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Don’t Get Locked Out: Use These 5 Keys to Unlock the Amazon Buy Box for Your Brand

The competition is fierce for one of the most valuable pieces of Amazon real estate. This 5-step checklist will help your brand win the coveted Buy Box over your competitors.

  • February 18, 2023
  • /
  • CANOPY Management

Are you an Amazon seller wanting to boost your revenue? If so, winning the Buy Box is a must!

The Buy box offers tremendous visibility for sellers and significantly skyrockets sales. In this article, uncover valuable tips and strategies designed to help you win the sought-after Amazon Buy Box and take your business success up a notch!

Understanding the Amazon Buy Box

The Amazon Buy Box is the white box on the right side of the product detail page, where customers can add items to their cart. It is the most prominent and visible feature on the Amazon product page, and winning it can help you increase your sales. 

Amazon’s Buy Box feature makes it easy for customers to add items directly into their cart with a single click. This valuable tool is located on the product detail page and given to sellers who demonstrate an excellent commitment to customer service – ensuring that shopper’s experiences are seamless, stress-free, and enjoyable!

First, Check Your Eligibility 

You can discover if you are Buy Box eligible by logging in to your Amazon Seller Central account and heading over to the ‘Performance’ tab. There, a single click takes you straight to the ‘Buy Box Eligibility’ page for an up-to-date status report.

To maintain a competitive advantage on Amazon’s online marketplace, you must meet the e-commerce giant’s strict standards. The Buy Box eligibility is decided by several criteria such as pricing, order fulfillment reliability and customer service ratings – all of which are required to deliver an outstanding shopping experience for customers.

Amazon’s Buy Box report offers you the opportunity to assess your eligibility status, refine performance areas and gain a competitive edge! Get detailed insights into how you stack up compared to other merchants in your category. 

By regularly monitoring their Buy Box eligibility and using the Buy Box report to optimize their performance, you can increase your chances of winning the Buy Box and growing your business on the platform.

Tips for Winning the Amazon Buy Box

The Buy Box is not automatically available to everyone. Instead, you need to earn it! Here are the five ways that Amazon sellers can put themselves in the best possible position to gain that important product positioning. 

1. Start with Competitive Pricing 

To be successful in the Amazon Marketplace, it’s essential to provide competitive prices. This is what can help you win the Buy Box and capture customers’ attention on Amazon’s price-driven platform.

Setting the right price is essential to success when it comes to online retail. It’s okay if you’re not always offering the lowest cost, as long as your prices stay within a reasonable range of competitors’. The Buy Box can be won or lost depending on pricing – so monitoring and adjusting yours frequently ensures that you remain competitive in an ever-changing market!

2. How You Fulfill Your Orders Matters

Amazon is known for its fast and reliable shipping, and customers expect the same from the sellers on the platform. To win the Buy Box, Amazon sellers must prioritize speed and efficiency when it comes to order fulfillment.

FBA is a powerful way to improve your Buy Box chances. With FBA, you can use Amazon’s extensive fulfillment network and reliability for shipping and customer service while also ensuring that stock levels are kept up – enabling customers around the world access to your products with ease!

Remember, Amazon wants a drama-free seamless experience for their customers. 

Amazon values a great customer experience and is committed to quick delivery. In order to win the coveted Buy Box, you need comprehensive inventory management – something Amazon understands well! That’s why they offer tools to keep track of your stock levels so that customers always get their orders in time.

3. Keep an Eye On Your Seller Ratings

Amazon thrives on customer satisfaction, so sellers need to take their seller ratings seriously. High seller ratings are essential for winning the Amazon Buy Box and guaranteeing shoppers have a great experience.

The following three strategies can help you keep those top-notch rankings coming in:

Excellent Customer Service is Required

At Amazon, creating a positive customer experience is paramount. An important part of this mission includes promptly responding to any queries or feedback in a polite and professional way – while also catering for returns and refunds efficiently. 

For added convenience, the platform provides an easy-to-use messaging system so sellers can quickly get into contact with customers should they have any issues that need resolving!

