Internet Merchants Association

The Association for E-Commerce Merchants

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Communicate, Educate, and Network your way to e-commerce success

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IMA is now on Facebook. We welcome anyone that is involved in e-commerce to join our Facebook Group and take part in the active community there.

Upcoming education for e-commerce sellers

IMA will once again be participating in the educational sessions at the ASD show in March 2020. We are excited to welcome some new speakers and new business members!

All sessions will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on the show floor at Booth #C3133. Here are the descriptions for our upcoming sessions:

Session Start Time Session Title Session Description Speaker(s)
  SUNDAY    
10:00 AM Amazon 101: An Overview Of the Things You Need to Know to Start Selling on Amazon Tyler Nelson’s Amazon 101 session is will cover everything that you need to know to start and stay selling on Amazon and use real-world examples and stories from his own business.
    During this session, Tyler will cover the following topics:
  • The differences between merchant-fulfillment and Fulfillment by Amazon
  • An overview of the costs and numbers associated with selling on Amazon
  • An overview of Amazon-related acronyms and lingo
  • An overview of the most common inventory sourcing methods
  • An overview of common pitfalls and how to avoid being suspended on Amazon
  • An overview of tools critical to long-term success on Amazon
 Tyler Nelson
11:00 AM How to Outrank and Outsell Your Competition on Amazon In this session, Robyn Johnson, founder of Marketplace Blueprint, will share how you can decrease your advertising costs, increase your total number of reviews, and increase overall profitability.
    Some of the specific takeaways from this session will be:
  • A strategy for keyword research
  • Fundamentals for listing with flat files to access structured data
  • The importance of integrating your customer demographics and psychographics into your listing copy
  • The role of advertising and discounts in organic rankings on Amazon
  • How participation in Amazon’s special programs can help you improve your sales.
 Robyn Johnson
  LUNCH BREAK    
1:00 PM How to Avoid the Top 10 Accounting Mistakes Frequently Made by eCommerce Sellers After working with e-commerce sellers for many years, Anna has noticed and will share a pattern of accounting mistakes which sellers repeatedly make. Beyond “not knowing your numbers,” there are certain red flags that Anna will ensure you are aware of. There are important relationships between accounts that all sellers must pay attention to, and she will explain why running a business based on increasing sales is often a bad idea. More importantly, Anna will be sharing what she has noticed as the common trait of the most successful sellers. As a CPA with more than 20 years of experience, Anna helps sellers learn how to manage and grow their business by learning what to avoid and what to look out for in their books. Anna Hill
2:00 PM How to Lose Your Amazon Selling Privileges Without Trying, A Must-Know for All Sellers Selling on Amazon is challenging. As if Amazon’s many performance metrics weren’t frustrating enough, sellers must navigate bad behavior by other sellers on top of evolving compliance requirements from Amazon. This presentation will share the very latest news related to suspensions by Amazon and how to proactively protect your account. Using real examples from her clients, Cynthia brings a wealth of insider experience to her presentations that have helped thousands of sellers avoid account suspensions. Cynthia Stine
3:00 PM There’s More to A Seller’s Life Than Amazon! The “Ask Me Anything” Panel Discussing All Things Non-Amazon New for Spring 2020 is an entire session focused on anything BUT Amazon. Amazon questions are not allowed! It’s time to level up and explore the additional channels that are available to you as an eCommerce entrepreneur! There are dozens of sellers building additional income streams though multiple less talked about channels every day…why aren’t you? The early bird gets the worm, so come on down and ask your questions to our rock star panelists. Each of them currently operates their businesses on multiple eCommerce channels both in the US and around the globe. More platforms, more sales, more profits! Don’t be left out! Joy Williams, Mike Perillo, Andy Hooper
  MONDAY    
10:00 AM Growing Grocery in eCommerce: Steps to “Sweet” Success Customers across the country are quickly moving to digital ordering of grocery and gourmet food products. Based on this ride, a slew of fresh opportunities exist for businesses to consult, train and sell food products. Learn from a Ryan who works directly with multiple brands, manufacturers and distributors to help highlight products. eCommerce marketplace platforms including Amazon, eBay, Walmart and more provide sales channels for business looking to assist brands and manufacturers with product reach. Ryan will discuss best practices around shipping/product handling, marketplace best practices and growth opportunities. Ryan Yaple
11:00 AM Ready, Set, Grow! How to Successfully Expand to the European Union and Its 512 Million People “512 million people, wowser’s!!! That’s a lot of people in the EU…are you missing out? Now is the time to expand your eCommerce business to the EU if you haven’t already! During this session Andy will provide you the simple framework and structure to make it simple and easy, giving you access to a world of opportunity in one of the largest eCommerce markets in the world. Let Andy guide you through the pros and cons of the EU market, the step by step basics you need to expand, and, by the end of the session, you will have everything you need to take action to expand your business into the EU. Andy Hooper
  LUNCH BREAK    
1:00 PM Four Entrepreneurial Rockstars Tell All! An “Ask Me Anything” Panel for Intermediate Level Sellers Are you a seller who is beyond the newbie phase but still working your way up to the top? Are you navigating through the eCommerce waters everyday wondering if you just made the best decision or a disastrous one? In another ASD first for Spring 2020, our four distinguished entrepreneurs will share with you a bit about their eCommerce journeys before turning the floor over to you, their fellow intermediate level sellers for an open forum “Ask Me Anything” session. This session is perfect for the growing seller, and no questions are off limits…well, almost nothing! Cheryl Kramer, Susan Heiden Workman, Kim Jensen, Cynthia Stine
