Beacon Commerce Blog

Pay attention to these 5 factors to win the buy box on Amazon

Sep 29, 2023

To be successful as an Amazon seller, you need to “win” the buy box – meaning that your product must show up in the white box on the right-hand side of the Amazon product page where customers can click to “Buy Now” or “Add to Cart”.

Approximately 80% of all Amazon sales go through the Buy Box, so it’s critical to capture this high visibility spot! There are many factors that affect your placement in the buy box – and it can be especially frustrating to lose it to resellers of your product! If you are losing the buy box, here are the most likely reasons why that’s happening and what you can do to turn it around:

1. Competitive pricing

One of the most common reasons for losing the buy box is when competing sellers offer lower prices for the same product. Amazon’s algorithm favours sellers with the lowest prices and Prime shipping. If a competing seller offers a lower price, they may win the buy box.

When you own your own brand, you may have less flexibility to adjust your prices due to wanting to maintain a high price relative to competitive brands or simply managing parity in pricing across multiple sales channels. The challenge is your resellers do not have the same concerns – they are there to make $1. Learn more about managing resellers on Amazon.

2. Shipping time and availability 

Another reason for losing the buy box is if your product’s shipping time or availability is longer than competing sellers. Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes sellers that can offer faster shipping times and have the product in stock. If you are experiencing delays in production or shipping, this can result in longer shipping times and a lower chance of winning the buy box. To improve your chances of winning the buy box, offer Prime Shipping to customers and stay in stock by accounting for shipping into Amazon and a two-week receiving time window at the fulfillment center.

3. Seller metrics

Amazon uses a variety of metrics to evaluate a seller’s performance, including order defect rate, late shipment rate, and cancellation rate. If your seller metrics have decreased, this can result in a lower chance of winning the buy box. To improve your seller metrics, make sure to address any customer complaints promptly and efficiently, and ensure that you are meeting Amazon’s performance standards.  Answer questions quickly, deliver products via Prime shipping and ensure you manage the quality of your products that are sent to the fulfillment centre.

4. Product information accuracy and completeness

Amazon’s algorithm also takes into account the completeness and accuracy of your product information when determining the buy box winner. If your product information is incomplete or inaccurate, this can result in a lower chance of having a buy box on the page. Make sure to provide high-quality product images and descriptions, accurate pricing information, and detailed product specifications. Your resellers and distributors will not put high quality information on the page for you! You need to own your brand, register your brand and make sure your brand is properly showcased.

5. Seller reviews

To sum up, competing sellers may win the buy box if they have more and/or better seller reviews than you. Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes sellers with higher customer satisfaction rates, and if a competing seller has more positive reviews, they may win the buy box. To improve your chances of winning the buy box, make sure to provide high-quality customer service and address any negative seller feedback promptly.  Reach out to customers to capture seller feedback in addition to product reviews so you build out your profile to improve your probability of winning the buy box. Learn more about earning positive ratings, reviews and feedback on Amazon.

In conclusion, losing the buy box on Amazon as a private label seller with multiple resellers can be frustrating, but there are many reasons why this may occur. To improve your chances of winning the buy box, make sure to optimize your wholesale pricing, offer Prime shipping, maintain strong seller metrics, and deliver high-quality customer service. By focusing on these areas, you can increase your chances of winning the buy box and driving more sales on Amazon.

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