There are lots of ways to make your listing stand out on Amazon. Optimization, Sponsored Ads and an appealing Storefront are among the ones that sellers can choose to implement. But leveraging other valuable tools offered by the marketplace is more complicated. 

Amazon knows the importance of converting shoppers. After all, when sellers do well, the platform does well. And Amazon is doing really well. That’s why the company developed some unique badging designed to nudge its users toward a purchase. Of course, they want potential buyers to be happy with their choice, so deciding which products get this helpful designation is based on past performance rather than a seller’s willingness to pay the most. 

So let’s take a closer look at how products earn an Amazon’s Choice or Best Seller badge. 

What’s the difference between the Amazon’s Choice and Amazon Best Seller badges?

Products with an Amazon’s Choice badge or an Amazon Best Seller badge are both assigned by the marketplace’s A9 algorithm. They are intended to help shoppers navigate the enormous number of products available on the site and give a credible endorsement to products with a history of meeting customer expectations. Gaining either badge is typically a boon for sales, but earning them requires substantial prior success. 

There are two primary differences between the Amazon’s Choice badge and the Amazon Best Seller. First, a unique combination of metrics determines which products get each badge. Second, while there can be only one Amazon Best Seller product per category, Amazon’s Choice badges are distributed more broadly. That’s because it is based on keyword results. 

For example, Hanz de Fuko, an Amify client, enjoys Best Seller status in the Hair Styling Clays category for their Claymation product. Yet, a search for “men’s hair clay” will reveal a competing product that has achieved an Amazon’s Choice badge for those keywords, in addition to the best-selling Claymation and Best Seller products from related categories such as Hair Styling Putties.

In short, every product category will have an item labeled the Best Seller based on the item’s current sales rank. Simultaneously, the results from most keyword searches will include one item identified as Amazon’s choice based on various Search Engine Optimization (SEO) factors. When a shopper performs a search on Amazon, the results will likely include one item labeled Amazon’s Choice along with similar products with a Best Seller ranking and other non-badged products that the algorithm determines to be of interest to the shopper. 

It’s also worth noting that Amazon does offer an Amazon Best Sellers page for each product category. This is a listing of the top products with a top 100 best sellers rank in that category. However, only the #1 Best Seller benefits from the Best Seller badge when its listing appears in search results. Identifying the other top-selling items in a category requires a shopper to visit a Best Sellers page. 

In addition, a product can be both a Best Seller and an Amazon’s Choice. In those cases, it is typical for the Best Seller badge to be displayed on the item’s search result display, while the Amazon’s Choice badging gets priority within the full listing. 

The benefits of an Amazon’s Choice or Best Seller badge

As mentioned, the goal of both the Amazon’s Choice badge and the Best Seller badge is to drive conversions. However, both are primarily intended to boost Amazon’s credibility as a destination to find reliable and affordable products quickly. Still, the recipients of these badges will benefit significantly for as long as they can hold on to them. 

Both the Best Sellers and Amazon’s Choice badges help products to stand out among the other search results. In addition, customers who trust Amazon enough to use the site will undoubtedly be influenced by both badges’ messages. 

Also, earning a badge ensures that your product is meeting the benchmarks that Amazon’s algorithm values and, therefore, will be among the top results for any relevant search. This added visibility is a huge bonus that drives sales and leads to more revenue. 

Often this increased visibility brings more attention to your brand, leading customers to other products and higher organic traffic. Brands also enjoy higher levels of trust from prospective shoppers thanks to these badges. The ability to consistently display a Best Seller or Amazon’s choice badge elevates a brand’s value and encourages loyalty over competitors. 

How to get an Amazon Best Seller badge

You can’t request or buy a Best Seller badge for your product, but you can earn one. The most effective route to best seller status starts with a solid strategy before you build your listing. The Best Seller badge is quite literally a numbers game. You’ll need to outperform the competition by selling more and doing it more quickly. 

Choose the right category

Since Amazon’s best-selling items are organized by category, you must choose wisely when launching a product for sale on the marketplace. Amazon’s product categories are broad enough that several options may be appropriate for any given item. That’s why choosing the least-competitive category that fits your product and SEO plans is helpful. The more relevant and specific it is to your product, the better chance you’ll have to dominate and gain the Best Seller Badge. 

