Amazon A+ Content: All You Need To Know

Competition has always been a hallmark of eCommerce, and it's only getting more intense yearly. Amazon's marketplace is no exception, especially with the growing number of sellers on this platform.

If you're one of them, you'll need all the marketing advantages you can get to carve out a niche for your Brand and get the required traffic. Amazon has provided a solution to this problem through its A+ Content facility.

What Is Amazon A+ Content?

Amazon A+ Content is a product listing feature enabled by Amazon that brand owners selling on its platform can use to add enhanced image and video content to their listings. Earlier, sellers had to use Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) to improve their listings. But that was only a basic offering, with the option to only add a few additional images. But now, Vendors and Sellers have access to many enhanced content types like high-definition videos, high-quality images (such as HDR photos), dynamic animated charts, GIFs, interactive content, etc. 

The reason for its existence is simple: to increase engagement and give information to buyers in a more palatable way than with plain text and images. Doing so improves user experience, drives traffic to the store, and increases conversions. It also opens up the platform for sellers/vendors to get creative with their brand identity, which is valuable in standing apart from the competition. 

An Amazon A+ content page can accommodate the following:

• Multiple product photos that showcase the product's features from various angles for clarity, detailing, and lifestyle value addition.
• A short introduction of the product, usually no more than 100 words, mentions every detail accurately. 
• A product description comprises concise, clear paragraphs packed with product information. This includes using bullet points that break down the information into comprehensive chunks, making it attractive and impactful to the buyer. 
• A separate section informs the buyer what they'll be getting in the product's packaging is called “What's in the box”. This includes any accessories present in the original box or added later. 
• Short video clips of the product in the photos section that can contain a product review, installation, etc. The section can also automatically display 360-degree views of the product or manually. 
• A Matrix (or comparison chart) where you can add features of different products for comparison and place them next to each other for added clarity. 
• Dynamic content changes based on a particular input, like the zoom-in/magnification effect of product photos when a mouse pointer hovers over them. 

Eligibility Clauses For Using Amazon A+ Content Facility

A+ content was initially meant solely for vendors, while sellers only had access to Enhanced Brand Content (EBC). But that changed in July 2019, when Amazon made it available to brand owners who registered their brand with the platform. If you are a seller under the Amazon Exclusive program or Launchpad, then you are eligible to access A+ content by default. 

These items must be a part of your brand catalogue that Amazon has approved for sale on its platform. Also, your application for using A+ content must be approved by Amazon before you can submit that catalogue. 

Once deemed eligible, you can begin adding the ASINs of your choosing to A+ content. This includes both parent and child ASINs. Sellers previously registered under the Amazon Brand Registry 1.0 facility must re-register their store under the Amazon Brand Registry 2.0 facility. You can start creating all the content mentioned above for your products, brand stories, testimonials, thematic storefronts, etc.

The Benefits Of Using Amazon A+ Content

The Amazon marketplace is a platform that offers entrepreneurs plenty of opportunities to fulfil their dreams of growing an online business. Its global presence lets you sell your products in multiple markets. 

It holds a large share of the online retail traffic so that you won't be devoid of a vast customer base. Its brand value adds credibility to anyone selling on its platform, with facilities like Fulfilled by Amazon also making purchases convenient.

Lots of competition is the downside of a platform with such potential for growth. Every seller/vendor on the platform is vying for an increasing share of the target market, regardless of the niche. It will help if you put in the effort to stand apart from your rivals and capture the attention of potential visitors as quickly as possible while retaining it long enough to compel them to convert. 

Amazon introduced its A+ content facility with this need for stand-out marketing. With its introduction, sellers gained a wide berth to express their brand compared to the limited provisions earlier under Amazon product listing guidelines.

Through A+ content, Amazon has provided sellers with the following benefits:

Creation Of A Unique Storefront

While learning about their intended purchase, buyers also wish to learn about the seller they are buying from. The basic seller page only allows for seller ratings and some basic details to be present on it. A+ content has changed that in numerous ways. With it, you can create a digital storefront exclusive to your brand. 

You can add your brand logo, decorate it with various graphics, colours, etc., to create a brand-specific theme, add upgraded images and short videos demonstrating your brand or highlighted products, write your brand story and customer testimonials, etc. 

Essentially, it allows you to create a quasi-independent site within the larger Amazon site. You can change this whenever and however you wish, subject to some regulations. Such a brand storefront plays a crucial role in distinguishing your brand from the rest, opening the door to higher directed lead traffic. 

Product Highlighting

Adding large, eye-catching product images to your listings helps highlight their best features and benefits in stunning detail. The magnification option for still images and those in a carousel further pops up the photos such that viewers can focus on the part of the image they want. In the case of mobile viewing, the viewer gets to zoom into the images and move them around. 

