Amazon Brand Registry Guide

Amazon Brand Registry is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your Amazon business. It protects your brand, unlocks essential selling features, and provides competitive advantages that unregistered sellers cannot access. This guide explains what Brand Registry is, how to apply, and how to leverage its tools to build a stronger Amazon business.

What Is Amazon Brand Registry?

Amazon Brand Registry is Amazon’s program that verifies trademark ownership and grants registered brand owners exclusive control over their product listings and brand-related features. When you register your trademark with Amazon Brand Registry, you gain protection against counterfeiters, access to advanced selling tools, and control over who can create or modify listings for your products.

Brand Registry is not mandatory to sell on Amazon. You can launch products without it. However, the features unlocked by Brand Registry are so valuable that serious sellers view it as essential infrastructure rather than optional.

Why Brand Registry Matters

Selling on Amazon without Brand Registry leaves your business vulnerable in four critical areas:

1. Listing Control

Without Brand Registry, other sellers can modify your product listings. They can change your title, add their keywords to your backend search terms, modify your description, or even change your images. Your hard work building a high-converting listing can be undermined by competitors making unauthorized edits. Brand Registry gives you exclusive control. Only you can modify your listings.

2. Counterfeit and Hijacking Risk

Counterfeiters and unauthorized sellers prey on popular products without trademark protection. They create fake versions of your product or simply “hijack” your listing by adding their own SKU to it, selling counterfeit inventory under your brand name. When customers receive counterfeit products, they blame you, leaving negative feedback and harming your seller rating. Brand Registry includes tools to identify and report these violations quickly.

3. Missing Advanced Features

A+ Content, Sponsored Brands advertising, Amazon Stores, and brand analytics are all restricted to registered brand owners. These features drive significant revenue uplift. A+ Content increases conversion rates by 20-30%, and Sponsored Brands ads command higher click-through rates than standard Sponsored Products. Without Brand Registry, you’re competing with one hand tied behind your back.

4. Lack of Market Intelligence

Brand Analytics provides search term reports, customer demographic data, and competitive intelligence that is invaluable for optimization. Unregistered sellers have access to only basic sales data; registered brand owners see exactly which search terms drive visits and conversions, which customer segments buy your products, and where you rank against competitors.

Requirements for Amazon Brand Registry

Amazon has specific requirements to qualify for Brand Registry. Meeting all of them is essential.

Active Registered Trademark (Word or Design Mark)

You must have a trademark registered with your country’s intellectual property office (UK IPO for UK sellers, USPTO for US sellers, EUIPO for EU sellers, etc.). The trademark can be a word mark (e.g. “MyBrand”), a design mark (a logo or graphic), or a combination. Amazon will not accept pending trademark applications or informal brand names. The trademark registration must be active and in good standing.

The trademark registration process typically takes 3-8 months and costs £150-£300. If you don’t yet have a registered trademark, file your application immediately. You can continue selling on Amazon while your trademark application is pending, then apply to Brand Registry once it’s registered.

Official Brand Website

Amazon requires an official brand website demonstrating legitimate business presence. The website should include company information, product descriptions, and clear branding consistency with your Amazon listings. A simple WordPress or Shopify site suffices; it doesn’t need to be an e-commerce store. The website should reflect your brand identity and demonstrate you’re a legitimate business, not a dropshipper or reseller using others’ brands.

Clear Product Photography with Branding

You must provide Amazon with high-quality product photos clearly showing your brand’s packaging and branding elements. Photos should show the product in its retail packaging with your trademark/logo visible. This ensures Amazon can verify that your trademark actually appears on your products.

Sample ASINs (If Already Listed)

If you already have products listed on Amazon, provide Amazon with 1-3 ASIN examples of your trademarked products. These serve as proof that you’re actively selling under your brand. If you haven’t yet launched products, create at least one listing before applying.

List of Distribution Countries

Provide Amazon with the countries where you intend to sell (e.g. UK, US, Germany, France). Brand Registry operates by country; approval in one country doesn’t automatically grant approval in others. You can apply for multiple countries simultaneously, but each has separate approval timelines.

Trademark Owner Submission and Additional Users

Only the registered trademark owner can submit the initial Brand Registry application. After approval, the trademark owner can add additional team members or agencies to the Brand Registry account with different permission levels (full access, read-only, specific function access). This allows delegation of Brand Registry management without compromising security.

