Ever heard of ‘choice overload’? It happens when one has too many options. What it means for eCommerce marketplaces is that when consumers have a lot of options to choose from, it is a possibility to get overwhelmed with all the choices and not buy anything at all. 

This sounds bad for e-tailers who make an effort to list as many choices as possible on their platforms. But is Amazon a regular e-tailer? We don’t think so. 

Amazon has been introducing a variety of features that can help consumers sift through the many choices on the platform and hence avoid the choice overload. One such feature is the Amazon Best Seller Badge. We recently wrote about the ‘Amazon Bestseller’ Badge’ which is awarded to the top sellers (read it here). 

Another innovation by the eCommerce giant is ‘Amazon’s Choice’ badge. It definitely doesn’t involve Amazon employees selecting products that they think are the best (that would be another job in itself). 

So, what exactly is the badge about, and how does Amazon decide which product to tag it with. 

What is Amazon’s Choice Badge? 

Amazon’s Choice is a black badge typically awarded to a single product in a single search. It shows the most relevant products to customer research. Amazon believes it is the best match for given keywords by Customers on the website. 

Seen on the top left corner of a product’s image or just below the title on the product details page, the badge can be found on both mobile and desktop, in addition to voice (Alexa). Interestingly, it was introduced in 2015 as a way to make Alexa (Echo’s voice assistant) smarter for voice search and present the most relevant products that match the keyword searches. 

Amazon’s Choice vs. Amazon Best Seller Badge 

Amazon’s Choice is not the same as the Best Seller Badge.  Amazon’s Choice is given to the best match for a particular keyword while Best Seller is given to products that have sold the most per hour in their category. 

Amazon’s Choice is determined by SEO and the Best Seller badge is determined by sales velocity. The Best Seller badge is given to products that have sold the most units per hour in their category.  

See the difference in the search results for the term ‘hair straightener’: 

While the Vega hair straightener is a good option for the styling features it provides in the price range, the Philips straightener is determined as the choice for the ‘hair straightener’ query by Amazon’s algorithm.  

When a vendor sells the products to Amazon, Amazon basically owns the product and the seller will be shown on the website as ‘Sold by Amazon’. While it is the vendors who are selling the product to Amazon, they cannot negotiate or control to get Amazon’s Choice for their products. Amazon’s Choice is not considered an ad and brands can neither apply nor pay to receive the distinction. The same goes for sellers.  

Yet there are some factors that might influence Amazon’s algorithm based on customer reviews, price, and whether the product is in stock. Based on these, here are some ways that can help you increase your chances of getting your products the coveted badge: 

• Make your business ‘Prime Eligible’: The first rule for the product to gain Amazon’s Choice badge is that it shouldn’t be hard to buy. This means offering faster shipping and deliveries.  
  Notice that the products with the badge include the words ‘available to ship immediately’ upon hovering. This can easily be achieved by being ‘Prime Eligible’ and if you are an FBA seller, your products are automatically eligible for Amazon Prime. 
   
• Get Good Product Reviews: Apart from being good for the business, product reviews also help in the SEO listing, thereby helping you better your chances for the badge since it works on SEO.  
  If your star ratings are not in the 4-star or 5-star categories, then you need to make an effort to improve the same by interacting with the customers to understand issues and acting upon the same. 
   

• Optimize product listing page: A criteria that help in getting the badge is that it should be the most popular (clicked by many customers) in the category. To ensure this, your product listing must be accurate and relevant to the search query.  
  You can also try to give as much info as possible about the products (such as adding high-quality images) so that the customers are all aware about your products and don’t return the same. This will also help in improving your conversion rates, a key point for Amazon’s Choice.  
   
• Include Relevant Keywords: The product’s written content should contain highly relevant keywords. Focus on long-tail keywords that describes the solution to the problem that your customer is looking for. Be vigilant about keyword stuffing though as that can get you banned from Amazon.  
  You don’t have to manually research all the keywords. There are various tools and services available that can help you improve your keyword strategy. We, at PiWheel, have tools and experts that help brands design an end-to-end digital strategy. 
   
• Sort your Buy-box: It is very important that the product should not have any buy-box problem (the valuable real-estate on the right side of the product). Make sure you are eligible for the buy-box and win it using the minimum criteria such as having a professional account, offering new items, and having those available. 
   
• Low return rate: The products need to have low return rates in order to be a contender for the Amazon’s choice badge. As mentioned in the above points, try to give relevant and detailed info to the customers in order to avoid any chances of returns.  
   
• Competitive Pricing: Amazon recommends that your products need to be well-priced to be eligible for the badge. Sellers don’t have to necessarily go below the MAP but if you are much more expensive than your competitors, then you can forget the Amazon’s Choice badge. 
  ‘Well priced products’ is something that is mentioned on Amazon’s Choice slogan (when you hover over it). So, try to offer good prices and map your competitors for any re-pricings. Unfortunately, vendors cannot optimize the prices as they have no control over it. 
   

Conclusion 

Amazon’s Choice is important to have for increasing the sales but sellers have no power to have this badge since Amazon is the only authority for this choice. Amazon does not have the direct answer for how it is calculated it is still a mystery but we know that Amazon’s Choice is a feature that algorithmically identifies the “best fit” product for a customer’s search query. If the product has good reviews and ranking, low return rate, is well priced, in-stock, Prime-eligible, liked by many customers, then this product most likely will be Amazon’s Choice along with chances of making it to the Amazon Best Seller Badge as well.  

Contact PiWheel today to learn ways to optimize your end-to-end eCommerce strategy.