Lessons From the Front Lines: Launching Brands on Amazon

In this episode of Human in the Loop, Cameron Yoder sits down with Stephen Geary, CEO and Co-Founder of Accelerazon, an Amazon-specific marketing agency. Together, they tackle one of the biggest challenges in eCommerce today: launching and scaling a new brand on Amazon in 2025.

With Amazon’s massive marketplace becoming increasingly competitive, many brands struggle to gain traction against well-established players. Stephen breaks down the key barriers new brands face, how Amazon’s algorithm is shifting, and the strategic steps sellers can take to boost visibility, drive traffic, and ultimately win on Amazon.

Topics covered include:

✅ Why launching on Amazon is harder than ever

✅ How Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes sales history over new sellers

✅ Why new brands need a long-term mindset (Hint: You might not be profitable in 6 months!)

✅ How content, relevancy, and nimbleness can give new brands a competitive edge

✅ The evolving role of AI and technology in Amazon success

Plus, Stephen shares his top strategies for overcoming these challenges, the mistakes brands often make, and the key advantages new brands can still leverage to stand out.

Key Timestamps:

📌 [00:00] - Introduction & Why launching on Amazon is harder than ever

📌 [04:08] - The biggest barriers to success for new brands

📌 [10:00] - How Amazon’s algorithm favors established sellers

📌 [14:10] - What’s working for new brands today & key advantages they can leverage

📌 [18:17] - The role of technology & AI in scaling Amazon brands

📌 [22:30] - The most common mistakes new brands make when launching

📌 [30:02] - Why traffic generation (advertising & relevancy) is critical for new brands

📌 [36:46] - Future outlook for Amazon & what sellers need to prepare for

Key Takeaways:

🔥 Amazon’s success has made it harder for new brands – It’s a competitive landscape, with 2,300 new sellers joining daily, but only 0.1% of sellers account for half of all third-party sales.

🚀 Sales history is king – Amazon prioritizes proven sellers with strong conversion rates and sales velocity, making it difficult for new brands to rank.

🔑 Relevancy matters more than ever – Amazon’s algorithm has evolved, giving new brands a better shot if they optimize listings properly with the right keywords and content.

💡 New brands should focus on being nimble – Big brands are often slow to adapt. Smaller sellers can gain an edge by testing, iterating, and optimizing faster.

📈 Amazon is now a pay-to-play platform – Organic traffic alone won’t cut it. Brands must invest in advertisingto gain visibility and traction.

🤖 Technology is a tool, not a replacement – AI and automation can boost efficiency, but human strategy and brand identity still win the game.

Most Important Quotes:

📢 “Amazon’s success is exactly why it’s so difficult for new brands to break in. The winners keep winning, and the losers lose hard.” — Stephen Geary

📢 “Relevancy is rising in importance, but sales history is still king. If you don’t build that, you won’t rank.” — Stephen Geary

📢 “Amazon is a pay-to-play marketplace now. You cannot rely on organic growth alone—advertising is essential.” — Stephen Geary

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