Selling on Amazon is competitive. Even for merchants who have a regional monopoly, Amazon can undercut that monopoly by introducing merchants from the large, international spheres using dropshipping services and often selling inferior products.
To help merchants earn trust, Amazon decided to reward sellers with a #1 Best Seller badge. The icon, an orange ribbon, appears on the upper-left corner of a product detail page. The badge is used to indicate to shoppers that this seller achieves high volume sales.
The concern with the badge is that it is not based on product quality or reviews but almost entirely on sales volume. So, big brands tend to have a badge.
While Amazon has not released any information to indicate the parameters it uses to award badges, data indicates a few guidelines merchants could follow to be awarded a coveted badge. It makes sense that Amazon would not want to associate its brand with a merchant that was not transparent and scrupulous but also a brand that is aligned with its values.
The following tips for getting an Amazon badge as a seller are just that, tips that are based on observed data and no information directly from the platform. So, as you read these suggestions, remember they are also based on elevating your status as an online merchant and can be applied to your own selling platform.
Types of Amazon Badges
Getting a badge on Amazon is a signal to customers that you are a trusted merchant. This signal moves people down the sales funnel and can help close sales. So what are the different types of Amazon badges on offer, and how can you secure them on your products for sale on the platform?
Amazon’s Choice Badge
The Choice badge was launched in 2015, at the same time virtual assistant Alexa, an Amazon product, was released. Alexa was first applied to the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Echo Dot smart speakers. Using voice command, the AI searches Amazon’s Choice tagged products for its Prime members for products on the platform that have the Choice badge that fits with the request of the customer.
Amazon’s Choice products are thought to have been awarded the badge for several reasons:
- 5-star product ratings
- high sales volume
- comparable pricing
- fast shipping
Low return rates and positive seller feedback are believed to be influenced. However, product reviews as such do not seem to feature as an element contributing to badge approval. It is likely that an algorithm created by Amazon selects the products that are awarded the Choice badge.
The badge awarded also seems to be based on a range of specific, commonly-searched keywords. The relatively exclusive is only assigned to one product per keyword.
How to Get a Choice Badge
5-Star rating – the product’s customer rating has to be high. To improve your product rating, follow up with customers and ask them to rate you on Amazon.
Search Optimization – Ensure your product data and metadata use words that will appeal to the Amazon search engine when a customer is seeking a product like yours.
Competitive Pricing – When pricing your product, take into consideration your competitors’ pricing, the quality of your product and how the price might influence customers. A price that is too low compared with competitor products would indicate poor quality while overpricing will deter sales.
Shipping – Be very transparent about your shipping times, locations and costs. If taxes are included or if people need to pay taxes on the collection are very important details that should be clearly communicated during the sales process.
As a merchant, you need to track your product posts. Ensure that your descriptions, images and pricing is clear. To try and get a Choice badge, monitor your product ratings and ask people who have made a purchase to give you a 5-star rating on Amazon.
Best Sellers Badge
Amazon shoppers can access a comprehensive list of the best-selling products that is updated hourly. The Amazon Best Seller badge is based simply on the overall sales of a product. Even if a seller does not use FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon), they can attain this badge.
However, because the list is updated hourly, products often have the badge for only an hour before another product replaces it on the list. This badge is based on a simple algorithm that is counting sales totals.
How to Get a Sellers Badge
To be on the best sellers list, you must have high-volume sales of your product. To achieve high sales, you need good visibility of a desirable product:
- Provide high-quality product images;
- Write engaging and informative product descriptions;
- Use keywords that are trending and related to your product;
- Manage your pricing; and
- Understand product categories and place yours in the right one.
Keywords will attract people, and high-quality content will help to move them down the sales funnel. With the badge trending on your product, it will drive customers to your product and can motivate buyers who have been browsing.
New Release Badge
The New Release badge is applied to new products that the algorithm finds appealing as a potential high-volume sales item. This is based, most likely, on search results from customers. For example, if there are a high number of searches for ‘men’s black leather shoes’, and your newly added product uses this as a keyword description for your product, which is a pair of men’s black leather shoes, it could be given a New Release badge, which helps to make your product seem exclusive and exciting for shoppers.
How to Get a New Release Badge
The following tips are from a no.1 Amazon seller.
- Ensure that your product appears on page 1 of keyword searches in your product category. To achieve this, you can motivate buyers with giveaways or exclusive discounts on purchases.
- Make your product stand out. Details really matter, so having clear descriptions and high-quality images that can be explored by the customer help promote your product and keep customers attracted to your option.
- Optimize your title and keywords. This can take time and needs to be adjusted regularly to stay relevant. Finding the right combination of keywords and a description that attracts buyers is the golden ticket to a New Release Badge.
- To beat the top seller, you need 1-1.5x the sales of the best seller for your main keyword. For example, if the no.1 seller for the keyword ‘shoes’ is selling 20 units per day on average, you need to sell 25-30 for 2 days straight to replace that seller as no.1.
Top Brand Badge
Prime users on Amazon are usually directed towards premium and well-known brands when they conduct a search. Amazon’s Top Brand badge is aimed at helping established brands stand out from small traders offering products at a lower price.
When Amazon was launched, many big brands stayed away from the platform, choosing to sell on their own online stores. For many big brands, competing on Amazon for sales against products that might be the same but without their branding makes little sense. If a customer can see the same two pairs of tracksuit pants – one with a brand and one without – at vastly different price points, they are more likely to select the pants that are at a lower price point. There was little motivation for big brands to join the platform when they could have more control over their own eCommerce.
How to Get a Top Brand Badge
This badge allows brands to get the attention of qualified buyers who are more likely to make high-cost purchases.
According to an online magazine, Amazon takes two factors into consideration when awarding the badge:
- The number of products a brand sells, and
- The number of different products they offer.
This means that companies that make only a selected number of products but have a high level of sales can become Top Brands.
New Release Badge
This red ribbon icon is Amazon’s way of drawing shoppers’ attention to new products loaded on its platform. An Amazon spokesperson stated that this badge has been tested in “select markets for certain customers.”
How to Get a New Release Badge
The New Release badge is available for 90 days when you first list a product on Amazon.
Conclusion
Amazon badges are a motivating factor for online shoppers. They signal trust, and they elevate the optics of your product. Online merchants need to take the time to optimize product descriptions, post high-quality images and connect metadata with keywords. Getting an Amazon badge is a way to help move customers down the sales funnel and should be approached in the same ways as any other sales campaign – with a plan and with a goal.
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