Amazon makes more than $500 billion sales annually and 83% of that sales happens through Amazon Buy Box. In colloquial terms, if you want to boost your sales on Amazon, you should get the Buy Box on the product page. When you are trying to get a spot in the Buy Box for the very first time, you must be thinking whether you are in the right place or not. Well, not to worry, we got you and your questions answered about the Amazon Buy Box and how you can top the charts.
What Is the Buy Box on Amazon?
The Amazon Buy Box is a special spot on a product page where the customers can easily add an item to their cart and purchase it just with a single click. It shows the product and its price from a specific seller. Getting this Buy Box is vital for the sellers as it can greatly increase their sales. However, it does not guarantee and totally depends on factors such as the price, how orders are fulfilled, and the seller’s performance.
The amazon market is as big as an ocean and in the list of multiple sellers, there are so many sellers selling the same products. Standing out and getting on these product pages can be challenging to get noticed, more than on any other marketplace. You should also keep this in mind that only the new products can appear in the Buy Box.
Amazon’s Buy Box algorithm determines which products are to be featured in the exclusive section. Therefore, to get in that desired position, you have to adhere to Amazon’s regulations. As a seller, it is important to note that Amazon is not only a big marketplace but, it also functions as a seller itself, which can pose as a competitor or rival to you.
Why Is the Buy Box Important to Amazon Sellers?
Putting it simply, having or not having the Amazon Buy Box can have a substantial impact on your sales.
When a user clicks on the “Add to cart” button on Amazon, they are effectively making a purchase from a specific seller, which is the one who won the Buy Box. It gets all the more important now that they also have a “Buy Now” button, which leads to a purchase from the Buy Box owner/winner.
Just winning the Buy Box does not mean that you will have more sales, it also means that you are now being viewed by customers as someone who sticks to Amazon’s rules and delivers exceptional services and products.
No doubt, the Buy Box on Amazon significantly enhances the seller’s chance of making a sale. Most of the shoppers tend to by default use the Buy Box option when making a purchase, which gives the Buy Box holder an upper hand in the competitive market. It builds trust among the customers, which makes them buy the same thing without looking for more options.
If you are someone who runs Amazon ads, you can lose control of the Buy Box as it prevents your ads from being displayed. It may result in you paying for the advertising costs to redirect customers to a page where another seller gets to make a sale.
Moreover, securing a Buy Box is of the utmost importance for customers who shop through mobile phones. When people shop on Amazon’s mobile site, reaching the Buy Box requires scrolling past a lot of other stuff. This extra effort can make it harder to convert mobile users, who make up the majority of Amazon’s monthly visitors.
How Does Amazon’s Algorithm Decide Who Appears in the Buy Box?
Amazon selects the Buy Box winner by considering things like price, how orders are fulfilled, and the seller’s rating, among other factors that we’ll discuss shortly. But it’s not an exact science. The criteria for winning the Buy Box can change, so different sellers may take turns being in the Buy Box over time.
You need a Professional Seller account to have a shot at winning the Amazon Buy Box – an individual seller account won’t do the trick. The good news is, anyone can upgrade to a Professional Seller status through Amazon Seller Central. It comes with a monthly subscription fee on top of your selling fees, but it offers many benefits, including the chance to win the Amazon Buy Box.
Important: If you’re a seller in Europe, you’ll require a Pro-Merchant Account.
Length of Time on Amazon
Professional sellers who have been on Amazon for a while have a higher likelihood of winning the Buy Box in rotations. This advantage comes from Amazon seeing a history of successful sales and positive customer feedback, which suggests that your business is likely to keep performing well in the future.
Merchants Must Sell New Items
To win the Buy Box rotations, only new products are considered, and Amazon’s system automatically excludes listings for used items. This rule is in place to reassure shoppers that when they click on the Amazon Buy Box, they’ll receive brand-new, undamaged products.
Consistent Inventory Available
To win the Buy Box rotations, only new products are considered, and Amazon’s system automatically excludes listings for used items. This rule is in place to reassure shoppers that when they click on the Amazon Buy Box, they’ll receive brand-new, undamaged products.
The Lower the Price, the Better
To impress the Amazon Buy Box algorithm, it’s crucial to offer competitive prices that account for taxes, shipping, and handling. In simple terms, the lower your total price, the better your odds of winning the Buy Box.
Efficient Delivery
If you’re using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you don’t have to worry much about this factor because Amazon takes care of your shipping times. But if you handle orders on your own, it’s important to know that the Buy Box algorithm considers both the shipping times you promise and the actual times it takes to ship the product to decide if you get the sought-after Buy Box placement.
Good Seller Metrics
The Amazon Buy Box algorithm takes into account your performance metrics to decide if you get the Buy Box. These metrics involve things like refunds, cancellations, and late shipments. So, it’s crucial to keep these issues to a minimum and offer great products and customer service. You can keep an eye on these metrics in Amazon Seller Central.
Order Defect Rates
To secure the Buy Box, it’s essential to minimize issues such as negative feedback, A-Z claims, and chargebacks. The Amazon algorithm evaluates these factors both in the short term and the long term to decide if your products can be part of Buy Box rotations and even if you can keep selling on the platform.
Customer Service Quality
Two key factors related to customer experience and service quality include how quickly you respond to customers and how satisfied they are. Amazon expects professional sellers aiming for the Buy Box to reply to customer inquiries within 24 hours. Additionally, Amazon gives preference to sellers who consistently receive high ratings from customers through post-sale surveys.
Who Gets The Buy Box on Amazon?
Usually, the Amazon Buy Box is earned by experienced sellers who meet the specific standards set by Amazon. These include encompassing competitive pricing, effective shipping and order fulfillment practices, awesome seller rating, and various other performance indicators. It is not guaranteed to a single seller, rather, it circulates among the qualified sellers, who ace in these criteria.
How Amazon’s Buy Box Percentage Works
The Amazon Buy Box percentage is a measure that indicates how frequently your product appears in the Amazon Buy Box. For example, if your product is viewed 100 times, and it’s in the Buy Box for 80 of those views, your Buy Box percentage is 80%. In an ideal scenario where four sellers offer the same product at the same price with identical performance metrics and inventory levels, each of them would have a Buy Box percentage of 25%.
Conclusion
Securing a position in an Amazon Buy Box offers significant benefits due to its prominent visibility and convenient purchasing options. Winning the Buy Box can be the decisive factor between making a sale or missing out while another seller takes the spotlight.
If you are a seller who wishes to win the Amazon Buy Box in 2024, HRTECH can help you do so. Our company provides you with the finest optimizing listings, pricing, inventory, seller rating, and performance metrics, which ensures that you stay competitive in the market and increase your chances of success. Visit us today, and get a quote now.
