How to Reclaim an Incorrectly Assigned Product ID, UPC, EAN on Amazon.com

If you are an Amazon seller or brand who owns a product ID and find that your registered product ID has been incorrectly assigned or used fraudulently by another seller to sell a different product, follow the steps below to request that the Product ID be released from the incorrect ASIN so that it can be used to sell the product you have assigned it to.

Requirements to Reclaim a Product ID

Amazon uses the GS1 global database to validate ownership and assignment of product ID or GTINs (Global Trade Identification Number) which include UPCs and EANs. In order to claim ownership of a product ID, you will need to show that the product ID is licensed to your business entity in the GS1 global database.

Because Amazon relies on the GS1 global database to validate ownership, the product ID which is being claimed needs to be a GS1 US licensed GTIN which can either be a UPC or EAN. Before following the steps below make sure that you have your GS1 Prefix Certificate (which is available in your GS1 US account) on hand.

If the Product ID you are claiming ownership of is not a GS1 licensed Product ID, Amazon will not be able to validate ownership and you will not be able to reclaim the Product ID from the existing ASIN

Submitting a Request to Have an Incorrectly Used Product ID Released

The process for submitting the release request will depend on whether or not your brand is registered with Amazon Brand Services or not.

If the product is sold under a brand-registered brand tied to your account, contact Brand Services Support through your Brand Services/Brand Registry account.

1. Click Support

2. Contact Brand Support

3. Report a marketplace policy violation > Other marketplace policy violations>

4. Contact Reason: Owned and Registered Product ID incorrectly assigned GTIN: XXX ASIN: (List Fraudulent ASIN)

5. Describe your issue: In this description state that another seller has used your owned and registered GTIN to sell and distribute their product/s. State that you’d like the listing removed so that you can correctly set up and offer your products.

6. List the fraudulent ASIN that needs it’s listing deleted.

7. Provide the “Seller Name” that is currently offering the fraudulent ASINs listed.

8. Include a direct link to the product detail page of the fraudulent ASIN

9. Provide the Amazon Policy Link below directly in the case.

   1. https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/help.html?itemID=LE2KYT2UVPMTYGS&language=en_US&ref=ag_LE2KYT2UVPMTYGS_cont_200317470

10. Additional items that should be attached as proof in the case include

    1. GS1 Company Prefix Certificate

    2. Picture of the GTIN labeled on your product

    3. Link to Manufacturers Site

    4. Link to GS1 registration database showing you as the registered owner. GS1 database linked here(link needed).

If the Product is sold under a brand that is not registered with Amazon Brand Services, you’ll need to submit the product ID correction request through standard Seller or Vendor Central Support.

1. Contact Support

   1. Seller Central: Help > Contact Seller Support > Find Product IDs or request exemption.

   2. Vendor Central: Support > Contact Us > Manage My Catalog > Item ID Update (EAN, SKU, UPC, Model #, ISBN)

2. In the case be sure to include a list of violating ASINs, the seller name offering the ASINs, and a direct link/s to the product detail pages of those ASINs. Also, share the Amazon Policy page linked below in the case.

   1. https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/help.html?itemID=LE2KYT2UVPMTYGS&language=en_US&ref=ag_LE2KYT2UVPMTYGS_cont_200317470

3. Additional items that should be attached as proof in the case include

   1. GS1 Company Prefix Certificate

   2. Picture of the GTIN labeled on your product

   3. Link to Manufacturers Site

   4. Link to GS1 registration database showing you as the registered owner. GS1 database linked here (link needed).

4. Submit Case

If Amazon support is able to validate ownership and they approve your release request, the product ID will be released from the previously assigned ASIN and will be available for assignment to the correct item.

Goat Consulting helps our clients use or protect their product IDs in the Amazon marketplace. If you or your business have any questions about Product Identification in the Amazon marketplace or other Amazon.com topics, use the button below to contact us.

How to Change a Product ID, UPC or EAN of an Existing Listing or ASIN on Amazon.com

Accurate Product ID assignment in the Amazon marketplace is critically important. Inaccurate product ID assignment can lead to issues related to fulfillment and merchandising (product detail page display). If a product has been set up with an inaccurate Product ID, follow the steps below to request that the Product ID assignment is updated.

Requirements for Requesting a Product ID Change

Amazon references the GS1 Global Database to verify ownership and assignment of UPCs and EANs on Amazon.com. If sellers try to request Product ID updates with non-GS1 sourced EANs or UPCs, they may face issues proving ownership and Product ID assignment to Amazon. Goat Consulting recommends that sellers use only GS1 sourced EANs and UPCs to offer their products.

Also, you will only be able to update the Product ID on an existing ASIN if the product being offered through the new Product ID, is identical to the product offered under the previous Product ID. If a seller is launching a new version, formulation or if the nature of the product is different than the preexisting product a new ASIN offer will need to be created, and the old ASIN cannot be used. In the case that the product has new packaging, and the nature of the product is the same, a Product ID update on the existing ASIN can be pursued.

In any situation, Amazon reserves the right to decide if a new ASIN offer needs to be created or if a preexisting ASIN can have its Product ID updated. Following the steps below does not guarantee that Amazon will update or change the Product ID assignment on existing ASINs.

Stocking Out of Outdated Product ID Labeled Inventory

If the product is stocked by Amazon through Vendor Central or if the product is fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), you will need to allow inventory labeled with the old product ID to stock out. If you sell and fulfill your own products (Merchant Fulfillment) this step can be disregarded. However, if you are using Merchant Fulfillment, be sure that all inventory labeling is updated to the newly purchased product ID barcode.

Contacting Amazon Support to Request a Product ID Update

Next, you’ll need to reach out to Amazon Support to update the Product ID Assignment. How you do this will depend if your brand is registered with Amazon Brand Services or not.

