Amazon is an e-commerce giant committed to supporting third-party sellers. In 2020, Amazon’s Gross Merchandising Volume totaled $490 billion, with about $300 billion coming from third-party sellers. So it makes sense that in recent years Amazon invested over $18 billion in various resources to help small to mid-sized businesses succeed.
E-commerce sellers can benefit from selling their products on Amazon. One way to strategically market products on Amazon is earning Amazon Seller badges. Amazon badges give products added trust, visibility, and momentum to build individual brand recognition and image.
This article discusses different Amazon Badges and how to earn them.
Amazon Seller Badges
Amazon seller badges are visual cues appearing on products and product detail pages that validate a buyer choosing that product. Sellers covet badges on Amazon because earning them increases visibility and selling potential. Amazon awards them frequently; however, information about how to acquire them is not easy to find.
Earning an Amazon badge is a sure way to garner attention from shoppers and boost your conversion rate. Different badges awarded from Amazon to sellers include:
- Best Seller Badge
- Amazon’s Choice Badge
- New Release Badge
- Extra Savings, Coupons, and Discount Badges
- Deal of the Day and Limited Time Deals
- Prime Exclusive Discounts and Event Badges
Occasionally Amazon experiments with different badges. For example, in recent years, sellers have seen a Top Brand Badge reserved for recognized, established brands. However, some view this as harmful to smaller brands since it seems exclusively awarded to household name brands and products recognized worldwide, such as Speedo or Nike.
There are a few badges considered key badges to have as a seller.
Key Seller Badges
Three of all the possible badges one can earn as a seller stand out from the rest. Since they have more impact, carry more allure for customers, or are harder to gain, these three badges are the best place to put your focus when vying for recognition in the Amazon marketplace.
Best Seller Badge
Best Seller badges appear as orange ribbons on the top left of the product listing. Amazon awards these badges to best-selling products in specific categories or sub-categories. Amazon will list up to 100 Best Sellers per category. When an item receives a Best Seller badge for a category, it shows up first when someone browses that category.
Although products that earn the Best Seller Badge change often, there is no notification process for sellers. When products earn the Best Seller badge or when it is removed and awarded to another product, sellers find out by viewing their products on the platform.
Amazon’s Choice Badge
The Amazon’s Choice badge appears in the same place as the Best Seller badge. It is a black ribbon, and for products that earn both Best Seller and Amazon’s Choice, the Amazon’s Choice Badge has priority. In addition, most consider the badge a high-profile honor because it showcases selected products on category and product detail pages.
Amazon awards this badge to highly rated, well-priced products available for immediate shipment. When selecting products for this badge, Amazon considers customer ratings and rates of returns. In 2015, this badge was implemented as a way for Alexa to help customers shop using voice search, so it is keyword-specific.
New Release Badge
Available only for the first 90 days after a product launch, the New Release badge appears as an orange badge just below the product listing name. A dedicated product page is a bonus for products with the New Release Badge. The New Release Landing Page is located in the menu at the top of the Amazon home page or in the top three choices of the home page drop-down menu. This New Release web page is populated with top-ranking newly released products.
Another benefit of qualifying for the New Release badge is paired with the Best Seller Badge or Amazon’s Choice Badge. On the New Release product page, orange #1, #2, #3, and #4 appear on product listings. The numbers indicate the top products ranking in the best-selling items in a category based on sales volume and velocity. Calculations for these rankings are updated hourly.
How to Earn Amazon Seller Badges
Since gaining these badges can give your store a significant advantage in the crowded Amazon marketplace, you doubtlessly want to earn a few of your own. Unfortunately, Amazon offers little guidance on acquiring these badges, leading to an endless game of trial and error and sometimes plain dumb luck. However, several best practices will dramatically increase your odds of success.
Best Seller Badge
Amazon refers to this calculation as the Best Sellers Rank. They base their calculation on sales volume. Products with the best, or most sales, earn the Best Selling badge. The ranking is updated hourly.
Optimizing your listing for SEO on Amazon is a tip for improving your chances of earning the Best Seller badge. More tips include:
- Using high-quality images.
- Aiming for specific, relevant categories.
- Offering your products at the best possible price.
These steps will help increase the chances that Amazon will award your product the Best Seller Badge.
Amazon’s Choice Badge
The selection of products that receive this badge is based heavily on keywords. Earning this badge is more difficult when competing with products Amazon sells itself. When selecting keywords to target, choose words not associated with products Amazon sells under its own label brands.
Since Amazon considers customer rankings, rates of return, and shipping speeds when awarding Amazon’s Choice badges, it is best to be mindful of these variables with your listings. You can put yourself in a better position to earn Amazon’s choice by keeping return rates down and maintaining positive reviews. Another crucial step is ensuring your products are available for Prime shipping.
New Release Badge
This badge is only available during the first ninety days of a listing’s lifetime, so it is imperative to do your research before listing your new product. It is awarded to the best-selling new products in a category. To put yourself in the best position to earn the badge, study listings in your product category that have already made Best Seller status. Then, emulate those products by including the same amount of details or more in your copy, attributes, and details.
When aiming for this badge, the goal is to outperform the top competitors in a category by driving more sales. Promoting your product through giveaways, PPC ads, and social media can help build momentum. Have these marketing strategies ready as you launch your product and continue promotions through the first ninety days to maintain a high ranking.
Store Automator
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