Amazon has the fastest-growing catalog of more than 350 million products, beating Google in item searches. Since managing this number of items was difficult, there was a need for an intelligent tagging system that would help track and manage such an immense catalog. This led to the creation of Amazon’s ASIN.

Individual sellers and businesses often struggle to answer the question: what does ASIN mean? ASIN has become an integral aspect of Amazon's selling policies, which you must follow to avoid violations that can lead to a selling ban on the marketplace.

This article will discuss ASINs’ structure, uses, and benefits, so you can improve your chances of attaining high sales volume and ranking on Amazon.

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What Is the Amazon ASIN Number?

So, what is ASIN? The Amazon Standard Identification Number is a unique alphanumeric identifier that Amazon and its partner assign to products before listing them on the marketplace. With ASIN's help, tracking each item among the millions of listed items becomes manageable due to a code attached to every item.

The primary purpose of assigning an ASIN product ID is to make tracking and handling all the items stored in various warehouses easy and efficient. In order to improve the user experience, a new identifier is attached to every product listed on Amazon.

Amazon’s ASIN number consists of a ten-letter or ten-number sequence. In some cases, ASIN can be a combination of letters and numbers. Even though ASINs are not universally standardized, they streamline operations and reduce overall workload.

We all want to be on Amazon’s best-selling listing, don't we? Your ASIN is the foundation of the catalog's structure, allowing customers to browse numerous product categories easily. Customers can even type the ASIN into the search box to find their desired item.

The ASIN of an item assists Amazon in displaying the specific product in search results. Therefore, it's critical to include the correct ID number for your offerings as a seller; otherwise, they will not appear in the platform's search results.

How to find ASIN on Amazon?

Sellers can find the ASINs for their already listed products through Seller Central. To view them, you need to log in to your account on Seller Central. Then click the Inventory tab and select Manage Inventory from the drop-down menu. All of your products will be displayed in a table along with their respective ASINs.

The ASIN is mentioned in two places, allowing buyers to find it quickly while going through the product listings.

1. Product URL: The fastest way to look up your ASIN is from your browser, as every URL includes it. Open the product page by clicking on the item from the search results; the highlighted text in the example is your ASIN.

2. Product Information Section: You can find the ASIN on the page by scrolling down to the product information section.

Using ASINs

If you want to use ASINs effectively, follow these simple guidelines:

1. Think of an item that you want to sell on Amazon
2. Check if similar items are listed or not
3. If there are identical items, copy their ASIN
4. Conduct a keyword search to understand the search volume for your product
5. Go to Add a product page and insert all details
6. Add the existing ASIN to your item
7. Publish your product page and wait for confirmation

Retailers and resellers mainly reuse existing ASINs by assigning them to their listings to take advantage of product traffic. Amazon also prohibits the creation of new ASINs for similar products already listed because it can create mismanagement and duplication.

ASINs are not restricted to the US version of amazon.com as subsidiaries such as amazon.co.uk share them for similar offerings. Since there are few variations in country-specific standards, ASINs can be easily reused without the need to create a new identifier for every product listed on any of the subsidiaries.

What Is the ASIN Creation Policy?

Amazon has achieved almost mythical status for its free and exceptional customer service strategy, extended to sellers and buyers alike. They tend to limit the development of new ASINs for a brand listed in Brand Registry by sellers who are not affiliated with the brand owner to protect the customer shopping experience.

You cannot create new ASINs for a brand if you receive an error notice due to a lack of affiliation with the brand owner. However, you can apply for approval to generate a new ASIN if you explain that it is a genuine brand product for which no ASIN exists. It will take less time to assess your request if you provide all relevant information on initial contact.

Variations are referred to as parent-child relationships. However, if you are not familiar with the specific policies to create relationships, things can be tricky. Through successful variation relationships, buyers can compare and select the right product for their needs based on the different attributes, all through a single listing.

Parent ASIN

The parent product listing is a "non-buyable entity" used to link child items. The item that appears in the search results is the parent. The parent listing is used in Amazon's catalog to build connections between the child ASIN's

Child ASIN

Child ASIN products are related to each parent listing. You can have many child products related to one parent item. Each ASIN for a child is unique in some way, shape, or form, such as size or color.

You can instantly build parent-child relationships. However, Amazon will remove product listings established using improper variation themes. These variations can vary according to category. Therefore, it is essential to be familiar with the platform’s guidelines to remain compliant and increase your chances of sales through these best practices:

1. Avoid listing different items together. For instance, crayons and construction paper are related but are not the same product. So, they should not be listed together. You can experiment with cross-selling or up-selling opportunities by listing them as a bundle.
2. Use variation themes for their defined purpose only, just as a color variation theme should not include any data other than color. However, if there is no variation field on your seller interface, your specific category does not allow variations.
3. Describe each child’s product in detail so that Amazon can include them in search results as well as on listing pages.
4. Add appropriate variation themes to your child’s ASIN titles to play a part in enhancing the purchasing experience. However, if any of the various attributes are missing, Amazon will remove the child product offering.
5. Avoid creating variations in item package quantities, also known as a multipack, as the manufacturer did not make it.
6. Delete inventory carefully because you will also remove all child relationships when you delete a parent ASIN. However, when you delete a child item, the relationship between the selected child is removed.

