline conversions allows you to connect your ad spend to real-life results so you can understand how effective your campaigns are. Without this, you run the risk of undervaluing (and underspending on) high-performing campaigns because you don’t have the complete picture.

Google Ad’s Google Click ID (GCLID) is the most direct method of tracking offline conversions. Other ad platforms like Meta and Bing also have their own version of this functionality.

How offline conversion tracking works with Google Ads

There are a few methods to track offline conversions:

• Enhanced conversions. These use first-party customer data collected on your site, like email addresses, which Google uses to match ad conversions with the users’ Google accounts.

• Call tracking. This dynamically displays a unique contact phone number to site visitors based on their traffic source, such as organic search, paid ad, or social.

• Google Click ID (GCLID). A GCLID is a unique parameter automatically added to a landing page URL when someone clicks on a Google ad.

While there are other ways to track offline conversion data from integration platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier, uploading GCLIDs directly to Google Ads is officially recommended and supported by Google.

How to set up offline conversion tracking with Google Ads

• Enhanced conversions via Google Tag Manager (GTM)
• Directly in Google Ads with Google Click ID (GCLID)
• Call tracking
• In-store purchase tracking

Here is a walk-through of four different methods of offline conversion tracking:

Enhanced conversions via Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Enhanced conversions are especially useful if you capture leads via a form submission and you use a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. When a user clicks your Google ad, they land on your website, where they submit their personal information, such as their name and email address. This information is anonymized and sent securely to your Google Ads account. Google then uses the information to match against ad clicks. Because you’re sending first-party data, no GCLID is needed.

How to set up enhanced conversions:

1. Create a conversion action in Google Ads.

• Google Ads > Create > Conversion action > Import > CRMs, files, or other data sources > Track conversions from clicks

• Click the option to turn on enhanced conversions for leads.

2. Create a DOM Element variable. This is how you tell GTM where to look on the page to capture form field data.

• GTM > Variables > New > Choose DOM Element > Configure with a CSS selector.

• In the Element Selector, add a CSS selector that uniquely identifies the form field, such as #email. This tells GTM where to look.

• In the Attribute Name, enter “value.” This tells GTM to pull whatever value the user entered in the field, such as their email address.

• Name your variable something identifiable, like Email.

3. Create a User-Provided Data variable. This will collect and package the values in a way that Google Ads can understand.

• GTM > Variables > New > Choose User-Provided Data Variable.

• Map the data according to the DOM Element variables you previously set up.

4. Create a Google Ads User-Provided Data event tag. This will connect everything together and send the right data to Google Ads when the form is submitted.

• GTM > Tags > New > Choose Google Ads User-Provided Data Event.

• Enter your Conversion ID.

• Choose the User-Provided Data Variable you previously created.

5. Configure a form submission trigger. This tells GTM when to fire the Google Ads tag.

• GTM > Triggers > New > Choose trigger type: Form Submission > Scope it to your form page or URL.

• Map the tag to the specific form or landing page by choosing Some Forms > Page URL > Contains > [slug].

Directly in Google Ads with Google Click ID (GCLID)

When a user clicks on your ad, Google automatically adds a GCLID parameter (for example, something like “?gclid=abc123”) to the landing page URL, which your site captures and stores. Once the visitor fills out a form or takes an action, your CRM automatically collects and stores the user’s information along with the GCLID.

When the lead later converts offline, you update their record in your CRM. Then, you send the GCLID and sales data back to Google Ads, either manually with a CSV file, through your CRM, or through a tool like Zapier.

How to import conversions:

1. Set up a conversion action in Google Ads.

• Google Ads > Create > Conversion action > Import > CRMs, files, or other data sources > Track conversions from clicks.

2. Capture the GCLID from the website visitor into your CRM. This is usually a technical step in which you set up a rule in your CRM database to update a contact’s property based on whether their URL has a GCLID or not.

3. Determine the offline conversion action you want to track. This could be an in-store purchase or a subscription sign-up. Once they take the specified action, you’ll flag them as “converted” in your CRM.

4. Send the conversion data to Google Ads. You can do this in a few ways, like manually uploading a CSV file or creating a Zapier automation. Some CRMs, like HubSpot, provide direct Google Ads integration so you don’t have to create this kind of automation yourself.

If you’re using Zapier, pipe in the data by creating a Zap trigger based on the conversion action in the CRM. Then, create a filter step so the Zap first looks for whether the user has an associated GCLID in the CRM. If it does, it sends the conversion to Google Ads using the Send Offline Conversion action. Make sure to include the following data:

• Email

• GCLID

• Conversion Action from Step 1

• Timestamp

• Conversion value (if known)

If you’re manually importing the data into Google Ads via a CSV file, do the following from your Google Ads admin dashboard:

• Google Ads > Goals > Conversions > Uploads.

• Upload your CSV file with the same data as above.

Call tracking

You can log a conversion and send it back to Google Ads, even if a user clicks on an ad, but the sale happens over the phone, and there is no GCLID. This works by using a phone tracking provider, such as Twilio, which logs where the call came from and forwards the call to your real business number. The conversion is then manually or automatically logged in your CRM or phone system, and the data is sent back to Google Ads to match the original ad click. This data is sent automatically if you’re using a call tracking provider with full integration.

If you don’t have a call tracking tool integrated with Google Ads, you can manually export conversion data and import it via a CSV into Google Ads.

A third option is to set up a simple call-tracking configuration directly in Google Ads. This option doesn’t require a phone tracking provider and only works with calls made with Google forwarding numbers.

How to set it up in Google Ads:

• Google Ads > Goals > Conversions.

• Create a new conversion action > Phone calls > Calls from ads.

• Assign a monetary value to the phone call and a minimum call length for it to be considered a conversion.

• Google will now track and log calls as conversions automatically via Google forwarding numbers.

How to set it up using a phone tracking provider (note that these steps may vary slightly depending on the provider):

• Dynamically swap your business number with a tracking number. This will be done through your phone tracking provider.

• When someone calls, the system will record their source, phone number, and the duration of the call.

• When the caller converts, the provider will log that in the call system or your CRM, similar to the GCLID method.

• Send the call and conversion information back to Google Ads using GCLID (if captured) and your tracking provider.

In-store purchase tracking

Tracking purchases from a physical location after a user clicks on an ad can be tricky, since there is often no digital trail of their in-store action. However, it is possible to do so with a bit of creativity and data alignment, either using a GCLID or without. You will need to capture some information at the point of sale (POS) to tie back to their web interaction.

How to do it:

• At checkout, ask the customer how they found you. If they clicked a Google Ad and filled out a form online, their information may already be in your CRM with a GCLID.

• Collect their information, such as a phone number or email address. If your store has an account-based system, even better.

• Match their information to the original ad interaction using GCLID or anonymized data, either by exporting manually or automatically via your CRM.

• Send it to Google Ads as an offline conversion using the GCLID (if you have it) or the Enhanced Conversions for Leads method.

Managing a business isn’t easy. Whether you’re selling lipstick or loafers, the world of ecommerce comes with its fair share of challenges. Knowing how to tackle these roadblocks with the right solution makes all the difference.

That’s where strong problem-solving skills come in. In honing these soft skills, you create a powerful tool for navigating difficult situations in ecommerce. By sharpening your approach to problem solving, you’ll be better equipped to spot potential solutions and think creatively through high-pressure business problems.

Explore various problem-solving techniques designed to help you unlock new perspectives, build communication skills, and resolve complex issues—regardless of your industry or company size.

Popular problem-solving techniques

1. Root-cause analysis
2. The Six Thinking Hats
3. Means-end analysis
4. Five Whys root-cause analysis
5. SWOT analysis
6. Cost-benefit analysis
7. The Fishbone Diagram

When you’re up against an obstacle, you can usually follow the basic steps of the problem-solving process: Identify the issue, determine its cause, find possible solutions, and maintain the results. Within this broad framework, a wide range of problem-solving strategies exist, allowing you to choose the best solution for you and your team. These approaches can help you think critically through high-stress situations and solve problems more effectively. Here are seven frameworks that can help you overcome new challenges:

1. Root-cause analysis

Root-cause analysis is a problem-solving method that relies on concrete data to understand why a problem is occurring. Suppose customers complain that a sportswear brand sells shoes that aren’t true to size. If customer support offers discount codes, they are treating the symptom instead of the root cause.

