Amazon Sales Rank Charts: What Sellers Should Use Instead
While not a thorough research technique, checking an Amazon product’s Sales Rank is a quick way to learn about the item. In this post, we will explain how the Amazon Sales Rank Chart works and what alternatives you can use for better insights.
Table of contents
What is Amazon Sales Rank Chart?
Amazon Sales Rank is a ranking that measures how popular a product is in its assigned category. This ranking is also known as the Amazon Best Sellers Rank (or BSR). Rankings can range from one all the way up to somewhere in the millions, depending on how many products are in the category. Amazon uses several factors to determine the ranks, including both recent and historical sales.
Lower ranking numbers mean a higher sales rank (i.e. the product ranked #1 has the most current sales in the category).
The Sales Rank Chart is a table that shows the total number of products in a category as well as how many of these products are ranked among the top of all Amazon products. Specifically, it shows how many items in a category are in the top 0.5%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 25% of Amazon Products. The report is generated by third parties and updated on a monthly basis. Some make the chart available online while others offer it as a downloadable PDF.
Why Amazon Sales Rank Is Not Useful
While the Sales Rank Chart provides some insights, there are more helpful ways to learn about top products. There are several reasons for this.
To start, when determining the ranks for a product category, the Sales Rank Chart includes all of the category’s subcategories. Because of this, many sales ranks are not accurately represented as the items in the category’s subcategories may be irrelevant to a particular product.
Another issue is that the Sales Rank factors in every product in a category. While this may seem like a positive, it can make it harder to know what a good sales rank actually is for the category. Most Amazon categories include many products that have never sold. This means an item’s Amazon Rank will be factoring in products with no sales, making each item seem better than it actually is.
In short, the Amazon Sales rank chart can give you a surface-level overview of a product’s popularity. To get a better understanding of a product’s potential it’s better to look at its sales history and trends. This information will reveal exactly how many sales an item gets and how it's changing over time.
How to Check Sales by Best Seller Rank In Any Product Category
There are several ways to check the BSR for any product on Amazon. The most basic method is to go to the product’s Amazon listing. There, you can see the item’s Best Sellers Rank in the Product details section of the page.
Once you have a product’s BSR, you can use an Amazon seller tool to see that item’s sales volume. For example, with the free AMZScout Sales Estimator, you can search within any category to see how monthly sales a product gets, based on its sales rank. Below is how you can use it:
Step 1: Select the Category. Select the country for the marketplace that you want to sell in. Then, you’ll choose a product category. The app has options for dozens of different Amazon product categories.
Step 2: Enter Sales Rank. Next, you’ll enter the Sales Rank for the product that you want sales info on. For example, if you want to see the sales for the top product, you’ll enter “1”.
Step 3: Get a Monthly Sales Estimate. Click Calculate Sales to see the monthly sales based on rank.
This data can serve as a starting point for finding great Amazon products. However, you’ll need even more comprehensive data to research products successfully. This is where more advanced tools like the AMZSscout PRO Extension come into play.
Advanced Tool to Track Sales on Amazon and More
The AMZScout PRO Extension is a powerful tool for researching Amazon products. The extension works directly on the Amazon marketplace and it can show you a wide range of important sales metrics for any product. This includes monthly sales, margins, revenue, FBA fees, and more.
The Extension also includes a Product History which reveals how an item’s sales, price, and rank have faired historically. This information is invaluable for following a product’s trends and demand.
Here is how you can use the extension to track more data for Amazon products.
1. Download the PRO extension. If you’re new, you’ll be asked to start a free trial. No payment details are needed, only your email address.
2. Find the products that you want to research. Go to Amazon.com and search for an interesting product.
3. Click the AMZScout icon in the lower-left corner of the page to open the extension. Once open, find the product you’re researching in the results list.
4. Click the arrow to the left of the product and open Product History to see the item’s historical data.
Check the graph to see if the item has had consistent sales over the last 2 years
Review the price history to check for price fluctuations
Look at the rank history to see how the product’s rank has changed over the year
With this information, you can get a much better understanding of a product’s sales potential. For instance, with this approach, you may notice a product has a lower BSR compared to others on the list but much more sales over recent months. While this product may have a lower rank, its potential upside going forward is better than similar items with weaker trends.
Tips to Improve Your BSR and Increase Sales
Now that you know how to check an item’s sales rank and other important data, here are some tips for gaining more sales and improving your BSR in 2024:
Optimize Your Title and Description
Titles and descriptions are two key factors in getting your products to rank at the top of search results. Amazon uses listing titles and descriptions to understand your products. Optimizing these areas with the right keywords can help your listing show up in the search results for your niche.
Get Good Product Reviews
Positive feedback is important for any business, especially those that sell on Amazon. Many customers use reviews to determine which product to buy. When your products have a lot of detailed reviews, shoppers are more confident in your products, leading to higher conversion rates. This in turn leads to more sales and a higher BSR for your items.
Conclusion
The Amazon Sales Rank is useful for getting a quick overview of a product’s position in the market but it should not be used as an end-all-be-all for product research. To get a true understanding of where a product sits in the Amazon landscape, it’s best to use more advanced data and tools, like those outlined in this guide.
