Everyone who has shopped on Amazon knows the jitters: you want to try the product but don’t want to risk the money. Most of us require an assurance that the product we’re buying is worth the money spent. Reviews act as solid social proof, but Amazon being the retail giant, has raving reviews for almost all the products. This is when we look at the badges- the shining, gleaming badges of honor, only a few products have been awarded out of 50 other products on the search result page.
Earning the coveted Amazon badges is one of the best ways to add that oomph factor to your listing. They have the ability to make your product shine amongst a pool of similar competitors – which by the way, is something an Amazon seller struggles from day one. However, a big question mark looms over the criteria for allocation of the badges.
In this article, we will look at the different types of badges and the best practices to get them.
Types of Amazon Badges
#1: Amazon’s Choice Badge
Amazon introduced Amazon’s Choice badge in 2015 in an attempt to make voice shopping with Alexa convenient. So, when Alexa is prompted for voice search, she’ll either show similar items already located in the shopper’s order history or show the items rocking the Amazon’s Choice badge. The badge is keyword-specific, so you can be Amazon’s Choice for a particular keyword. For example, you can be Amazon’s choice for “Camo Yoga Pants” and not “Yoga Pants” – or you can be for both the keywords.
How to get the badge?
There have always been speculations surrounding the algorithm involved and criteria required to get the Amazon’s Choice label on the listing. The sole explanation Amazon gave was: “Amazon’s Choice recommends highly rated, well-priced products available to ship immediately.” But after a series of assumptions and beliefs, the retail giant has lifted the veil on the criteria for Amazon’s Choice badge.
Here are the exact criteria:
- Low Return Rate: 53% fewer returns than similar products
- Highly Rated: More than 80% 4 star and 5-star reviews
- Popular Item: Popular with customers shopping for “Honestie Naturals”
Tips to get the Amazon’s Choice badge
- Focus on keywords. Because this badge was initially intended to streamline voice search, it makes complete sense to add relevant and profitable keywords to your listing. Get your keyword research for Amazon professionally done for best results.
- Take your customer ratings very seriously
- Be Prime Eligible and remember: staying in stock all the time is not an option (it’s a necessity!)
- Have competitive pricing
#2: Best Seller Badge
As the name suggests, the Best Seller badge is awarded to the highest selling products of a particular category or sub-category. There can be up to 100 best seller products in a category. The products with the Best Seller badge show first in the organic search results and will get the most attention compared to other products because any shopper would obviously want to purchase a product that sells more and this badge is the proof of your sales. This nifty orange ribbon appears prominently on the search result pages and the product detail page. The badge also appears in a dedicated section where Amazon highlights all the category-wise best sellers.
How to get the badge
It’s simple: increase your sales. But it’s easier said than done. As per Amazon, “The Amazon Best Sellers calculation is based on Amazon sales, and is updated hourly to reflect recent and historical sales of every item sold on Amazon.” Here are some basic yet effective techniques you can use to increase sales:
- Fine-tune your listing with Amazon Listing Optimization and improve your organic ranking and conversion rate
- Switch to a more specific category. This can increase the chances of getting the badge for that category as the competition is lower
- Offer a competitive price – low price, more sales, more profit & you get the Best Seller badge as an added bonus
- Improve visibility with well-crafted PPC campaigns. Consider hiring experienced Amazon Marketing Consultants to make the most out of your PPC campaigns.
#3: New Release Badge
Again, the name is self-explanatory. The “New Release” badge is for the new Amazon sellers – the main purpose is to draw buyers’ attention to the new launches. It’s available for the first 90 days from when you list your product and start selling. Similar to the Best Seller badge, this badge is prominently visible on the search result page and on the product detail page.
How to get the badge:
Although Amazon has not yet given any specific criteria on how to get the #1 New release badge, here are a few tips that can increase the chances of getting the coveted badge:
- Your product should rank on page #1 for your main keyword
- Your listing should be optimized with best keyword, content and more importantly Amazon infographic images
- You should sell more units than the Best Seller in that category
That’s not all
Every now and then, Amazon keeps on testing new badges to make a shopper’s buying journey effortless. In 2019, Amazon released two new badges: “Top Brand Badge” & “New Badge.”
The Top Brand badge attempted to distinguish established brands from small sellers who offer products at a lower price. Brands who get verified from Amazon would get the Top Brand badge and command more trust from the shoppers. The badge appeared as a grey banner right below the image and was featured on name-brands like Adidas and Speedo. Right after its release, this badge received backlash saying it was a roadblock for small private label sellers.
The New Badge, just like the New Release badge, highlights the newly launched products. It appears as a red ribbon-like icon on the top-left corner of a product image on a search results page. Because this badge is still in its testing phase, no one really knows the criteria, but just like the New Release badge, it goes to products with optimized listing and good sales velocity.
I want to be the very best
Like no one ever was
To catch them is my real test
Gotta Catch’ Em All!
Although getting your hands on one of Amazon’s badges seems like a never-ending quest, it’s all worth it in the end. For consumers, these badges of recommendation represent high-quality and trustworthy products. As a result, any product flaunting these badges gets that “extra appeal” over other products and enjoys better click-through + conversion rates. Well done Amazon SEO is the cornerstone for getting any badge, be it Amazon’s Choice, Best Seller or New Release. Amazon Consultants at eStore Factory can help you create keyword rich & SEO friendly copy that appeals to both Amazon and the shoppers.