40. Creating a Brand on Amazon: Dan Brownsher’s Strategies for Success


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Our host Eitan Koter sits down with Dan Brownsher, CEO of Channel Key, a full-service channel management marketplace agency, to discuss his journey of building a business on Amazon as well as the transition to exclusive distribution and private labeling.

Dan shares insights into the growth of Channel Key and the company’s remote work culture. The conversation also covers the market for Amazon services, competition, and alternative channels. Finally, they discuss the importance of retail media and advertising in the current landscape.

In this conversation, Dan discusses the role of data in Amazon’s business model and the opportunities for brands to leverage that data. He highlights Amazon’s vast customer data and its potential for brands to monetize that data through advertising. Dan also emphasizes the importance of retail media and the growing trend of brands building their own retail media networks. He shares insights into Amazon’s support for agency partners and the challenges and opportunities in the Amazon brand space.

Lastly, he shares a fun fact about being a certified scuba diver and diving with great white sharks.

Takeaways:

  • Amazon is becoming a data company and has access to vast amounts of customer data, making it a valuable platform for brands to leverage.
  • Retail media is a hot topic, and brands are building their own retail media networks to capitalize on the aggregation of data.
  • Amazon is increasingly viewing agency partners as strategic partners and providing them with access to beta programs and insights.
  • The valuations for Amazon brands have declined, but there are still opportunities for consolidation and acquiring assets at a lower cost.
  • Operating on fundamentals and focusing on profitability is crucial in the current e-commerce landscape.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:40 Building a Business on Amazon

06:28 Transition to Exclusive Distribution and Private Label

10:27 The Growth of Channel Key

12:41 Remote Work and Company Culture

22:17 Retail Media and Advertising

22:44 Amazon as a Data Company

23:44 Amazon’s Ads Business and Data Monetization

25:20 The Power of Data and AI

25:50 The Rise of Retail Media

27:05 Amazon’s Controlled Data Sharing

28:13 Amazon’s Support for Partners

29:33 Amazon’s Traffic and Attribution

30:22 The Role of Agencies in Accessing Amazon Data

33:23 The Challenges of Running Amazon Brands

36:00 Opportunities for Consolidation in the Amazon Brand Space

41:26 Proud Moments in Career and Building Channel Key

43:53 Fun Fact: Certified Scuba Diver and Diving with Great White Sharks

Dan’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-brownsher/

Channel Key: https://www.channelkey.com/

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