Images of variants are also easy to add, with the desktop/web version showcasing them in individual miniature image tiles in the product description. The mobile app provides a separate section that users can tap on to change the variant. Sometimes, a carousel feature for the variants may also be available on the app. 

All these qualities make it easy for potential customers to reach the product they want and get to know all its details. This helps improve their confidence in the product and trust in the brand, leading to higher chances of conversion. 

Gives A Professional Look

Presentation matters in selling as much as the value the products bring to customers' lives. A haphazardly constructed brand storefront with cluttered product listings and incomprehensible, incomplete descriptions will turn visitors away from the brand in no time. 

A well-structured listing with various elements placed in appropriate spots gives the entire setup a professional look. The various multimedia content that A+ content allows you to add keeps the listing informative while making it easier for the buyer to navigate. Such a presentation indicates that you are a brand serious about your work and will do what's necessary to be more customer-centric.

High ROI And Low ACoS

Both organic and inorganic marketing efforts on Amazon can take slices off your overall budget. That investment will only be worthwhile if you earn profits on them. With A+ content, you ensure that those returns on your investments push toward the positive end as it helps improve traffic and conversions. 

Consequently, your Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS) drops, and your return on Advertising Spend (RoAS) rises. These changes ultimately increase your profit margins while the hit on your overall budget remains relatively low even when spending more of it to increase your visibility. 

Being Trendy

Utilising the latest technology to develop ads that align with present-day cultural trends makes you an appealing brand. With the A+ facility, you can add enhanced content that can be in vogue with how the target market consumes it. This increases the chances of said target market wanting to associate with the brand and buy the products to keep with the trends themselves. 

Elimination Of Counterfeits

Amazon is a trusted brand because it makes efforts to prevent fake products from being sold on its marketplace. But, some make it past this filtration process, harming not only Amazon's reputation but also that of the seller of vendors. But with A+ content, you have a way to counter the counterfeit racket on the platform. 

The ability to develop a unique brand identity using A+ content and its various customer-friendly product identification features make your brand easily recognisable to your customers. This helps them differentiate between a fake and a genuine product of yours, thus helping curb the spread of the problem. They may even point out the fake ones to you and report them to Amazon by themselves for review and possible removal. 

Application Of The Best Marketing Strategy

Your Amazon store's marketing strategy can make or break your business as it's what helps your brand stand apart from the competition. That strategy is what enables you to reach the target market appealingly. Only a carefully developed and implemented one incorporating all available A+ content types can achieve this intended goal. 

You get optimised product descriptions that favour both Amazon and external search engine algorithms. There will be a selection of images edited to Amazon's specifications, detailing a product's features in an eye-catching manner. Adding to that will be the thematic setup of your storefront, reflecting your brand's uniqueness. These SEO-friendly components of your listing give the boost to organic marketing it needs. 

You can borrow some of these elements from PPC advertising too. The enhanced images and brand theme in PPC ad campaigns help viewers quickly recognise your brand, funnelling them directly to the product page. Thus, A+ content helps increase brand awareness, visibility, and retention.

Conversion Improvement

Utilising A+ content for your listing accumulates many benefits in one package, all of which are aimed at boosting conversions. Amazon has noted that listings with A+ content give about 10% higher sales than their non-A+ counterparts. The ease of navigation, professional looks, appealing content, etc., creates an easy slide down the sales funnel to the “Buy Now” button that your customers will find hard to ignore. 

More Positive Reviews And Lower Return Rate

Thanks to A+ content, potential customers can gather exhaustive details about a product before its purchase. It reduces their chances of mistaking one product for another or misinterpreting product information. Customers' shopping experience goes up several notches and purchases satisfaction, ultimately leading to fewer returns. 

As a bonus, they will likely leave positive feedback about your products and store. Once you know how to leverage these reviews and ratings to your advantage, you can use them to rise through the search results page rankings. It gives an edge over the competition while increasing brand trust and loyalty among your customers.

There are many indirect benefits that you gain from using A+ content too. The added profits you gain from its conversion-boosting ability leave you with more money for business expansion. The more successfully you utilise the feature, the faster you can expand your brand to newer markets. 

You can hire more staff to manage your multiple store management tasks, giving you more time to focus on the core aspects of your business. A good investment would be to hire an Amazon A+ content writing service provider whose experts will create the bespoke enriched content you need to maximise the potential of your marketing strategy. They'll also guide you through running your store operations more efficiently if needed.

Steps To Generate Amazon A+ Content

Amazon has made it easy for sellers to create A+ content. Here are the simple steps to follow for it:

1 – Use The Appropriate Credentials To Log Into Your Seller Central Account. 

You can obtain your Seller Central account by registering your brand/store on the platform. The registration process can also be done with the help of an Amazon virtual assistant who will fill out the necessary information to start your seller/vendor store. 

2 – Click On A+ Content Manager Under The Advertising Section/Tab.

It will take you to the separate A+ content manager page. 

3 – Click On Start Creating A+ Content. 