Trademark Must Appear on Products and Packaging

Amazon requires that your registered trademark visibly appears on the physical product itself or on its packaging. This ensures brand authenticity. If your trademark is only on the box but not the product, it may not qualify. If your trademark is an abstract logo that appears on the product label or tag, it qualifies. The goal is making it difficult for counterfeits to misrepresent themselves as your product.

Selling Your Branded Product on Amazon

You must be actively selling the trademarked product on Amazon when you apply. Amazon will not approve Brand Registry applications for sellers who want to protect a trademark but haven’t launched any products yet. Create at least one listing using your trademarked brand before applying.

Account in Good Standing

Your Seller Central account must have no policy violations, active suspensions, or significant negative metrics. If your order defect rate is above 1% or your on-time delivery is below 99.75%, Brand Registry approval may be delayed. Maintain clean account metrics before applying.

How to Apply for Amazon Brand Registry

Step 1: Gather Documentation

Prepare your trademark registration certificate from your intellectual property office. Scan it clearly in PDF or JPG format. The document must clearly show your trademark, registration number, and registration date. If your trademark registration certificate is in a language other than English, you may need an English translation (or Amazon may request clarification).

Step 2: Access Brand Registry Application

Log into Seller Central, navigate to Brand Central, and click “Enroll Your Brand.” Amazon will prompt you to verify your trademark through a third-party service (RightsCube or similar). You’ll provide your trademark details and Amazon will search the intellectual property office database to verify registration.

Step 3: Verify Your Brand Identity

Amazon sends a verification code to the brand owner’s email address on record with the trademark office. You must enter this code to prove you have authority to claim the trademark. This is a security measure to prevent bad actors from claiming trademarks they don’t own.

Step 4: Complete the Application

Provide information about your brand, including:

Your registered trademark
Trademark registration country and number
Your company name and contact information
A list of your trademarked products on Amazon
Any additional authorized parties who should have Brand Registry access

Step 5: Wait for Approval

Amazon typically approves Brand Registry applications within 2-7 business days. If documentation is clear and your account is in good standing, approval is usually quick. If Amazon needs clarification or additional documentation, you’ll receive an email requesting it. Respond promptly to prevent delays.

What Brand Registry Unlocks

1. Greater Control Over Product Listings

Once enrolled in Brand Registry, only you can modify your product listings. Other sellers cannot change your title, images, description, or backend keywords. This prevents competitors from undermining your work and ensures consistency across all your listings.

You can also control who else in your organization has access to modify listings by adding other users to your Brand Registry account. This prevents unauthorized edits by team members with too much access.

2. Brand Protection and Counterfeit Reporting

Brand Registry includes a Reporting Portal where you can report counterfeit products, unauthorized sellers, and trademark infringement. When you report a counterfeit listing, Amazon investigates and typically removes it within 2-5 business days.

The system is much more responsive for Brand Registry members. Unregistered sellers typically cannot get counterfeit listings removed quickly. Brand Registry members can also request that Amazon verify your supply chain to prevent counterfeit inventory from entering Amazon’s warehouses. Additionally, as of March 2026, only Brand Registry owners can use manufacturer barcodes, providing an extra layer of protection against unauthorized sellers.

3. A+ Content (Enhanced Brand Content)

A+ Content is rich, multimedia-formatted content that appears below your standard product description. Instead of plain text, A+ Content lets you include:

Large, formatted images with custom layouts
Infographics explaining product benefits
Comparison charts (your product vs competitors)
Video embeds (YouTube videos showing the product in use)
Formatted text with custom colors and styling
Multiple-column layouts with text and images side-by-side

A+ Content increases conversion rates by 20-30% on average because it helps customers understand the product more completely before purchasing. The format feels less sales-y than standard bullet points and provides space for storytelling about your brand.

4. Brand Analytics (Search Term Reports)

Brand Analytics provides detailed data about customer search behavior specific to your brand:

Search Term Report: See exactly which search terms customers use to find your products, how many searches for each term, and which terms convert to sales vs which merely generate traffic
Repeat Purchase Behavior: Identify which products have high repeat purchase rates and which have single-purchase patterns
Customer Demographics: Understand the age, gender, location, and device type of customers buying your products
Competitive Positioning: See which competitors your customers search for and how your share of searches compares

This data is invaluable for optimization. You can identify search terms you’re missing, keywords to avoid, and which customer segments are most valuable to your business.

