Amazon Retail Readiness Checklist

Often, our users find that their campaigns generate few impressions when launching a new product. The reason is that the product often doesn’t meet Amazon’s minimum requirements listed in the “Amazon retail checklist.”

To make your life easier, Advigator has developed a free Chrome extension that quickly identifies the issues causing low campaign traffic due to catalog problems.

Amazon retail readiness list

• 4+ images
• 15+ reviews
• 3.5+ stars
• In stock (green)

Let’s look now, one by one at all the requirements your product page must have to be Amazon Retail ready and recommendations.

Title and description

The product title should be clear and concise, so that customers know exactly what product is for sale. The product title can also provide key descriptive features such as size, color, and size packs.

Here is an example of a title and description that do not meet the requirements. As you can see, the product title and image do not match—the title indicates a 2-pack, yet the image shows more than two items. The length of the title is also important. Try to stay around 60-150 characters. Very long titles look like walls of text and are not read by the end customer.

To be retail ready, the title and description should:

• Accurately describe the product. Include only the information required for each attribute field.
• Include key descriptive features such as size and color.
• Mention product compatibility where appropriate.
• Avoid duplicate words.
• Capitalize the first letter of each word.

Product images

You must have at least 4 secondary images. But don’t just meet this requirement by showing your product from different angles merely to say, “I have four photos.” Instead, make each image meaningful and engaging.

Read our comprehensive guide on how to improve your secondary images and discover strategies to increase the conversion rate of your Amazon product page.

This example has less than four images. Additionally, the product image is blurry and unclear, which can deter potential buyers. There’s an opportunity to enhance the listing by adding high-quality images and videos that demonstrate the key features of the product and show how to use it effectively.

To be retail ready:

• The images match the product and are clear and professional
• There are multiple images with key product features (a minimum of 4 is recommended)
• There is a “what’s in the box” shot which show all accessories/extras that come with the product (ex: charging cable)
• There is a product comparison chart for variations
• There is a clear and professional video that matches the product

Main image requirements

• Pure white background (RGB = 255, 255, 255)
• Show product outside of packaging
• Show only one view of the product
• Show the entire product
• The product should fill 80-100% of the image frame. For media products, the front cover should fill 100% of the image frame.
• Show only the product being sold
• Do not add text and graphics that are not part of the product

Secondary images requirements

Consider the top 6 additional images that should be included on the product detail page: additional views, lifestyle, size ratio, details, props and packaging.

• A white background is recommended, but not required
• No website URLs, pricing, shipping, promotions, or expiration dates
• Text and graphics may be included

All images, whether a main or additional image, must adhere to these rules:

• No logos that are placed on the photo using a retouch process
• No watermarks
• No placeholder images

Make use of variations

Including variations of one product may increase traffic and conversion rates. Variations bring all reviews and product questions into one single product detail page. Examples of variations include: size, color, style, size/color, size/flavor, and style/color. Be sure to follow the image requirements for all variations too.

Customer Reviews

A star rating is valuable to Amazon shoppers because it builds credibility and trust with the brand’s products. Customer reviews provide Amazon shoppers with confidence that a product is right for their needs based on feedback from other Amazon shoppers. Amazon customers rely on insights from product owners to make purchasing decisions or discover the best item.

Even though this product has a good rating, there are only 9 customer reviews. 15 reviews are the minimum for retail readiness.

To be retail ready, the product has:

• A star rating of 3.5 stars or more
• At least 15 customer reviews

According to Amazon internal data (2018), 91% of shoppers read product reviews, and those reviews influence their buying decision. Additionally, positive reviews may boost search engine optimization (SEO) and improve product conversion. They provide shoppers with feedback on the product’s positive and negative points, so it’s important that brands use that feedback for new product development or improvements.

You cannot impact the star rating, but reading reviews can provide insight into a low rating. This information can be used by the brand to make needed adjustments to the product. The rating will update in real time as customers leave feedback, so it’s important to review regularly during advertising campaigns.

Use the Amazon Vine program to help increase the number of reviews.

Inventory

In this example, there is some inventory remaining for this item, but it is low. They should ensure products are in stock to provide a positive customer experience and avoid lost sales.

To be retail ready, the product must be in stock (green), contributing to a positive customer experience and avoiding lost sales.

How inventory issues may affect some campaigns

The retail readiness of your product detail page is not only related to a positive customer experience, it may also have a direct impact on your advertising. For advertising campaigns that are live, inventory issues can impact the campaign’s performance.

• Sponsored Products: If one of the ASINs in the campaign is out of stock, the ASIN will automatically pause. If it’s the only ASIN in the campaign, the entire campaign will pause.

• Sponsored Brands: If one of the ASINs in the campaign is out of stock, the ASIN will automatically pause. If less than three ASINs on the landing page are in stock, the entire campaign will pause.

• Sponsored Display: Inventory issues are also relevant for display campaigns. Linked-in campaigns with a purchase goal may be negatively impacted if the ASIN goes out of stock.

Enhanced content

Enhanced content is a customizable section that selling partners can use to create positive customer experiences that empower shoppers with enough information to make an informed buying decision. This section can include extra features like images, charts, tables, and narrative comments in a contextual presentation to improve the customer shopping experience.

To be retail ready, enhanced content should:

• Adds images, videos, and rich text to the product description
• Highlight the value proposition and brand story
• Include supplemental information