How to Grow in 1P: Tactics That Work

Why 1P Still Matters

For leading brands selling at scale, Amazon’s Vendor model (1P) — where Amazon buys your products wholesale and sells them directly — continues to unlock unmatched reach, premium placement, and the kind of category dominance that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.

And yet, 1P often gets dismissed. Brands see it as rigid, unpredictable, or outdated. But the reality is this: with the right strategy, 1P can be a powerful growth engine, delivering profitability, visibility, and operational efficiency, even within its constraints.

In this guide, we break down the tactics successful 1P brands are using today to grow and how you can, too.

Common Challenges for 1P Brands

Winning in 1P isn’t easy. Without a sharp, connected strategy, even the most established brands struggle to grow profitably. Here's why:

• Rising competition: More brands and more SKUs flood the platform every day. Standing out is harder than ever.
• Higher costs: Retail media isn’t optional anymore. Visibility requires investment.
• Margin pressure: Limited pricing flexibility and Amazon Retail’s required margins put profitability at risk.
• Operational surprises: Chargebacks, shortage claims, and compliance issues quietly erode earnings.
• Content chaos: There are more opportunities for content, but often less control over what sticks.
• Disconnected teams: When media, content, and operations work in silos, performance suffers.
• Limited bandwidth: Most internal teams can’t do it all, and trying usually results in burnout or missed opportunities.

Winning in 1P means tackling this complexity head-on.

Tactics That Work: How Leading Brands Grow in 1P

Master the Basics to Protect Profitability

Top brands don’t chase flashy wins at the expense of foundational excellence. They obsess over getting the basics right, because that’s what protects margin and enables scale.

• Assortment: Focus on your core. Keep top SKUs in stock and expand thoughtfully into new segments.
• Retail Readiness: Ensure every page meets Amazon’s requirements to stay shoppable and competitive.
• Pricing Control: Monitor pricing on and off Amazon to maintain profitability and brand integrity.
• Monitor Resellers: Keep tabs on unauthorized resellers and gray market activity that could undercut your 1P positioning.
• Availability & Logistics: Flawless delivery to Amazon is critical as it prevents costly chargebacks and shortages.
• Chargebacks & Shortages: Track and resolve issues proactively before they start eating into your bottom line.

Terms & Negotiations: When it's time to revisit terms, come prepared. Use your own data and insights to challenge assumptions and negotiate smarter.

Stand Out with Better Content

Content on Amazon isn't just about SEO anymore. It's a conversion engine and a brand experience, and it needs to work harder than ever.

• Gallery Images: Treat them like digital billboards. They're your first impression, especially on mobile.
• Brand Story: Expand your brand real estate, build emotional connection, and showcase more of your portfolio.
• A+ Content: Go beyond bullet points. Use this space to tell your brand’s story, sustainability, values, differentiation, and boost upsell and cross-sell.

Refresh & Test: Don’t set and forget. Winning brands iterate constantly to outperform the competition.

Treat Media as an Amplifier, Not a Crutch

Once your product pages are optimized, media becomes your growth engine. 

• Expand Reach & Loyalty: Use Sponsored Ads, DSP, and even Prime Video to target new customers and bring back loyal buyers.
• Brand Store as Media Hub: Use your Amazon Brand Store as a central landing page for all media. It keeps shoppers in your world, not bouncing to a duplicate DTC site.
• Leverage AMC: Use Amazon Marketing Cloud to understand how your media actually performs, and make smarter decisions.

Think Full Funnel: Don’t silo Amazon. Sync your creative and spend across TikTok, Meta, Google, and more, then use attribution tools to connect those efforts back to Amazon sales.

Data: The Engine Behind Smarter Decisions

Tactics without insights are just guesses. Winning brands use connected data to make faster, better decisions.

• Connect the Dots: Break down silos between sales, media, and operations to get the full picture.
• Spot the Gaps: Identify where you're leaking profit from underperforming SKUs to inefficient campaigns.
• Act Fast: With real-time data, you can adjust pricing, inventory, and strategy before small problems snowball.

Prove Impact: Show how every dollar spent on media impacts actual retail sales.

The Front Row POV: A Smarter Way to Win in 1P

You don’t need to abandon 1P. You just need a better way to run it.

At Front Row, we help brands cut through the complexity,  connecting content, media, operations, and analytics into one cohesive strategy. We become an extension of your team, a true force multiplier that drives measurable results.

• Integrated campaigns that deliver double-digit sales growth
• Operational improvements that protect and grow margin
• Smarter data that powers faster, better decisions

Ready to Win in 1P?

Don’t settle for stagnant growth or reactive problem-solving. Let’s build a smarter, more profitable path forward, together.