The Amazon Buy Box
Winning the Buy Box can be the difference between failure and success for many Amazon sellers. This prime real estate significantly impacts seller visibility and sales, making all other Amazon Marketing efforts hinge on its success. In this guide, we unveil ten indispensable tips on how to win the Buy Box on Amazon, helping Sellers secure sales in the bustling marketplace.
But first, what do we mean we say a seller is winning the “Buy Box?”
What is the Buy Box?
The Buy Box is the name for Amazon’s arena on the product detail page for competing offers of the same product. As discussed in How Does the Amazon Catalog Work when two or more sellers are offering to sell the same product, Amazon combines these offers onto a single product detail page. From there, Amazon uses a host of different ranking factors to algorithmically choose which offer will be shown in the Buy Box as the “Featured Offer.” As the Buy Box winner, or Featured Offer, any customer who clicks Buy Now or Add to Cart will be purchasing your offer, rather than another seller’s offer. Experts believe as much as 90% of Amazon sales go to the Buy Box winner, making it a critical factor in generating Amazon sales.
Now that we understand why it’s important, here are 10 tips on how to win the Buy Box on Amazon.
1. Have the Lowest “Landed Price” (or very close to it).
At the core of Buy Box success lies your product’s Landed Price—the total cost a customer bears. Landed price is the combination of your item price + shipping cost. Sellers control both of these factors directly through item pricing, and through their shipping template settings. While being the absolute lowest isn’t obligatory, even a marginal difference can sway the Buy Box in your favor. If all else is equal, the lowest priced offer will win the Buy Box, making this the most important factor for becoming the Featured Offer.
2. Have a Record of Previous Positive Sales.
Amazon, ever prioritizing customer satisfaction, places immense value on a proven track record. Sellers with a positive sales history enjoy the privilege of being Buy Box eligible, while those without a previous sales history may be deemed Buy Box ineligible. The exact length of time, number of orders, etc. in order to be deemed Buy Box eligible is unclear, but the bar is generally fairly low and can be overcome with some persistence and effort. New sellers should be aware of this potential hurdle though as new selling accounts may face slow starts due to Buy Box ineligibility.
3. Provide an Excellent Customer Experience and Manage Your Account Health.
In the relentless pursuit of Buy Box dominance, delivering an exceptional customer experience is non-negotiable. A high Seller Feedback rating directly influences Buy Box ranking and can be the deciding factor between competing offers. Sellers should strive to provide an excellent buying experience to customers to avoid returns and negative Seller Feedback. In addition, sellers must continuously monitor and moderate their Seller Feedback as well as other account performance metrics like order defect rate, pre-fulfillment cancellation rate, and late shipment rate. If a selling account accumulates too many of these account health issues, Amazon often suppresses ALL of their offers and may even deactivate the entire selling account.
4. Offer fast shipping.
Speed is of the essence in the Amazon ecosystem. The expected delivery date for an order is a Buy Box ranking factor, and also very visible to the customer. Offers with sooner delivery dates will have higher Buy Box preference, and may even be selected when they aren’t winning the Buy Box if a customer is in a pinch and needs the item quickly. Sellers should use fast shipping services like 2 or 3 Day Guaranteed where margins allow, offer expedited shipping options, and ensure their shipping templates reflect the most accurate (and fastest) delivery speeds a customer can expect.
5. Offer fast handling time.
Carrier shipping speed is only half of the delivery date equation though. The other half, handling time, is the time it takes for a seller to get the item into the carrier’s hands. This timeframe is set by the seller. Reducing your handling time, or setting proper expectations of when an item will be shipped, can help you show an earlier delivery date than competitors and help you win the Buy Box. As best as is reasonable, sellers should design processes so that items are ready to ship as quickly as possible after an order is placed. This includes finished goods management, order and shipping software setup, and collaboration in the facility to offer fast handling times. Handling times are managed at the item level, and should be frequently revisited to ensure a high degree of accuracy.
6. Use Fulfillment By Amazon.
If you’re a new seller, or the logistical nightmare of offering fast and accurate shipping is just over your head, you can outsource it. Using FBA exempts your offer from factors 2-5 and gives you a perfect Buy Box ranking score for those variables. Simply ship your inventory out to Amazon’s distribution centers and let them worry about shipping, handling, and customer service. This allows you to focus on pricing, and driving traffic to the listing.
7. Keep your products in stock.
When a seller is out of stock for an item, their offer is removed from the product detail page. Sellers cannot win the Buy Box without an active offer, so it is imperative to ensure that items are well stocked whether through FBA or FBM (or FBA with backup FBM inventory ideally). Additionally, if sellers are competing in the Buy Box against other offers, Amazon seems to reward sellers who consistently win the Buy Box and provide positive customer experiences. If a seller is winning the Buy Box and then runs out of stock (thereby losing the Buy Box and breaking their streak of positive customer experiences), it appears much more difficult to regain a piece of the Buy Box pie, rather than maintaining it in the first place.
8. Be the Only Seller of Your Products on Amazon.
The best way for brand owners selling on Amazon to beat out competing offers is to avoid competing at all by being the only seller on Amazon. Being the only seller for your products gives you additional control over contributions, customer experience and engagement, pricing, advertising delivery, and, as we’re discussing here, Buy Box control.
Amazon does not police product detail pages for “unauthorized sellers,” so it is up to brand owners and manufacturers to control their supply chain and ensure that unauthorized sellers do not have product to sell on Amazon. There are some internal tools on Amazon, like Brand Gating, that can prevent new offers or new product detail pages from being created under the protected brand name. Those tools are all tied to Brand Registry and may be an option for some sellers.
Brand owners should carefully vet potential competitive Amazon sellers, and deny relationships with other potential 3P sellers unless there is an extremely compelling reason otherwise.
9. Have a Competitive Item Price.
Having the lowest landed price on Amazon does not guarantee that sellers are offering a “competitive price.” In accordance with Amazon’s Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy, Amazon reserves the right to suppress or remove offers that they believe have unfairly high prices for the items offered to their customers. To enforce this policy, Amazon bots consistently crawl the internet for offers of the same or similar products on other marketplaces to determine if the price offered on Amazon is in line with their Fair Pricing expectations. Sellers should attempt to conduct their own market research before setting prices for their products and, additionally, consistently check their Brand Health metrics and Pricing Alerts to ensure that offers are not Buy Box suppressed.
10. Ensure your Listings do not Have Compliance Issues.
In addition to potential suppression due to pricing, sellers should be aware that Amazon can suppress the Buy Box, or even delist entire product detail pages if they do not meet Amazon’s compliance requirements. For example, if sellers are offering unlabeled dangerous goods, making unsubstantiated claims on the detail page, or selling in a category where they are not approved, Amazon will suppress and/or delist the entire detail page. Without a detail page, no one can win the Buy Box.
Contact Accelerazon Today to Win the Amazon Buy Box!
In conclusion, mastering the art of winning the Buy Box demands a holistic approach. If you’re seeking personalized strategies to enhance your Amazon presence and Buy Box performance, feel free to reach out to Accelerazon. Elevate your Amazon success with expert guidance.
Contact Us today for a free evaluation and to unlock your Amazon potential.
