Is the Jungle Scout Web App Worth it for Amazon FBA?
Hey guys today I’ll be discussing the Jungle Scout Web App and its uses in product research for Amazon FBA.
This is a very popular tool that is used successfully by many sellers (both a pro and a con). There is an abundance of information about it out there, some useful but some utter trash. So I’d like to take the opportunity to help you wade through the reeds and help you come to your own conclusions based on my experience with it.
Just getting started with Amazon FBA? Head here first: How to Start an Amazon FBA Business 6 Step Guide
If you would rather watch a demo and listen to the points covered in this blog post, I’ve made a short video for you here!
What is it?
In times gone by sellers like myself would sift through Amazon pages using a plethora of techniques to find the next product or niche opportunity.
The Jungle Scout Web App searches the Amazon database for you, and shows you relevant results based on certain criteria which you tell the app you are interested in.
So broadly speaking, the tool is a timesaver.
It won’t show you anything that you can’t find via working your way through Amazon manually however, it will save you considerable amounts of time by doing large parts of the searching/filtering process for you.
Where can I get it?
Why is it helpful?
There are 3 main features to discuss here, the main event is the Product Database but you also get access to their Product Tracker and Niche Hunter tools.
Product Database
The Product Database allows you to input filters to find exact products that satisfy your criteria. So using the various filters you could show for example all products with the following criteria: UK Amazon Marketplace, Home & Kitchen category, item price £12-20 and with less that 50 reviews.
Now displayed in a long list will be every item on the selected Amazon Marketplace that satisfy our criteria. Items can then be clicked on which takes you to their Amazon page, where you can further research the opportunity – impressive!
Product Tracker
Once you have found a product that interests you, you can add it to the Product Tracker which will give you average sales, sales rank, price etc. For those wondering, the sales averages are based on estimates regarding inventory levels which are actually pretty accurate (but not perfect) as I have tested it on my own products.
Generally accuracy will be within 1-3 units, which is more than enough to confirm potential opportunities.
I use this handy information to validate a product idea – if the product is performing as expected, I can begin sourcing with confidence safe in the knowledge that I’m working from a solid foundation of real data.
I might stress that this is important and nice to know when shortly you will likely be parting with money based on these findings.
Niche Hunter
The Niche Hunter is similar to the Product Database as it sifts through Amazon’s Marketplace to find you products based on a set of criteria.
However, this time you should include a key word/s that your interested in finding related products to. In the example below if you were to click on ‘future kill’, you would be presented with multiple products related to that phrase.
To be honest I don’t use the Niche Hunter tool, as I prefer to do research with the Product Database and Product Tracker, then use my own techniques to bring me to the point at which I’m happy to start sourcing. It also costs more to get access to the Niche Hunter – be smart with your money!.
Pricing
For access to the Product Database and Product Tracker you can expect to pay $39 (£29) per month. For inclusion of the Niche Hunter and extra capacity in your Product Tracker you can expect to pay $69 (£52), or $99 (£75) for the Business plan.
I would recommend starting on the cheapest plan for a month and seeing if you like the tools.
You could even purchase just one month, find a few products then never use it again – I tend to use the tools only when necessary, or for some inspiration during my product research (keep those overheads down where you can, it makes a difference!).
Parting Thoughts
Is the Jungle Scout Web App worth it? In short yes. Ive used the Product Database to find numerous products which my company has launched successfully on Amazon UK.
It saves a lot of time and is great when you’ve been doing some manual product research and need a bit of inspiration. I would recommend tracking 5-10 products that you like the look of in the Product Tracker for 1-2 weeks while you crack on with sourcing.
This allows you to really get a feel for their performance and history, which ultimately gives you confidence in their potential and reduces your risk of a non-starter.
Just getting started with Amazon FBA? Head here first: How to Start an Amazon FBA Business 6 Step Guide
I actually always now use the Product Tracker whether I’ve found the product using the Database or from other techniques – which I shall endeavour to document at some point!
Something worth noting is that the Product Database is used by many sellers, so just remember what you are seeing can be seen by others using the tool.
My advice here would be to use it to find a profitable niche with well performing products, then concentrate your efforts on providing said niche with an improved/unique offering to ensure you have a unique selling point (the reason why someone will buy your product and not someone else’s).
Mentioned Tools
Fingers-crossed you can take something beneficial away with you from these notes.
Take care,
