Amazon’s Choice: What It Means, and How to Get a Badge
With over 75 million products as of March 2021, your item competes with many other listings for attention on Amazon. Customers can struggle to find the best products. The Amazon's Choice badge is one way that the company helps shoppers select your product from many other page one listings. It is a designation given to products that Amazon deems to be high-quality and popular with customers. Not only is the badge a great way for buyers to identify good products, but it is also determined by SEO (search engine optimization).
If you’re striving to get the Amazon's Choice badge for your product, this guide will teach you all you need to know about the program and how to increase your chances of being selected.
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What Does Amazon's Choice Mean?
So, what is the meaning of the Amazon's Choice label? The badge is given to coveted products that are top-rated, well-priced, and available to ship immediately. To be eligible, your product must meet the following criteria:
- Rating: A minimum 4-star rating in customer reviews.
- Relevance: Close match to the term the customer is searching for.
- Availability: In stock and ready to ship.
- Price: Competitive and affordable pricing.
- Prime shipping: Should qualify for free two-day shipping for Prime members
If you meet all of the criteria above, congrats! Your product is now eligible for the tag.
In addition, the platform considers customer reviews, sales data, and product popularity as well.
Is Amazon's Choice Reliable?
The badge is a great way to know that you're getting a quality product, but it's not perfect. In fact, some people have raised concerns about the badge being given to products that don't deserve it. To combat this issue, Amazon updated the algorithm for choosing products to receive the badge in 2019. To qualify, products must meet the criteria above and have high customer satisfaction rates.
Why Was the Amazon Choice Program Launched?
The Amazon Choice program was launched in 2015 with the goal of helping shoppers make better purchasing decisions. A few reasons why the program was launched:
- Bad search results plague the internet, and Amazon wanted to be part of the solution.
- The company has a history of using data and technology to improve customer experience.
- Customers had been asking for more help in finding trusted products they love.
The idea behind the concept is to highlight products that are considered the best match for specific search terms. Buyers find the best version of the product they're looking for. Sellers also reap the benefits. The little tag can mean big things for your product's visibility. It acts like an official seal of approval.
Amazon Choice vs. Best Seller
You might have noticed that there isn't just one type of badge on the site. In addition to Amazon's Choice, you'll see another common badge called "Best Seller." So, what's the difference between the two? The main distinction is that Choice products are determined by algorithms and data, while Best Sellers are based on, you guessed it, sales. The algorithm looks at a number of factors to decide which products are the best match for a given search term.
Here's an example of the two badges under the search results for "decorative night light."
It’s easy to see why the pack of two functional LED night lights has earned the Best Seller label. At $11.48 for two energy-efficient night lights, the value is unbeatable. On the other hand, the second product is clearly a better match for the search term, given that it features a “decorative” silver piece.
How to Get an Amazon’s Choice Badge
As mentioned earlier, there is an algorithm that determines which products get the badge. This means there isn't a specific application process to get the badge. However, there is a list of things you can do to increase your chances of having your product selected.
Use Amazon FBA
The shipping process is a major determinant of whether a product gets the Amazon's Choice badge. To be eligible, products must be shipped within two days and have a delivery time of one week or less, which can be difficult if you’re not using Amazon FBA. This is because products that are fulfilled by the retailer are stored in the company's warehouses. They can be shipped much faster than those fulfilled by the seller.
FBA gives your product an edge over similar products that are being sold by third-party sellers who don't use this service. After all, Amazon doesn't want the hassle of dealing with slow-moving products that don't meet customer expectations.
Optimize Your Listings with Best Keywords
Remember how we said that Amazon's Choice program is based on search engine optimization? This means that for your product to be selected, it needs to be properly indexed by the platform’s search engine. You can do this by using the best keywords throughout your listing - title, description, etc. - which will help improve your ranking and make it more likely for shoppers to find your product.
You can use Keyword Wizard for Amazon to find and target the right keywords. Present the most relevant high-volume search terms to rank higher. Once you're confident that your listing is up to mark, focus on making sure that your listing converts well for the given search term you want to get the Amazon’s Choice badge and that you rank on page 1. Be sure to try Listing Alerts for Amazon to stay on top of your product's ranking and receive notifications if there are any changes. This way, you can quickly adjust your listing if necessary and keep an eye on your competition.
Be a Good Seller - Pay Attention to Reviews and Rating
In addition to having a well-optimized listing, you also need to be a good seller. By providing a great shopping experience for customers, you're more likely to rate higher on Amazon seller feedback, which improves your overall ranking. Use the analogy of a brick-and-mortar store. If a customer walks into a physical store and the shelves are empty, or there are no sales associates around to help, that customer is likely to leave and not return. The same goes for Amazon shoppers. If they can't find what they're looking for easily on your listing, or they've had a bad experience with your customer service, they're likely to go elsewhere.
Optimize Your PPC Campaigns
Amazon gives the badge to products that get the most visitors—and convert - it doesn't care what strategies you use to get your traffic. This is where Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns come in. You run ads by bidding on strategic keywords to entice new customers to click on listings. Specifically focus on the keywords you want to get the Amazon’s choice badge, perhaps consider putting them in their own campaign with their own budget.
If you're running PPC campaigns to promote your product, optimizing them for Amazon's search engine is important. While you'll want to make sure the overall copy of your ad is relevant and keyword-rich, you'll also want to focus on your bid price and match type. PPC optimizer for Amazon is a tool that takes your basic specs and automatically creates four separate campaigns. That way, you can find the top strategy for advertising your product. After optimizing your PPC campaigns, you should see an uptick in traffic and conversions.
Conclusion
The process of how to get the Amazon Choice Badge can be pretty complicated. There's no guarantee that your product will be selected, but it definitely can't hurt to try. Remember to keep an eye on your listing, monitor your PPC campaigns, and be a good seller overall. Give customers a great experience from start to finish. Armed with these tips, your product should have a better chance of being selected for an Amazon's Choice badge.
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Amazon’s Choice is not the only badge to highlight listings in user search results. You can also try to win the buy box or use Amazon-enhanced brand content. Read our complete guide to winning the buy box to maximize your sales on the platform!
