Leverage the Latest Amazon Features and Metrics

Amazon is rolling out key features to enhance the seller and customer experience. We will dive into these features and what you need to know and can expect from them. 

Highlights include the Build Your Brand page which introduces new metrics to empower sellers with insights to strengthen their brand strategies, instant replacements for seller-fulfilled returns and a dedicated page for recalls and product safety alerts in EU customer accounts.

We also touch on the new Ships in Product Packaging program for fee savings and increased sustainability and the Premium Navigation Carousel offering a smoother customer browsing experience.

Read on as we take a deeper dive into these new features!

1. ‘Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts’ Page for EU Customers

Amazon has introduced a new feature enabling customers to access product recall and safety details for items bought through its online platform. While Amazon already notifies customers about recalls and safety alerts, the website now includes a dedicated page for customers to conveniently check these updates in one location.

When an alert is issued, customers will receive an email containing information and a link to the ‘Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts’ page on their account. This page provides additional details, including options for refunds, returns, or repairs. This service aims to streamline the recall awareness process for Amazon customers, eliminating the need to rely on external websites for such information. The feature is now accessible to users across Europe.

What does this mean?
By directly notifying consumers on product safety recalls and alerts, Amazon aims to offer improved protection, potentially minimizing instances of injuries attributed to unsafe products that sneakily make their way to the EU marketplace through Amazon.

Related: Recalls and Product Safety Alerts Page for US Customers

2. New Metrics on the Build Your Brand Page

Explore four (4) new metrics for evaluating your brand’s performance on Amazon, including:

• Branded Search Ratio: This refers to the proportion of searches that include a specific brand’s name compared to overall searches related to a particular product or category. This metric helps brand owners understand the frequency with which shoppers specifically search for their brand when looking for a particular type of product. A higher Brand Search Ratio indicates that the brand is more top-of-mind for customers in that product category, reflecting strong brand recognition and engagement. Brands can use this metric to assess their visibility and popularity within Amazon’s marketplace.
• Star Rating: This metric reflects the average rating given to a product by customers who have purchased and reviewed it. The rating is typically displayed as a set of stars (ranging from one to five), with a higher number of stars indicating a better overall customer satisfaction. It serves as a quick visual representation of a product’s popularity and quality based on the experiences of previous buyers.

Related: Amazon is Testing a New Way to Show Product Reviews, Amazon Cracks Down on Suspicious Reviews from Bad Actors, FTC Proposes a New Rule to Rein in Fake Reviews

• Brand Conversion Rate: This metric refers to the percentage of visitors who not only view a brand’s product but also make a purchase. It’s a crucial metric in assessing the effectiveness of a brand’s presence and the ability to convert potential customers into actual buyers. A higher Brand Conversion Rate indicates that a brand is successful in turning product visibility into actual sales, reflecting positively on its marketing strategies, product quality, and overall appeal to customers.

Related: How to Improve CTR & CVR

• Repeat Customer Ratio: A metric that calculates the percentage of customers who make repeated purchases from a brand over a specific period. It provides insights into customer loyalty and the ability of a brand to retain its customer base. A higher Repeat Customer Ratio indicates that a significant portion of customers is returning to make additional purchases, highlighting brand loyalty and satisfaction. This metric is valuable for businesses seeking to understand and enhance their customer retention strategies.

Related: Amazon Now Allowing Email Marketing Campaigns to Repeat Customers

Leverage these metrics to:

• Gauge the effectiveness of your sales funnel strategies and observe how customers interact with your brand across their journey.
• Evaluate the significance of shopping engagements (e.g., purchases, live streaming, ad click-throughs, and newsletter subscriptions) by analyzing sales over a 12-month period.
• Fine-tune your organic marketing and advertising strategies within Amazon to connect with a broader audience and fortify your brand.
• Keep a close eye on your performance in relation to your product category and competitors at each phase of the buying process.

Access detailed insights by visiting the Build Your Brand page within your Amazon Seller Central account.

Related: The Power of Comprehensive Amazon Brand Strategy: Insights & Examples, How to Use Amazon Attribution to Measure the Impact of Your Marketing Campaigns

3. Instant Replacements for Seller-Fulfilled Returns

Effective February 12, 2024, customers now have the option to initiate an immediate replacement for items dispatched through the Prepaid Return Label program. In cases where they receive a damaged, defective, or incorrect item, they may choose an instant replacement for free.

How it Works

• Customers must send back the original item within 30 days of receiving the replacement. Failure to do so makes you, the seller, eligible for automatic reimbursement.
• If the buyer returns an original item in a used, damaged, or disparate condition from what was initially dispatched, you can file a SAFE-T Claim to initiate a reimbursement.

This change ensures that customers follow a standardized process when returning products, applicable across all of Amazon’s fulfillment options.

