Amazon’s Choice: How and Why Products Receive This Badge
If you sell or buy products on Amazon, you have likely seen several different badges next to Amazon listings. From Sponsored to Best Seller, there are quite a few marks Amazon uses to convey important details about its products.
One of these badges is the Amazon Choice badge. While commonly visible across the site, there are many who do not know exactly what the badge means. In this post, we will examine what the Amazon Choice badge is, how it works, and how you can get it for your products.
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What Does Amazon’s Choice Mean?
So what is Amazon Choice? Amazon Choice is a label that Amazon applies to various products on its site. You can find the badge in the upper left corner for the product’s feature image on category and search results pages. You can also see the badge beneath the product’s title on the listing page.
When a product has Amazon’s Choice badge, it shows that the product is the best match for the keyword that the customer is using. Specifically, the product has an absolute majority of all sales resulting from that keyword, meaning it has more than 50% of all purchases for the term. If there isn’t a product with an absolute majority, then there is no Amazon Choice for that keyword.
Amazon first unveiled its Choice program back in 2015. It was originally only used for customers that were shopping using the Amazon Echo Dot. Amazon had discovered that customers that used the voice assistant didn’t know how to find the items they wanted and were having more difficulty browsing the marketplace when compared to shopping on a computer or phone.
Amazon Choice became a way for customers to quickly find the products that they wanted. When they spoke a search for a specific keyword, Amazon would serve its Choice results first. The Choice products were highly relevant so many customers did not have a drawn out purchasing process, looking for multiple items.
While Amazon’s Choice is still used for Echo purchases, it has since expanded to non-voice searches. You can now find Amazon Choice products on smartphones and computers. However, there are a few categories that Amazon does include in its Choice program. A few of these include Apparel, Jewelry, Watches, Shoes, Amazon Fresh and Prime Pantry.
Amazon's Choice Vs Best Seller
While often confused, Amazon’s Choice and Amazon Best Seller are not the same thing. There is a difference between the two that you want to be aware of. The Amazon Choice badge is given to products that best match the target keyword. The Amazon Best Seller badge is given to the products that have sold the most in their category over a period of time.
So Amazon Choice is essentially determined by SEO while Amazon Best Seller is determined by overall sales. You can see the difference in action when searching for certain categories on Amazon. For example, below is a search for “trash can” where you can see different items selected for Amazon Choice and Best Seller.
While the number of best seller products is limited based on the total number of categories in Amazon’s catalog, there is no real limit to the number of products that can be Amazon’s Choice. Customers in theory can use an unlimited number of keywords, each with the opportunity to have a Choice product. Similarly, an Amazon listing can have an unlimited number of Amazon Choice badges at a time while they can only have one Best Seller badge.
How to Get an Amazon Choice Badge
Now that you know how Amazon Choice works you may be wondering how to get the Amazon Choice badge. While Amazon does not give specific instructions for how to get the badge, it is clear that the best choice products have one thing in common; they are sold by all-around strong sellers.
If you want your products to become Amazon Choice items, there is no other way than to be a great Amazon seller. Here are some ways to improve your chances of earning the Amazon Choice badge for your items.
#1 Optimize Your Listings
The first step is to optimize your product listings for your target Amazon Choice keywords. This will first require you to research the right keywords to target in your listing. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools to make the keyword research process simple.
With the AMZScout Amazon Keyword Search tool, you can quickly find tons of relevant keywords to use for your listing optimization.
Step 1. Access the AMZScout Keyword Research Tool. Log into your AMZScout account and select the Amazon Keyword Search tool using the left menu.
Step 2. Enter basic search terms. Click Find the keywords after entering terms into the search field.
Step 3. Review your results. View the many related keywords and monthly search volumes.
Step 4. Filter your results. Set filters such as the word count and search volume to narrow results.
Step 5. Focus on high-volume keywords. Look for keywords with a high amount of searches (over 1,000 a month).
Step 6. Check on historical data. Click the graph icon next to the monthly searches. Focus on keywords with consistent search history (not seasonal).
When you’re going through your keyword results, it is important to analyze the search intent for a term as well as the overall search volume. Some keywords may get more searches but may be less relevant to your products. In the end, you need to convert a high amount of the organic traffic that you receive into sales if you hope to become Amazon’s Choice for that keyword.
If you want to see what keywords your competitors are optimizing for, you can do so using the Reverse ASIN lookup tool.
Step 1. Access the AMZScout Reverse ASIN Lookup Tool. Choose the Reverse ASIN Lookup tool in the left menu after logging in
Step 2. Enter the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) of the product you want to analyze. Enter a competing ASIN (product) into the search bar. You can find this on their product page.
Step 3. Check your results. Review the keywords with the most searches.
Step 4. Focus on the most popular keywords. See how many sales they generate. The Sales for Page 1 column indicates good popularity.
Step 5. Find the most relevant keywords. You can also use the Relevance Score to quickly see if a keyword is relevant to your product. After you find your target keywords, you’ll want to add them to the important parts of your product listings. The most notable areas are the title, descriptions, and bullet points.
#2 Optimize Your PPC Campaigns
Next, you want to optimize your Amazon PPC campaigns. The reason for this is simple. When analyzing the best performing products for a particular search term, Amazon does not distinguish between organic sales and paid ones. Meaning that when someone enters a search and makes a purchase it doesn’t matter if they clicked an ad for your product or if your product was ranked number one.
By running effective PPC campaigns that include your target keyword, you can move your items closer to earning the Amazon Choice badge. To optimize your PPC campaigns, you’ll want to start with keyword research (instructions on keyword research are above) to ensure you are targeting the right terms. From there, you should monitor your campaign performance and make adjustments to your bidding, listings, and keyword targets as needed.
#3 Use Amazon FBA for Order Fulfillment
The next step is to use the Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) service to handle your order fulfillment. There are a few reasons for this. The first is fast and reliable shipping. Today’s consumers value a smooth delivery experience almost as much as the products themselves.
Using Amazon FBA is one of the most sure fire ways of maintaining a seamless fulfillment process. The eCommerce giant is a master of logistics and can deliver all your orders quickly and without issue.
If you want a successful Amazon FBA business, read this 7-step guide from an Amazon expert.
Another big reason to use FBA is Amazon Prime. You’re likely familiar with the program. It offers members plenty of benefits. The most notable being free, two-day or one-day shipping on eligible items.
For obvious reasons, Prime members are more inclined to purchase an item with Prime shipping. This ultimately affects how many sales the product generates and as a result, how well it performs relative to a specific keyword.
You can make your products eligible for Prime by using FBA for order fulfillment. With Amazon Prime, your listings also have a better chance of winning the Buy Box, the space that sellers of the same item compete for in order to get credit for the sale.
#4 Pay Attention to Reviews and Ratings
As an Amazon seller, you already know that reviews are critical to your products converting visitors into sales. Many customers rely on reviews to make their buying decisions. When a product has many positive reviews, it tends to get more sales.
Not all your customers are going to leave reviews. You may even have to work for the ones that do. Start by customizing the default follow-up email Amazon sends asking for a review. By making the email more personalized and more engaging, the customer may feel more inclined to leave a review.
You can also try using the Amazon Request a Review feature. This function is available in your Seller Central account between 5 and 30 days after an order. When you hit the Request a Review button, Amazon will send a product review request to the customer. You are unable to follow up on the request or customize the message but it can be helpful in reminding past buyers to leave feedback.
Conclusion
The Amazon Choice badge can be a great way to drive more sales to your Amazon listings. Find the keywords where you want to be Amazon Choice and follow the tips in this post to see if you can earn the badge for your products.