Elevate your content

Once you find the optimal category for your Amazon product, you need to create an equally targeted listing. Amazon A+ Content is your chance to provide fantastic product details for your Amazon product pages and integrate high-quality images, comparison charts, and more. In a world of e-commerce often driven by social media, shoppers now expect this combination of personalized service, captivating content, and a flawless user experience. Done correctly, it has the power to engage your customers and provide information that can minimize confusion and lead to fewer returns and better reviews.

Opt for Amazon FBA

There are several ways that FBA can help a company sell more efficiently in the Amazon marketplace. It can level the playing field against a brand’s biggest competitors and often improves customer service while minimizing costs. In addition, shifting fulfillment responsibilities to Amazon allows sellers to focus on their true strengths. But, one of the most significant advantages is that using Amazon FBA enables the product to be eligible for Amazon Prime. At Amify, we often see a 50-100 percent increase in sales when a brand moves to Prime eligibility. 

Make the most of product variations

Rather than creating a separate Amazon product listing for every product, it’s imperative that you understand Amazon’s listing variation options and how using them efficiently can improve the performance metrics you value most. Integrating variations into your listings streamlines your customers’ shopping experience and introduces them to more of your products after a single search. These parent-child relationships also support best-seller status since sales for the variations are combined rather than accounted for separately. Just remember to avoid grouping unrelated items.

PPC campaigns can help

Every brand on the platform is looking for new ways to strengthen its Amazon sales. However, while optimization can give sellers the edge when pursuing the top organic search result, it’s not the only path to a better bottom line. Pay-per-click (PPC) Amazon ads can be a more direct way to drive traffic to a product listing or Amazon Storefront. These PPC ads allow e-commerce businesses to break through the immense competition on Amazon and increase their reach. 

Brands can create a targeting strategy based on a similar product or relevant product category or choose to focus on specific types of audiences. This type of product targeting can be helpful when promoting product awareness and attempting to accelerate product discovery. In addition, audience targeting can reach shoppers based on their behaviors and preferences by targeting shoppers outside of Amazon who has previously viewed relevant products and categories or by introducing an item to new customers who are likely to be interested. 

Use customer feedback to improve

There’s no question that positive and negative reviews can impact product sales and conversion metrics. Surveys have shown that nine out of 10 customers read reviews before clicking the buy button, while eight out of 10 give them as much weight as a personal recommendation. While a less-than-stellar evaluation can provide new customers a reason to hesitate before making purchases, it can be an opportunity to gain a new customer. But you must proactively alleviate the concern that a prospective Amazon shopper will have an experience similar to that of an unhappy customer. If you take the time to use any negative reviews to improve your listing or process for the next shopper, your conversion rate will likely rise over time.

How to get an Amazon’s Choice badge

The origins of the Amazon’s Choice badge come from the company’s attempts to encourage shopping via its voice-activated Echo device. The idea was to match keywords to a product and streamline the search. Today, keywords are still near the top of the list for Amazon’s Choice, but they aren’t the only concern for sellers seeking the badge. 

Focus On Keywords

Optimization is not as simple as repeating a specific keyword numerous times. Regarding Amazon’s algorithm and keywords, quality is more important than quantity. In many cases, once a search term appears in your Amazon listing, it has likely added all the value it can. Therefore, adding it repeatedly, especially to the detriment of the copywriting, is unlikely to improve your spot in the search results. 

An effective Amazon SEO plan accounts for both the broadest keywords and the long-tail keywords that help differentiate a brand from its competition and target customers who are closer to the point of purchase. Adding these keywords to engaging copy and taking advantage of Amazon’s backend keyword research tools will help your brand to grow its sales on the platform. 

Embrace Amazon Prime

Unlike the Best Seller badge, Amazon’s Choice badging is limited to products featuring Amazon Prime shipping. An Amazon seller seeking to add their product to the list of Amazon’s Choice items will almost certainly need to use FBA. While there is a seller-fulfilled Prime option, it is out of reach for many sellers since it is limited to sellers invited to participate by Amazon. In addition, the cost requirements and shipping standards are too high for most brands to maintain. 