Related: Claim Reimbursement for Losses Caused by Amazon, How to Fix Amazon Unfulfillable Inventory, Maximize Gains and Minimize Hassle with Amazon Reimbursement Services

What Sellers Say

Sellers, as per the comments, have various concerns and criticisms about this new policy. These include:

• Loss of Control: Sellers express frustration about Amazon taking control of return and replacement processes, believing they are better equipped to handle these aspects of their business.
• Abuse of Returns: Some are concerned that this policy may lead to increased abuse of returns, with customers potentially requesting replacements without valid reasons, leading to financial losses for the sellers.
• Impact on Order Defect Rate (ODR): Many question whether this new policy will affect their ODR, potentially causing issues for their metrics and overall performance on the platform.
• Logistical Challenges: Sellers highlight the logistical challenges and delays associated with waiting for returned items, impacting the time it takes for orders to clear and for sellers to receive reimbursement.
• Unavailable Replacements: There are concerns about the possibility of replacements not being available. If a replacement is not in stock, it could create challenges for sellers, impacting their ability to fulfill orders. For example, those who sell artisanal/handcraft and rare book products may find it difficult to provide instant replacements.
• Risk of Fraud: Many express concerns about the potential for fraudulent claims, as the instant replacement system may make it easier for customers to exploit the process and keep both the original and replacement items.
• Inconsistent Safe-T Claims Process: Sellers criticize the SAFE-T claims process, mentioning denials for high-valued items and claiming it lacks consistency. They argue that having the opportunity to handle customer service directly could prevent such issues.
• Impact on Small Businesses: Some sellers believe that these changes disproportionately affect smaller sellers who may find it challenging to absorb the financial impact of (multiple) instant replacements. 
• Lack of Opt-Out Option: Sellers request the ability to opt-out of this policy, emphasizing the importance of having control over their own return and replacement procedures.
• Poor Communication: Some feel that Amazon’s communication and implementation of new policies are lacking. They express frustration about not being adequately informed or given sufficient time to adapt to changes.

Overall, sellers seem to be critical of Amazon’s instant replacements policy, citing concerns about potential abuse, loss of control, and increased complexities in handling returns and replacements.

Related: Maximize Gains and Minimize Hassle with Amazon Reimbursement Services, Tips to Improve Customer Experience and Reduce Returns

4. Lower FBA Fulfillment Fees with Ships in Product Packaging

Launched February 5, 2024, the Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) program, formerly known as the Ship In Own Container (SIOC), is Amazon’s latest custom-branded packaging solution for FBA sellers.

With this program, FBA sellers now have the freedom to ship products in their existing packaging without any additional materials added by Amazon, hence, the cheaper FBA fulfillment rates for SIPP-certified packages.

Eligible sellers may be entitled to a fulfillment fee discount ranging from $0.04 to $1.32, depending on item size and weight. In addition, by minimizing packaging materials, Amazon will be able to optimize truck space, thereby reducing the number of trucks needed, ultimately lowering carbon emissions.

Pros and Cons

The launch of Amazon’s SIPP program has elicited a range of sentiments among sellers. Let’s explore the general sentiments and some of the highlighted pros and cons as expressed by sellers in the news announcement’s comments section.

Pros

• Cost Savings: potential for reduced FBA fulfillment fees
• Customization: ability to customize branding and packaging for a more personalized customer experience.
• Enrollment Control: convenience of being able to enroll and unenroll products at their discretion.

Cons

• Packaging Concerns: Numerous sellers express concerns about packaging integrity, citing instances where the packaging may be damaged during shipping, potentially impacting the product.
• Auto-Enrollment Issues: Sellers report instances of auto-enrollment for their entire FBA inventory without explicit consent, leading to frustration.
• Perceived Inadequate Discount: Some sellers believe that the offered discount is not substantial enough to justify the effort and costs associated with complying with SIPP requirements.

In sum, the sentiment seems mixed, with sellers appreciating the potential cost savings but raising valid concerns about the practical implications and the program’s impact on packaging integrity.

For more details about the program and to enroll your products, visit the SIPP enrollment page.

Related: How to Choose the Right Amazon Master Carton Size and Type, Pallet Calculator to Optimize Load Capacity

5. Redesigned Premium Navigation Carousel

Amazon unveils an upgraded version of the Premium Navigation Carousel module within the A+ Content Manager, providing sellers with an enhanced platform to showcase their products through immersive media and enriched descriptions. This ensures listings are not only more visually engaging but also offer improved clarity to potential customers.

The enhanced module boasts upgraded features, such as “clickable tabs that are highlighted in a translucent overlay on the product visuals.”

This design facilitates smooth navigation and thorough exploration of product details. In the mobile interface, customers can effortlessly swipe horizontally on the image or engage with the redesigned tabs for an intuitive browsing experience. Desktop users, too, benefit from consistent and user-friendly navigation by utilizing the revamped tabs or arrows within the carousel. 

Optimization Opportunity for Sellers

By harnessing the capabilities of this upgraded navigation carousel, brands stand to elevate the visibility and visual appeal of their listings. Here’s a breakdown of the new feature’s advantages:

• Improved Means of Showcasing Products: Present your products in a visually captivating and informative manner. This entails spotlighting diverse use cases and features, serving not only to capture customer attention but also to effectively communicate your unique selling points. 
• Strategic Upselling Opportunities: The redesigned carousel opens avenues for sellers to maximize revenue by strategically featuring higher-value products. This allows for the artful placement of complementary items or upgrades, enticing customers to delve into additional product offerings.
• Seamless User Experience: The updated module comes equipped with intuitive navigation features, ensuring a smooth and engaging shopping experience across various devices. This heightened usability is poised to elevate customer satisfaction, translating into increased conversion rates for sellers.

This redesign is an effort by Amazon to enrich the customers’ overall shopping journey. By embracing these latest updates and leveraging the advanced features, sellers can carve out a distinctive brand image, boost sales, and maintain a competitive edge on Amazon.

Go to the Premium A+ Module Guide for more details or visit A+ Content Manager to get started.

Related: 5 Best Amazon Listing Optimization Tips to Prevent Account Suspension, 5 Top Strategies for a Winning Amazon Product Launch