Selling Supplements on Amazon UAE
The global supplement market reached a value of $123 billion — yes, billion with a 'B' — in the year 2019. The year-on-year growth is around 8%, with an estimated value of $230 billion to reach in 2027.
So, it goes without saying that people love buying supplements online. Consumers have become more health-conscious.
If you're thinking about selling supplements on Amazon, particularly in the UAE marketplace, then this is the blog section for you.
Introduction to Dietary Supplements
Let's get started. Like I said in the introduction, there's no shadow of a doubt that supplements are a great category to sell online, particularly on Amazon. It's a fantastic niche to get into, and the demand isn't slowing down anytime soon. But before we dive deeper, let's begin with step number one: identifying what exactly is a dietary supplement.
A supplement is a product that contains one or more of the following:
Vitamins
Minerals
Herbs or other botanicals
Amino acids
Enzymes
Probiotics
Other substances
A dietary supplement is supposed to do just that—supplement your diet. It comes in multiple forms, including:
Pills
Tablets
Powder
Liquid
Gummies
Since this is not necessarily a medication but still a serious product, there are many regulations to sell these products in different countries and on marketplaces like Amazon. So before we get into the necessary approvals needed to sell supplements, let's start by welcoming you to the channel. If this is your first time watching a video on this channel, hello!
Amazon Sellers Society Introduction
My name is Crystal, and I'm the founder of Amazon Sellers Society and Seller Society. We are a certified Amazon service provider, which means we support sellers just like you on Amazon in the Middle East marketplaces — Amazon UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, as well as Turkey.
Make sure that you subscribe to the channel so that you never miss any video related to Amazon and selling in the Middle East. Thumbs up this video so it helps and supports more people to be able to find this video, and leave us your comments and questions in the comment section below.
Step number two: approvals. You need two types of approvals to sell supplements on Amazon. You might need category approvals as well as product approvals.
Seller Account Approvals: Health Category and Product Documentation
Depending on the type of seller account, you might require approvals to sell under the health category for a particular product. Based on your account type, you might be able to apply immediately and request approval. If not, you will need to get an invitation through a third party, such as Amazon Seller Society. We are a certified provider and can help you get approval to sell under that category.
If you want all the information discussed in this section, as well as a way to reach out to us for selling dietary supplements on Amazon, you can download a handy PDF file with all the information you need. You can access this file free of charge.
All you need to do is check the description box of this video for a specific link, or find the link in the first comment. Add your email, complete your information, and you'll get the details you need. Reach out to us for additional help and support. So maybe you need category approval, but you might not need it. The next type of approval is product approval. As mentioned earlier, this is not for everyday products.
Amazon, being a customer-first marketplace, ensures that products are safe for customers and adhere to the regulations of the country where you're selling. The product documentation required for product approval on Amazon might be the same as the documentation needed to import the product into the market. For instance, if you are manufacturing the product in Europe or elsewhere and want to import it to the UAE, you will need to know the documentation required for both importing and selling on Amazon.
To dive a little deeper into the concepts of product documentation and product approvals, we have enlisted the help and support of Brahim from Safari Star, our long-time partners.
Product Registration in UAE
They are one of the leading service providers in the UAE, helping and supporting sellers to register their businesses. They assist with tax compliance in the UAE and provide support with product registration. Sobr Brahim Safari Star offers product registration services among all of the services that you offer as well.
Selling consumables on Amazon? There are numerous products you can sell. However, it's essential to start with the basics.
Steps for Product Registration
Creating an Account
First step, create an account on the Dubai Municipality official website.
Submitting the Application
Next, you need to submit the application and fill out the online product registration form. Make sure you have:
Product Label
Product Picture
One final requirement is a UAE business license based in the UAE.
Product Registration in Dubai
If you are selling as an individual, you cannot register in Dubai. One of the most important things is visibility. You need to make sure your product is under Dubai Health or not. Most supplements fall under Dubai Health. They ask for lab tests and samples. You also need to have a sale plan for your product. After gathering all required documents, you can either submit them yourself through the Dubai Municipality website, or we can do it for you.
Key Requirements for Registration
Company Registration: You need to register your company in Dubai.
Product and Sales Plan: Make sure you have a detailed plan for selling your product in Dubai.
Lab Tests and Samples: Most products, especially supplements, need lab tests and samples submitted.
Document Submission: All documents should be submitted through the Dubai Municipality website.
Processing Time
The registration process takes between 22 to 25 days. Currently, there is no expedited program to speed this up. What you need to do is ensure all required documents are complete. After submitting and verifying the documents, the certification will be received within the mentioned timeline.
Common Reasons for Rejection
Incorrect Documentation: Documents submitted incorrectly or forms filled out wrong.
Unclear Product Images: Low-quality or unclear images of your product.
Missing Company Documents: Not uploading necessary company documents.
Third Party Approval: Failing to get the necessary third-party approval from Dubai Health.
By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can increase the likelihood of successfully registering your product in Dubai.
Essential Business Activities for License Registration
When considering business registration in the Dubai municipality, certain activities are essential to cover. Understanding the requirements will streamline your registration process significantly.
Key Business Activities
E-commerce Business ActivityTo sell products online, your business license must specifically mention e-commerce activities. This inclusion ensures that your business is legally recognized for online transactions.
Trading ThingsIf your business involves the trade of goods, ensure your license explicitly states "trading things." Clear documentation facilitates smoother operations and compliance.
Relevant Business ActivityYour business activity should align with your company's nature. For instance, listing "construction" as your primary business isn't appropriate if you plan to sell items online. Consistency between your business license and actual activities is crucial.
Before starting your registration process, take these considerations into account. Ensuring the relevance and accuracy of your business activity descriptions can save you from potential legal hassles.
Listing Tips for Amazon Sellers
Let's say you already have approval and everything is done. Fantastic. Congratulations. Let's talk about guidelines.
So, of course, you need to be very careful when you're listing these types of products on Amazon. You need to be careful with your wording. You don't want to claim things that you can't really support. You don't want to say things that are incorrect.
Because on Amazon, one thing that a lot of sellers find out sooner or later, unfortunately, is that Amazon immediately might suspend your listing and then ask questions later.
And getting and reinstating a suspended listing isn't an easy thing. So you want to avoid getting suspended at all costs. Make sure you abide by the community guidelines. If you don't know the community guidelines, get to know them so that you do not break them without knowing.
And finally, this is an additional point for you to think about.
Making Your Product Stand Out
You need to really stand out. Yes, this is a very, very in demand category and niche on Amazon, but it is also very competitive. And just like the retail space, it is dominated by the well-known brands. So just selling any sort of regular supplement that everyone is selling is going to be quite difficult. I think this is the case not only in the supplement space but in all of different categories on Amazon.
So you really want to try to bridge the gap and see what things are missing. It might be that a certain particular supplement is missing, or the form of a supplement is also missing. As of me filming this video right now, one of the leading ways of selling supplements online and very, very trendy is making it into a gummy form. Why not taking a supplement in something that looks and tastes like candy? Yes, please.
So you might find a gap or a demand for a particular supplement, but you can figure out that actually it's not sold as a gummy. That would be a way for you to differentiate yourself. So that would be easier than trying to get people to learn about a new supplement that doesn't really have a lot of demand on Amazon. Think about how you can bridge the gap and how you can stand out. And that's it for this video.
