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7 Strategies to Improve Your Amazon Inventory Performance Index

Amazon Inventory Performance Index (IPI) measures how efficiently you manage your FBA inventory over time. The performance is represented on a scale of 0 to 1000 points; a higher score means better performance. IPI measures how efficiently sellers balance their sales volume and stock levels, fix stranded or suspended listings, and keep their high-selling products in stock. IPI helps sellers avoid stockouts and heavy overstocking charges. An IPI score below 450 can result in Amazon imposing storage limits on your account. The following are actionable strategies to improve your Amazon Inventory Performance Index score:

  1. Perform Inventory Audits Regularly: This is crucial for avoiding any mistakes caused by discrepancies and preventing stockouts or overstocking that can damage your Amazon IPI score.
  2. Automate with Inventory Management Software: Inventory management software allow you to automate the grueling task of tracking stock levels, managing reorders, and forecasting demand. This can help you optimize your sell-through rate and avoid excessive inventory.
  3. Plan Reordering and Stock Replenishment Proactively: Proactive reordering and restocking are crucial to improving your Amazon IPI score, as they help you avoid stockouts and excess inventory.
  4. Plan Ahead for Seasonal Demand Surge: Always plan ahead to effectively handle surges in demand due to seasonal events. A lack of proactive planning can lead to stockouts that negatively affect your Amazon Performance Index score.
  5. Resolve Listing issues Proactively: Stranded inventory doesn’t only damage your Amazon IPI score, it also results in excessive inventory costs without any chance of potential sales.
  6. Data-Driven Demand Prediction: Predicting demand accurately is a key aspect of inventory management to avoid stockouts and excess inventory. You can analyze historical sales data and seasonal trends to predict future demand and keep your Amazon IPI score healthy.
  7. Build and Maintain Relationships with Suppliers: Having strong supplier relationships is key to maintaining a stable inventory flow. Apart from offering better product prices and quality, reliable suppliers can provide shorter delivery times which can speed up your restocking process.

Make sure to check the detailed post below, so you don’t miss out on any important point.

Amazon has become the go-to platform for online sellers, providing a vast marketplace for a wide range of products. However, the platform maintains strict rules and regulations to ensure a positive experience for both buyers and sellers. As a seller, it’s essential to understand these guidelines and adhere to them to avoid Amazon account suspension, which can result in an inactive, temporarily suspended, or even deactivated seller account. In this blog post, we will provide you with practical tips to avoid Amazon account suspension and discuss what to do if your Amazon seller account is deactivated.

 

To prevent Amazon account suspension, it’s crucial to pay close attention to your Amazon seller performance metrics. These metrics are key indicators of your performance and adherence to Amazon policies and guidelines. Violations of Amazon intellectual property policies or other regulations can lead to a dreaded Amazon seller account suspension. Therefore, staying informed about the platform’s rules and regulations and proactively addressing any issues is paramount for maintaining a successful presence on Amazon.

 

How to Avoid Amazon Account Suspension?

 

Preventing Amazon account suspension requires proactive monitoring and a clear understanding of Amazon’s policies. Here are seven key measures to help you avoid suspension:

 

1. Familiarize Yourself with Amazon’s Policies and Guidelines

 

The first step in preventing Amazon account suspension is understanding the platform’s policies and guidelines. Make sure you are well-versed in Amazon policies for Sellers, which outline expectations for all sellers, and keep yourself updated on any changes or updates. Some critical policies to be aware of include:

 

    • Intellectual Property Violations.
    • Product Authenticity.
    • Customer Complaints.
    • Food and Product Safety Issues.
    • Listing Policy Violations.
    • Restricted Product Policy.
    • Customer Product Reviews Policy Violation.

 

Amazon seller policy violations not only lead to an Amazon account being temporarily suspended but also a permanent ban depending on the severity of the violation.

 

Also Read: Amazon Policy Compliance: Protect Your Business and Boost Sales

 

2. Ensure Prompt and Professional Responses to Customer Inquiries

 

One of the key metrics Amazon uses to evaluate seller performance is response time to customer inquiries. To avoid Amazon account suspension, ensure you respond to all customer messages within 24 hours, even on weekends and holidays. Provide accurate information and maintain a professional tone in your interactions with customers.

 

3. Monitor and Maintain Healthy Seller Performance Metrics

 

Amazon evaluates sellers based on various performance metrics, such as order defect rate (ODR), pre-fulfillment cancellation rate, and late shipment rate. To avoid Amazon account suspension, keep a close eye on your metrics and take prompt action to address any areas of concern. Some tips for maintaining healthy seller performance metrics include the following:

 

Seller Performance Metrics

 

    • Implement a reliable inventory management system to avoid cancellations due to stockouts.
    • Utilize Amazon’s FBA service to ensure timely shipping and delivery.
    • Monitor customer feedback and address any issues or concerns promptly.
    • Implement quality control measures to minimize the risk of defective products.

