How To Win The Amazon Buy Box

Every single day, more people discover the possibilities and profitability of selling products via Amazon. So, it is no surprise that the number of Amazon sellers is increasing at an unforeseen speed. Even when you pick one of the categories with the lowest competition metrics, you have to deal with too many sellers.

The positive side here is that Amazon uses several techniques to recommend the best-performing sellers to its dedicated customers, especially Amazon Prime members. Amazon Buy Box is one of those effective ways to ensure that only the best sellers of a product are recommended to customers. You cannot get the best sales volume without access to Amazon Buy Box.

Therefore, you must have an in-depth understanding of the Buy Box on Amazon before expanding your horizons as a seller. We must warn you that it is not an easy process. Of course, we do not mean that the process is like Rocket Science, either.

But, if you make random decisions and expect to be featured on the Buy Box Amazon, you will be disappointed. Depending on your level of experience as a seller, you may have different objectives in your mind.

For instance, first-time Amazon sellers want to get into the Buy Box as soon as possible. On the other hand, experienced Amazon sellers want to retain their success rate with 100% Buy Box wins. Nevertheless, people have to follow similar/related steps to make their Amazon Buy Box dreams true.

As we said, a proper understanding of the concept and its working principles will be of topmost importance here. We have covered everything you should know about the Buy Box on Amazon as a seller in the following guide. We will introduce the technique and explain how you can increase the volume and frequency of sales orders on the online selling platform.

What is a Buy Box on Amazon?

Amazon Buy Box is one of the methods Amazon uses to recommend only the best sellers to its customers. It is no secret that all product categories on Amazon witness huge seller competition. Therefore, even when we narrow things down to a specific model of a single product, there could be tens or hundreds of sellers with particular features like Prime or SFP shipping. However, Amazon does not want its customers to choose one of these sellers manually.

Sure, a customer can do that if they wish to, but it is an unwanted hassle for most people. If we remember correctly, customers want to get the best products without spending much time on on-page research. Therefore, even when we filter the available sellers by their shipping to the customers’ address, there could be multiple entities. Amazon wants to utilize this competition for good, and that is why it introduced the Amazon Buy Box.

Amazon Buy Box makes sure that the best-sellers are made available through a single click. For example, suppose we are talking about a pair of gaming headphones from Razer. However, there are five equally impressive Amazon sellers for the product: A, B, C, D, and E. Amazon Box continuously analyses the metrics and performance of all these sellers and ranks them properly. The seller with the highest index will be featured on the Amazon Buy Box. The other sellers are listed below as ‘More Buying Options,’ in the order of their performance. The index score is a mixture of many things, including the shipping time, landed price, Buy Box price, and the performance of other FBA sellers.

As we said, the customer has two options. The first and the simplest option is to click on the Buy Now or Add to Basket button at the top of the page. In this case, the seller with the best performance (including Prime eligibility, low pricing, good seller ratings, etc.) is selected, and the order is placed. It means the customer can finish the purchasing process in a few seconds. The second option is to hover over the ‘More Buying Options’ section and choose a seller.

Then, selecting the FBA seller using the ‘Add to Basket’ button will place the order successfully. There is also an in-depth option where you can explore new and used versions of the product. To explore this option, buyers have to open the special menu and go through individual entries. We hope you understand what Amazon Buy Box is now.

Pros and Cons of Amazon Buy Box

Pros

• Amazon Buy Box can increase the volume and frequency of sales. If your seller account is eligible for the Buy Box position for a product, you can expect the sales volume to skyrocket.
• The constant presence on Amazon Buy Box will increase your reputation as a seller. It works as a self-motivated cycle that increases your sales and subsequent benefits.
• If you are following all the regulations and recommendations from Amazon, being eligible for the Buy Box is not a Herculean task. Prime eligibility can also make things easier.
• Amazon Buy Box is an effective way to get rewarded if you work as a reliable Amazon seller. As we said, good customer service and high-quality products will make things easier.
• You can use Amazon Buy Box as the most integrated version to increase sales. All the preferences are available via the Amazon Seller Central account.

Cons

• Becoming eligible for the Amazon Buy Box can be challenging when there are too many sellers for a single product (SKU). In other words, high competition is not always preferred.
• Sellers who are relatively new to Amazon sales may find it difficult to compete with sellers with years of experience. But, on the bright side, new sellers can start Buy Box-friendly behavior from the beginning.

As you can see, the pros and cons of Buy Box on Amazon are pretty impressive. However, even the cons seem to offer room for improvement if you look at them. That is, you can overcome the limitations by following the proper set of rules from the seller. After all, religiously following the directions from Amazon has not hurt any seller. But, on the other hand, it has helped sellers enhance their performance on the platform.

How Does It Look?

