Established sellers on Amazon will know that the Amazon buy-box is a very precious commodity that only one seller of a product can “own” at any one time. The winning seller given the buy-box is the one which the Amazon algorithm believes to be the best offer to the consumer, the algorithm will take into account the best price, fast delivery, customer reviews and of course, Prime eligibility.
How can I become eligible for the Amazon buy-box?
Sellers can become eligible for the buy-box by ensuring they are meeting a few different criteria.
- Be a Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) seller: being an FBA seller will automatically make you eligible for the buy-box.
- Type of selling account: You must have a Professional selling account.
- Performance Metrics: Your Order Defect Rate, Cancellation Rate, and Late Shipment Rate determine eligibility – the better you perform, the higher your chances are of becoming eligible.
- Order volume: In order for Amazon to accurately assess your performance, you are required to have sufficient order volume.
However, winning the buy-box does not guarantee it for life and sellers can lose ownership of the for many reasons and losing the buy-box might reduce conversions. If you have lost your buy-box or are wondering what you should do if the ‘worst’ happens, then read our three steps below, helping sellers figure out what to do if that precious buy-box disappears.
1. Determine any changes you made that may have affected the loss of the buy-box
Next, see if it was in fact any changes you made to your own listing or operation that lost you the box. Have you recently increased your prices or have you had a recent influx of negative reviews or returns.
Amazon may lower your buy-box likelihood if your seller rating is reduced or if Amazon believes that you are raising prices when demand is high. Anything that shows you are not putting the consumer experience first will cause Amazon to reassess your likelihood for receiving the buy box.
If you are taking part in any underhanded pricing tactics, Amazon may suppress your listing by giving it to another seller or if you are the only seller, remove the buy-box altogether. Ensure you are offering Amazon customers the best price and address any issues stated in negative reviews in order to improve your seller rating again.
Another reason could be if you decide to change your distribution solution from FBA to Seller Fulfilled Prime, but have yet to enrol in the latter. As you will have lost your Prime offering for the time being you may have lost your buy-box as a result.
2. Decide what changes you should make
If you discover a clear reason as to why you lost the buy-box then the next step on your way to getting in back will be to make these changes. Some changes are easier than others to make such as lowering your pricing but major alterations such as new distribution solutions require more time and patience.
However, combating these challenges with positive reviews or Amazon advertising will eventually help you win the buy-box back.