July 4th, 2021
Over the past few years or so, Amazon has steadily become the go-to online shopping destination for a vast amount of people all across the world. Nowhere else can customers find as many product choices in once place as they can on Amazon. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, the abundance of choices can lead to indecision, especially if all products seem to be comparable or equal.
So, how does an Amazon customer avoid e-shopping paralysis? Enter Amazon’s Choice badge. When there are literally hundreds of variations selling the same product, the Amazon Choice badge is an easy and convenient way to identify the product listing that stands out above the rest.
Obtaining this coveted badge and getting this recommendation directly from Amazon could help boost your sales and traffic immensely – therefore establishing and positioning your brand for increased success in the marketplace. Read on to learn more about what the Amazon’s Choice badge is and how you, as a seller, can earn your own badge!
What Does "Amazon's Choice" Mean?
The prestigious badge is a classification given to your listing directly by Amazon to help match your product with a buyer’s search query if it is the best fit for them. It is easily recognizable, and you will see the badge displayed as a bold black banner with white and orange lettering that reads “Amazon’s Choice”. You can see listings that have this badge directly on the search result page’s featured listing carousel, which means that any product listing that features the badge can be easily identified without clicking into the listing itself – but please also note that not all search results pages have one.
Amazon’s Choice badge serves as an incentive for buyers because it’s a sign of Amazon’s endorsement of the product, which obviously carries a lot of weight with loyal Amazon customers. After Sponsored ads, the Amazon Choice badge is the first offer that customers will see when they look something up on any Amazon channel using the default “featured” sorting.
The badge also shows up on the product detail page itself. When a potential buyer clicks on a search result to try to find out more about the product or compare it with similar products, they will be continuously notified of Amazon’s recommendation. At the end of the day, the Amazon’s Choice badge makes a huge difference in influencing and helping buyers make their decision.
Amazon's Choice - or Alexa's Choice?
As one Huffington Post article has pointed out, Amazon launched this badge in 2015, and the original idea was to allow Alexa to buy things on behalf of its owner from Amazon. The strategy was to not prompt Alexa simply to reorder things that the customer had already bought before on the website, but to encourage Alexa to buy new items, many without a purchase history.
What does this all have to do with the Amazon Choice badge? Well, as the official Alexa Voice Shopping FAQ section points out, Amazon’s Choice also happens to be Alexa’s first choice. This is only the case if Alexa’s owner has not previously purchased that particular item before on Amazon, or if the product that they originally purchased is no longer available with a Prime offer. Since new products are being listed every single day, and Alexa has a clear preference for and often picks the listings that features the Amazon’s Choice badge, sellers should do their best to earn the badge – especially if they sell newly listed or non-essential products.
Another important thing to note is that listings that feature the badge are also the go-to for the Gift Finder and other official holiday guides. The benefits of owning a listing with the Amazon Choice badge can be extremely lucrative, so if you are a brand owner or a seller with many competitors, you can potentially boost your holiday sales just by getting the recognition from Amazon via the Amazon’s Choice badge.
3 Facts About the Amazon Choice Badge
Keywords Matter
Unlike the Best Seller badge, which is strictly awarded based on sales velocity, the Amazon’s Choice badge is a little more difficult to manipulate. The badge is typically assigned in relation to keywords with the end goal of suggesting the optimal products to customers for each specific search query.
Once again, unlike the Best Seller badge, the Amazon’s Choice badge does not refer to a specific product category, but rather always to specific keywords. With this knowledge, it is important to always list products with the most current keywords built-in to the listing in order to optimize your chances at getting recognized in Amazon’s algorithm.
Products Will Only Display if They Are In-Stock and Prime Eligible
Although this doesn’t guarantee that a buyer will always end up purchasing a Prime item, with or without the Buy Box. It does, however, show that one single FBA unit (even if it’s a competitor) can have negative consequences on the badge’s continuity.
You Don't Have to Have a History of High Sales Volume or Velocity to Qualify
However, you should try to make sure your product attracts new Prime buyers who trust Amazon’s recommendations and who don’t have the luxury of spending time browsing pages of products.
Amazon's Choice vs Amazon's Best Seller Badge
Most people aren’t aware that Amazon’s Choice badge and Amazon’s Best Seller badge are not the same thing. Even though both badges indicate that the listings in question have high-quality products, the Amazon’s Choice badge is only given to the most suitable match for a particular keyword. On the other hand, the Best Seller badge is awarded to products that have sold the most units per hour in their category.
Simply put, the Amazon’s Choice badge is determined by SEO and relevant keywords, whereas the Best Seller badge is determined by sales velocity. Also note that in certain situations a product can display both the Best Seller badge AND the Amazon’s Choice badge for a certain keyword.
Is the Amazon's Choice Badge Worth It?
When it comes to the Amazon’s Choice badge, it is clear that products that feature it tend to sell more units and have a higher sales velocity than listings without the badge. There are no shortcuts when it comes to snagging the highly prized badge.
Amazon awards this honorable badge to those sellers who constantly deliver stellar performance, outstanding customer service, and who are all-around awesome Amazon sellers in general. Once you invest the hard work, the sky's the limit! Although it takes plenty of time, dedication, and attention to detail, when you are a reliable Amazon seller with fully optimized listings, you will not have any problem gaining recognition from both Amazon and Amazon’s loyal customer base.
Are you thinking, “how can I make my listings better?” Let our team help. We have experience identifying relevant keywords, incorporating those keywords into your listing copy and back-end search terms, as well as many other services to make your life selling on Amazon better. Schedule your free consultation today!