Amazon US cross - border export opportunities for Vietnamese businesses
Amazon US serves as a strategic channel for Vietnamese enterprises to access the U.S. market and bolster cross-border exports. Identifying advantageous product categories alongside optimized operational solutions is fundamental to effectively leveraging the potential of this platform
1. What is Amazon US?
Amazon US (amazon.com) is the largest e-commerce platform in the United States. Founded in 1994 as an online bookstore, Amazon has evolved into a comprehensive retail ecosystem offering hundreds of millions of products across virtually every industry.
According to Statista, Amazon accounted for 40.5% of the U.S. e-commerce market share in 2025 - far surpassing its closest competitor, Walmart, which held only 9.2%. This dominant market position has turned Amazon US into a “golden gateway” for Vietnamese businesses, enabling them to reach millions of American consumers directly and expand cross-border exports in a sustainable way.
2. What Vietnamese products are selling well on Amazon US?
Identifying the right target products is a key factor in unlocking the potential of Amazon US. This requires a combination of Vietnam’s domestic supply advantages and optimization strategies to ensure sustainable competitiveness in the market.
2.1. Product categories with competitive advantages
Vietnamese businesses possess strong advantages when entering Amazon US, particularly in the following categories:
- Apparel: Vietnam is one of the world is leading textile and garment exporters, benefiting from competitive production costs, skilled craftsmanship, and large-scale manufacturing capabilities. Products such as loungewear, basic apparel, and sustainable fashion are experiencing strong demand.
- Home & living: The growing home decor and space optimization trends in the United States have created strong growth potential for Vietnamese products made from bamboo, wood, and rattan.
- Beauty: The rising demand for natural beauty products has created significant opportunities for Vietnamese cosmetics made from ingredients such as green tea, turmeric, coconut oil, and herbal extracts to thrive on Amazon US.
- Health & personal care: Following the pandemic, demand for health and personal care products has increased rapidly as consumers place greater emphasis on wellness, healthy lifestyles, and safe, environmentally friendly products.
- Eco-friendly products: Products such as reusable fabric bags, bamboo straws, and household items made from natural materials are growing strongly due to the increasing green consumer trend.
- Kitchenware: Vietnamese kitchenware products are highly favored on Amazon thanks to advantages in natural raw materials such as bamboo, wood, and stainless steel, along with competitive pricing and strong manufacturing capabilities.
2.2. Criteria for selecting the right products for export
- Determine the optimal selling price: Businesses need to calculate a pricing strategy that balances operational costs and profitability. The ideal price point should generate a healthy profit margin that allows reinvestment into advertising, helping improve product rankings and drive sustainable sales growth.
- Optimize product specifications: Shipping costs are directly influenced by product dimensions and weight. Prioritizing compact and lightweight products helps maximize profit margins, reduce logistics expenses, and minimize inventory risks.
- Select products based on market demand: Businesses should focus on products with stable year-round demand rather than highly seasonal items. It is essential to carefully evaluate sales rankings, search volume, and market trends through analytical tools before sourcing inventory.
- Build a competitive advantage: Products must demonstrate clear differentiation in design, functionality, or branding. This is a critical factor in avoiding price competition, protecting profit margins, and enhancing brand value.
3. Amazon US operational strategy from shipping to inventory management
Achieving operational efficiency on Amazon US depends on selecting the right fulfillment method and maintaining effective inventory control.
3.1. Choosing between FBA and FBM
Choosing between FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) and FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) is a strategic decision that balances sales growth potential with operational control. Below is a comparison table to help businesses determine the most suitable option.
3.3. Optimal inventory management strategy
Vietnamese sellers need to build an effective inventory management strategy to ensure stable supply capacity and maximize profitability.
- Forecast demand on Amazon US: Analyze sales history, search trends, and seasonal patterns to create accurate inventory planning and avoid emotional or uncalculated stocking decisions.
- Control inventory risks: Excess inventory increases storage costs and cash flow pressure, while stock shortages pose an even greater risk as they can negatively impact rankings, cause Buy Box loss, and reduce sales performance.
- Optimize operational costs through inventory management: Controlling product dimensions, weight, and packaging methods helps reduce logistics expenses (FBA/FBM), while optimizing the total cost per order and improving profit margins.
- Leverage Amazon US inventory management tools: Using forecasting and inventory management tools helps sellers identify reorder points, monitor Inventory Performance Index (IPI), and receive early low-stock alerts, thereby reducing operational errors and improving efficiency.
4. Costs to prepare for selling on Amazon US
Effective financial management is the foundation for maintaining stable business operations on Amazon US. The following section analyzes the key operating costs and optimization strategies that help businesses improve profit margins.
4.1. Fixed costs & variable costs on Amazon US
Costs on Amazon US can generally be divided into two main categories.
Fixed costs are mandatory expenses required to maintain a store on Amazon USexpenses required to maintain a store on Amazon US . Sellers can choose between the Individual Plan (USD 0.99 per item sold) or the Professional Plan (USD 39.99 per month), depending on their business needs.
Variable costs arise from selling activities on Amazon US, including:
- Referral fees
- FBA or FBM fulfillment fees
- Storage, shipping, and Amazon PPC advertising costs
These expenses vary depending on the product category, size, sales velocity, and operational strategy. Therefore, without proper inventory and advertising management, profit margins can be significantly affected.
4.2. How to optimize costs to increase profitability
To maximize profitability on Amazon US, sellers need to effectively manage operational costs, inventory, and advertising throughout the entire sales process.
- Optimize products: Prioritize lightweight, easy-to-ship products with healthy profit margins to reduce logistics and storage costs.
- Optimize PPC advertising: Focus on high-converting keywords, carefully manage advertising budgets, and optimize ACoS metrics to minimize wasted ad spend.
- Optimize product listings: Product titles, descriptions, and images should be professionally optimized to improve conversion rates and reduce reliance on paid advertising.
- Choose the right products: Prioritize products with stable demand, moderate competition, and strong profit margins to reduce business risks on Amazon US.
- Monitor the market: Regularly analyze costs, revenue, and profitability by SKU to quickly adjust sales strategies when necessary.
5. Conclusion
Amazon US provides significant opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to access the U.S. market and expand cross-border exports. However, to achieve sustainable success, sellers need to select the right products, optimize operations, manage inventory effectively, and maintain strong cost control. These are critical factors for improving competitiveness and achieving long-term growth on Amazon US.
Partner with us to grow your Amazon business effectively.
Connect here to receive your free 1-on-1 consultation with AGlobal’s top experts.
