With over 40% of online sales taking place on Amazon, the platform is a game-changer for online retailers. Your success as an Amazon seller, however, heavily relies on one key factor: winning the Amazon Buy Box. To achieve this, you need to understand what it is, how it works, and the eligibility criteria to secure it. This answers all these questions and gives you important tips to increase your chances of winning this key feature.
What is the Amazon Buy Box?
The Amazon Buy Box–also called Featured Offer–is the most coveted Amazon feature for all sellers as it accounts for the majority of the sales on the Amazon Platform. It is a white box on the right side of the product detail page that shows the price, shipping details, seller and fulfillment method, and “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” buttons. These buttons allow customers to buy a product or add it to their shopping cart with just one click directly from the product detail page.
Some products on Amazon are sold by multiple sellers, which means each seller competes for the Buy Box.
When multiple sellers share a single Amazon listing, the Amazon Buy Box is rotated among them. However, to “win” the Buy Box, you must meet certain criteria, which we’ll explain in detail below.
Eligibility Criteria for Amazon Buy Box
Only sellers with a professional plan are eligible for the Buy Box–individual sellers can’t get it. But being a professional seller alone won’t cut it. Although Amazon doesn’t disclose all the factors for eligibility, these are the crucial ones:
- Fulfillment Method: Being an FBA seller raises your chances of securing the buy box because Amazon considers its fulfillment method to be more efficient. FBM sellers can be eligible for the Buy Box too, but it’s usually more challenging.
- Being a Prime seller: While non-Prime sellers can be eligible for the Buy Box too, Amazon prioritizes Prime sellers. Although FBA sellers qualify for Prime automatically, FBM sellers can also qualify for Prime through Seller Fulfilled Prime.
- Shipping Performance: Your shipping performance has to be optimum to secure the buy box. This is the reason many sellers opt for FBA.
- Order Defect Rate (ODR): Delivering damaged or defective products can hurt your ODR and deprive you of the chances of securing the Buy Box.
- Positive Feedback and Reviews: Customer feedback is one of the most important factors for winning the buy box. Having healthy customer service metrics and more positive reviews puts you in a better position with regard to Amazon Buy Box.
- Competitive Pricing: Along with the performance metrics, pricing is one of the crucial factors for winning the Buy Box. Having prices that are too high or too low can disqualify you from Buy Box eligibility. Your product’s landing price—which includes the cost of the product, shipping, taxes, and handling—should fall within a competitive range.
- Inventory Performance: Amazon prioritizes sellers with high Inventory performance. If you struggle with managing inventory and are often out of stock, your chances of winning Amazon Buy Box are slim to none.
- Product Condition: You have to sell a new product to be eligible for the main Buy Box. Used items cannot win the Buy Box over new items; however, there is a separate feature for them called the Used Buy Box which is usually given to products with “Like New”, “Very Good”, or “Good” condition.
Note: Being eligible for the Buy Box does not always guarantee that you will win it.
How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Amazon Buy Box?
As an Amazon seller, it becomes evident that the Buy Box is critical to success on the platform and gives you an advantage over your competitors. Now, how can you enhance your chances of winning a featured offer? Several factors go into determining who wins the Buy Box, but some of the most important include the following:
1.Offer Competitive Prices
This one is a no-brainer. To win the Amazon Buy Box, you must provide competitive prices. Check your competitors’ pricing. Remember, the goal is to be competitive, not necessarily the cheapest. Make sure you’re offering competitive prices.
The price is one of Amazon’s main factors in determining who wins the Buy Box. You can also use Amazon’s automated pricing tool to adjust your prices quickly and automatically against your competition to increase your chances of winning the Featured Offer.
Also Read: Monitor Competitors’ Prices on Amazon: Benefits and Strategies
2.Provide Fast and Free Shipping Options
Another critical factor in winning the Buy Box is shipping speed. Customers on Amazon are typically looking for fast shipping options, so if you can offer them, you’ll be more likely to win the Buy Box. Besides shipping speed, free shipping is also a crucial factor. If you can cover the shipping expense for your customers, you’re consequently boosting your chances of getting your hands on the featured offer.
Why? Because when you offer free shipping with your orders on Amazon, more buyers will likely buy your product, as customers love free shipping. So, if you offer it, you’ll increase your chances of winning the Buy Box.
3.Use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
FBA is a fulfillment service offered by Amazon that gives sellers an extra edge in winning the Buy Box. Why? Because when you use FBA for your products on Amazon, your orders are fulfilled by Amazon. It means that Amazon will pick, pack, ship, and provide customer service on your behalf (for a fee). As Amazon’s shipping service is top-notch, it can help you win the Buy Box.
Also Read: 10 Strategies for Long-Term Amazon FBA Success
4. Maintain a High Satisfaction Rating
Seller ratings are another key factor in winning the Buy Box. Amazon customers trust sellers with high ratings, so to win the Buy Box, maintain a good seller rating by fulfilling orders promptly and providing good customer service.
Amazon considers customer satisfaction when deciding who gets the Buy Box, so make sure you’re providing a great customer experience.
Also Read: How to Reduce Amazon ODR: Effective Strategies for Sellers
How to Check Your Product’s Eligibility for the Buy Box?
You can check your Buy Box eligibility using free Amazon tools. Here’s how you can do it:
- Log in to Seller Central and go to Inventory > Manage Inventory.
- On your product listings, you will see the column Featured Offer eligible that displays the status of your ASINs
- If it doesn’t appear, click the Preferences button above your products on the right.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about the Buy Box on Amazon, it’s a fantastic opportunity to boost your sales. By following the advice in this article, you can increase your chances of winning the Amazon Buy Box more frequently than not. As an Amazon seller, mastering the strategies for the Buy Box is crucial for driving higher visibility and conversions for your products.
To increase your chances of winning the Buy Box, use specialists like SPCTEK to list your product. Our familiarity with the Amazon Buy Box and techniques helps to increase your chances of being a featured buyer.
FAQ’s
Amazon uses a proprietary algorithm to determine which seller wins the Buy Box for a particular product listing. Factors considered include price competitiveness, seller performance metrics (such as order defect rate and shipping speed), fulfillment method (FBA or FBM), product availability, and customer feedback.
Sellers can increase their chances of winning the Buy Box by optimizing their pricing strategy to remain competitive, maintaining high seller performance metrics, ensuring fast and reliable shipping, utilizing Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) for faster delivery and Prime eligibility, keeping products in stock, and providing excellent customer service.
Amazon’s algorithm continuously evaluates seller performance and adjusts Buy Box eligibility accordingly. While the rotation frequency may vary depending on factors such as product demand and competition, it’s essential for sellers to consistently monitor and optimize their performance to remain competitive.
While sellers cannot directly influence the Buy Box algorithm, they can implement strategies to improve their overall performance and increase their eligibility for the Buy Box. By focusing on factors within their control, such as pricing, fulfillment, and customer service, sellers can enhance their chances of winning the Buy Box.
