The Connection Between Rich Product Information and Amazon’s Buy Box
Amazon is a hyper-competitive marketplace where survival of the fittest is the nature of the game.
To win, you have to be glued to the platform’s customer-obsessed mantra and deliver on its success factors; having a wide range of products, competitive pricing, and outstanding customer experience.
However, you’ll have to dig a lot deeper than that if you’re looking to grab and keep the Buy Box spot.
Where is the Buy Box Spot, and Why Should You Care?
When you visit Amazon.com using a desktop and search for a product you need, you’ll find the Buy Box on the right-hand side of the screen. On mobile devices, it sits at the bottom of the screen, just below basic product information such as product image, price, availability, and shipping. It’s a hard-to-miss white box as the call to actions; “add to cart” and “buy now” decorated in bold yellow and orange colors, respectively, draw your attention.
Many merchants care dearly about it as over 80% of sales on the platform, and even more on mobile devices, happen through the Buy Box. That’s why every merchant is vying for the throne. But it’s a tough position to land because the number of sellers who use Amazon is infinite, which means there are multiple merchants who sell the same product you sell.
The good news is that the winner is rotated.
So, if you don’t win today, you still have a chance to win tomorrow or the day after. However, you have to meet certain eligibility metrics to even stand a chance; these include, in no particular order:
And many other elements that SELLERLOGIC already explained in full detail in this article about all important metrics to win the Buy Box.
One thing that is clear is that there isn’t a single magic element that can persuade Amazon’s Buy Box algorithm to choose you over your competitors. But the one element that everything hinges on and has a stronger influence on the impact of your efforts is product information quality.
Why Product Information Quality Matters
Your products are up against thousands of similar products from different sellers, all listed under one umbrella. So, if you don’t comply with Amazon’s very strict rules and best seller practices, you won’t get the Buy Box seat. When you take a closer look at Amazon’s list of best practices, you’ll see that it’s all about product information. From adding correct unique standard identifiers to accurate and useful product descriptions, consistent inventory management, and fulfillment details, you have to be on top of your game at all times.
You have to offer a product experience that really stands out. And to do that, you have to boost the quality of your product information by optimizing and enriching it.
All of these factors impact your product’s ranking ability and day-to-day performance on Amazon.
It’s also important to note that they also heavily impact customers’ perception of your product and brand. As we mentioned above, feedback score is one of the metrics that count when determining whether you’re eligible for Buy Box spot or not. If customers leave negative feedback or give you low star ratings, it compromises your chances of being picked for Buy Box ownership.
Shoot Your Shot for the Buy Box Spot
While it’s all up to the algorithm to determine whether you meet the criteria or not, product information is completely in your control. The richer the product information you create, the higher the chances that it can stimulate a healthy opportunity for getting you the Buy Box spot.
The secret to ensuring rich product content is by storing and managing it through a product information management (PIM) tool. We’ll tell you now, this tool can save you when it counts the most. It stores optimized and enriched product information in a single location for easy and efficient management. It also helps you spot mistakes immediately and correct them before you distribute the content to your Amazon product listing. Most importantly, PIM can integrate with your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool to make it simple for you to make your inventory information. That is all of the product information you need to boost your efforts for the Buy Box spot under one roof.
With product information sorted, you can now focus on all of the other metrics that are useful in your journey to Buy Box, things like ensuring you have competitive prices, great customer feedback, on-time shipments, and responding quickly to customer inquiries.
Image credits (header): ©Sammby – stock.adobe.com