As we said, the Amazon Buy Box is placed on the top-right portion of an Amazon product page. As you may know, the typical Amazon product page has a white background. However, the Buy Box will have one or two buttons: an ‘Add to Basket’ button with a yellow background and an ‘Add to List’ button with a white one.

On the bottom, you can find another section called ‘More Buying Options’ or ‘Other Sellers on Amazon.’ It will be a list of sellers who are offering the same product. A buyer can select one of the best options based on the price, shipping costs, ratings, etc.

You have won the Amazon Buy Box if your seller account is visible on the first part. If not, it means there are better sellers on the platform. Therefore, if you want to test whether your seller account is eligible for the Buy Box on Amazon, you can look for the yellow background and take things from there.

Different Buy Box Layouts

As you can guess, Amazon caters to customers who use different devices to buy products. Therefore, based on the device, the online shopping sites may also use different Buy Box layouts. The significant difference is between the designs shown on Desktop and Mobile devices. In addition, there will be a difference in the general placement of the ‘Add to Basket’ or ‘Add to Cart’ button.

There are also different layouts when Amazon is running some promotions. In these cases, the site may want to show different pricing patterns: the actual price and the promotional price. So, you will be able to see two buttons placed next to each other. There could also be other options to choose between these options and get the right deal.

To Sum Up

We believe this section sums up your common queries about the Buy Box on Amazon. We will now move to areas that will help you be featured on the Buy Box interface. We must add beforehand that our suggestions are not absolute by any means. Instead, you should understand the core idea behind the general directions and apply the same view in your business. And, as you can guess, our pointers are optimized for new sellers who are still learning about Amazon Buy Box.

Why Is My Item Not Buy Box Eligible? Do I Need a Professional Seller Account?

The first step to get featured on Amazon Buy Box is being eligible for the Buy Box Amazon section. You can check this by visiting the Seller Central account. It is worth noting that Buy Box eligibility is granted for individual products, not for all products for a seller. Therefore, if you sell different SKUs through a single seller account, some of these SKUs may have Buy Box validity while others do not. So, you have to check whether you are Buy Box eligible in the first place.

But did you see a message that your item is not Buy Box eligible? Well, it may happen in some instances. The common reasons why your item is not eligible for Amazon Buy Box are:

1. You have a new Amazon seller account and have started selling just now. Unfortunately, it may also mean that your products do not have Prime eligibility. As you know, Amazon will not deem the SKU for the Buy Box if it lacks Prime eligibility.
2. You may not have a professional seller account on Amazon. Did you know that you cannot benefit from the Amazon Buy Box if you have a basic Amazon account? Well, that is the disappointing truth that you can fix by paying extra per month.
3. Your product may not have Buy Box eligibility if the sales volume is comparatively lower. Amazon is strict when it comes to sales volume expectations. Therefore, if these numbers are too low, you may have a tough time maintaining the listing in the Buy Box.
4. Other sellers could be offering the same product for a lower price while complying with all the rules and regulations. In that case, Amazon will prefer the other seller to you. If the number of such sellers is high, you may lose Buy Box eligibility over time.
5. Amazon may pull the Buy Box validity if your product is not authentic. Lack of authenticity is a big problem that Amazon does not leave unattended. Therefore, if users have returned/replaced your products based on authenticity concerns, you will lose the Buy Box support, pending review.
6. You may not have access to Buy Box if your seller ratings are on the lower side of things. As you know, seller ratings on Amazon are pretty sensitive, and you cannot predict their movement. So, if you want to retain the Buy Box, you have to keep customer care on top priority, even if you have low profits.
7. There are some instances when you have a broken Amazon listing. It means the sales would not go through. As a result, Amazon will pull your Buy Box support in no time. You may not receive the Buy Box support until the issue is fixed.
8. Your listing or seller account could be underperforming in terms of some other performance metrics. The list includes factors like Order Defect Rate, Late Shipment Rate, Cancellation Rate, etc. Of course, these metrics will impact the overall seller ratings as well.
9. Suppose you are part of FBA or SFP. In that case, even the slightest mistakes in packing can lead to the suspension of Buy Box eligibility on Amazon. It is one more reason to follow all the directions from Amazon FBA religiously.
10. In some cases, unaccounted reasons also cause the suspension of Buy Box eligibility. Therefore, if you think the above-mentioned reasons do not apply to you, you will need to contact Amazon Seller Support.

As you can guess, following these steps one by one can help you understand why your item is not on the Buy Box yet. Between every step, you should go to the Manage Inventory page and choose Preferences, where you can find the status of Buy Box eligibility. Now that you know this part very well, shall we explore how to stay on top of the Buy Box scene?

What Does 100% Buy Box Wins Mean? How to Check Buy Box Eligibility?