5. Sponsored Brands Advertising

Sponsored Brands ads are Amazon’s premium advertising format for registered brands. These ads appear at the top of search results with your logo, headline, and multiple product listings. They command higher click-through rates than standard Sponsored Products ads (typically 2-3x higher CTR) and allow you to build brand awareness, not just sell individual products.

Sponsored Brands ads require Brand Registry to set up, making them inaccessible to unregistered sellers. See our guide on Amazon Sponsored Brands for detailed setup and optimization. Additionally, Amazon Advertising offers comprehensive tools for brand owners.

6. Amazon Stores and Brand Catalog Lock (Brand Storefronts)

Brand Registry members can create custom Amazon Stores. Essentially a branded storefront on Amazon that showcases your full product catalog with custom layouts, messaging, and images. Stores are hosted on Amazon’s domain but feel like your own brand destination.

Amazon Stores are a powerful tool for brand building and customer retention. They let customers browse your entire catalog in a branded environment, increasing the chance of purchasing multiple products. Additionally, Brand Registry owners can use the new Brand Catalog Lock feature to maintain strict control over how their products are presented and prevent unauthorized modifications to critical listing information.

Amazon Stores: Detailed Features and Setup (2026 Update)

Accessing Stores: Navigate to Stores > Manage Stores in Seller Central to create or edit your storefront.

Storefront Structure: Amazon Stores use a modular system with multiple pages. You can create a main landing page plus category pages, information pages, and promotional pages. Pages can be nested (subcategories within categories) for intuitive navigation.

Header Image Requirements: The storefront header image must be at least 3000×600 pixels for optimal display across devices. This is your visual brand anchor and should immediately communicate your brand identity.

Page Types and Modules: Choose from storefront modules including:

Hero image (large banner with messaging)
Product grids (rows of products with images and prices)
Text blocks (descriptive content)
Images (standalone or grouped)
Shoppable images (clickable product images linking to ASINs)
Videos (YouTube embeds)
Image galleries
Recommended products tile (automatically displays related products)
Best seller tile (displays your top 5 best-selling products)
Deals tile (highlights products on sale or promotion)

Navigation Structure: Top-level categories appear in your storefront’s main navigation menu. Subcategories nest under parent categories, allowing tiered browsing. A cosmetics brand might have: Skincare (with subcategories: Cleansers, Serums, Moisturisers) and Makeup (with subcategories: Foundation, Eyeshadow, Lipstick).

Draft and Publishing: You can create storefront pages as drafts and schedule publishing for future dates. This allows you to prepare seasonal promotions or new product launches in advance without immediately going live.

Insights Dashboard: Once live, your storefront provides analytics including:

Traffic (unique visitors to the storefront)
Sales (units and revenue by page)
Traffic sources (direct, search, social, ads)
Page-level visit data (which pages are most popular)

Use these insights to optimize: If a category page has high traffic but low conversion, the product selection or pricing may need adjustment. If a page has high conversion but low traffic, increase advertising to that page.

Multiple User Access and Permissions

After Brand Registry approval, you can add additional team members or external agencies to your account with granular permission levels. This allows delegation: a designer might manage A+ Content creation, a marketing manager might handle advertising, and an operations team member might manage inventory. Each user sees only the tools and data relevant to their role, protecting sensitive business information.

A+ Content: The Most Valuable Brand Registry Feature

A+ Content (formerly Enhanced Brand Content) is arguably the single most valuable feature unlocked by Brand Registry. It gives you space to tell your brand story and educate customers about your products in ways that standard product descriptions cannot. Amazon reports that A+ Content increases conversion rates by up to 10%, representing a direct 10% sales lift for no additional traffic investment.

A+ Content Creation Workflow

Follow this step-by-step process to create and deploy A+ Content:

Step 1: Access A+ Content Manager

Navigate to Advertising > A+ Content Manager in Seller Central. Select “Start Creating” to begin a new A+ Content page.

Step 2: Add and Configure Modules

Amazon provides modular building blocks for A+ Content: standard image modules (single images with text), comparison modules (product vs competitor or alternative), video modules (YouTube embeds), multi-column layouts (text and images side-by-side), infographics, and lifestyle/hero images. Choose modules that tell your brand story and highlight product benefits. Most effective A+ Content uses 3-5 strategic modules rather than filling all available space.

Step 3: Assign to ASINs

Select which product listings will display your A+ Content. You can create content for individual ASINs or apply the same content to multiple similar products. For example, a lifestyle image and brand story module might apply to your entire shoe collection.

