Unlocking Amazon Success: Insights from Michael Maher of Cartology

January 8, 2025January 8, 2025

Cassandra Goethe

Marketing Coordinator

Unlocking Amazon Success: Insights from Michael Maher of Cartology

Selling on Amazon is a lucrative opportunity, but it’s also a complex ecosystem that many businesses struggle to navigate. At SmartSites, we had the privilege of interviewing Michael Maher, CEO of Cartology, our Amazon agency partner. In this engaging conversation, Michael shared his expertise on building sustainable success on Amazon, the industries his agency serves, and practical advice for brands considering the platform in 2025.

Here’s a closer look at the key takeaways from our discussion, led by SmartSites’ Partner Marketing Manager, Cassandra Goethe.

Simplifying the Amazon Beast

“Amazon is a beast. It’s very complex. And so, our goal is really to make Amazon simplified.” — Michael Maher, CEO of Cartology

This statement from Michael Maher perfectly encapsulates Cartology’s mission. Selling on Amazon involves a web of challenges, from catalog management and creative development to advertising optimization. Cartology’s approach is to shoulder this complexity for its clients. They offer a full-channel strategy that aligns catalog, creative, and advertising efforts.

According to Michael, the agency’s process begins with understanding the client’s category and marketplace dynamics. From there, they craft a strategy focused on three pillars: catalog management, creative assets, and advertising campaigns. These elements work in harmony, guided by an account manager who ensures every piece fits seamlessly into the larger strategy.

Serving Diverse Industries with Expertise

Cartology is industry-agnostic, which means they have the flexibility to work with brands across a wide spectrum of sectors. From beauty and personal care to industrial and scientific, Cartology thrives on helping brands that truly understand their product and audience.

“Sometimes the unsexy categories can be a really big gem,” shared Michael. These lesser-known industries, like industrial products or niche lifestyle goods, often present untapped opportunities for growth. Cartology’s adaptability allows them to transform a brand’s deep knowledge of its product into a winning Amazon strategy.

Overcoming Common Challenges

“Many brands aren’t even knowledgeable enough to dive into Amazon yet.” — Cassandra Goethe, Partner Marketing Manager at SmartSites

Cassandra’s observation highlights the steep learning curve many businesses face when entering the Amazon marketplace. Michael expanded on this point, identifying three major challenges:

Creative Assets: Many brands underestimate the importance of high-quality visuals and copy. From infographics to premium A+ content, compelling creative assets are needed for driving conversions.
Advertising Strategy: Poorly segmented and targeted campaigns are a common pitfall. Michael stressed the importance of setting up campaigns that align with a brand’s goals, particularly when balancing ad spend with organic growth.
Understanding Amazon’s Ecosystem: Many businesses fail to grasp how Amazon’s algorithms prioritize listings based on sales velocity and organic visibility. This lack of understanding often leads to misaligned expectations and suboptimal strategies.

Michael Maher’s Advice for New Amazon Sellers

Launching on Amazon in 2025? Michael’s advice is clear: be ready to spend strategically on advertising.

“When you first launch a product on Amazon, there’s no sales history, no sales velocity. Advertising is the way to get in front of people,” Michael explained. He emphasized the need to focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as organic ranking rather than return on ad spend (RoAS) alone.

Additionally, Michael advised brands to ensure they have the right team or agency in place before taking the leap. “It’s really expensive to hire internally. Not all agencies are cut from the same cloth,” he warned, urging brands to choose partners who can deliver on their promises.