Amazon Buy Box: What Is It & How to Win It
It’s no secret that placement plays a huge role in our lives and is often the primary influence in making a purchase. The same logic can be applied to both buyers and sellers on Amazon. For the former, it is convenient: Buy Box simplifies the buying process, displays products with the most attractive price, and ensures trust, as not every seller is eligible to display their product there. Statistics speak for themselves: nearly 83% of Amazon sales are made through the Buy Box, and this number is even higher for mobile.
With that in mind, for sellers the Buy Box can turn into a fierce battle, as only one is chosen as the winner of the Buy Box, and they get the chance to enjoy the most sales. So that means you need to know how to “win” the Buy Box.
This article outlines the purpose of the Buy Box and offers tips on how you can greatly improve your chances of winning it.
What is the Amazon Buy Box?
The Amazon Buy Box is located on the right side of a product’s detail page or below the image on mobile, allowing customers to make choices about a product (quantity, delivery destination), as well as providing information about the seller.
Buy Box allows customers to either make an instant purchase by clicking on “Buy Now”, or postpone this decision by adding an item to cart via “Add to Cart” option.
When multiple sellers offer the same products as you, you’ll be competing with them for the Buy Box. In such cases, Amazon uses an algorithm to determine which seller is the best fit to win the Buy Box. You can find your competitors right below the Buy Box and see what they have to offer:
Since the Buy Box usually displays the best option out of all the available ones, it’s quite rare for customers to wander to this section. Therefore, if it is your product that’s being displayed in the Buy Box – you have a 90% chance of securing that sale. Thus, winning the Buy Box is crucial for achieving success on Amazon, especially if the products you sell are from other brands and not your own.
How to Win the Buy Box?
One might think that winning the buy box only comes at the expense of setting the lowest price, but that’s far from the truth. The algorithm responsible for deciding on the winner takes numerous factors into account, as most customers will always seek a balance between them and not just prioritize one.
Winning the Buy Box isn’t determined by a simple formula, but rather based on a complex algorithm. It considers various data, including the overall marketplace, current market conditions, and individual seller’s performance. There’s no doubt that price may be rising above the rest of the factors for a wide range of products, but it surely isn’t the only consideration when it comes to winning the Buy Box.
How to Become Eligible for Amazon Buy Box?
1. Professional Seller Account
To have a chance of winning the Amazon Buy Box, you must have a Professional Seller account – individual accounts don’t qualify. But don’t worry, anyone can upgrade to a Professional Seller account through Amazon Seller Central as long as you pay them a monthly fee of $39.99.
Note: If you’re selling in Europe, you’ll need a Pro-Merchant Account.
2. Product Condition
Forget about winning the Buy Box if you’re selling a used item – only new products are eligible.
3. Fulfillment method
Sellers who don’t want to bear the burden of shipping and logistics can outsource these operations to Amazon, otherwise called Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). It’s worth noticing that FBA sellers receive preferential treatment from Amazon, giving them a natural advantage over those who don’t.
On the contrary, Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) sellers are also eligible for the Buy Box, but they must excel in other areas, for example, customer service or shipping speed.
4. Length on Amazon
Sellers who have been on Amazon for a long time have a higher chance of winning the Buy Box since Amazon can track their history of successful sales and satisfied customers, suggesting they will continue to perform well.
5. Inventory Consistency
Amazon checks how often your product is out of stock. If it frequently sells out, it can greatly reduce your chances of winning the Buy Box.
7. Order Defect Rate (ODR)
This factor doesn’t make much of a difference for sellers who use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), as the delivery time depends purely on Amazon itself. However, if you’re a FBM seller and fulfill orders all by yourself, Amazon Algorithm will analyze the difference between the promised time of delivery and the actual shipping time.
Ideally, your late dispatch rate (LDR) should not exceed 4%.
6. Shipping Time
If you have a history of selling items with defects, leading to an Order Defect Rate (ODR) over 1%, it will be very extremely difficult to win the Buy Box.
8. Refunds and Cancellations
High refund and cancellation rates suggest that a seller may not provide a positive shopping experience, making it hard to rate high.
9. Customer Feedback
Keep your customers satisfied, as Amazon considers shopper feedback and reviews from the past 30, 90, and 365 days when deciding who gets the Buy Box.
Sadly, not every customer does that: most don’t take the time to leave positive feedback so you might want to consider some kind of stimulus to encourage people to do so.
10. Landed Price
And finally, the price: this factor is considered the most important and it not only includes the price of the item itself, but the shipping and handling costs too. So, the lower the landed price – the higher your chances of winning the Buy Box.
However, don’t chase the impossible: if you can’t afford a competitive price without damaging your business, don’t do it. Instead, try focusing on the other factors that have a chance of bringing you to the top.
Suppressed Buy Box
Amazon can suppress or remove the “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” buttons in certain situations, instead displaying a “See All Buying Options” button.
In this case, nobody gets the Buy Box. Instead, customers will be redirected to a page with a list of all the offers and manually choose the product that best meets their needs.
But why does this happen?
- High Price
Competitively priced products are more likely to secure the Buy Box. So, if your product’s price is too high, you’re likely to miss out.
But what if no offers meet the competitive pricing standards? That means nobody gets to be featured in the Buy Box.
Amazon wants to ensure its customers are getting the best value when they choose their platform, so if either you or your competitors have the same item for a lower price elsewhere – that might be the reason for suspension.
- Poor Listing Optimization
Issues with your listing can impact the Buy Box. If none of the sellers provide optimized listings, the Buy Box might be suppressed.
Ensure your listing is complete and fully optimized by providing all necessary information, accurate descriptions, images that meet standards, and titles of the appropriate length.
- Low Sales
New sellers who lack sales history and credibility might encounter Buy Box suppression, so it’s important to build a track record of timely shipping and excellent customer service to overcome this problem.
- Decline in Account Health
If your seller metrics, such as customer inquiries, cancellations, and reviews, drop below the required standards and you’re the sole seller of the product, suppression may occur.
These are not all possible reasons behind the Buy Box suppression, but they are among the most common. Sometimes it can even prove useful to look at your product from a customer’s perspective: what is it that would make you hesitant to buy the product? Consider everything, even the tiniest details, and make adjustments.
Final Thoughts
The Amazon Buy Box plays a vital role for both buyers and sellers, being the primary place where sales occur. To capitalize on its benefits, it’s essential to ensure you are eligible to win it by focusing on the key factors mentioned earlier.
Securing the Buy Box can lead to a serious increase in sales, therefore, dedicating time and effort to enhance your strategy can be incredibly rewarding and the results will be worthwhile.
Do you want to improve your overall metrics to have a chance of winning the Buy Box? Contact Us, and our specialists will do their best to conduct a comprehensive analysis of your current standings and craft a personalized strategy to boost your chances of success.
