How to Win the Buy Box on Amazon and Protect Your Brand

Daniel Hannig
Find out how to win the Buy Box on Amazon and protect your brand.

Learning how to win the Amazon Buy Box is one of the most crucial segments in sales on Amazon, especially with more than 90% of Amazon sales going through the Buy Box, which makes it a critical element of a product detail page.

In this article, we will discuss what is the Buy Box, the measures to own and influence it, and also how to protect your brand with it. 

Amazon offers the ability for multiple sellers to offer the same product on a single detail page, where customers have options from which they can choose the offer they like the most: The Buy Box and the other sellers on the Amazon box. And when multiple sellers are selling at the same time, they are competing to win the Buy Box.

Winning the Buy Box while protecting your brand

Even if you’re the sole product page seller, you should not assume that you’ve already owned the Buy Box. The Buy Box isn’t available to all sellers. To use this option, you must first become Buy Box eligible. To do so, you’ll need a professional selling account, and you’ll have to meet a few performance-based requirements, such as:

  • Order Defect rate (ODR)
  • The customer shopping experience you provided, such as the speed of delivery, shipping options, price, and customer service
  • Time and experience
  • And other metrics

Factors to win the Buy Box?

Amazon’s Buy Box algorithm is one of the most mysterious concepts. We believe there are a few factors that we’ve noticed that play a key role in determining whether a product page has the Buy Box (the factors are listed from very important to somewhat important):

  • Fulfillment method and Prime Eligibility (FBA or SFP), 
  • Landed Price, 
  • Shipping Time, 
  • Order Volume, 
  • Available Inventory,
  • Order defect rate,
  • Valid tracking rate, 
  • Late shipment rate, 
  • Delivered on-time rate, 
  • Feedback rating, 
  • Feedback count, 
  • Customer response time,
  • Cancellation and refund rate, 
  • Inventory Depth 

Two other seller metrics that have to be taken into account are Return Dissatisfaction Rate and Customer Service Dissatisfaction Rate, to improve the shopping experience. These metrics are currently not considered Buy Box factors, but they should be properly maintained. 

Owning the Buy Box

Owning the Buy Box is not an easy task when having in mind all the factors that should be fulfilled and monitored, but also that the Buy Box is not “given” for the whole day. How to win a competition for the Buy Box on Amazon can be learnt, but sellers must understand that more than one seller can compete for it and that it alternates among sellers depending on many factors. For example, if several sellers offer the same offer, then based on the factor performance (for example, highest stock inventory, shipping time), the Buy Box will be awarded. The better selling metrics also determine the percentage of the day that the seller owns the Buy Box. 

Also, Amazon has Amazon Fair Price Policy which means the seller needs to be sure that Amazon price is the lowest price on the internet; otherwise, Amazon can remove the Buy Box, remove the offer, suspend the ship option, and much more.

Here is an example where Amazon removed the Buy Box because the product had better pricing outside Amazon.

How to win the Buy Box and promote your brand: explained in this text.

We suggest several steps and strategies that may help in increasing the Buy Box ownership percentage, such as:

  • Understand and know the metrics: every seller should know metrics that are the main “force” of the before-mentioned factors. 
  • Choose the best-proven strengths: every business has strengths that can structure its first steps in securing the buy box, for example, the fulfillment method, (In some cases, FBA or Amazon sellers have a higher chance of winning the Buy Box, but if you are an FBM seller, you can enroll in the Seller-Fulfilled Prime and will have a greater chance of winning the Buy Box) shipping time, landed price, or stock availability. Start with the ones your brand is the best in, and work from there. 
  • Improve the performance: Use Amazon Seller Central to pinpoint the key areas you need to improve. Metrics such as Order defect rate (ODR), Valid tracking rate, Late shipment rate, customer response time, etc
  • Competitive price: Set a competitive price. Choose and test the best pricing method available on Amazon (Manual, Rule-based, Algorithmic).   

Ensuring that most of the factors for owning the Buy Box are met is one of the main factors for brand protection.  

How to win the Buy Box on Amazon with Repricing

The most important factor that will win you the Buy Box on Amazon is a solid repricing strategy. While there are definitely effective methods that you can apply manually, the professional way to go would be to use automation tools. Automated repricing tools bring precision, efficiency, and consistency to your pricing strategy, eliminating the human errors and time delays associated with manual adjustments. 