Step 4: Submit for Review

Amazon reviews A+ Content submissions within 24-48 hours. Review is mostly automated but checks for brand compliance, accurate claims, and adherence to guidelines. Most submissions are approved within one business day.

Step 5: Monitor Performance

After approval, track A+ Content impact using Business Reports. Compare conversion rates before and after deployment. Amazon suggests A+ Content increases conversions by 10% on average, though results vary by category and content quality.

What A+ Content Is (and Isn’t)

A+ Content is not a replacement for your standard product description. Instead, it appears below your description and provides additional context. A standard listing includes:

Product title
Star rating and review count
Price
Five bullet points (features and benefits)
Product description (up to 2,000 characters)
A+ Content (custom multimedia experience)
Customer reviews

A+ Content Best Practices

Use Comparison Modules: Show how your product compares to alternatives (either competitors or different versions of your own product). Comparison modules build confidence by helping customers understand what they’re getting.

Lead with Lifestyle Images: Use high-quality lifestyle images showing your product in use. These create emotional connection that product photos alone cannot achieve. Show people using your product, solving the problem it addresses, experiencing the benefit.

Use Infographics to Explain Complex Features: If your product has technical specifications or benefits that are hard to convey with words, infographics are powerful. Show dimensions visually, demonstrate how features work, or present data in visual format.

Tell Your Brand Story: Use A+ Content to explain why you created your product, what problem it solves, and what makes your brand different. This narrative builds trust and emotional connection that pricing alone cannot create.

Include Video: A+ Content supports YouTube video embeds. Including a 30-60 second product video dramatically increases engagement. Show the product being unboxed, used, and delivering benefits.

Keep It Scannable: A+ Content is viewed on mobile devices (40%+ of Amazon traffic). Use short paragraphs, large images, and clear visual hierarchy so customers can scan and understand your message in 10 seconds.

IP Violation Reporting: Enforcing Your Intellectual Property Rights

Once enrolled in Brand Registry, you gain access to powerful IP violation reporting tools in the Protect menu. These tools allow you to report and enforce violations of copyright, trademark, patent, and design rights.

Types of Violations You Can Report

Trademark Infringement: Use of your registered trademark in listings, product names, or branding without authorization
Copyright Infringement: Unauthorized use of your product photos, descriptions, or branded content
Patent Infringement: Selling products that infringe your patent rights (if you hold patents)
Design Right Infringement: Copying your unique product design or packaging aesthetic
Counterfeit Products: Fake or unauthorized versions of your trademarked product

Filing an IP Violation Report

Navigate to Brand Central > Protect > Report IP Violations. Provide:

The ASIN or listing you’re reporting
Clear description of the violation (which specific intellectual property right is infringed)
Screenshots or evidence showing the infringement
Your trademark/patent registration details

Amazon typically investigates within 24-48 hours and takes action (listing removal, account warning, or suspension) within 2-5 business days. This is one of the most valuable Brand Registry benefits: enforcement is swift and decisive.

Brand Protection: Managing Counterfeits and Hijackers

Once you have a valuable brand on Amazon, counterfeits and unauthorized sellers will target you. This is not a matter of if, but when. Brand Registry provides tools to fight back.

Identifying Counterfeits and Hijacking

Counterfeit Products: Someone is manufacturing fake versions of your product and selling them under your brand name on Amazon. The counterfeits might be lower quality, contain different materials, or be complete knock-offs. When customers receive them, they blame you, leaving negative reviews and damaging your reputation.

Listing Hijacking: Someone adds their seller SKU to your already-existing listing, effectively hijacking it. They’re selling a similar or identical product but not actually your product. When you have multiple sellers on the same listing, customers cannot distinguish between your product and the hijacker’s product.

Using the Brand Registry Reporting Portal

Navigate to Brand Central in Seller Central and access the “Reporting” section. You can report:

Counterfeit products with photographic evidence
Listings using your brand name without authorization
Trademark infringement (using your trademark in their listing)
Unauthorized distributors selling under your brand

Provide as much detail as possible: screenshots of the problematic listing, photos of the counterfeit product (if you’ve received one), and any evidence that the seller is not authorized. Amazon investigates and typically takes action within 2-5 business days.

Proactive Monitoring

Don’t wait for customer complaints. Actively monitor your listings for hijacking and counterfeits: