How to Win Amazon’s Popularity Contest: The 4 Factors for Maximizing Sales Rank
How do you become one of the most popular products in your category? This guide walks you through how to improve your Best Sellers Rank on Amazon to build brand trust and generate more sales.
Amazon offers a wide range of products to millions of customers each day. With such an extensive catalog, it’s not surprising that for eCommerce sellers, competing to become the best seller has become an epic battle.
But what exactly does it take to become an Amazon best seller? How can you end up with the best possible Amazon sales ranking? In this blog post, we will explore these questions and provide actionable strategies for improving your product rank.
Understanding Amazon Sales Rank
Amazon sales rank, also known as the Best Sellers Rank (or Amazon BSR), is a metric that indicates the popularity of a product relative to other products in its category. The sales rank is updated hourly, with lower numbers signifying better performance. For example, a product with a sales rank of 1 is the best-selling item in its category, while a product with a sales rank of 40,000 is far less popular.
A “good” best seller rank varies depending on the category, as some categories have more competition and higher sales volumes than others. Generally, a sales rank within the top 1% of its category can be considered excellent, while a sales rank within the top 5% is still very good. For instance, if there are 100,000 products in a category, achieving a sales rank of 1,000 (top 1%) or 5,000 (top 5%) would be considered impressive.
It’s important to remember that depending on the popularity and competitiveness of a specific category, the same Amazon product ranking might produce completely different levels of sales volume.
Now that we understand what a good sales rank is, let’s dive into strategies to help you achieve it.
What are the Components of a Good Amazon BSR?
The first step to improving your Amazon best seller rank is concentrating on maximizing your Amazon SEO by optimizing your product listings. Then, it’s time to think about investing in Amazon Advertising. Amazon PPC ads can boost your visibility and sales, ultimately improving your sales rank.
Stockouts (running out of inventory) can severely damage your sales rank, as Amazon temporarily removes your listing or assigns the Amazon Buy Box to another seller.
Of course, a strong seller reputation can positively impact your Amazon ranking by increasing customer trust and improving your chances of winning the Amazon Buy Box. Running promotions and offering discounts can boost your sales velocity, and competitive pricing is crucial.
Finally, regularly monitoring your sales figures, conversion rate, and customer feedback allow you to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions.
But, to really increase your organic rank and bring potential customers to your listing, Amazon customer reviews are the magic – and often missing – ingredient. Customer reviews have the potential to become an eCommerce seller’s superpower!
Making Amazon Customer Reviews Your Superpower
Showing up in a search result is only half of the battle
It’s simple, Amazon shoppers are extremely hesitant to click on a product listing that doesn’t have enough reviews to indicate a history of satisfied customers.
There are a number of very good reasons that online shopping has become so popular. The pandemic only accelerated that trend. The flip side to those many good reasons is the discomfort that comes from spending money on an Amazon product listing that you cannot hold in your hands.
With any item purchased online, shoppers need a very good reason to swipe their credit card. That’s why Amazon customer reviews have never been as important. Amazon says that 77% of shoppers turn to reviews before finally making a purchase.
Improving the quality of customer reviews is crucial for Amazon sellers, as it directly impacts buyer trust, product ranking, and overall sales. With that in mind, here are the four best ways to increase the quality of customer reviews on Amazon:
1. Offer High-Quality Products
Not to overstate the obvious, but making sure that you’re selling high-quality products will set you apart from the competition and set you up for long-term success on Amazon’s marketplace.
The foundation of positive customer reviews is offering high-quality products that meet or exceed customer expectations. Ensure that your products are manufactured to a high standard, undergo quality control checks, and accurately match the product descriptions and images in your listings. By providing value to your customers, you’ll naturally receive more positive reviews.
2. Provide Outstanding Customer Service
Never underestimate the importance of human connection! Exceptional customer service can turn a neutral or negative review into a positive one. Be proactive in addressing customer concerns, providing prompt and helpful responses to inquiries, and resolving any issues that arise. When customers feel listened to, valued and supported, they are more likely to leave positive reviews.
Here are guidelines for providing excellent customer service:
- Respond to customer inquiries within 24 hours or less.
- Offer personalized solutions based on the customer’s specific issue.
- Be polite, professional, and empathetic in all communications.
- Follow up with customers to ensure their issue has been resolved and they are satisfied with the outcome.
3. Request Reviews and Encourage Feedback
These days, most of us have overly packed schedules. It’s just a fact that customers may not leave reviews unless prompted. Implement a follow-up system to request reviews and encourage feedback from your customers. This can be done through follow-up emails or Amazon’s “Request a Review” feature.
When asking for reviews, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Wait an appropriate amount of time after the order has been delivered before sending a review request. This allows the customer enough time to use and evaluate the product.
- Be polite and genuine in your request, expressing your appreciation for the customer’s business.
- Avoid offering incentives or asking for positive reviews, as this goes against Amazon’s policies.
- Include a direct link to the review page to make it as easy as possible for the customer to leave a review.
4. Take Advantage of Amazon Review Software Tools
Software tools can be instrumental in helping Amazon sellers manage and streamline the process of acquiring customer reviews.
There are a large number of tools available to help Amazon sellers create and automate follow-up email campaigns to request customer reviews. By using these tools, you can set up a sequence of personalized emails that are automatically sent to customers after their order has been delivered.
Some popular email automation tools include FeedbackWhiz, FeedbackFive, and Jungle Scout’s Email Campaigns feature. Tools like SellerLabs, and Helium 10 offer features that also allow you to monitor and manage your customer reviews.
These tools aggregate your reviews in one place, enabling you to track, analyze, and respond to them more efficiently. By staying on top of your reviews, you can quickly address negative feedback and turn dissatisfied customers into happy ones.
You can use these tools to filter through your product reviews and gain insights into customer sentiment, frequently mentioned keywords, and common issues. By understanding your customers’ feedback, you can make informed decisions on how to improve your products and services, ultimately leading to better reviews.
You’ve Created a Great Product, Make Sure Amazon Buyers Know About it!
By focusing on offering high-quality products, providing exceptional customer service, and actively seeking customer feedback, you can significantly increase the quality of your customer reviews. This, in turn, will help boost your product ranking, build buyer trust, and ultimately improve sales.
Amazon customer reviews play a pivotal role in maximizing your Amazon Best Sellers Rank (BSR). They serve as a key factor in enhancing your product’s visibility, building trust among potential buyers, and ultimately increasing your sales.
By focusing on delivering high-quality products, providing exceptional customer service, and utilizing software tools to streamline the review acquisition process, Amazon sellers can significantly improve their customer reviews and, consequently, their BSR.
As the competition on Amazon continues to grow, the importance of customer reviews in differentiating your products and establishing a strong seller reputation cannot be overstated. By prioritizing customer satisfaction and actively seeking feedback, you can stay ahead of the curve and ensure your products stand out in the crowded Amazon marketplace.
Great customer reviews are not only an essential part of maximizing your Amazon BSR but also a long-term strategy for sustained success in eCommerce.
If you want to get a head start, reach out to the eCommerce experts at Canopy Management.
How Canopy Management Can Help
Canopy Management is a full-service marketing agency for Amazon and Walmart sellers. Our team consists of former Amazonians, multi-million dollar sellers, and award-winning experts. When you consider the many ways that Canopy Management can help you grow your business, you’ll see why selling on Amazon is much easier “under the Canopy.”
- Strategic Growth Planning
- Listing Copywriting Optimization
- Listing Photography
- Product Videography
- Advertising Management
- Customer Service
- Demand Side Platform (Amazon DSP)
- Amazon Posts
- Full Service Management
- Amazon Review Aggregation