Last week we talked about what the Buy Box was, how it appears in the detail sheet and the importance of being the “owner” of it in sales. This week we are going to discuss several key aspects to take into account in order to prepare ourselves to get the coveted trophy on our products. In Amazing we are clear that making a check list of these aspects is essential to be able to work with each product on Amazon.
The Buy Box rotation
Amazon has long since abandoned the idea of awarding the Buy Box to a single seller. On the contrary, the Buy Box is shared among several sellers and their “share” of the Buy Box will be determined by the variables that we are going to discuss below.
To give an example, if we have 10 sellers or vendors for a product who meet the requirements to obtain the Buy Box, each of them can obtain a 10% share. In other words, each seller can have the Buy Box for 10% of the day. However, if among these sellers we have a Top seller, for example, this one will probably have the Buy Box 70% of the day, an Average Seller 25% and the rest 5% left over. If during the day there are changes in the stock or in the price (the two fundamental elements) the Buy Box can change hands in 15 minutes, which is the time it takes for the system to detect these changes and update it.
I would like to take a technical break here and talk briefly about the theory that Amazon always has the Buy Box and that it is almost impossible to get hold of it as a seller when it is selling the product directly. The truth is that it is not true. If as a seller you have good seller ratios and good metrics and user ratings and you know how to play with the price, Amazon will give you the Buy Box. Of course, you will fight to get it and probably the rotation of it will be constant. Next week we will analyze all the variables that influence the Buy Box in which, obviously, the seller has a lot to talk about.
When a Buy Box may not have an owner
Yes, we may find that a product for sale does not have the Buy Box awarded to any seller. So what do we do? If I want to buy the product, how do I buy it?
If this is the case, you just have to click on the button “see all purchase options” and you will see the sellers who offer it. By clicking on the chosen one, it will be added to your shopping cart and you can formalize your purchase.
It is not a common occurrence but it happens when one of the following two casuistry happens:
1.- When none of the sellers meet the requirements to win the Buy Box or if those sellers that meet them have metrics that do not reach the established limits.
2.- When the price offered by the sellers are higher than the recommended prices provided by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer has not provided the recommended price, Amazon performs a search to find out that price and will be the one included in the file. If, for example, a product is sold at a price of 10€ as recommended pvp in another e-retailer or offline world and that product is sold on Amazon from 12€ as the best price, in this case there will be no Buy Box activated.
What are the 3 keys or essential requirements to be taken into account in order to be eligible to win the Buy Box?
There are 3 requirements that we should remember if we want to be eligible to win the Buy Box of the product I offer. They are the following:
1.- To have a Professional Account opened in Seller Central or Vendor Central. Only those sellers, in Seller format, who pay a monthly fee to have a professional account (currently at a cost of 39€/month) will be considered eligible for the Buy Box. Those with individual accounts are excluded from this possibility.
2.- The Seller must be “Buy Box Eligible”. For this, it must be a seller with a long track record on Amazon and must also have very high performance levels.
3.- The product for sale must be New. This means that if you want to sell the product in “second hand” format you can sell it but you will never get the Buy Box.
Undoubtedly, in these two weeks we are already seeing why the Buy Box is relevant to our success on Amazon. Next week we will analyze a whole list of aspects to control in order to obtain it; and we already anticipate that there will be quite a few. In many occasions these aspects are the ones that are going to define which modality we are going to be in Amazon, such as Seller FBA or FBM.
I don’t want to tell you more, we are looking forward to seeing you next week as always!
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