A root-cause analysis can help reveal the underlying causes. The team must first identify the problem and brainstorm its possible contributing factors. In the case of misfit shoes, they might discover that the product description needs more details or that the size guide is inaccurate. From there, they can examine all the factors and determine which one is the root cause.

2. The Six Thinking Hats

This method—developed by Edward de Bono in his book Six Thinking Hats—assigns roles to members of a decision-making group. This framework challenges you to adopt new patterns of thought by offering six different viewpoints to effectively solve a problem. The six color-coded hats represent six different mindsets. Each hat serves as a unique problem-solving approach:

• The white hat. Wearing the white hat means looking at a problem objectively and relying on linear thinking (breaking problems down into cause and effect). This includes acknowledging what information is known and unknown, as well as assessing all the data before reaching a conclusion.

• The red hat. The red hat relies on intuition, emotions, and gut feeling. This subjective way of thinking prioritizes expressing your feelings and following your instincts.

• The yellow hat. This hat is all about optimism, focusing on the potential benefits and opportunities a certain decision can bring.

• The black hat. When wearing the black hat, a person looks at things through a pessimistic lens to understand the risks and prepare backup plans.

• The green hat. The green hat represents a creative approach that analyzes new ways to tackle a problem. It explores alternatives that have not been considered yet.

• The blue hat. While wearing the blue hat, you act as the facilitator between the other viewpoints to encourage a productive and balanced discussion.

By relying on multiple perspectives, you can develop a comprehensive understanding of a problem and find the optimal solution. Have a different team member put on each “hat,” then conduct a discussion accordingly.

3. Means-end analysis

Sometimes, the best way to fix a problem is to look ahead to your desired goal and work backward from there. Introduced by computer scientists Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon, the means-end analysis is another structured approach that solves a problem by identifying the end goal, breaking it down into smaller sub-goals, and determining the actions required to accomplish them.

The team behind City Seltzer, a brand of non-alcoholic seltzer waters, had to find creative solutions for breaking into a market somewhat unfamiliar to them. Despite his extensive experience in the brewery industry, founder Josh McJannet and his team had to educate themselves on building new relationships with retailers in the grocery sector. Taking an approach similar to the means-end analysis, the team envisioned the lifestyle of their ideal customer.

“We talked about someone who owned their own little business, working late hours, wanting something delicious, but not wanting to consume alcohol when they’re going to have to get up and get back to business again tomorrow morning,” Josh says on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast.

To reach this end goal, the City Seltzer team embarked on a journey to complete the subgoal of increasing brand awareness within their local community. They began a series of grassroots strategies, like hosting pop-ups at events and giving out free products at festivals.

Through these authentic marketing efforts and building meaningful connections with the community, the City Seltzer brand witnessed significant growth in the years since its inception.

4. Five Whys root-cause analysis

Developed in the 1930s by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries, this approach leads teams to dig deeper and uncover the underlying cause of a problem. To implement the Five Whys, start by identifying the problem you’re dealing with. Ask why the issue is happening, and with each answer you uncover, ask why until you have reached the root cause.

Let’s say your company’s website crashes. You would first ask why it happened. You might realize it crashed because the server had insufficient bandwidth. Then ask why the server’s bandwidth was inadequate. You determine that the server couldn’t accommodate the high traffic surge. You would then ask why there was a traffic surge. You might realize that too many people tried to visit the site at the same time. You would then ask why so many people visited. Suppose the high traffic was due to a new product launch that enticed customers to buy during its initial release.

Now you understand that the website crash occurred because you failed to anticipate the excitement and traffic generated by your product release. In the future, your team might prepare the server for a high traffic volume for the next product launch.

5. SWOT analysis

Looking for a better understanding of your organization’s culture? Align your team and develop a strategic plan using the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This framework breaks down and dissects the key elements of a business to create a strategic plan.

• Strengths. Begin by evaluating the strengths of your business that give it a competitive advantage. Consider what your business does well, what you offer that other companies don’t, and what consumers might identify as your strengths.

• Weaknesses. Next, identify areas where your team needs improvement by looking at the areas where you often face challenges.

• Opportunities. Analyze where your business has opportunities to succeed. This typically involves external factors, such as market trends.

• Threats. Finally, think about potential threats that could harm your business. Explore whether any external threats are negatively affecting your business, and if these threats are also affecting your competitors.

Suppose an ecommerce business struggles with low conversion rates. In that case, its team can work together using a SWOT analysis to identify what’s working, what needs improvement, what opportunities they have to address the issue, and what threats exist. In this example, the business might have a stellar customer service team that consumers rave about. However, the company’s website may load slowly. The team might determine that an upcoming opportunity is the approaching holidays, when consumer purchases tend to increase. Using this data, the business can create a strategic plan to boost conversion rates during the holidays by making website updates and offering holiday deals.

6. Cost-benefit analysis

Learn how to evaluate decisions with the cost-benefit analysis. This method compares the potential benefits of a decision against the associated costs. With each decision under consideration, the costs are subtracted from the benefits to determine whether or not the decision is worthwhile.

To execute a cost-benefit analysis, you must assign a dollar amount to every cost and benefit. For example, a snack brand may consider expanding its inventory to include beverages to attract new customers. The benefits of this decision may include more attention on the brand and increased sales from new shoppers. On the other hand, the costs could outweigh the benefits. The resources to develop a beverage and the capital to advertise it might be greater than the new sales and brand awareness gained. Calculating the exact expenses in a cost-benefit analysis will tell the leadership team if developing a new product is worth it.

7. The Fishbone Diagram

Also known as a cause-and-effect diagram, this visual tool resembles a fishbone. To use it, first write your main problem on one side of a piece of paper (this will be the head of your fish). Draw a horizontal line to the left, then sketch diagonal branches that extend above and below the line. At the end of each line, write a category of potential causes. In a traditional fishbone diagram, there are six branches—people, process, equipment, materials, environment, and measurement—but you can use any categories that suit the problem you’re trying to solve.

Suppose an ecommerce business has a slow supply chain, causing customers to receive late shipments. On a whiteboard or paper, “slow supply chain” would be written down as the “head” of the diagram. The team would then ponder all the possible factors causing the issue. This could include a global material shortage, transportation delays, labor shortages, or an underperforming manufacturer.

Today’s ecommerce landscape is more globally interconnected than ever. With just a few clicks, the average consumer can purchase a product made in Korea from a Canadian retailer and have it delivered to their US doorstep within days.

For ecommerce business owners, understanding and mastering international shipping can make the difference between scaling successfully across national boundaries and drowning in unexpected shipping costs and logistics. Explore one of the more popular and versatile methods used in international trade, known as Free Carrier (FCA).

What are FCA Incoterms rules?

FCA (Free Carrier) is one of 11 standardized International Commercial Terms—known as Incoterms—developed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to define a variety of shipping agreements between buyers and sellers.

The 10 other Incoterms are:

• CFR (Cost and Freight)

• CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight)

• CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To)

• CPT (Carriage Paid To)

• DAP (Delivered at Place)

• DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)

• DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded)

• EXW (Ex Works)

• FAS (Free Alongside Ship)

• FOB (Free on Board)

The various Incoterms, established in the 1930s, clarify who is responsible for shipping costs and risks in international commerce. Buyers and sellers negotiate which Incoterms apply in their contract, often with the help of trade attorneys.

