Leveraging Amazon Badges to Optimize Product Listings

In an attention economy, Amazon sellers have to go above and beyond to garner the attention of prospective customers. Amazon Seller badges are verifiable and distinguishable symbols that allow products the harness the attention they deserve. This article explores the different types of Amazon badges, what they mean, how to get them, and how they can help you increase your product and brand’s visibility.

Amazon badges communicate brand values and are an excellent way to influence customers purchasing decisions, boost traffic, and optimize product listings. They are based on reviews and feedback and help establish social proof.

Sellers can earn Amazon badges by producing and marketing insightful product content on Amazon. Badge eligibility varies and is determined by what type of badge one seeks to attain. It is helpful to note that while some badges are permanent, others are temporary. The former type of badge is more valuable and carries its share of the weight on the digital marketplace. If sellers have more than one badge, Amazon may not display all of their badges at once, as the platform prioritizes showcasing the most suitable one according to the page.

While the Amazon Best Seller badge is perhaps the most desired badge amongst sellers, it is also the most difficult to maintain. According to Amazon, Best Seller products are based on sales and are updated hourly by Amazon’s A9 algorithm to reflect the most recent sales.

The #1 Amazon Best Seller badge tells shoppers which products are considered best-selling in a particular category. Products listed with this renowned orange badge are more likely to be viewed and purchased by shoppers. Ownership of this badge conveys quality. Therefore, you need to be among the top 100 sellers in a product category to earn one. Here are five noteworthy tips to earn the Amazon Best Seller badge:

1. Have a comprehensive ad strategy
2. Create an Amazon compliant optimized listing
3. Consider more narrow product categories
4. Maintain a competitive pricing strategy
5. Use promotions to boost sales velocity

Competitive pricing is one of the many features that makes Amazon so popular. Simply put, competitive pricing is a strategy that helps sellers set a strategic price point relative to the competition; the ultimate goal is to have the lowest price. Maintaining a competitive pricing strategy involves monitoring price changes; one way to do this is knowing how often the Buy Box changes ownership to establish a competitive pricing point.

If you are looking for a more approachable badge, seek out savings badges. The addition of coupons, extra savings, and discount badges is an excellent strategy to increase sales. To get this badge, you need to access your Seller Central account. Go to the section under “advertising” and create a campaign related to your desired discount. From there, you have three different options: percent-off, dollars-off, and coupons.

Percent-off allows you to take a particular percentage off the current price. Its effect is more dramatic with higher-priced items. Dollars-off is very much the same, only with specific dollar amounts. Customers are more responsive to seeing dollar amounts being removed. It is more tangible and understandable than having to do the math. However, percent-off badges will often result in better conversion rates.

The third option, coupons, allows customers to check a box to apply their coupon. This box-checking is similar to “clipping coupons” in your store. It saves an additional percent or dollar amount on top of any other savings you apply. There is some satisfaction that comes with clipping coupons, which is why this practice still exists today. A combined effort between two or three of the above options is typically the most effective.

The extra savings button provides a unique opportunity to participate in one of the oldest business practices: upselling. Upselling is the practice of offering an additional, related product alongside the initially selected product.

Typically, upselling is provided in conjunction with some perk or benefit. Amazon will enable you to offer promotional items alongside your primary sales targets. These promotional pieces are complementary items to the product you are selling. Below are a few examples of complementary selling:

• A discounted spatula with your new grill
• An (almost) free subwoofer with your new speakers
• A 10% discount on chips with your soda sale

Complementary items are great ways to introduce new products that need a boost in sales. However, it is in your best interest to familiarize yourself with what products you can offer on these promotions. You will not be able to sell a steak knife set with a stuffed teddy bear- the categories are too different. The two items in the relevant category need to be related.

There is no real challenge to getting savings badges; you need to go through Seller Central’s advertising dashboard. Keep in mind that many of these “sale ads” require you to pay fees to Amazon. Also, be sure you are not pricing too low when upselling. As a result, it becomes easier to lose your profit margin when adding multiple promotions.

Prime Exclusive Discounts and Event Badges are designed to promote products during special Amazon events such as Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. The first thing worth noting is that these badges are only available during those selected events. So it would not make sense to offer a Prime Day Deal outside of Prime Day.

The second thing worth noting is that these badges do have some potential to boost your product listing sales. However, you will not see much improvement if you are not providing excellent service, quality products, and fast shipping. Everyone can access this badge. Naturally, you need to set the Prime Day pricing a week (or more) ahead of schedule while maintaining positive reviews, reasonable pricing, and competitive product descriptions.

Amazon’s Editorial Recommendations are another viable and efficient alternative to increase product exposure, although they are unrelated to badges. Editorial recommendations are associated with particular search terms. For example, more people are looking for content to tell them about the best products.

The Editorial section on Amazon is known as the Onsite Affiliate Program. This program takes content from third-party creators to inform people about those products. To be eligible for this program, you will need to meet the following requirements:

• Earn at least 30 thousand (or more) in sales
• Ensure your product is at the top 20% of Amazon for sales volume (in its category)
• Maintain product reviews of at least four stars (preferably higher)
• Have 100 (or more) reviews

Once achieved, you will need to reach out to Amazon for further instructions about how to proceed with the program.

Regardless of what type of badge a seller has next to their product, it will be undeniably advantageous as they work to distinguish one particular product from a sea of others. The best badge on Amazon is the badge that grants you the most exposure.

Each of them serves a different purpose, but they all require consistency from potential badge earners. Some of them also run anywhere from short-term to long-term. While badges, like the discount ones, do not have the exact requirements, they can provide a potential increase in conversion rates. Therefore, it is vital to leverage your resources to gain exposure and drive sales volume.

Data is the key to making actionable decisions that ensure eCommerce businesses continue to prosper. To discover more strategies for becoming a competitive seller on Amazon, DataHawk offers detailed insights on Amazon’s market intelligence.