Amazon will present you with a choice between building your own (Self-service modules) and letting Amazon build it for you (Amazon builds for you). 

For “Self-Service” Option

1 – Choose The Desired Module

Once selected, you'll be redirected to the respective page. It will require you to enter ASIN for which you want to create the content. It'll then present you with a list of options that you can use to build the modules and layouts. You can choose from 12 modules, with ten standard and two advanced. Amazon allows a vendor to select only five modules in total. 

2 – Use The Modules As Required And Add All Relevant Information In The Respective Sections

Vendors can use the modules as-is or mix and match to get the desired result. There is no restriction on how often you can carry out this action. Some of the information to be entered is variable, so they need to be updated regularly. Upload the images and other types of listing content. You can preview how your Amazon A+ page will look by clicking on the respective option. To finalise, click the “Add to Cart” button to see the prices and buying options for your A+ content. 

For “Amazon Builds For You” Option

1 – Upload Your Product Listing Text And Images On The Page

Once you click on the option to let Amazon handle your A+ content requirements, you will be redirected to a separate page to enter the mentioned details. Amazon will take it from there. 

2 – Enter Your Project's Name

It is used to distinguish a particular listing project from another. Thus, it must be descriptive and memorable for you. 

3 – Design The Desired Layout And Upload Your Listing Content

You must make sure that all images are uploaded as zip files. Once the upload is complete, you can preview the product page by clicking on the corresponding button. 

4 – Once Finalised, Click On The “Finish” Button

Amazon will review all the details you've presented and take a final call on publishing it. If your content is according to Amazon's guidelines and everything is filled in as required, you can expect your A+ content to appear on the marketplace in 7 business days. 

If not, they may contact you to correct the issue. If the violation of rules is deemed too serious, your content will not only be rejected, but your account may be suspended too. 

The A+ Content Guidelines You Should Know

Remember to strictly follow these guidelines while creating and before uploading your A+ content:

• You can only edit A+ content on live pages after two business days of going live. 
• Your pages cannot contain your competitors' name or their products. 
• Your content should be unique, be it text, images, video, etc. Some common videos may be allowed in some cases, depending on the situation and type of content.
• Amazon can take down your pages at any moment if they violate a guideline or other terms and conditions. But this is rare as you will be issued warnings before it occurs. 

Some Best Practices To Adopt And Mistakes To Avoid

Follow these practices to get the best A+ content listing:

• Highlight your brand's and products' unique value proposition. Show how you can make a difference in your customers' life compared to your competition. 
• Don't overdo your content. Keep it concise and to the point. 
• Use various images, such as infographics, 360-degree views, short GIFs, etc. Add more images than text.
• Add product reviews, explainers, and other types of valuable videos.
• Keep product information accurate, Double check your content for errors, and verify your sources.
• Maintain image properties and content within the bounds of recommended values and guidelines. 
• Ensure uniformity across your online store. There shouldn't be drastic changes in theme, colour, language, etc. 
• When reusing A+ content for PPC campaigns, ensure that banners, images and other elements do not interrupt the user experience. 

And these are the mistakes you should avoid:

• Submitting the content late when you want its urgent upload. Remember, it takes seven business days for your upload to go live.
• Creating A+ content without a marketing plan or an idea of the outcome. Your template selection depends on it. 
• Making the language too informal. Avoid buzzwords, colloquialisms, and other such words and phrases. Also, don't add symbols like ™ and Copyright. 
• Don't try to upload banned or controversial items. Check with Amazon's local guidelines before listing. 
• Don't repeat content, be it text or images. Also, make sure there are no grammatical errors. 

Also, always be on the lookout for new guidelines and restrictions that Amazon may impose so that you won't run afoul of them in any manner. Change your A+ content accordingly ASAP. 

In Conclusion

Amazon intends to keep its brand reputation as the foremost player in the eCommerce space by offering the best of services to its customers. With A+ content, it lets its sellers/vendors lead the charge towards that goal while simultaneously enabling them to fulfil theirs. 

You can reliably tap into its diverse and engaging features to realise your online store's growth potential and build a solid brand reputation that transcends the target market's boundaries. Your customers will enjoy an exciting and satisfying shopping experience, and you, an excitingly profitable one.

Amazon's marketplace is a double-edged sword for entrepreneurs. It offers both an excellent opportunity for growing one's business while providing intense competition. Besides a relevant product lineup, you need excellent marketing to beat such tough competition. 

Sellers/vendors can use A+ content to realise highly converting marketing strategies. It allows you to upload high-quality images and rich text, build bespoke storefronts, and add brand story, logo, and other content. 

The enhanced listing elements let visitors know more about your products and brand due to the additional clarity and appeal offered over the traditional listing. Its numerous benefits can be augmented by following some tips and avoiding making some common mistakes. A+ content is, thus, your best ally to help beat the competition and grow your Amazon store.

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