 

4. Avoid Violating Amazon’s Intellectual Property (IP) Policies

 

Respecting intellectual property rights is crucial to avoiding Amazon account suspension. Ensure that you have the rights or permission from the brand in order to list that product. Amazon has strict policies to protect brand owners’ rights, and violations can lead to a temporary or permanent suspension. To prevent IP infringement:

 

Amazon's Intellectual Property Policies

 

    • Verify that you have permission from the brand owner to sell branded products.
    • Ensure your product listings do not infringe on any trademarks, copyrights, or patents.
    • Remove any unauthorized use of brand names or logos from your listings.

 

Also Read: Understanding IP Violations on Amazon: An Ultimate Guide

 

5. Be Proactive with Account Health and Performance Notifications

 

Amazon sends out notifications to inform sellers of potential issues with their accounts, such as policy violations or performance metric concerns. To avoid Amazon account suspension, pay close attention to these notifications and take immediate action to address any problems. Ignoring these warnings can lead to account suspension or deactivation.

 

Also Read: How to Enhance Your Amazon Account Health Score: A Step-by-Step Approach

 

6. Develop a Robust Plan of Action For Account Suspension

 

Suppose you receive a notification about an issue with your account. In that case, developing a thorough and well-structured plan of action (POA) to address the problem and prevent Amazon account suspension is essential. A strong POA should include the following:

 

Plan of Action Must Include

 

    • A clear explanation of the issue and the root cause.
    • The preventive measures taken to address the problem and steps taken to prevent it from happening again.
    • Additional measures you plan to implement to improve your overall seller performance.
    • Documentation and proofs you can make your response more relevant by circling or highlighting the area within your documents that is most important.

 

Once you have developed your Plan of Action, you should submit it to Amazon for review. Be prepared to make any necessary adjustments based on their feedback. Our 3 step process for seller account reinstatement can be effective in guiding you through the entire process at each stage from account diagnosis to activation. Feel free to get in touch with us.

 

7. Maintain a Positive Attitude and Learn from Your Mistakes

 

Even the most diligent sellers can make mistakes. If your Amazon account is temporarily suspended or your seller account is deactivated, don’t panic. Take the time to learn from the experience, address the issues that led to the suspension, and implement measures to prevent future problems. By maintaining a positive attitude and a commitment to continuous improvement, you can avoid Amazon account suspension and build a thriving business on the platform.

 

Conclusion

 

Amazon account suspension can be a significant setback for online sellers. To avoid Amazon account suspension, it’s crucial to adhere to Amazon’s policies and guidelines diligently. This means maintaining accurate product listings, monitoring seller performance metrics, and addressing any issues proactively. By taking these steps, you can minimize the risk of Amazon seller account suspension and maintain a successful seller account. Remember, maintaining a positive attitude and learning from any setbacks is crucial to your long-term success on Amazon.

 

If your Amazon seller account is suspended and you don’t know how to reinstate it, then you can seek help from the experts at SPCTEK. We specialize in resolving issues related to Amazon accounts and have a team of experienced professionals who can guide you through the process.

 

FAQ’s

Amazon scores your Inventory Performance Index on a scale of 0-1000. Amazon doesn’t disclose the precise formula behind the IPI scoring, but it specifies the four crucial factors that affect it.

  1. Excess inventory: It gives insights into your excess stock unit proportion.
  2. Stranded inventory: This refers to the number of units not listed on your Amazon seller account, leading to excessive storage fees.
  3. Sell-through rate: This refers to units you’ve shipped in the last 90 days compared to your inventory stock level.
  4. In-stock rate: This indicates how well you’re keeping up with customer demand by effectively stocking high-selling ASINs.

Reviews are a key factor in Amazon’s A9 algorithm. Positive reviews help improve your product’s search ranking, leading to better visibility and increased sales. Verified purchase reviews have an even greater impact on rankings.

Some strategies include optimizing your product descriptions and images, providing excellent customer service, sending follow-up emails asking for reviews, leveraging your social media following, and engaging with users who review similar products.

Respond to negative reviews thoughtfully and professionally. Address the issue, offer a solution if possible, and demonstrate your commitment to improving your product and customer experience.

The Customer Reviews page in Amazon Seller Central provides a comprehensive way to track and filter reviews, enabling you to engage with customers and resolve issues proactively.

No, fake reviews are strictly prohibited and illegal. Amazon actively monitors and removes fraudulent reviews, and violators risk suspension or permanent ban from the platform.

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