Under FCA shipping terms, the seller is responsible for delivering goods that have been cleared for export to a carrier picked by the buyer at a named place, such as a cargo port, airport, or rail depot. (The named place, in some cases, also can be the seller’s premises or warehouse before the cargo is loaded.) Once the seller delivers goods to the carrier, the risk of damage or loss transfers to the buyer, who then assumes responsibility for the rest of the journey.

Incoterms are often defined by the mode of carriage—an old-fashioned term for transportation. FCA Incoterms apply to goods shipped by boat, air, rail, or truck, while others—like FAS or FOB—are used only for sea or inland waterway shipments.

Sellers and FCA

Under FCA Incoterms, the seller’s responsibilities are:

• Goods and documentation. The seller must provide the goods as described in the sales contract, along with a commercial invoice. The seller must also obtain and provide any export licenses or authorization required by the export country, as well as any documentation needed for verification or pre-shipment inspection of goods.

• Pre-carriage. The seller is responsible for delivering the goods to the carrier at the named place. If the location is the seller’s warehouse, the seller is responsible for loading the goods onto the carrier’s means of transport. If the named place is an export terminal, the seller is responsible for arranging transport there.

• Proof of delivery to the carrier. The seller must provide the buyer with proof that the goods were handed off to the designated carrier.

• Export costs and clearance. The seller covers all costs associated with export customs clearance, including export packaging, export duties, taxes, and other fees charged by the export terminal and country of origin.

Under some Incoterms, the seller, buyer, or both are required to carry insurance to cover the portion of the shipping journey over which they assume risk. Under an FCA agreement, there is no such requirement on either the seller or the buyer, but either may elect to do so for the segment over which they bear the shipping risk.

Advantages

A seller enjoys several advantages under an FCA agreement, including:

• Limited liability. The seller’s responsibilities end once the goods are delivered to the carrier at the named place.

• Reduced shipping costs. The seller does not pay for the main carriage—often the single greatest expense in a transaction—beyond the cost of the goods themselves.

• Export control. The seller maintains control over the export clearance, usually in the seller’s country, where they’re familiar with local export requirements, regulations, and processes.

Disadvantages

FCA poses a few disadvantages for sellers, including:

• Reduced control. Once goods are handed off to the carrier, the seller has little say over how they’re handled or transported.

• Some loading charges. The seller remains liable for the cost of loading the goods if the named place is the seller’s own place of business.

• Administrative burden. Because the seller must handle all export clearances and associated paperwork, they can incur significant administrative costs.

Buyers and FCA

Under an FCA agreement, the buyer’s obligations are as follows:

• Carrier selection. The buyer chooses the carrier that accepts the goods from the seller at the named place and transports them to the final destination.

• Carriage, transportation, and terminal costs. The buyer pays the carrier to pick up the goods from the named place and deliver them to the buyer’s premises, whether that’s a warehouse or storefront.

• Transport from seller’s premises (if applicable). If the named place is the seller’s place of business, the buyer must cover the costs of transporting the goods from the named place to the export terminal and any loading charges there.

• Import clearance. The buyer is responsible for covering costs for all import customs formalities, including import duties, taxes, and terminal charges.

• Transport from the import terminal to the buyer’s premises. The buyer pays to unload the goods at the destination port, and is responsible for arranging local transport to their premises.

Advantages

From a cost standpoint, FCA agreements tend to favor sellers, but there are a few advantages for buyers too, including:

• Carrier control. The buyer chooses the carrier or shipping line, and usually can more easily track and manage scheduling. This control also enables buyers to consolidate shipments from multiple nearby suppliers into a single load, improving efficiency.

• Optimized shipping costs. Because buyers select the carriers and are responsible for a bigger portion of the shipping costs, they can negotiate freight rates and potentially obtain better pricing than a seller.

• Customs efficiency. Because sellers manage export clearance in their own country, where they’re familiar with local regulations, buyers can defer to the seller’s existing knowledge and avoid navigating foreign export formalities.

Disadvantages

The buyer’s disadvantages under an FCA agreement might include:

• Carriage and transport costs. The buyer arranges and pays for all the main transportation logistics, from the named place onward. And because the named place is often the seller’s place of business, the buyer can wind up covering nearly all transport costs throughout the shipping journey.

• Earlier assumption of risk. The buyer assumes responsibility over the goods the moment they’re handed over to the carrier at the named place—often early in the shipping process, sometimes even at the seller’s own premises.

• Administrative burden. Import clearance is the buyer’s responsibility, as are the costs for inspections, duties, and taxes.

When are FCA agreements used?

FCA agreements are commonly used when buyers order bulk quantities delivered by containerized cargo and want greater control over the shipment. They might want greater control of the shipping logistics process for various reasons, such as when goods are high in value, fragile, or tied to time-sensitive commitments with their customers.

An experienced buyer of certain goods might also have established relationships with carriers, enabling them to secure more favorable freight rates. High volume buyers, in particular, are often well-positioned to negotiate discounts.

What is a stock keeping unit (SKU)?

A stock keeping unit—or SKU for short—is a code that helps ecommerce sellers identify products in their inventory. SKUs are usually made up of 8 to 10 letters and numbers. They make it easier to keep track of stock throughout the selling process.

To have the most accurate view of your inventory, each product you sell should have its own SKU. SKUs can be also associated with specific features like size, color, price, manufacturer, and more.

How SKUs work in ecommerce

SKUs don’t always appear on product listings, but they play an important part in the selling journey. SKUs are especially helpful for inventory management. When a customer buys one of your products, the SKU can be used to record and remove it from your inventory. By using these unique identifiers for each of your products, you can more accurately track how much you have in stock, when you need to restock certain products, and even identify popular sellers.

If you’re an Amazon seller, your SKUs can be used to connect your Amazon product listings and inventory with your own inventory records. This helps customers get the most accurate view of what’s available for purchase. And if you’re a reseller, SKUs can be an important part of your inventory management because they help you track all the different kinds of products you offer.

If you work with a third-party storage or fulfillment service provider, product SKUs can also help them understand the logistics of your business and how much space and resources are needed to support your inventory and sales.

Benefits of using SKUs

SKUs are a key part of your selling journey. They can:

• Keep your inventory organized: SKUs make it easy to get a full view of your inventory at a glance. You can monitor what you have in stock, know when it’s time to reorder popular products, and track products across every step. Having this granular view of your inventory can cut down on errors and issues like phantom stock, so you don’t run out of products without realizing it.
• Enhance your customer’s shopping experience: Having a clearer view of your inventory means you can provide the most current selection to customers. This can help them make purchasing decisions when an item starts to run low because it helps notify them when to stock up on their favorite products. SKUs also help you stay on top of reorders so you never run out of customer must-haves.
• Help you plan ahead: You can use SKUs to prepare for busy seasons, sales, and marketing opportunities. For example, if you sell a product that’s about to be discontinued, you can use data related to your inventory to help you launch a flash sale and promote it across social media to help drive sales. Or if you offer a seasonal product that routinely sells out, using SKU data can help you determine how much you need to reorder to prepare for your busy season—and how soon.
• Help in efficient shipping: While making sales is important, fulfilling is also an important part of the process. As you track each product through the selling journey, SKUs can help you see what’s ready for shipping, what’s already shipped, and what may be experiencing an issue so you can troubleshoot accordingly.
• Support third-party service providers and fulfillment services: By sharing your inventory data with your service providers, you help ensure everyone is aware of your inventory and capable of providing the level of service customers expect.

If you sell a small number of products, you may not need to assign SKUs until you expand. But if you have an extensive inventory, assigning SKUs to your products can help set you up for selling success.

SKU vs. product ID or GTIN

A SKUs isn’t the only code connected to a product. There are also product IDs or Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs). A GTIN is often found above or below the barcode on a product. These numbers are different from a SKU and identify your product across separate businesses.

The most common product IDs or GTINs are:

• Universal Product Code (UPC): A standard identifying code connected to a product.
• International Standard Book Number (ISBN): A product identifier specifically for books, and connected to its publication date.
• European Article Number (EAN): Also known as an international article number, this code is assigned to products in Europe.
• Japanese Article Number (JAN): Also referred to as an international article number, this code is assigned to products in Japan.

