What is the Amazon Buy Box? |
The Buy Box refers to the white box on the right side of the Amazon product detail page, where customers can add items for purchase to their cart.
Not all sellers are eligible to win the Buy Box.
Thanks to stiff competition and Amazon’s customer-obsessed approach, only businesses with excellent seller metrics stand a chance to win a share of this valuable real estate.
Not all sellers are eligible to win the Buy Box.
Thanks to stiff competition and Amazon’s customer-obsessed approach, only businesses with excellent seller metrics stand a chance to win a share of this valuable real estate.
What Makes You Buy Box Eligible?
What are the requirements for competing for the Buy Box?
While there’s no sure-fire formula to landing in — or winning — the Buy Box rotation, there are four minimum criteria you must meet if you want to be in the running:
1. Professional seller account.
Only sellers who have purchased a Professional Seller account (in Europe called a Pro-Merchant account) are eligible. An individual seller (in Europe: Basic account) is not.
2. Buy Box eligibility status.
Your status can be checked in Amazon Seller Central.
3. New items.
Your item must be new.
Used items aren’t eligible for the regular Buy Box, though they can be sold on a separate Buy Used Box.
4. Availability.
There needs to be inventory of your listed item.
Without stock, the Buy Box will simply rotate to another seller.
What are the requirements for competing for the Buy Box?
While there’s no sure-fire formula to landing in — or winning — the Buy Box rotation, there are four minimum criteria you must meet if you want to be in the running:
1. Professional seller account.
Only sellers who have purchased a Professional Seller account (in Europe called a Pro-Merchant account) are eligible. An individual seller (in Europe: Basic account) is not.
2. Buy Box eligibility status.
Your status can be checked in Amazon Seller Central.
3. New items.
Your item must be new.
Used items aren’t eligible for the regular Buy Box, though they can be sold on a separate Buy Used Box.
4. Availability.
There needs to be inventory of your listed item.
Without stock, the Buy Box will simply rotate to another seller.
The Rising Importance of Buy Box Mobile
More customers than ever are shopping on Amazon via mobile.
Amazon reported that during the 2016 holiday period, 72% of their customers worldwide shopped via mobile, purchasing at extremely high frequencies.
In mobile, the Buy Box takes on heightened importance.
That’s because, unlike on a desktop or laptop, the mobile site features the Buy Box directly under the product image.
Customers click “Buy now” to place their order, without the Offer Listing page being in their line of sight.
Note that there is no “Other Sellers on Amazon” box displayed on the mobile Amazon site.
Only the name of the Buy Box winner is displayed.
If you care about reaching mobile shoppers, that’s another reason to prioritize winning the Buy Box.
More customers than ever are shopping on Amazon via mobile.
Amazon reported that during the 2016 holiday period, 72% of their customers worldwide shopped via mobile, purchasing at extremely high frequencies.
In mobile, the Buy Box takes on heightened importance.
That’s because, unlike on a desktop or laptop, the mobile site features the Buy Box directly under the product image.
Customers click “Buy now” to place their order, without the Offer Listing page being in their line of sight.
Note that there is no “Other Sellers on Amazon” box displayed on the mobile Amazon site.
Only the name of the Buy Box winner is displayed.
If you care about reaching mobile shoppers, that’s another reason to prioritize winning the Buy Box.
