When merchants evaluate Amazon as a prospect for online business, the most common approach is to sell products on the e-commerce platform.
It is certainly a fairly rewarding business idea considering that the world’s largest retailer has displayed aggressive growth, with smooth operations, innovative experiences and a widening presence across the country.
Morgan Stanley estimates that India will generate $200 billion in e-commerce sales by 2026.
But, one need not sell on Amazon to earn through it – there are a few other interesting ways to generate income through the e-commerce giant.
If you have been wondering how to make money on Amazon without selling, this article will help you understand the opportunities which one of the biggest online earning platforms has to offer.
How to earn money from Amazon without investment
1. Amazon Associates
Amazon Associates is an affiliate program that is especially suitable for content creators including bloggers and publishers who run a website or app and have significant visitors on their platform. The program helps them effectively monetise the traffic.
Amazon lets you create customised links for the thousands of products listed on the e-commerce portal and promote them on your platform.
Each time a user buys a product through this special tracking link, you earn a fixed commission. The fees differ according to each product category but can go up to 10% with the help of Amazon’s competitive conversion rates that maximise earnings.
Key features of Amazon Associates:
- Quick and easy onboarding process
- Make money online without investment
- Can operate from any geographical location
2. Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon Mechanical Turk is an ideal option if you want to earn extra money in your spare time. The company pays to complete tasks that are fairly simple and require human intervention.
While Amazon heavily employs technology for a lot of its tasks, some still need precision and can be done more efficiently by humans. You can dedicate a few hours in a day and still manage to earn an income from the comfort of your home.
The types of tasks include:
Image/video processing
- Tag objects to improve search
- Assist companies select pictures that best represent a product
- Moderate content by auditing user-uploaded images/videos
- Classify objects found in satellite imagery
Information gathering
- Answer questions about a topic
- Fill market research or survey data on different topics
- Write website content
- Find specific fields or data elements in legal/government documents
Data verification and clean-up
- Remove duplicate content from listings
- Identify incomplete product listings
- Convert unstructured data into clear addresses
Data processing
- Edit/transcribe audio content
- Translate content
- Rate the search results accuracy
- Categorise information by following the instructions
3. Kindle Direct Publishing
If you have a flair for writing, Kindle Direct Publishing helps you self-publish eBooks and paperbacks in multiple languages to directly reach Amazon’s millions of readers.
Kindle direct publishing is entirely free and your book is accessible at Kindle stores worldwide within 24 to 48 hours.
Key features of Kindle Direct Publishing:
Higher earnings: Amazon offers up to 70% royalty on sales to customers in several countries. Writers can also enrol in Kindle Direct Publishing Select to earn more money through Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
Better Control: Writers can set their own prices as well as make changes to their books anytime.
Multiple formats: Writers can publish their work in both digital(ebooks) and print (paperbacks).
It is important to note that you will need to handle the promotions and marketing by yourself since Amazon publisher services do not help with publicising, unlike other publishing houses.
4. Amazon Influencer
Amazon Influencer is a more advanced version of the affiliate program where influencers can monetise their social media channels by advertising and promoting Amazon products.
The company offers individuals the tools to do it more efficiently and even features them on the Amazon site in some cases. Influencers earn a commission when they have been able to enable a purchase.
The Amazon Influencer program allows creators to curate their personal page and build a storefront on the e-commerce platform to publish their livestreams and other shoppable images/videos.
It is necessary to have an account on either Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. Amazon verifies the fan following and engagement metrics before qualifying an influencer for the program.
How to generate income from Amazon (while selling)
Amazon has a few programs keeping in mind India-specific businesses. Here’s a quick look at them.
1. Amazon Karigar
It aims to promote the country’s handicrafts heritage by helping artisans directly sell on the platform.
Amazon offers subsidised referral fee, marketing support, personalised training and other assistance to help the artisans successfully display their products.
2. Local shops on Amazon
Local Shops on Amazon helps people who own a physical store to register it online on the platform and reach out to customers in and around their location.
Local customers are able to discover the products on Amazon faster owing to the Prime Badge.
3. Amazon Easy
The Amazon Easy program lets entrepreneurs offer assistance to people who are new to e-commerce shopping.
You get demo products to help shoppers and can earn on each order. There is also an additional income from delivering orders.
Conclusion
The opportunities on Amazon not just help with additional income but also give a first-hand experience of the digital and e-commerce world.
These additional offerings by Amazon are also an insight into how Amazon maximises its reach through creative initiatives – a strategy that can motivate every entrepreneur towards bettering their brand visibility.
Amazon’s collaborative opportunities are also a great way to grow your own brand and business.