SKUs are sometimes confused with UPCs and other GTINs, but these codes serve different purposes. A SKU is used for internal inventory management and tracking and is connected to a specific business. A UPC is a standard number that’s connected to a product no matter who is selling it. For example, let’s say you and a competitor sell the same product. You and the other seller would have different SKU numbers for that product, but it would have the same UPC.

You’ll usually need a GTIN to create new listings for products in the Amazon store, and they can also help you match your products to listings when they are already part of the Amazon catalog.

Review GTIN requirements by product category

How SKUs work when selling on Amazon

SKUs are important for managing and tracking your own inventory, but they help Amazon track products too. Amazon uses SKUs to connect your units to the product detail page in our catalog. When you enter or upload a SKU, Amazon creates a record for it.

To ensure your products are properly accounted for, it’s important that:

• You have a separate SKU for every product in your inventory
• Your existing SKUs remain unchanged, unless you delete the product

If you’re a direct-to-consumer—or DTC—seller, you may not have SKUs for your products. You may not need SKUs for your products until you’re ready to expand your inventory and reach.

You don’t need to create SKUs to sell your products in the Amazon store. You can add products to our catalog using an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) or GTIN, and we’ll create and assign a SKU on your behalf. You can also create your own SKUs when you list your products for sale in the Amazon store.

SKU vs. Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN)

If you’re planning to sell with Amazon, you should know about the Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) and how it’s different from a SKU. An ASIN is a combination of 10 letters and numbers that is assigned to a product by Amazon. Each Amazon product listing has a unique ASIN. This helps Amazon keep track of all products that appear in our catalog and optimize pages for search.

Most products on Amazon have an ASIN, GTIN, and SKU, but only the SKU is used for your internal inventory.

How to create and manage SKUs for Amazon sales

To create a unique SKU for a product:

1. Log in to your Amazon selling account.
2. From the main menu, click Catalog, then click Add Products.
3. Enter the product’s GTIN, ASIN, or name in the search bar, then click Search.
4. If the product is already a part of the Amazon catalog, find and select it from the search results. Then follow the prompts and enter the SKU information in the SKU field, along with offer details in other fields.
5. If the product isn’t in the Amazon catalog, click Create a new listing on the search results page. Then choose a product category and fill out each relevant field with information about your product, including the SKU.

To manage products by SKU:

1. Log in to your Amazon selling account.
2. From the main menu, click Inventory, then click Manage All Inventory.
3. On the Manage Inventory page, you’ll see all your active product SKUs and can organize and access related product information.

Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult challenges in all of sports. The batter needs to read what kind of pitch it is, gauge where the ball will end up, and decide if it will be hittable, all within a matter of milliseconds. There are a few things that can result in a missed hit—a surprising pitch, a noise, a misread, a gust of wind—but one thing that will guarantee the batter doesn’t hit the baseball is deciding not to swing.

Fear of failure works the same way. Hesitating or worrying that you might fail guarantees missed opportunities. Luckily, the fear of failure is something we can recognize and overcome. As hockey legend Wayne Gretzky—and The Office’s Michael Scott—once said, “You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”

Let’s dive into how you can reduce your fear of failure, replace it with an innate sense of curiosity about what lies ahead for you, and regain the confidence to try new things.

How does fear of failure manifest?

Fear of failure can present itself in various ways, and it often pairs with low confidence or high self-doubt. Here are just a few of the ways this can manifest:

• Procrastination. If incessantly putting important tasks off is a part of your daily life, it may be a sign that you fear failure. Some people might simply just not want to work, but it’s also possible that you’re pushing a task back over and over so you don’t have to face failure once you give it a real try.

• Avoidance. Similar to procrastination, outright avoidance can signal a fear of failing. You may find yourself avoiding taking on challenging projects that you’re actually interested in.

• Negative self-talk. The voice in your head telling you that you aren’t good enough or that you can’t succeed can be a sign of the fear of failure. One cognitive behavioral therapy technique you can use here is to begin assessing why this inner critic of yours feels the need to weigh in on everything you do.

• Fixating on the worst-case scenario. Though many small business owners and entrepreneurs are great at preparing for the worst, worrying about failure can manifest as a true fixation on a catastrophic outcome. You might become so trapped in analysis paralysis that you never even truly get started.

• Downplaying goals and desires. People who feel afraid to fail may adjust their lives accordingly and shrink their goals, so that they don’t have to confront the possibility of failure. This is a form of self-sabotage.

• Panic attacks. Though panic attacks result from all sorts of stress and anxiety, an extreme fear of failure is a common cause. Physical symptoms include increased heart rate, chest tightness, trouble breathing, and feeling an impending sense of doom.

What causes fear of failure?

• Perfectionism
• Past experiences
• Comparison
• Conditional self-worth

Circumstances might trigger a person’s fear of failure, like a job interview or a big marketing deadline. But for these to trigger someone in the first place, there’s often a root cause. Here are a few of the underlying issues that can cause a fear of failure:

Perfectionism

The fear of failure and perfectionism are not the same thing, but they often go together: An insistence on perfection can lead to a fear of failure. If you’re too fixated on making something perfect, the worry that you’ll fall short can hinder you from making anything at all. As the saying goes, “Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good.”

Past experiences

Most people have experienced an embarrassment or a scarring failure of one sort or another in their lives. For some, the memories of that situation trigger a fear response related to repeating that past mistake. Whether it happened at a young age or more recently, dealing with these experiences can be hard to do. Still, it’s important to remember that the present is not the past, and you can learn from those past failures to avoid similar future scenarios.

Comparison

Social media saturates our lives, so it’s easier than ever to compare ourselves to everyone on our feeds. It’s important to remember that those comparisons aren’t just counterproductive, they can also lead to negative thoughts and cognitive distortions that are simply inaccurate. Whether it’s your work, your success, or personal experiences, comparison can be the thief of joy, leaving us trapped in envy instead of allowing us to experience gratitude and self-confidence.

Conditional self-worth

The American Psychological Association published a study specifying how shame, guilt, embarrassment, and pride skew our ability to self-evaluate objectively. These emotions cause us to make our self-worth contingent on external success. This kind of conditional self-worth—measuring your value by a self-imposed measure of success or failure—can be exhausting and difficult to overcome.

How to overcome the fear of failure

• Redefine success
• Write it down
• Be a novice
• Examine your fear
• Learn from mistakes
• Become more comfortable with rejection
• Don’t be afraid of “good enough”
• Update later
• Build community

If you think you might fear failure, don’t fret. There are several techniques for confronting that fear and assuaging your worries.

Redefine success

It makes sense that failure means something different for everyone. So does success. The good news is we can always move the goalposts when it comes to either.

On an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast, Aishwarya Iyer, founder of olive oil company Brightland, speaks about setting realistic goals and seeing her potential in a new light. At first, she says, she was focusing on the negative—thinking about what she didn’t have rather than considering how to use the resources she did have.

Iyer was eventually able to subvert this negative framing by shifting her expectations: The company, she says, “could either turn into something huge, or maybe I can sell a thousand bottles in eight months and I’ll be really proud of myself.” This kind of open-minded approach to taking risks and setting different ranges of goals can be a powerful way to allay the fear of failing and understand that success comes in many forms.

Write it down

If fear of failure is keeping you from taking on necessary tasks, try getting it out of your head and onto paper. Describe the situation, write about which steps you’re avoiding and why you’re worried. You may find that becoming more aware of the problem makes it less scary. If you can define what scares you, it becomes a lot easier to tackle than a nebulous cloud of anxiety in your head.

Be a novice

If you maintain a fixed mindset about who you are or what you should be able to accomplish, you’ll be at war with yourself any time you don’t measure up. By contrast, if you adopt a beginner’s mind or growth mindset, you’ll learn to view “failure” as one more opportunity to recalibrate and reframe on a path toward personal success.

