The Amazon Buy Box is a bit of a complex feature to figure out but it is also the absolute VIP in terms of generating sales. It is known that 83% of all Amazon sales happen through the Buy Box and even more on mobile. So that’s why winning the Buy Box or becoming Buy Box eligible is a top priority for any Amazon seller.
To even be eligible to win the Amazon Buy Box seller must meet the prerequisite criteria by Amazon.
What is the Buy Box on Amazon?
Probability is that if you’ve ever purchased something on Amazon, you used the Buy Box. The Buy Box is also called the Featured Offer, it is the white box on the right side of an Amazon product page shown in the image inserted below, where Amazon allows customers to add items to their shopping cart.
It is one of the most powerful features in making sales on Amazon – as it is estimated that more than 80 % of all Amazon sales come from it. It can be narrowed down that you will not be making a lot of sales without Buy Box.
Factors considered by Amazon affecting the winning of Buy Box:
A seller must first qualify a few prerequisites for Amazon to be considered eligible to compete for placement in the Buy Box,
- Professional Seller Account:
First and foremost, the thing Amazon asks for is that sellers must have a Professional Seller Account ($39.99/month) to be eligible for the Buy Box.
- Fulfillment by Amazon(FBA):
While competing for Buy Box, FBA (fulfillment-by-Amazon) Sellers have an advantage. For FBA sellers, Amazon handles everything starting from the packaging, shipping, to customer service. Products that are sold by FBA sellers also meet the requirements for Prime – ensuring lightning-quick delivery. FBM also has a chance to win the Buy Box, but it is easier with FBA.
- Make your pricing competitive:
Competitive pricing is also an important factor considered by Amazon in winning the buy box. The Buy Box price is more often the lowest possible price for a given product. Following Amazon, the chances of winning buy box are high if your amazon listing is within 5% of the current Buy Box price. You can win the Buy Box if you are considered a good buying choice for the customer when priced competitively.
- Shipping time and cost:
Its seen that shipping time has a high impact on winning the Buy Box as well. The faster you ship and deliver orders is equivalent to the higher your chances are of winning the Amazon Buy Box. Amazon asks for a minimum of 96% of orders to ship on time.
Shipping costs also dominate the overall price of the product. For the Buy Box, Amazon considers the price of the product plus shipping costs. For instance, if your product price is $13 with an additional $5 shipping cost, you will be left behind by the competitors offering products for $17 with free shipping. Therefore, it matters the most to take this into account when setting the price of your product on Amazon.
- Stock Availability:
This term explains itself: you need to always be up-to-date with your stock for your listing to be eligible for the buy box. If your product is out of stock then you are unable to ship right away then, and your competitor seller will fulfill that need right away. It is very important to manage your inventory flow smoothly. Running out of stock multiple times can reflect your credibility which in long run will affect your chances of competing for the buy box.
- Customer Reviews, Ratings, & Feedbacks:
The positive response from customer plays an important factor if you want to win the Buy Box, and to have its greater impact the reviews should be recent. Amazon considers to bestow value to customers, only trustworthy suppliers who persistently deliver with positive customer experiences get a share of the Buy Box. As per Amazon, for you to be considered for Buy Box it should be the number of reviews you receive relative to your selling history. A review score above 90 percent is requisite in obtaining the Buy Box.
Amazon order defect rate (ODR) also affects your ability to win the buy box. ODR evaluates the negative feedback rating, service chargeback rate, and A-Z guarantee claim rate. Amazon requires the ODR to be below 1%. If there is a constant increase in ODR then it may result in the removal of selling privileges. For Sellers to be granted a higher Buy Box share – large inventory, consistent sales, updated inventory, and quality stock history matters.
Reasons why you never win the Buy Box?
There are multiple reasons which affect your chances of winning a Buy Box. A few of them are identified as below:
- Because you are new to Amazon
- Because of a glitch
- Because your product’s price isn’t ideal
- Because your seller rating has dropped
- Because your product is not selling enough
There is no such proven trick for winning shares of the Amazon Buy Box. Amazon’s customer-centric approach implies that sellers ought to deliver quality products, magnificent performance, and minimum prices to be qualified for the Buy Box. It is a must to be for the sellers to consistently examine, track, and optimize the applicable factors and metrics to possess the most effective attainable probability of winning the buy box.