Your Product Descriptions Need to Be Accurate

To ensure customer satisfaction, get detailed and accurate when it comes to product descriptions. Supplement them with clear images and videos so customers can envision what they’re buying. Make sure to give a full description of any restrictions or limitations that accompany the product. 

Fulfill Orders Quickly

Fast and reliable shipping is a key factor in customer satisfaction and can help improve your seller ratings. Use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to take advantage of Amazon’s fulfillment network and ensure fast and reliable shipping. If self-fulfilling, pick reliable carriers and provide tracking info to keep clients in the loop about their orders’ progress – essential for customer satisfaction.

4. Optimize Your Product Listings

If you want to drive sales on Amazon, optimizing your product listings is key. Winning the coveted Buy Box requires that your listing outshine competitors by meeting all of Amazon’s search algorithm criteria so that it stands head and shoulders above other options available for purchase.

Here are the three most important elements of Amazon product optimization:

Keyword Optimization

Using relevant and targeted keywords in your product title, description, and bullet points is crucial for optimizing your product listings for Amazon’s search algorithm. Conduct keyword research to identify the most relevant and high-traffic keywords for your products, and include them in your product listings. You’ll need to be sure to employ keywords naturally and avoid “keyword stuffing,” as this can harm your search rankings.

High-Quality Product Images

High-quality product images are important for attracting customers and increasing sales on Amazon. Use professional-grade photos that show your products from multiple angles and in different lighting conditions. Ensure that your images meet Amazon’s technical requirements, such as size and file format, and consider using lifestyle or contextual images to help customers visualize your products in use.

Enhanced Content

Differentiate your products and increase sales with Amazon A+ Content! Use the enhanced images, videos, and text to let customers experience the full potential of what you have to offer. Showcase product features, benefits & unique selling points; create a more engaging shopping journey for your clients – get creative with it!

5. Pay Attention to the Fine Print (Your Metrics)

Amazon values customer satisfaction, and they use seller metrics to gauge customer satisfaction. To win the Buy Box, you need to maintain high seller ratings. This means providing excellent customer service, handling returns and refunds promptly, and resolving customer complaints in a timely and satisfactory manner. 

Here are some of the most important Amazon seller metrics, along with their accompanying explanations:

Order Defect Rate (ODR)

The ODR measures the percentage of orders that have received negative feedback, an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, or a credit card chargeback. A high ODR can lead to account suspension or closure, so it is important to keep it below 1%.

Late Shipment Rate (LSR)

The LSR measures the percentage of orders that have been shipped after the expected ship date. Amazon expects sellers to maintain a LSR of less than 4%, and failing to meet this standard can result in account suspension or closure. (LSR only applies to seller-fulfilled orders)

Pre-Fulfillment Cancel Rate (PFCR)

The PFCR measures the percentage of orders that have been canceled by the seller before they are shipped. Amazon expects sellers to maintain a PFCR of less than 2.5%, and failing to meet this standard can result in account suspension or closure.

Valid Tracking Rate (VTR)

The VTR measures the percentage of orders for which valid tracking information has been provided to Amazon. Amazon expects sellers to maintain a VTR of at least 95%, and failing to meet this standard can result in account suspension or closure.

Contact Response Time (CRT)

The CRT measures the average time it takes for sellers to respond to customer inquiries. Amazon expects sellers to respond to customer inquiries within 24 hours, and failing to meet this standard can result in account suspension or closure.

On-Time Delivery Rate (OTDR)

The OTDR measures the percentage of orders that have been delivered to customers on or before the expected delivery date. Amazon expects sellers to maintain an OTDR of at least 97%, and failing to meet this standard can result in account suspension or closure.

Winning Amazon’s Buy Box Isn’t Easy, But It’s Worth the Effort

As you can see, winning the Amazon BuyBox isn’t easy and there are a number of factors involved in getting your product there. 

Maximize your success on Amazon by taking advantage of the Buy Box! With competitive pricing, speedy fulfillment services and high seller ratings for top-notch customer service, you can increase visibility and sales by becoming a formidable contender. 

Improve product listings to ensure maximum appeal, and follow strategies that will give you an edge – because with winning the Buy Box comes greater rewards in revenue growth.

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”:

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