The Amazon buy box is a massively-important part of the selling process. When a customer looks to purchase a product, the buy box is the first thing they see on the listing. It includes all of the pertinent information about the product such as the price, the seller, and the availability. Winning the buy box has a huge impact on your ability to drive sales – because it is where customers make their purchase.
Sellers who want to have their product featured in the buy box need to be FBA sellers – meaning the seller has shipped their product to an Amazon warehouse and Amazon will take care of the rest (which now qualifies them for Amazon Prime). When a customer makes a purchase, Amazon will take care of shipping the product to them. FBA sellers have an advantage over other sellers because their product will be featured in the buy box more often.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Amazon buy box – including how it works, the buy box percentage, and how to qualify for the buy box. Keep reading on to get started on your journey to buy box domination!
Use this outline to skip to any section of this page:
- What is the Amazon buy box?
- How does the Amazon buy box work?
- Is there a buy box percentage?
- How to qualify for the buy box
What is the Amazon buy box?
The buy box is the featured box that appears on Amazon listings when users are browsing for products to buy. It includes the “Add to Cart” button, and it is located at the top of the page next to the product’s name, price, and review rating.
The buy box features a photo of the product along with its title, price, and Prime status. If the product is eligible for Prime shipping, then the Prime logo will be displayed in the upper-right corner of the buy box.
The buy box is important because it allows customers to purchase products quickly and easily. It also allows Amazon to compete with other e-commerce websites by making it easy for customers to buy products from Amazon. The buy box has been found to be influential in customer purchasing decisions, so it’s important for Amazon to make sure that it is reliable and accurate.
The buy box is where customers go to add items to their cart (or make a “buy now” purchase). If you’re an FBA seller and you’re not currently winning the buy box, you’ll have trouble figuring out how to increase Amazon sales (since customers will then need to click “more sellers” and scroll down to your option – alongside other sellers too). That’s why it’s important to make sure your product is eligible for the buy box and that your listing is as accurate as possible.
How does the Amazon buy box work?
1. Sellers all share the same listing
When you are selling on Amazon, you are in competition with every other seller. This is because Amazon shares the same listings among all sellers. This means that you are competing with everyone else who is selling the same product as you. You need to be aware of this and do whatever you can to make sure your product stands out from the rest.
The fact that all Amazon sellers share the same listing means that you are always competing with every other seller. This is especially true when it comes to competing for product placements and the buy box. In order to be successful, you need to be proactive in your approach and work to differentiate your product from the competition.
2. Amazon’s algorithm chooses the best option
The buy box is not manually selected by someone working for Amazon – it’s algorithmically chosen and constantly updated. For many products, new sellers are popping in all the time – so you might see many changes in the buy box on a frequent basis.
3. The best option gets the default “add to cart”
This is a coveted spot on the Amazon listing – and it’s no secret that sellers are highly motivated to win the buy box. It directly leads to an increase in sales – because when a customer searches for a product on Amazon, the item that appears in the buy box is the primary option for shoppers.
When a customer clicks on an item in the buy box, they are taken to a page with information about the product, including price and shipping options. If a customer decides to purchase an item, they can do so on this page without having to go to a separate page to add it to their cart. This streamlines the purchase and provides a massive advantage over competitors.
Winning the buy box can also help boost a seller’s credibility. When customers see that an item is eligible for Prime shipping (typically needed to win the buy box), they know that they’re getting a quality product from a reputable seller. This can help boost a seller’s credibility with customers and increase sales in the long run.
Is there a buy box percentage?
The Amazon buy box percentage metric is the percentage of total page views that your placement won the buy box for. This metric is important for Amazon sellers because it indicates how much business they are gaining or losing through the Amazon buy box. Sellers can use this information to determine whether they should invest in improving their listing to hopefully win the buy box.
This metric is calculated by totaling up the amount of times you won the buy box (for total listing views by shoppers) and dividing it by the total amount of listing views. This number – called “Buy Box WIns” can be viewed in Seller Central under the performance area.
What’s a good buy box percentage?
There’s no official “good buy box percentage” since it depends on the product, category, and many other factors. It may also change depending on seasonality and competition within the product category – especially for large changes in demand periodically.
However, you should never expect to reach above 90%, and there are even plenty of sellers that do just fine with 5%. This number is only a benchmark, not a major indicator of performance and success. If your buy box percentage is only 5% and your conversion rate, revenue and profitability is doing great, then don’t worry about your buy box percentage.
How to qualify for the buy box
There are a few things that Amazon sellers can do to qualify for the buy box and increase their buy box percentage:
- You need “professional seller” status
- You need to have a high seller rating. Buyers are more likely to purchase items from sellers with high ratings. You should also know how to improve your Amazon customer reviews.
- You need to offer fast & free shipping (which means FBA prime gives you a much better chance). This is an attractive offer for buyers and can encourage them to purchase your item over a competitor’s.
- You need to make sure that your listing is accurate and complete. This will help ensure that buyers have all the information they need to make a purchase decision.
You also want to be aware that Amazon prioritizes low prices in the buy box. If you’re having trouble winning the buy box, you may need to lower your prices to out-perform every other seller. Beyond that, make sure your inventory is always up to date – otherwise the customer will always purchase from a different seller and you may have trouble winning the buy box again in the future.
