New sellers on Amazon must seriously invest in branding: Lixibox exec

New sellers on Amazon should be prepared to invest in their business and view early mistakes as inevitable learning experiences, not reasons to quit, said Sao Lonsdale, CEO of Lixibox, a Vietnamese beauty brand.

Lonsdale made the remarks at an e-commerce export conference themed “Vietnamese brands - taking off globally,” hosted by Amazon Global Selling Vietnam and Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) in Ho Chi Minh City last Friday.

Lonsdale spoke about her experience after one year of operating on Amazon, during which her team successfully built and developed the beauty brand CoBa’s Daughter. Despite learning on the go, she said the brand has achieved positive results.

Drawing from this experience, Lonsdale emphasized the importance of having a solid foundation and a capable operations team. She also advised sellers to understand key aspects such as import/export procedures, inventory management, and compliance with regulatory documentation.

“Even though you’ll make mistakes and profits may be slow at first, the rewards of selling on Amazon are significant,” she said.

Lonsdale stressed that new sellers must be ready to invest financially and mentally. “Building a brand is expensive. Be prepared to pour in money. For those who want to take Vietnamese products global, there’s no alternative - you have to truly build a brand,” she warned.

She cautioned that Vietnamese sellers who only rely on sales tactics, sourcing, or niche market strategies may struggle, especially when competing against Chinese sellers who benefit from lower costs and greater production scale - factors that can drastically narrow profit margins for Vietnamese businesses.

“The brand doesn’t need to be perfect at first. It can start with your story, packaging design, or product origin - just start somewhere,” she noted.

Tran Xuan Thuy, director of Amazon Global Selling for the south, highlighted three essential pillars for building a strong e-commerce export brand: customers, products, and brand identity - what he called “three sides of an isosceles triangle.”

According to Thuy, understanding the culture and behavior of consumers is critical when entering a new market. “For instance, American consumers demand fast shipping, so you need an efficient fulfillment model,” he explained.

As for products, Thuy emphasized the need to ensure quality, follow market trends, and adapt quickly to customer feedback. Regarding branding, he said it plays a key role in helping consumers remember the product, communicate its value, and expand market presence sustainably.