2:00 PM Convert That Business Purchasing into Personal Reward Power! How to Maximize Credit Card Rewards and Benefits A proper credit card strategy can add to your profit margin, deliver free or discounted travel, and provide cash-flow flexibility. Learn how to utilize the available tools to develop a game plan for your eCommerce business and stop leaving money on the table. Amit will discuss:
  • Business vs. Personal Credit
  • Points vs. Cash Back
  • Shopping Portals
  • Elite Status
  • Additional Perks
  • Credit Card Application Rules – Keys to Strategy Development
Session attendees should expect to gain the knowledge necessary to review their operations and utilize provided resources to begin developing a dynamic strategy to maximize their personal goals in the credit card reward space. Attendees will also be welcomed into the free “Credit Card 101” community to connect with other likeminded individuals and professionals who are taking advantage of credit card rewards daily. 		Amit Desai
3:00 PM Private Label the Right Way: How to Focus On and Choose the Profitable Products Using Real Actionable Data Join Brandon Young as he walks you through a live private label product evaluation. If you’ve seen presentations on Private Label in the past, you can rest assured that his presentation will be miles ahead of the rest. Along with his course, Seller Systems, Brandon was recently voted the best Amazon Private Label consultant in the 2019 Seller Poll. He will show you his proprietary process for determining not only the opportunity of a product, but also the risk of a product based on the competitors and marketplace demand. Some of the strategies and tools that Brandon uses to evaluate new product opportunities have never been showcased before, so if Private Label is calling your name, or if you are stuck and need help skyrocketing your products to the top, make sure not to miss Brandon’s session. Brandon Young
  TUESDAY    
10:00 AM Critical Tactics That All Sellers Need to Master: How to Thrive, Not Just Survive on Amazon in 2020 Amazon has become more competitive than ever. Hundreds of thousands of overseas direct manufacturers are launching on the site and the flood of companies building out US based brands is higher than ever. What can you do to not only survive but thrive in 2020 and beyond? Steve Yates, CEO of Prime Guidance, a top Amazon consulting firm, presents in-depth information on Amazon strategies and tactics, such as:
  • Product optimization tactics that increase sales and improve brand presentation
  • Leveraging messaging bots and giveaways to rank your product on Amazon.
  • Rolling out proper analytics & reporting to create a more profitable business.
  • Streamlining operational processes to create a more fluid and profitable Amazon channel.
  • How to get the most out of Amazon programs and stand out from your competition.
These insights will help empower you and your team to take your business to the next level, more effectively competing on Amazon and other leading marketplaces. 		Steven Yates
11:00 AM How Poshmark Is Becoming A Leading eCommerce Platform Poshmark has leveraged their unparalleled shipping rate plan for buyers and sellers to become a leading selling platform. Poshmark was launched in 2011 and by September of 2018 they had paid sellers $1 billion dollars. They DOUBLED that to $2 billion in just one year between 2018 and 2019. Poshmark’s exponential growth, consistent policies and shipping model make this platform more than just one to watch….they are one to start selling on NOW. Attendees will learn:
  • The major differences between selling on Poshmark versus eBay or Amazon.
  • How to utilize Poshmark shipping to increase sales and profits.
  • How Poshmark seller friendly policies strictly limit customer returns.
  • How Poshmark’s “”Social Selling”” model provides maximum exposure without ad or promotion fees.
  • Why all Amazon sellers need an alternative selling platform.
 Joy Williams
  LUNCH BREAK    
1:00 PM Dig Deep or Go Home! The “Ask Me Anything” Panel Geared Towards Advanced & High-level Sellers Back by popular demand, it’s the high-level seller panel, here to answer your burning questions. We’ve picked some of the most experienced and largest sellers in the Amazon space today, who combined have sold over $100 million in the last few years through their eCommerce channels. Bring your questions, your notebook, and a pen. Our experts are here with no agenda other than to hear your specific needs and help guide you in the right direction. This is one session you won’t want to miss. Brandon Young, Andy Slamans, Eddie Levine
2:00 PM The Dreaded Sales Tax Nightmare…What All Sellers Should Know in the Current eCommerce Environment
  • Who is this for? Any/all eCommerce business owners that are serious about growing and protecting their business from confusing tax regulations
  • Some of the topics you’ll learn in this presentation are – What is the Marketplace facilitator? What states are more aggressive? When should an eCommerce business begin to address sales tax?
  • What are the recent changes ever since the supreme court overturned Quill/Wayfair?
 Peter Mantell
3:00 PM Fix This Next: Diagnose Your Biggest Roadblock Today

The biggest problem eCommerce entrepreneurs have is that they don’t know what their biggest problem is. If you find yourself trapped between stagnating sales, stale inventory, and unhappy customers, what do you fix first? Every issue seems urgent — but there’s no way to address all of them at once. The result? A business that goes in circles putting out urgent fires and prioritizing the wrong things.

Cyndi is a Certified Fix This Next Coach. Fix This Next is a simple system to help you eradicate these frustrations and get your business moving forward, fast. This system, developed by Mike Michalowicz, is the basis of his latest book to be released in April. Mike and Cyndi worked together to find a simple way to pinpoint exactly where to direct attention for rapid growth. He figured out that every business has a hierarchy of needs, and if you can understand where you are in that hierarchy, you can identify what needs immediate attention. Simply fix that one thing next, and your business will naturally and effortlessly level-up.

Be among the first to learn this process before the book is released! Cyndi will teach you about this hierarchy and how to apply it specifically to your eCommerce business. The hierarchy helps you establish predictable sales, create permanent profit, achieve organizational order, and finally, at the pinnacle, evolve from transaction to transformation with impact. Join Cyndi to learn this reliable navigational tool that you will rely on for years to come!

 Cyndi Thomason