Listing optimization matters a lot

Amazon content is the lifeblood of businesses selling on the platform. Producing premium Amazon product listings should be a priority for any brand or seller pursuing growth and long-term success on Amazon. However, creating product listings that reach the right shoppers, earn the Buy Box and have high conversion rates is also integral to an Amazon’s Choice badge. 

Effective Amazon product listings are built accurately and organized with your customers in mind. They feature detailed information, high-quality images and, in many cases, helpful videos. The best listings are optimized for Amazon’s search algorithm and benefit from a seller that monitors and reacts to threats from fraud or competitors. And they capitalize on the support that a well-designed Amazon Storefront can lend to a listing’s ability to attract shoppers and close sales. If your listings are falling short in any of these areas, it’s time to begin crafting a plan to rejuvenate your Amazon listing content and reinvigorate your sales. 

Encourage more reviews

An essential step on the way to an Amazon’s Choice badge is to increase the number of customers who submit a review. Human nature means an unhappy customer is more likely to complain than a satisfied one is to leave praise. By increasing the volume of reviews overall, you help to ensure your reviews accurately reflect your product and their customer service experience. 

Consider adding a request for a review to the various places you interact with your customers. For example, include a note inside your packaging, implement an email follow-up and try to funnel your social media followers to your Amazon review link. Remember, Amazon’s policies forbid offering an incentive for reviews or requesting a positive review, so it’s important to word your requests carefully. But encouraging genuine and helpful reviews is acceptable and worth your time. Monitoring reviews also allows you to adjust listings based on the feedback and set more appropriate buyer expectations. This can reduce the number of returns, which can be a hurdle to achieving Amazon’s Choice status. 

Be willing to compete on price

Every brand looking to succeed on Amazon should take a deliberate approach to price. As e-commerce continues its rapid growth, pricing policies will become more critical for retailers and manufacturers. An item’s price significantly influences the decision to award an Amazon’s Choice badge. The product that presents the best combination of price and value will often have an advantage in pursuing this type of badge. 

However, sellers should remember that prioritizing margins and protecting retailers from price wars increases a brand’s value in several ways. Resellers will appreciate the support from the brand that protects their margins and avoids destructive price wars for products that aren’t backed by effective pricing strategies. At the same time, consumers will enjoy more confidence in the value of a product and a less frustrating shopping experience due to the consistency across both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. 

Manage Your Inventory Properly

Your product can’t be Amazon’s Choice if it isn’t in stock. Amazon’s priority is selling products to shoppers. The instant your item becomes out of stock, it will not only lose any chance of gaining an Amazon badge, but it is also likely to drop out of search rankings altogether. Similarly, brands that can’t provide fast shipping will have trouble breaking through to do well within the algorithm. That’s why a robust inventory management program, often using Amazon FBA, is essential for sellers looking to become an Amazon’s Choice listing. 

Which one is the better badge?

Having an Amazon’s Choice badge or the Best Seller badge on your product listing is clearly better than not having one. Beyond that, it’s difficult to say that one is better. Each badge’s value will vary depending on the product and how long a seller can maintain the designation. 

One advantage that the Best Seller badge does have over its counterpart is that the Best Seller badge will display regardless of the search a shopper inputs. Remember, the Amazon’s Choice badge is tied to specific keywords, so it will not display universally across the marketplace. 

Since the Best Seller badge is based on sales performance, it will appear regardless of where or how a customer finds your listing. Also, the path to the Best Seller badge is slightly more straightforward. It simply requires an intense focus on selling more than competitors in your product category. 

The metrics resulting in an Amazon’s Choice badge are less transparent and harder to target. As a result, it’s more likely to be a welcome reward for optimization efforts than a specific goal to target. 

In both cases, these Amazon badges only last as long as you have the metrics to keep them. Many sellers lose them within days or even hours of earning them. This is why it’s critical to have a comprehensive and forward-looking plan to keep winning on Amazon. 

Amify is ready to help your listings shine

Mastering Seller Central, winning the Buy Box and increasing your sales volume is much easier with the right partner. The experts at Amify can give your brand the advantage of experience in the areas that matter most and the confidence of a strategy refined over a decade.

There are no shortcuts to success on Amazon, but our team of generalists and specialists can give your brand the dedicated commitment to e-commerce growth that it deserves. Contact us today to learn more.