Matching Against the Amazon Catalogue
On Amazon, to list a product, a seller can add their offer to the existing product listing page. Each barcoded product should only have one entry in the catalogue. To add an offer to a current product, a seller must specify the following information:
- Offer price.
- Quantity available.
- Condition (new, used etc.)
- Shipping template (sets shipping allowed destinations and prices)
Products can be added in bulk by matching a list of barcodes against the Amazon catalogue. Some categories, brands and individual products are restricted by most are available to all sellers.
Creating new listings
If a product is not already on the Amazon marketplace, a professional seller can add that product to the marketplace. In most categories, a product must have a unique identifier (e.g., a barcode like an EAN or a UPC). Along with the unique identifier, the seller must specify the following core information to create a product:
- Product name
- Manufacturer
- EAN
- Description
- Category
- Photos
Other optional attributes are also available. Amazon’s catalogue supports variations.
Amazon’s listing system makes it easy to list new products. Sellers are free to create new product though, for some brands, new ASINs can only be created by the brand owner (as registered in Amazon Brand Registry). Products can either be created individually or via an upload file.
Whilst most categories require the product to be barcoded, Amazon’s handmade programme lets artisans sell their handcrafted products directly to millions of Amazon customers all over the world.
Optimising product listings for Search
Amazon product listing should contain high-quality content that gives consumers all the information they require to purchase. While the listing should be written primarily for consumers, the content must include appropriate keywords for relevant searches.
Keyword research
To appear for an Amazon search, a product listing must include the keywords in the query. Consequently, when writing Amazon listings, sellers need to be careful to include all relevant keywords. When research keywords for your Amazon listings, use the following sources:
- Use your head. Use your knowledge of the market and your experience as a consumer to brainstorm keyword ideas.
- Amazon Autocomplete. If you enter a few letters in the Amazon search box, high volume search will automatically appear as suggestions.
- Related items. Look at products that displayed under ‘Customers who viewed this item also viewed.’
- Competitor products. The title and the product information of competitor products contain keywords that they think are important.
- Keyword research tools. Tools such as Sellics Sonar will give you a list of popular keywords by category and ASIN.
Writing Compelling Listings
There are several different elements to the Amazon listing. The most important are:
- Title. The product title is a maximum of 200 characters, and you should aim for at least 80 characters. Include your top 5 keywords and capitalise each word.
- Images. Aim for at least five high-quality images (min 1000px on the longest side). For the main image, the product should be on a white background and be 85% of the picture.
- Bullets. Each listing can have up to five bullet points. These should highlight salient product features and include keywords so long as it does not compromise readability.
- Descriptions. Minimum 150 words giving more information about the products
- A+ Content. An area of rich content available to brand owners.
When writing listings, it is essential to focus first on creating a readable product listing that promotes the product and gives the customer the information they need to purchase. Write for the customer and not Amazon search.