National Public Radio host Ira Glass has spoken about what he calls the taste-talent gap. In short, people get interested in a new skill—whether that’s creative or entrepreneurial—because they have good taste and good ideas.

But for the first couple of years, they’re beginners. So naturally, what they’re creating is not up to the standards that got them into the skill in the first place. The only way through this taste gap is by moving forward until your work eventually catches up with your taste.

Examine your fear

Ask yourself: What are you really afraid of? According to Aishwarya, “A lot of impostor syndrome actually comes from fear. So what I started doing was really digging into what I was afraid of.” Aishwarya peeled her own fear back layer by layer, asking herself, “What am I afraid of? Disappointment. Whose disappointment?” and so on. Once she identified the source of her fear, she was able to address it and move forward with increased confidence.

Learn from mistakes

As popular YouTube Chef Wil Yeung says on an episode of Shopify Masters, “If you can take something away that’s transferable, it isn’t really a failure.” No matter what you do in life, you will fail at something at some point. A successful person tends to embrace these so-called failures as a way to learn and finds ways to apply those learnings. “What I fear most is the unfulfilled potential, the thought of getting to the end of your life and being like, ‘Man, I wish I’d tried that,’” Wil says.

Become more comfortable with rejection

What do Agatha Christie, Stephen King, and Dr. Seuss have in common? They were all rejected and written off by publishers a lot before becoming wildly successful. Rejection is often a scary prospect that we are not well-prepared for, but it’s also a natural part of finding the right audiences and partnerships.

Instead of seeing each rejection as an indictment of your worth or a reason to lack confidence, focus on the lessons you can learn and use rejections to refine your product, partnerships, and requests.

Don’t be afraid of “good enough”

If you run a small business, perfection can be the enemy of doing anything at all. For example, if you’re working on a new product, it’s healthy to want the mailer envelopes to be beautiful. But if a small detail like that is holding up the release of the product, consider living with the good—not perfect—envelopes as a first step.

Update later

Most decisions aren’t permanent—remember that you can adjust and refine your work and decisions as you learn more or have greater bandwidth. For example, you may need a website banner, but does it need to be designed for posterity? You can likely put something up, see whether it’s working, and update it later—don’t let the fear of making the wrong choice keep you from acting at all.

Build community

No business lives in a vacuum. Commerce is all about the relationships between people: customers, business owners, distributors, and competitors. One of the strongest tools you have for self-improvement and confronting challenges is your ability to work through problems with your community. If you’re worried about failing at something, talk to somebody who has already failed at it and figure out how they ultimately succeeded.

Michelle K. Hanabusa left her corporate job to find out how she could utilize her skills for something bigger. She was passionate about using fashion to make a statement, so she got a group of creative people together to make a t-shirt that said “American Made” and took photos of more than 500 people wearing the shirt all over the US.

“People gravitated toward that shirt because it let them share their own story,” Michelle says. “That was the moment I realized how powerful clothing could be.”

What began as a portrait campaign using a single t-shirt evolved into a purpose-driven streetwear brand that partners with national retailers, funds community impact, and uplifts underrepresented voices.

Here’s how Uprisers turned grassroots storytelling into a movement—and the lessons entrepreneurs can take from Michelle’s journey.

1. Let your values guide your products

From the beginning, Uprisers focused on putting people first and telling stories its team is passionate about. That approach led to campaigns like Hate Is a Virus, which began as a response to racially motivated violence in 2019 and 2020. “We couldn’t just sit here as a brand and not do or say anything,” Michelle says.

Michelle gathered her team to talk about how they might be able to use their skills to raise awareness. They came up with the slogan Hate Is a Virus and launched a brand with a line of t-shirts. The phrase went viral, and there was enough support to eventually spin it off into its own nonprofit organization to continue the mission of educating people on advocacy and activism, especially for the Asian American community.

2. Rethink your marketing channels

In 2025, Uprisers made a bold move: It announced a full departure from social media. Instead, the brand will focus on longform storytelling through YouTube and its newsletter.

Why the shift? Michelle says the 15-second format couldn’t capture the depth of the stories they wanted to tell—especially as the brand launches its 1924 campaign spotlighting immigrant voices. “We’re building a home for our stories—not chasing algorithms,” Michelle says.

She advises building marketing channels with intention. Make sure your platform matches your content and your community, even if that means going against the grain.

3. Use partnerships to scale your mission

Uprisers has worked with brands like PacSun to give back. With PacSun, the brand launched an annual family drive that mobilizes hundreds of volunteers to pack meals and host wellness and kids events. The event also raises money for several nonprofits by selling streetwear designed for the event.

To make a larger impact, Michelle says founders need to go beyond finding individual customers that support your cause. “It’s also about finding companies that are also aligned and can amplify this work,” Michelle says.

With the help of strategic retail and brand partnerships, Uprisers has donated more than $300,000 to various nonprofits.

Uprisers continues to find bigger and bigger opportunities to spread its message. The brand has built a Family Mart booth at ComplexCon, one of the biggest streetwear conventions in the US, and sold its clothing at the Coachella music festival.

“At the end of the day, we’re not just a clothing brand,” Michelle says. “We’re in service to our community.”

To learn more about Uprisers and how Michelle collaborates with community and brand partners, listen to the full interview on Shopify Masters.

After enrolling in Amazon Brand Registry, you can use Brand Registry roles to affiliate other Amazon accounts with your brand. You can use roles to give other Brand Registry accounts access to user-permission settings. You can also give Amazon selling accounts the ability to unlock tools and programs for creating branded product listings, running branded promotions, and much more.

There are two different sets of Brand Registry roles: protection roles and selling roles. What’s the difference? How do they work, and what are the step-by-step instructions for assigning them? In this post, we’ll answer these questions and more. Let’s dive in:

• What are Brand Registry protection roles?
• How do you assign protection roles?
• What are Brand Registry selling roles?
• How do you assign selling roles?

What are Brand Registry protection roles?

A protection role defines the relationship of a Brand Registry account with a brand and enables protection benefits. Those benefits include tools like Report a Violation, which can be used to notify Amazon of suspected counterfeits and other types of infringement.

There are three types of protection roles: Rights Owner, Administrator, and Registered Agent.

Rights Owner

The Rights Owner role is automatically assigned to the account of a trademark owner who successfully enrolls a brand in Brand Registry. Accounts with this role have access to the Report a Violation tool and other protection benefits. The Rights Owner role can be updated anytime by a brand Administrator.

Administrator

Like the Rights Owner role, the Administrator role is automatically assigned to the account of a trademark owner who successfully enrolls a brand in Brand Registry. Accounts with this role can manually assign and update protection and selling roles for a brand. That includes assigning the Administrator role to additional Brand Registry accounts so that a brand has more than one.

Registered Agent

The Registered Agent role is for third parties who have authorization from a trademark owner to report suspected IP violations on behalf of a brand. They have access to the Report a Violation tool. A brand Administrator can manually assign and update the Registered Agent role for affiliated Brand Registry accounts.

Learn more about protection roles (Seller Central login required)

How do you assign protection roles?

An Administrator can assign protection roles by following these steps:

1. Log in to your Brand Registry account.
2. Hover over the gear icon at the top of the page, then select User Permissions. From the User Permissions tool, select Invite a user to your brand.
3. Enter the email address for the Brand Registry account you want to affiliate, as well as the contact’s name and preferred language.
4. Select the brand you want to affiliate with the contact.
5. Choose the store where the contact will sign in to access their Brand Registry account.
6. Check the boxes next to the role or roles that you want to assign to the contact.
7. Select the Send invitation button.

The contact will receive an email that they can use to accept the invitation. With the Administrator role, you can use this process to invite as many contacts to a brand as you’d like.

Note that to receive an invitation, the contact must first have a Brand Registry account. If they don’t have one, ask them to create one. If they have an Amazon selling account, they should create a Brand Registry account with the same credentials they use to log in to Seller Central. Using the same username and password links a user’s selling and Brand Registry accounts.

Administrators can return to the User Permissions tool anytime to review and manage roles:

• Find a list of pending invitations by selecting Open invitations.
• Accept or reject a request, if someone has reached out proactively to request a role assignment.
• Update an affiliated Brand Registry account by selecting the Manage button next to the account, then adding or removing access using the check boxes.

Log in to assign protection roles

What are Brand Registry selling roles?

A selling role defines the relationship of a seller with a brand and can be assigned to a selling account to unlock eligibility for brand selling benefits. Those benefits include Brand Stores and A+ Content, which can help brands boost awareness and conversion for their products. A selling role also gives a seller the ability to create new listings for a brand.

There are two types of Brand Registry selling roles: Brand Representative and Reseller.

Brand Representative

The Brand Representative role is for internal, first-party sellers who are directly employed by the brand. When a trademark owner uses the same credentials to create their Brand Registry and Seller Central accounts, this role is automatically assigned to their Seller Central account after they successfully enroll their brand in Brand Registry. The Brand Representative role can also be manually assigned by a brand Administrator to additional selling accounts. It unlocks the full suite of benefits available to a brand within the Brands section of the Seller Central main menu. Those benefits include programs and tools that can surface potentially sensitive information and data about a brand, like Amazon Brand Analytics. So be sure to use discretion when assigning this role.

Reseller

The Reseller role is for external, third-party sellers who are authorized to sell a brand’s goods and services in the Amazon store. It can be manually assigned by the brand Administrator to distributors, manufacturers, or others who have a selling agreement with the brand and an Amazon selling account. The Reseller role unlocks brand selling benefits, but on a limited basis. For example, this role doesn’t grant access to Brand Analytics. This restriction helps protect the brand’s private information while allowing eligible third parties to create new listings, promote the brand’s products, and more.

Learn more about selling roles (Seller Central login required)

The availability of Brand Registry benefits can vary based on the countries or regions where you want to sell, but each selling role unlocks eligibility for tools and programs to help list, manage, and promote products. These include:

• A+ Content: Enhance product detail pages with videos, shoppable comparison charts, and more.
• Brand Stores: Build an immersive, multi-page shopping experience with a dedicated ecommerce storefront.
• Sponsored Brands: Run cost-per-click (CPC) ads to bring more visibility to a brand’s offerings.

Eligible Brand Representatives can test product detail page content, create virtual bundles, offer subscription-based savings for customers, and more. If you qualify for Transparency and Project Zero, enrolling in these programs can help protect you and customers from counterfeits and other types of IP infringement.

Explore brand selling benefits

How do you assign selling roles?

The Administrator for a brand can use these steps to assign selling roles:

1. Log in to your Brand Registry account and hover over Manage on the Brand Registry homepage, then select Manage selling accounts.
2. Select the Connect a selling account button.
3. Choose the type of selling role (Reseller or Brand Representative) that you want to assign.
4. Specify the selling account you’d like to connect. Either select your own account from the dropdown list, or select Other account. If you select Other account, provide a merchant token for the seller. A merchant token is a unique identifier that the seller can find in their selling account.
5. Choose the relevant brand, then select Connect a selling account.

This will send an invitation to the seller via email. After the seller accepts the invitation, the selling role will display as active in the Connected tab of the Manage selling accounts page.

If you have the brand Administrator role, you can invite as many selling accounts as you’d like. You can also review and manage the brand’s open invitations and assigned selling roles by returning to the Manage selling accounts page anytime. If a seller proactively requests brand selling benefits, their request will appear on the Requests tab of the Manage selling accounts page, where the Administrator can assign or decline requests.

Log in to Brand Registry to assign selling roles

Assign and manage Brand Registry roles

With user permission settings and roles, you’re ready to affiliate accounts and allow trusted contacts to start unlocking a suite of brand-building tools and protection benefits. Once you’ve assigned roles, you and your team can work together to:

• List new products individually and in bulk
• Increase brand visibility using advertising solutions like CPC ads
• Connect with customers and expand your reach

We also recommend signing up for a Professional selling plan to make use of the full range of benefits available to sellers in the Amazon store.

Generating accurate monthly financial reports depends directly on a well-executed month-end close. This accounting procedure aims to verify financial transactions, identify and correct discrepancies, and produce financial statements reflecting your company’s financial performance during the previous month.

Each step of a month-end close directly impacts the financial accuracy and timeliness of the information you’ll ultimately use to make crucial business decisions. Using a month-end close checklist that includes a few best practices is a great way to make your monthly closing process consistent and efficient.

What is the month-end close?

The month-end close is an important accounting procedure that companies perform at the end of each month to finalize and “close” their financial records for the previous month. It’s a systematic process of reviewing, documenting, and reconciling all financial transactions that took place before starting the next accounting period.

A monthly closing process ensures accurate reporting, increases your company’s efficiency, and helps you identify errors and mitigate fraud risk, all while creating a clear audit trail.

Month-end close checklist for small-business owners

1. Collect all financial information and record transactions
2. Reconcile accounts
3. Review and adjust entries
4. Prepare monthly financial statements
5. Analyze financial performance
6. Perform final review and approve

A typical month-end close involves collecting and recording all your business transactions before reconciling accounts and reviewing entries. You can also prepare financial statements and analyze your financial performance before performing a final review and approving the month-end close. Here’s how:

1. Collect all financial information and record transactions

This includes gathering data on income (revenue payments received), expenses (supplier invoices, payments made), and other financial activities. Your data will likely come from various sources, including sales records, bank statements, vendor invoices, payroll information, and more.

Make sure every transaction is entered in your accounting system, paying attention to correct dates, accurate amounts, proper categorization of income and expenses, and clear descriptions. You may find it helpful to create recurring month-end journal entries for routine expenses, such as lease payments, internet service, and software subscriptions.

2. Reconcile accounts

Compare each transaction on your bank statement to the corresponding entry in your cash account to identify and resolve any discrepancies, such as outstanding checks, deposits in transit, bank charges and fees, and interest earned. Common reconciliations include bank, petty cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable, inventory, and other balance sheet accounts such as prepaid expenses, accrued liabilities, and fixed assets.

3. Review and adjust entries

Review your accounts for any unusual items or errors and make any necessary adjustments. This can include accruals, recognizing revenue earned or expenses incurred that aren’t yet recorded in cash transactions. Deferrals—adjusting for revenue and expenses that have been received or paid in advance but not yet earned or incurred—are also included.

Don’t forget to recognize and record expenses related to the value depreciation of any long-term assets (such as equipment that will eventually need replacing) over time.

4. Prepare monthly financial statements

Once all transactions are recorded, reconciled, and adjusted, you can prepare your financial statements. This includes your profit and loss statements, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. If you’re using accounting software, you can easily generate these reports and customize them as needed.

5. Analyze financial performance

Next, you can analyze these prepared financial statements to understand the financial health of your business, identify trends, and compare your actual performance against your goals. During this step, you may want to meet with your business’s accountant for any feedback or insights they have after reviewing your statements.

6. Perform final review and approve

Whether you are working on your own or need to consult with external experts or in-house finance teams, the final step on your month-end close checklist is to approve your financial statements to complete the monthly closing process. After the account statements are reviewed, the books can be officially “closed” for the month, meaning no further transactions can or will be recorded for that period.

Month-end close best practices

• Set realistic deadlines and stick to them
• Reconcile key accounts early
• Review and analyze, don’t just process
• Clearly document any entry adjustments
• Automate repetitive tasks
• Establish a review and approval process
• Maintain accurate financial records throughout the month

There are a few month-end close best practices that will give you the most accurate and efficient closing every time:

Set realistic deadlines and stick to them

Figure out a reasonable time frame for completing your month-end closing process (e.g., within the first few business days of the following month) and stick to it. Keeping a schedule means that every month, you’ll have timely financial insights for the many ongoing decisions involved in running your small business.