The SELLERLOGIC Repricer leverages a state-of-the-art algorithm and real-time data to continually adjust your prices based on market conditions, competitor activity, and your desired profit margins. This means you can stay competitive 24/7 without constantly monitoring and tweaking prices yourself. By automating the repricing process, you not only save valuable time but also ensure that you are always in the best position to win the Buy Box.

How to protect your brand on Amazon

Finding out how to win the Buy Box on Amazon is just the first step. The next step is protecting your brand. Let’s start by mentioning that Amazon adheres to The First Sale Doctrine. The First Sale Doctrine states that someone who purchases a trademarked product has the right to resell that same product. A situation in which the brands need to take a holistic approach to protect themselves.    

One of the ways that brands can protect themselves is by using a Minimum Advertising Price (MAP) pricing policy. Manufacturers’ MAP policies dictate the lowest price their distributors or resellers can advertise products online or in marketing materials. 

Also, knowing who are your brand resellers or third-party sellers and creating a good and clear resell standard and policy can ensure better brand protection.  

Amazon has created brand protection services that can help and safeguard customers and brands from fraud and abuse. These services are: 

  • Brand Registry
  • Transparency
  • IP Accelerator
  • Report a Violation
  • Project Zero
  • Counterfeit Crimes Unit

If you’re the manufacturer or an OEM with a branded product, you can enroll in Brand Registry to ensure that other sellers do not alter your brand’s product detail page. You’ll still be able to list your brand’s product, but it will help ensure that it’s represented correctly.

Additional advantages of enrolling are: 

  • Don’t have to use UPCs to list your brand items, 
  • Recognized as the brand owner and can contribute content to your brand’s product listing in addition to the content contributed by other sellers. Your content will override any content that other sellers attempt to provide. 
  • When a physical or non-physical difference exists between products sold by authorized resellers vs. unauthorized resellers, brand registered sellers can open a case for trademark infringement in the brand registry.

Additionally, if applicable, use the barcodes and transparency codes:

  • Transparency codes are one-of-a-kind, encrypted codes to identify individual items, preventing counterfeits from reaching consumers. It improves customer engagement and provides brands with valuable information on how to optimize their supply chains.   
  • Always use the Amazon sticker barcode label if your brand is using Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) – whit this, your packages and product can be spotted if mixed with some of the counterfeited items   

Conclusion

Owning a bigger Buy Box ownership percentage shows that the brand ensured that most of the factors for winning the Buy Box are met. This is one of the main steps for brand protection on Amazon. Owning the Buy Box is a constantly evolving process, and it is not an under-the-hood button that can be pushed. 

Amazon’s ecosystem is highly competitive, and the Buy Box is just one part of the puzzle. Choosing the best-proven strengths of the brand, utilizing most of the Buy Box factors, and setting a competitive price will be the best steps in protecting your brand on Amazon.

FAQs

What is the Amazon Buy Box?

The Amazon Buy Box is the section on a product detail page where customers can directly purchase a product by adding it to their cart. Winning the Buy Box increases your chances of making a sale since it offers a quick and direct purchase option.

How can I increase my chances of winning the Buy Box?

To increase your chances of winning the Buy Box, you should focus on maintaining competitive pricing, ensuring you have sufficient inventory, providing fast and reliable shipping options, and maintaining high seller performance metrics. Utilizing automated repricing tools like SELLERLOGIC Repricer can also help you stay competitive.

What is Amazon Brand Registry, and how does it help protect my brand?

Amazon Brand Registry is a program that offers enhanced tools and services to brand owners. It helps protect your brand by giving you greater control over your product listings, enabling you to report violations, and providing proactive brand protection measures against counterfeit and unauthorized sellers.

Image credits: © CineLens2024/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com

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SELLERLOGIC Repricer
Maximize your revenue with your B2B and B2C offers using SELLERLOGIC's automated pricing strategies. Our AI-driven dynamic pricing control ensures you secure the Buy Box at the highest possible price, guaranteeing that you always have a competitive edge over your rivals.
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SELLERLOGIC Lost & Found Full-Service
Audits every FBA transaction and identifies reimbursement claims resulting from FBA errors. Lost & Found manages the complete refund procedure, including troubleshooting, claim filing, and communication with Amazon. You always have full visibility of all refunds in your Lost & Found Full-Service dashboard.
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SELLERLOGIC Business Analytics
Business Analytics for Amazon gives you an overview of your profitability - for your business, individual marketplaces, and all your products.