How Entrepreneurs Can Keep Their Amazon Orders Private: An In-Depth Guide

As an entrepreneur, your Amazon order history contains more than just personal purchases – it may include inventory, research materials, corporate gifts and other sensitive business buys. While Amazon‘s ordering convenience can benefit growing companies, visible order histories pose risks ranging from competitors tracing your suppliers to employees seeing items meant to be confidential.

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Fortunately, merchants can take steps to keep their Amazon business purchases private and protect their competitive edge in the market. This comprehensive guide will explore best practices, potential risks, and expert-recommended privacy techniques for entrepreneurs.

Why Business Owners Should Hide Amazon Orders

There are several compelling reasons entrepreneurs need to learn how to discreetly order on Amazon:

  • Purchasing Inventory and Supplies – Ordering inventory, office supplies, and other operational materials means your competitors can see who you rely on for sourcing if orders aren‘t hidden. This poses a strategic risk.
  • Corporate Gifts and Rewards – Gifting employees, clients, or partners? Hidden purchases prevent ruining the surprise and avoid embarrassment if the recipient has account access.
  • Market Research – Exploring competitors‘ products entails buying samples. Public orders allow rivals to see items you‘re researching and get a leg up.

According to a Flagship Merchant Services survey, over 52% of entrepreneurs use Amazon to purchase items for their business. But only 13% say hiding orders is a priority. This oversight leaves strategic blind spots.

Step-By-Step: How To Hide Amazon Orders for Business

Hiding business purchases on Amazon requires following certain best practices across devices used to place orders:

On Desktop

  1. Create a separate Amazon Business login using your corporate email address rather than personal account.
  2. Use unique complex passwords and enable two-factor authentication for improved security.
  3. Locate the order under Your Account > Business Orders and select Archive Order to remove from view.
  4. Access archived orders under Archived Business Orders on desktop only.

On Mobile Apps

  1. Download Amazon Business mobile app using your work email.
  2. Enter company contact info when setting up your dedicated business account.
  3. Tap Your Orders then swipe left on any order and select Archive to hide.
  4. Only you can access orders under Archived Orders in the app.

On Alexa

  1. Open Alexa app > Settings > Your Business Account > Order History.
  2. Select order then choose Hide Order to remove from view.

Across Households

  1. Setup Amazon Household with separate logins for personal and business purchases.
  2. Use Buying for someone else option when ordering to automatically archive orders.
  3. Leverage Household profiles to hide business orders from family members.

According to Digital Commerce 360, nearly 50% of SMBs selling on Amazon also maintain Prime membership for business purchases, underscoring the need for privacy.

Risks of Publicly Visible Orders for Business Owners

Allowing unrestricted access to your Amazon business order history introduces multiple risks:

  • Competitors can identify your key suppliers based on frequently ordered inventory and raw materials. This exposes your sourcing network.
  • Employees may see purchases meant to be confidential like market research items or private corporate gifts exposing project details.
  • Suppliers with Amazon seller accounts may gain bargaining power by seeing your order volume, purchase frequency, or hourly activity.

Proprietary business data leakage, surveillance of market research, and strategic intelligence exposure are all real dangers from Amazon order visibility.

Expert Tips: Safeguarding Your Amazon Business Orders

In my experience as an entrepreneur, these pro tips help safeguard Amazon purchase privacy:

  • Unique Logins – Ensure each user has own login so order histories remain separate. Audit logins/passwords regularly.
  • No Personal Info – When setting up Amazon Business, use your business name and address – not personal details.
  • Alternate Payment Methods – Consider pay-as-you-go debit cards or corporate credit cards instead of personal payment options.
  • Digital Footprint – Enable browser/search history private mode when researching or buying on Amazon.
  • Delivery Instructions – Provide office address and specific employee rather than "gifts" description for deliveries.
  • Prime Membership – Some privacy features only available to Business Prime like multi-user and spending analytics.

With the right privacy practices, entrepreneurs can securely buy on Amazon without exposing competitive intelligence. Follow these tips and leverage Amazon‘s built-in archive features to keep your business orders confidential.

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