Why Is ASIN Important For Your Business?

The ASIN is essential for tracking your inventory. It works as a reliable reference for indexing product catalog pages that you can later use for searching or browsing purposes. Due to the millions of items listed, it’s not easy to search for the right product without a unique identifier. The ASIN helps your business maintain its identity in the marketplace, allowing shoppers to find what they want without any hassle.

The ASIN system references the Amazon product catalog. This system improves the overall user experience, identifying items in extensive categories. As a seller, it is essential to have the right ASIN code for your item as it is the primary identifier that can direct the customer to your listing.

Moreover, the ASIN displays the correct items in the listings and search results. However, sellers cannot select an ASIN of their choice for similar items listed on Amazon. It is automatically assigned to every item that has the same functionality.

Lastly, the ASIN helps prevent counterfeit sales of brand items. By adding products to the Brand Registry, businesses can ensure the safety of their original items on the platform. Although Amazon does not charge any additional fees for trademark registrations, businesses will be required to pay fees to get a trademark registered with the relevant authorities if they haven’t done so already.

Creating Unique ASINs: Using GTINs, ISBNS, and EANs

A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is part of a family of data structures Amazon uses in the United States and Canada, encoded into a 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode. Global Standards 1 (GS1) is the only legitimate place to purchase a UPC for your items. However, if you are buying your UPC from a private reseller, there is a high probability that Amazon will reject your code.

In Europe, products have a 13-digit EAN tag, a European Article Number, which helps track inter-continental shipments. An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique identifier to track books around the globe.

After 1st January 2007, all ISBNs changed to 13 digits from the previous 10 digits. However, books have their ISBNs printed on the back.  Amazon uses ISBNs as ASINs to index books on their marketplace.

How to Get ASIN From Amazon?

Even when every product needs to be assigned an ASIN, there is no need to recreate it. As a seller, you can sell two types of products on the platform:

Regular

Existing ASINs can be assigned to regular items, as they are similar with only minor or no variations. You can get the ASIN product ID of regular items by simply checking the web address of the Amazon listing, details of the listing, or using ASIN lookup tools.

Unique

If you decide to list a unique product on Amazon, you must add a new ASIN to the listing. Usually, brands and manufacturers add a unique ASIN. If you manage to get your hands on an item that previously did not exist on the platform, you can create a unique identifier, enjoy little competition, and generate high sales. Here are some steps that will help you:

1. Log in to Amazon Seller Central, find the Inventory tab
2. From the Add a Product tool, click on Create a new product
3. A prompt will ask you to fill out the product information form

The form will ask for all the details about your item, such as the item's name, brand, size, type of material, and color. You will also include a unique EAN or UPC number that Amazon will convert into an ASIN before publishing its details on the marketplace.

What Is the Reverse ASIN Tool?

To stay ahead of the market, you can use ASIN to track your competitors. Since Amazon only offers the ASIN analytics dashboard to sellers who own a brand, other sellers need to rely on third-party tools for insights.

The simplest way to lookup competitors' keywords is by copy-pasting the product URL or Amazon item number into an effective search tool. Semrush's Traffic Insights and Search Insights tools are known for their analytics reports – they provide traffic volume estimation and data for the largest number of traffic channels on the market.

Data from these tools play a vital role in competing with established brands. Even brand owners can gain a strategic advantage by getting access to reliable ASIN data from third-party platforms that might not otherwise be available on Amazon.

The tools are powered by an advanced competitive keyword research database, which will analyze, compare and optimize ASIN traffic to help you gain access to the following critical information:

1. Amazon and Google organic ranking
2. Product Listing Ads ranking on Google SERP
3. Search volumes for:

• Amazon organic keywords. Listing position, traffic on Amazon according to keyword, and the number of products ranking in Amazon search results according to the keyword.
• Google organic keywords. Listing position on Google, traffic being rerouted from Google, and the number of Amazon products ranking on Google’s top 100 search results.
• Keywords used in PLAs. The highest position of a keyword and number of competing Amazon products by promotions through Google Shopping Ads.

Once you have their keywords, you can look at some of the best strategies for optimizing your Amazon PPC campaigns. You can leverage superior knowledge from your competitors’ marketing and selling strategies and use it to promote your own offerings. Several factors influence keyword indexing on Amazon; some of them are:

1. Conversion Rate
   Price, Sales Volume, or BSR
2. Listing Quality
   Image quality, title keywords, or bullet points
3. Customer satisfaction
   Seller feedback, perfect order percentage, or exit rate

Conclusion

Suppose you want your sale items to be easily identified and recognized on Amazon's marketplace. Even when it may seem like a small detail, an ASIN will play a significant role in improving your product rankings. A valid identifier will help the marketplace show your listings in search results to increase your chances of sales.

By adding high-volume search terms and relevant ASINs, you can significantly improve the visibility of your items on the platform, as people tend to buy products that are higher in search results. Apart from that, ASINs help prevent counterfeit sales and let Amazon and sellers track inventory in warehouses. GTINs are attached to shipments to make tracking more manageable, especially in the case of intercontinental shipping.

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