How do large vendor brands stay profitable on Amazon when fees, promotions and ad costs keep increasing?

In this episode, Emma Bagley sits down with Ken Jacobs, VP of International Sales at Outward Hound, to unpack the realities of managing a profitable Amazon Vendor business across Europe and the US.

After scaling Amazon through Covid and managing complex multi-channel retail relationships, Ken shares practical insights into:

→ How Vendor brands should approach forecasting & inventory planning

→ Why over-ordering from Amazon can destroy profitability

→ How to negotiate better with Amazon

→ When to push back on promotional demands

→ The dangers of competing on price

→ Why brands should avoid launching too many SKUs

→ How to balance advertising vs discounts

→ What signals actually indicate a healthy Amazon business

→ Why Amazon should usually be the first channel for new brands

The conversation also explores the operational realities of Amazon Vendor Central, promotional funding, Prime Day strategy and maintaining pricing control across retail and distribution channels.

If you're an Amazon Vendor brand, ecommerce director or founder trying to improve profitability without sacrificing growth, this episode is packed with honest, practical advice from someone managing it at scale.

Featuring: Ken Jacobs, VP of International Sales at Outward Hound.

Host: Emma Bagley, CEO at ZEAL Agency LTD

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