To determine your target closing schedule, ask yourself how quickly you need each month’s financial data to make informed business decisions. Track the progress of each task on your checklist, and if certain steps consistently cause delays, try to identify the root cause behind the delay and find a solution.

Reconcile key accounts early

Avoid waiting until the very end of the monthly closing process to reconcile your critical accounts (such as your bank accounts, accounts receivable, and accounts payable). Performing these reconciliations early in the process allows more time to investigate and resolve any discrepancies, which is often a time-consuming process.

Prioritize bank reconciliation to keep your cash balance accurate, and identify and resolve issues with customer payments early to improve your cash flow. Reconcile your accounts payable to understand your obligations and plan for upcoming invoice payments.

Review and analyze, don’t just process

The month-end close isn’t just about ticking boxes. Take the time to review your monthly financial statements and company metrics. Compare the current period to past periods, and analyze actual performance against your budget. Look for trends, anomalies, and areas that require attention.

Taking the time to analyze the information is how you gain valuable insights into your company’s performance. Keep an ongoing record of your observations, findings, and any questions that arise during your monthly reviews.

Clearly document any entry adjustments

Any needed entry adjustments (accruals, deferrals, etc.) need to be well-documented. This provides an audit trail and makes it easier to understand your financial results in the future. For every adjusting entry, provide a clear and concise explanation of why the adjustment is being made (e.g., to record accrued salaries for the last week of the month).

Link each adjusting entry to the relevant supporting documents, such as payroll reports for accrued salaries and vendor invoices for accrued expenses. Clearly outline how the adjustment amount was calculated, and always include the date it was made.

Automate repetitive tasks

Accounting software like QuickBooks Online or Xero often includes features such as recurring journal entries for predictable monthly expenses like rent or insurance, automated reconciliations, and report generation. This sort of accounting automation saves time and reduces your risk of manual errors. To figure out what you might be able to automate, look for manual processes that are performed every month, such as recording incoming cash and regular expenses, and generating recurring invoices.

Establish a review and approval process

Whether you have a financial or accounting team in-house or work with an outside bookkeeper or accountant, implement a process for reviewing and approving your month-end close before finalizing associated reports. Specify which aspects of the month-end close will be reviewed (e.g., reconciliations, adjusting entries, financial statements, etc.).

This adds a layer of oversight and helps catch potential errors. The reviewer should document their findings, any questions or concerns, and whether they approved the month-end close.

Maintain accurate financial records throughout the month

Your month-end close will run significantly smoother when you record transactions and organize supporting documentation throughout the month. Don’t let expense receipts, invoices, and other financial documents pile up. Enter them into your accounting system as soon as possible. Use clear and consistent names for customers, vendors, and accounts. Whenever possible, attach digital copies of invoices and expense receipts to the corresponding transactions in your accounting system.

Expanding your product catalog can help you reach more customers and increase sales. One way to expand your catalog is to list and sell generic products—but listing generic products also comes with some important nuances.

There are specific requirements and conditions when you list generic products in the Amazon store. Understanding what counts as a generic product and how to list them properly can save you time and help you avoid common errors. It’s also important to consider whether listing a product as generic is the right long-term strategy, or if it makes more sense for you to create a brand and list your products in the Amazon store using your brand name.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What generic products are
• What the Amazon Generic Product policy and guidelines are
• How to list generic products in the Amazon store
• How to resolve generic product listing errors
• How to create generic product listings that stand out

What are generic products?

Generic products are products that don’t belong to any identifiable brand and are sometimes called “unbranded products.” A generic product doesn’t have a distinctive name or logo on the product or its packaging. For example, a plain mobile phone case without any branding would be considered a generic product.

Generic vs. branded products

Generic and branded products have different strategic advantages.

Generic products work well when you’re selling truly unbranded merchandise without logos or other identifiers. These products can help you reach price-conscious customers, expand into commodity categories quickly, and often have fewer listing requirements. Generic products also typically face less competition since each seller creates their own unique listing in the Amazon store.

Consider listing generic products when:

• You source merchandise without any branding—for example, a plain white t-shirt without any logo qualifies as generic, but a shirt with even a small brand tag must use that brand name
• Your products compete primarily on price and basic functionality
• You offer commodity items where brand recognition offers limited value

Branded products can offer distinct advantages for businesses focused on differentiation. Long term, they can also build customer loyalty and command premium prices. As an Amazon seller, you can enroll eligible brands in Amazon Brand Registry, which provides protection benefits and access to selling tools like Sponsored Brands and Amazon Brand Analytics.

Consider branded products when:

• Building brand recognition is important to your strategy
• Your product category depends heavily on trust and reputation
• You want to use Amazon brand-exclusive marketing tools

Learn how to sell branded products with Amazon

Understand the Amazon Generic Product policy and important guidelines

The Amazon Generic Product policy creates special protections for unbranded products listed with “generic” as the brand name. When you create a generic product listing, only you can modify it or add offers to it—other sellers have to create their own separate listing.

Key policy rules and guidelines to remember:

• Once you set “generic” as the brand name, it cannot be changed.
• To brand a product that’s been listed as generic, you must create an entirely new listing—even if the product remains physically identical after being branded.
• Using another brand’s intellectual property in your generic listing violates Amazon policy.
• Only the creator can modify generic listings or add offers to them.
• If you want to sell a product similar to another seller’s generic product, you must create your own new listing.
• Attempting to modify another seller’s generic listing can trigger errors 5885, 5886, or 5887.

Remember, a key aspect of the Amazon Generic Product policy is that each seller creates and updates their own listing for a generic product, rather than sharing a common product detail page. That means customers may have to find and review multiple detail pages in order to compare your offer with offers from other Amazon sellers.

List generic products in the Amazon store

Understanding how to correctly list generic products helps customers find what they need and keeps your account compliant with Amazon policy.

Comply with these guidelines

Do:

• Use “generic” only for truly unbranded products.
• Create detailed descriptions that help customers understand exactly what they’re buying.
• Include clear images showing the unbranded nature of your product.

Don’t:

• Use “generic” for products with any visible branding, even if it’s minimal.
• Try to modify another seller’s generic product listing.
• Attempt to change a product from “generic” to branded after listing.

Create a new generic product listing in 5 steps

To create a new generic product listing in the Amazon store, follow these steps:

1. From the main menu in Seller Central, select Catalog, then Add Products.
2. Choose the Blank form tab, then Start, and enter the product details.
3. In the brand name field, type “generic” in all lowercase letters.
4. Upload clear images of the unbranded product.
5. Finish adding details, review all information, and submit.

Learn how to create Amazon product listings

Request GTIN exemptions in 3 steps

For products without unique identifiers like UPCs, you’ll need to request a GTIN exemption before listing. Here’s how:

1. When you enter product details, select I don’t have a product ID and select Next. If an exemption is required, you’ll see the Apply now button.
2. Complete the application form with product images showing all sides of your unbranded product.
3. Submit and wait for approval—usually within 48 hours.

You’ll need a separate approval for each product category you want to sell in.

Create new listings when switching between generic and branded

If you decide to add branding to a previously unbranded product, you must create an entirely new product listing. Brand changes from generic to branded can’t be made on existing listings. This requirement helps maintain listing integrity and prevent customer confusion.

Resolve listing errors for generic products

Have you tried to add offers to a generic product listing and received an error? Here’s how to navigate them.

Understand common generic product listing errors

When you try to modify or add offers to another seller’s generic product listing, you may see one of these error codes:

• Error 5882: This error appears when you try to create a generic product listing that might infringe on a brand’s intellectual property.
• Error 5885: This error shows up when you try to change a generic product detail page, add offers to another seller’s generic product, or copy the product detail page to another store. This error can be appealed by contacting Seller Support with specific information, including product title, SKU, ASIN, and images showing the product is genuinely unbranded.
• Errors 5886 and 5887: These errors indicate that changes to another seller’s generic product listing are not allowed. These errors can’t be appealed. If you encounter them, you’ll need to create your own new product listing instead of trying to modify an existing one.

