Buy Box
Wining the Buy Box Typically Gets You the Sale
Why is the buy box important
With over 83% of sales made on Amazon coming through the Buy Box, it is a treasured spot that directly impacts profitability, especially for sales on mobile, as only the name of the Buy Box winner is displayed. Understanding the Buy Box and competition for the Buy Box for certain products has been and will continue to be an essential strategy for most sellers.
The Buy Box is the white box on the right-hand side of the Amazon product detail page used for customers to purchase items in their cart. Amazon shows the product of a high-performance seller with the most competitive price. The buy box has a high impact on conversions, which is why it is a goal for most competitive sellers.
The highest-ranked sellers on Amazon will show up in this section. Sellers who hold this spot are often called the Buy Box winner. If there are multiple high-ranked sellers for a specific product, the sellers will rotate in the Buy Box. Because numerous merchants can sell the same item, this position can be very competitive.
How to Win the Amazon Buy Box
A seller can only compete for the Buy Box if he or she meets the below criteria:
- Has an Amazon Professional Seller account.
- Is “Buy Box-eligible,” a status awarded to experienced sellers who have spent time selling on the Amazon platform and possess high levels of performance.
- Sell new items rather than second-hand. There is a separate Buy Box for used items.
How to Check Buy Box Eligibility:
- Click on the Inventory tab in Amazon Seller Central and select Manage Inventory.
- Click on the Preferences tab.
- In the Column Display section, locate the field for Buy Box Eligible.
- Select Show When Available from the drop-down menu.
- Look at the Buy Box Eligible column for a particular SKU. If the seller is eligible, it will say yes.
New sellers eager to acquire Buy Box eligibility can speed up the process by selling some items through Amazon’s own fulfilment services (FBA). Selling even a small number of popular products at a competitive price through Amazon can enable the seller to receive Buy Box Eligible status even on those items not Fulfilled By Amazon.
If a seller believes they have met all the required criteria and have not been awarded Buy Box Eligible status, they can contact Amazon seller support directly to request they be considered for this status.
key factors to win the buy box
Amazon uses an algorithm for the Buy Box that includes multiple factors to determine the best value to customers. The algorithm shifts depending on the product and category, which is why you see a variety of sellers winning for different products and categories.
If you have near-perfect performance metrics for the following factors, you will be able to price your product higher while still maintaining your spot in the Buy Box. That is why it is important to focus on all of the following factors when improving your possibility of winning the Buy Box.
- Fulfilment process
- Shipping time
- Order Defect Rate (ODR)
- Valid tracking rate
- Inventory depth and sales volume
- Feedback count
- Cancellation and refund rate
- Customer response time
What might be included soon is the return dissatisfaction rate, or the percentage of valid return requests that did not receive a response within 48 hours, were errantly declined or resulted in negative customer feedback.
Strategies for Winning the Buy Box
Many pieces must work together to win the Buy Box. While improving performance on all relevant variables simultaneously might help a seller capture a share of the Buy Box, that is unrealistic. Real-world business pressures require sellers to simply do the best they can, applying the fewest resources required to boost performance of the most impactful determinants.
Our team of Buy Box experts is ready to teach you how to win the Amazon Buy Box. We help take your Amazon business to the next level.