100% Buy Box Wins means that your Amazon product is always featured on the Buy Box. The reason is simple: you are selling products in demand and delivering the product adhering to all directions provided by Amazon. So, if you see that your listing has a 100% Buy Box win, it is a good thing. As we said earlier, the online shopping platform considers a few factors to ensure that your account is eligible for the Buy Box. In short, when the Buy Box percentage is 100%, it means your campaign is working.

If you have achieved this point as an Amazon seller, you can be very proud of it. It means you are on the right path to being successful in Amazon sales. Of course, you may have to make a few compromises in the first place. For instance, you may have to adjust the product price and shipping patterns. In addition, you will have to cater to customer service issues as early as possible.

But if you do these, you can expect sustainable profits for an extended period. But, to make this possible, it is mandatory to understand how the Buy Box algorithm works on Amazon.

What is the Buy Box Algorithm?

As you can guess, Amazon does not provide the specific algorithm it uses to determine whether a seller has Buy Box eligibility. However, the same algorithm would rank the sellers based on their performance and a few other metrics. For instance, product delivery satisfaction, seller ratings, and order cancellation rates will play an essential role in determining the Buy Box eligibility.

As it happens, there are multiple aspects to the Buy Box algorithm. They are:

• Eligibility: This aspect refers to whether the product listing suits the requirements of a Buy Box entry.
• Price: Amazon wants to give the best products at competitive prices. Therefore, the pricing structure would matter a lot.
• Fulfillment: Fulfillment refers to how you take care of the order once it has been placed. The list will include packaging quality, safety, transparency, etc.
• Shipping: By the term shipping, we refer to the shipping time of the seller. It means the seller has to get the products delivered to the customer as earlier as possible while sticking to the FBA estimate. Seller feedback score, thus, plays an important role here.
• Consistency: Getting the deliveries and customer feedback right a single time is not enough to stay on top of the Amazon Buy Box algorithm. Amazon gives you positive points for consistency.

These aspects are given variable values according to the scenario. In total, you cannot ignore the seller metrics if you want to be the best at winning the Buy Box.

How Does the Buy Box Algorithm Work?

We still do not know the specific way the Amazon Buy Box algorithm works. The company indeed uses several metrics to calculate the eligibility of your listing. However, the exact position your listing would receive on the list is a different matter altogether. It is safe to believe that Amazon thinks beyond numbers to make these suggestions.

We can expect technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to be at work here. When you think about it, Amazon has to consider the bigger picture whenever they deal with popular products. In other words, the listing must be beneficial to you and Amazon simultaneously, which can be challenging at times. Nevertheless, unless you are dealing with an imposing category, a few rules should set things right. However, there are some steps to win the Buy Box if you can take some effort.

Tips for New Sellers to Get into the Buy Box As Soon As Possible

Here are some tips that would help new Amazon sellers to get into the Buy Box without a lot of time.

1. You have to ensure the maximum quality and authenticity of the product. If you sell bad products or products with inadequate quality, it will make a permanent mark in your seller account. Also, you will have to work extra hard to bring back the seller ratings.
2. As a seller, you should not hesitate to listen to customer feedback. True, these feedback entries may not be constructive at first. However, you have to take the high road in this business and address the issues as soon as possible.
3. To make sure that you are eligible for Amazon Buy Box, you can stick to all regulations from Amazon. For instance, if you have chosen FBA or SFP shipping, the shipping timings and other metrics should be on point. Only then can you become the Buy Box winner.
4. Inventory management is an essential point in winning the Buy Box as soon as you can. It is more than making sure that you have product stock available at times. Instead, you should be able to take care of the stocks in a long-term manner, predicting potential hikes and descents.
5. Even though you have just started, you can use dedicated software to automate the selling-buyer feedback process. For instance, you can request seller rating entries and product ratings from the customer — without being too pushy, of course.
6. Winning the Amazon Buy Box does not always mean being the cheapest listing. If you think about it, the human mind does not work that way. Therefore, you should maintain a healthy combination of the price and the value.
7. You should also learn from your mistakes. In this particular case, you can keep looking for factors like Order Defect Rate and delivery statistics. If you do not get these aspects right, you can send the Buy Box eligibility downhill.
8. Last but not least, you should monitor your status on Seller Central at all times if you want to win the Buy Box quickly. Since you cannot check all the products individually, you need a system to know everything under Buy Box eligibility. Again, the Seller Central account can help you here.

These steps will ensure that you have a smoother path to Buy Box eligibility and ratings. As we said in the intro, you will have to contextualize these tips and make specific decisions at times.

Conclusion

What do you think about winning the Amazon Buy Box now? We hope you know how to know if your product is Buy Box eligible. Does it sound more practicable? We believe so because it is not a Herculean task per se. But, at the same time, you must be super-strict about all the directions from Amazon.