Learn about error messages related to the Amazon Generic Product policy

How to resolve generic product listing errors

Listing errors aren’t just roadblocks—they can help you create better listings. Learn about common errors, why they happen, and how to resolve them quickly, including errors 5882, 5885, 5886, and 5887. Read How to fix (and avoid) Amazon listing errors.

Create standout generic product listings

Great generic product listings help customers find exactly what they’re looking for. Here’s how to make your unbranded products stand out in the Amazon store:

Double-check your product before listing

Make sure your product truly qualifies as generic before using “generic” as the brand name. Once you create a listing with “generic” as the brand, you can’t change it later, and no other sellers can modify your listing.

Choose the right category

Put your generic product in the most appropriate category. This helps customers find your product when browsing or filtering search results. Better categorization can improve your product’s visibility.

Write detailed descriptions with key attributes

Be specific about your product’s features, dimensions, materials, and uses. Since generic products don’t have brand recognition, detailed descriptions help customers make informed decisions. Emphasize important features like size, color, material quality, and special functions. For example, instead of saying “phone case,” specify “clear silicone phone case with reinforced corners for a specific phone model.”

Mention compatibility when relevant

If your generic product works with branded products, clearly say this in your description. Remember to still use “generic” as the brand name—not the name of the compatible brand. For example, you can mention that your generic product is “compatible with Amazon Basics” but can’t claim it “is Amazon Basics.”

Use high-quality images

Clear, professional images help customers understand exactly what they’re buying. Include multiple angles that clearly show your product has no branding. This practice builds trust and reduces returns.

Reach more customers with generic products

Generic products offer a way to expand your catalog and connect with more customers in the Amazon store.

To get started, identify unbranded products in your inventory and create clear, detailed listings with high-quality images. And follow the Amazon Generic Product policy to help maintain the integrity of your listings while making it easier for customers to distinguish between similar unbranded products.

Review your inventory today and create your first generic product listing to start reaching more customers in the Amazon store.

*A Professional selling plan is $39.99 a month + selling fees. Learn more

If you ship products to customers, you know how hard it can be to reduce shipping costs, especially for merchants selling bulky items like suitcases, body pillows, or furniture.

Since shipping carriers consider the size of packages as well as their weight, you might be paying for the volume of the box rather than the actual weight of the contents, leading to surprisingly steep shipping costs. For businesses trying to maintain competitive prices and healthy profit margins, understanding and mitigating the dimensional weight pricing structure is absolutely critical.

Learn how dimensional weight differs from physical weight, how to calculate it, and how you can reduce dimensional weight to lower your shipping costs.

What is dimensional weight?

Dimensional weight, also known as DIM weight or volumetric weight, is a pricing technique that shipping carriers use to determine billable weight based on size in relation to the package’s actual weight.

Shipping carriers calculate DIM weight by multiplying a package’s length, width, and height and dividing that by a dimensional factor (DIM factor) chosen by a shipping carrier.

The DIM factor is used by shipping carriers to convert a package’s volume into a chargeable weight. By using this method, carriers like UPS and FedEx can assess how much space large packages take up in delivery vehicles—even if they’re lightweight—and charge for them accordingly.

Dimensional weight vs. physical weight

Dimensional weight derives from the size of a package, while physical weight refers to the actual weight of the package (typically in pounds or ounces).

Shipping companies use DIM weight pricing for large shipments that take up a lot of space and use actual package weight pricing for small or heavy shipments.

Shipping carriers including FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service (USPS) pick the pricing structure based on which one is greater. So an ecommerce merchant selling large art prints online will likely pay for dimensional weight, especially if the prints are lightweight. Meanwhile, a merchant shipping small and heavy items like dumbbells or laptops will likely incur shipping costs based on physical weight.

How to calculate DIM weight

To calculate dimensional weight, find the cubic size of your package by multiplying its length, width, and height. Divide that product by your shipping carrier’s DIM factor. Here’s the calculation as a formula:

(Package length x width x height) / DIM factor = DIM weight

Since each shipping carrier chooses their own DIM factor, dimensional weight calculations can vary between carriers. Here’s how three of the largest shipping carriers in the US handle DIM weight calculations:

FedEx

Fedex uses a DIM factor of 139 for most shipping services. The shipping carrier picks whichever number is higher between physical weight and DIM weight, rounding up to the nearest whole number. So let’s say you have a package with the dimensions 24 by 18 by 5 inches that weighs three pounds.

The dimensional weight will be:

(24 x 18 x 5) / 139 = 15.54

Since this is more than the physical weight of three pounds, FedEx will charge for the dimensional weight. You can use FedEx’s dimensional weight calculator to estimate prices for specific shipments.

UPS

UPS applies a DIM factor of 166 for retail rates and packages that weigh less than one cubic foot. Retail rates apply to individual, non-contract customers.

For UPS retail rates the calculation will be:

(24 x 18 x 5) / 166 = 13.012

For packages over one foot from business accounts, UPS applies a DIM weight of 139 (known as daily rates), which means the same package would have a weight of 15.4 with the daily rate.

While it seems that the daily rate for businesses leads to a higher shipping cost than for individual customers, businesses often have access to discounts through their ecommerce platform or logistics partner. For example, you can opt into a program that offers exclusive discounted shipping rates like Shopify Shipping—Shopify’s built-in shipping software.

USPS

The United States Postal Service (USPS) uses a DIM factor of 166 to calculate dimensional weight, though DIM weight applies only to packages that exceed one cubic foot in size. This means a package of 24 by 18 by 5 inches, will have a dimensional weight of 13.02.

The USPS dimensional weight model applies to Priority Mail, Priority Express, Parcel Select, and USPS Ground Advantage. DIM weight does not impact packages shipped in USPS-provided flat-rate boxes or envelopes.

You can use the USPS Retail Postage Price Calculator to estimate the potential costs of your shipments.

Ways to reduce dimensional weight

• Use the correct size box
• Opt for lightweight packing material
• Maximize the use of space
• Work with a 3PL or shipping program

Following these shipping best practices can help you reduce the dimensional weight of your package:

Use the correct size box

Determine how much room your products require and choose boxes in which your products will sit comfortably but snugly. Minimizing empty space reduces DIM weight and costs.

Keep boxes in a variety of sizes to go with your product offerings and bundles. For example, if you sell dinnerware products online, you could keep different sizes of boxes based on your top sellers, like large plates, bowls, or cutting boards, and if your bestselling bundle is six soup bowls and six soup spoons, have a box size (or combination of boxes) that can accommodate both without too much empty space.

Opt for lightweight packing material

Research thin, lightweight packing material to protect products within packages. Thicker packing material like corrugated cardboard, packing peanuts, or plastic sheets can take up unnecessary space. By contrast, thinner material like thin foam sheets or a small amount of bubble wrap can protect non-fragile items without expanding DIM weight.

Maximize the use of space

If you’re handling your own order fulfillment process, try different product packaging arrangements to reduce the size of your packages. For example, you can disassemble products like furniture to make them fit into smaller boxes, or package each piece separately.

If you’re shipping non-fragile items like books or clothes, consider using an alternative lightweight packing option like poly mailers to minimize the empty space.

Work with a 3PL or shipping program

Third-party logistics (3PL) companies can help bring down the shipping cost of packages using DIM weight since they have their own shipping infrastructure and materials. 3PL companies negotiate lower rates with major carriers through high-volume contracts. They can also optimize packaging with the right-sized boxes and advanced software, minimizing wasted space. Some 3PLs also use their own regional networks, bypassing standard carriers for certain deliveries. These actions collectively lower shipping costs for their clients.

Similarly, programs like Shopify Shipping can help you get pre-negotiated discounted rates. It allows Shopify merchants to manage order fulfillment from one dashboard and get access to pre-negotiated discounted shipping rates from major carriers like FedEx and UPS.