What is IO Scout? A Good Amazon Research Tool for 2020?
IO Scout is often recommended as a budget alternative to other Amazon research tools. But what is IO Scout? And how does it hold up when compared to competitors? In this IO Scout review, I'll breakdown the important details of this product for you.
IO Scout Review:
Recommended: Yep!
Pros:
Cons:
More...
What is IO Scout?
IO Scout is a collection of online-based research tools designed to make building an Amazon business much easier. With more than 8 tools, and lots of features, such as; product research, FBA calculator, inventory management, product trackers, Amazon sales estimator, keywords, and much more. IO Scout claims to have accurate historical data on 200 million products.
The tool also caters to new Amazon sellers by walking them through the initial stages of an Amazon business. Building an Amazon business takes a lot of time and effort, most of which is spent researching products and validating ideas.
I'll be frank, IO Scout is not the most popular Amazon research tool out there. There aren't many reviews for it, and it's living in the shadow of other giants like Jungle Scout, Terapeak, and others.
However, at a lower entry level, it's an underrated tool, and definitely worth a look.
The Tools:
Membership includes access to 8 very useful tools.
- Product Research (The main tool)
- Product Tracker
- Trending Products
- Keyword Tool (Optimize your listings for Amazon and Google)
- Chrome Extension (Browse data on any page)
- FBA Calculator (Free for the public)
- Amazon Sales Estimator (Free for public use)
- Listing Optimizer
The best part is all of these are include in the membership and there's only one type of membership. Even better, the calculators are free for everyone, even non-members.
How Much Does IO Scout Cost?
The price starts at $39/month. IO Scout only has one type of membership but a number of payment plans, the annual options offer better long term discounts.
Here's a breakdown:
- Pro 1 Month $39/month
- Pro 3 Months $33/month
- Pro 12 Months $25/month
Take a look at the screenshot below:
As for the price, it's cheaper than other competitors, especially the annual subscription. The good news is there's a five-day money back guarantee window, no free trial.
IO Scout Notable Features:
Does it have any unique features that other research tools do not?
Here are my favorite IO Scout features:
1. IO Scout Chrome Extension
The IO Scout chrome extensions is very useful when browsing Amazon listings. Simply open a product listing on Amazon, open the extension, and you'll see all the historic data about that item.
Data includes metrics like price changes, reviews, number of sellers, sales position, rating and more.
2. Bookmark Products & Estimate Sales
Another cool IO Scout feature is the ability to bookmark products. Normally, saving an item for later is not that special, but this tool makes in interesting with a few tricks.
For one, you can see the total sales potential of your bookmarked items. So that can give you an idea of how much you might be able to earn from those products.
3. Historical Sales Data with Charts & Graphs
One thing that I really liked about the platform is how the data is represented. Instead of dumping a bunch of numbers on the screen, the tool creates graphs and charts, making it easy to see trends.
Graphs can be created by clicking on any of the metrics. The screenshot below shows a graphic for reviews over time, but you can switch it to sales, daily sales, price, and any other metric.
3. Product Supplier
While not a dedicated product, the platform does integrate with the most popular supplier databases. So finding a supplier for your product and calculating all the fees is remarkably easy. Considering other tools require a premium subscription for this service, IO Scout gets brownie points for that too.
4. Quick Live-Chat Customer Support
One more feature that stood out to me from the company is their customer support. On every page, there's a floating live-chat icon where you can submit a question and connect with an agent in seconds.
I tested it with a few questions, and can confirm I received a real human response in less than a minute. The chatbot has a number of pre-made questions you can ask for quick support.
Affiliate marketing success stories!
~ real people, real work
4 - 5 figures/month online!
Any Downsides?
After researching and testing out IO Scout, I have to admit there's nothing that I would consider a dealbreaker. The tools work as promised and deliver accurate data. However, even though it's a good tool, when compared to other Amazon research tools, there are a few features it lacks.
No Training Center
For example it doesn't have a dedicated "Academy" that walks you through the initial steps of building an Amazon business. Jungle Scout has a training course that will teach you how to sell on Amazon.
Speaking of selling on Amazon, if you're looking for a course, I highly recommend Amazing Selling Machine. It's a little pricey but members often make their investment (and more) back after a few months.
It does have a help center with lots of tutorials but those are mainly for troubleshooting issues. On that note, it also doesn't have nearly as many free resources as other tools. There are also a couple of minor features and details that are missing too.
Very New Company
The tool is rather new too, the first post on their Facebook page is from June 29, 2019. As of today, they only have 43 fans on Facebook too, so it's clear the company is very new. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily.
Which Marketplaces Does It Support?
The tool supports the following Amazon marketplaces:
- Amazon.com
- .ca
- .mx
- .de
- .co.uk
- .es
- .fr
- .it
- .in
Is IO Scout Worth It?
If you're planning to sell on Amazon, IO Scout is worth it because it's cheaper than the alternatives and it has plenty of useful features. You can also request a refund within 5-days.
On a Budget?
Need Lots of Features?
What About Affiliate Marketing?
If starting an eCommerce business doesn't feel right, you can consider starting an affiliate marketing business. The entry requirements are much lower, and you don't have to deal with physical products. If you're interested, I know of a really cool course that can teach you how to do it from scratch.
To summarize, there are lots of Amazon product research tools that you can use to build an eCommerce business. IO Scout is one you can at least try out to see if it's a good fit for you.
Do you use an Amazon research tools? Drop them in a comment and let's talk about them.
IO Scout
$25/month
Pros
- Much Cheaper Than Other Amazon Research Tools
- Chrome Extension, See Seller Data in Every Tab
- Bookmark Products & Estimate Total Sales
Cons
- Very New Company
- Lacks Some Essential Features
- No Training Center