If the product is sold under a brand-registered brand tied to your account, contact Brand Services Support through your Brand Services/Brand Registry account. See the steps below.

1. Log into Amazon Brand Services

2. Click Support

3. Contact Brand Support

4. Listing Issue > Request a product detail page change > Enter ASIN > Other Product Information

5. Provide detail about the “Other” attribute

   1. In the details, section list the old product ID and the new product ID and explain that the product was set up with an incorrect Product ID assignment and that you would like to correct the assignment.

6. Link to Manufacturer’s Website. Underneath the details section, you will need to provide a link to the manufacturers where the new product ID is displayed. Ideally, you’ll want the correct product ID to be listed in the text on the manufacturer’s product information page.

7. Attach Catalog or Product Images. Either attach the manufacturer's catalog (in the catalog the product ID needs to be attributed to the product) or take an image of the product from several angles that show the packaging and branding of the product. One of the images provided needs to legibly depict the product ID label on the product.

8. Submit Case

If the product is not sold under a brand-registered brand, you’ll need to submit the product ID correction request through standard Seller or Vendor Central support services. See the steps below.

1. Contact Seller Support

   1. Seller Central: Help > Contact Seller Support > Find Product IDs or request exemption.

   2. Vendor Central: Support > Contact Us > Manage My Catalog > Item ID Update (EAN, SKU, UPC, Model #, ISBN)

2. In the case information, list the old product ID and the new product ID and explain that the product was set up with an incorrect Product ID assignment and that you would like to correct the assignment. Also, include a link to the manufacturer’s website where the correct product ID is displayed and affiliated with the product or provide manufacturers proof images that clearly show the product packaging and the new product ID labeled on product packaging.

This process does not guarantee that you will be able to maintain your historically used ASIN when you implement your new product ID. While this is the desired result of this process, Amazon.com has the final say whether a new product ID can be applied to the historic ASIN or if a new ASIN offer needs to be created.

If you or your business has questions regarding updating product ID assignment or other Amazon.com related topics, contact us using the button below.

How to Provide Manufacturers Proof to Amazon.com

What is Manufacturers Proof and When is It Needed

When Sellers request any change to product information on Amazon, Amazon Associates or Support may request “Manufacturers Proof” in order to verify that the requested changes are accurate. Product information can include but is not limited to Images, Product Detail Page Information, Variation Information like (Size Name, Color Name, Style Name), and Brand Name Attribution. 

Manufacturer’s Proof is an image or webpage that contains key information about a single item or SKU and clearly depicts or lists the Product ID (UPC, EAN) that the item or SKU is tied to on Amazon.com.

The more sellers that offer your product, the higher the chance that incorrect or inconsistent product information has been submitted in the past and/or will be submitted in the future. Having easily accessible and organized manufacturers' proof is the easiest way to successfully correct inaccurate or inconsistent information that has been submitted historically or to defend against incorrect data contribution from other sellers in the future.

How to Request a Change or Update of Product Information  

When attempting a correction of product information, first try editing product information using the “edit” product options or via inventory file update before opening a case. If the product information is not updating within 48hrs following submission, a support case may need to be opened in order to get the product information display updated. 

If you are the registered brand owner of the product you are attempting to update product information for, opening a case in your brand services account will be the best path to update the product. To open a case in Brand Services, log into your brand services account and click Support > Contact Brand Support > Listing Issue > Request a Product Detail Page Change.

If you are not the registered brand owner and use Seller Central to offer your product, in Seller Central click Help > Other Issues > Make a Suggestion. 

If you are not the registered brand owner and use Vendor Central to offer your product, in Vendor Central click > Support > Contact Us > Manage My Catalog > Item Detail Update. 

In any of the case creation methods listed above, in the support case be sure to describe:

• ASIN, UPC, and SKU Number of the product you want to update

• The incorrect information that is currently being displayed 

• The correct information that you would like to display

At that point, Amazon Support may request manufacturers’ proof to verify the changes that you are requesting. 

Providing Manufacturers Proof

There are two different forms of manufacturer proof that can be provided. Both forms of manufacturer’s proof need to directly show or address the update that you as a seller are requesting.

Manufacturers Proof via Manufacturer Website Link

The first form is a link to the manufacturer’s website product page that specifically pictures the SKU that you are requesting the edit or update for. At a minimum, the page should contain an image of the product and a short description of the product. Ideally, the short description should contain key points of information like “brand name”, “size name”, “volume” etc., so that if this information needs to be corrected on Amazon and can easily be verified by the proof. Also, it’s important that the page fully lists out the Product ID (GTIN/UPC/EAN) that is assigned to the product. If you are the manufacturer or brand owner of your product it may be worth considering formatting or reformatting your website’s product pages to meet these requirements. Not only is this information generally used by the consumer, but it will help other possible sellers and distributors of your product communicate information as consistently and accurately as possible.

Manufacturers Proof via Product Packaging Images

The second form is a set of images that depict all sides of the product in its packaging. Amazon does not accept product detail page images for this proof. When you are taking Product Packaging Images, be sure that the pictures are taken in a well-lit environment for good image quality. The images need to depict all sides of product packaging, and product information on the packaging needs to be clearly visible and readable in the images. Also one of the images provided needs to depict the UPC/EAN/GTIN label on the packaging clearly so that the numeric text under the barcode can be clearly read.

Once you have your manufacturer’s proof created, submit the proof within the case. Amazon support may reply in the case requesting proof alteration or additional proof based on the information that you are attempting to update.

Generally, the first form of manufacturers’ proof is the easiest way to create, organize, and present the proof at scale. If you do not have access to the manufacturer’s website or if the manufacturer’s website does not contain the needed information or if you have a small product catalog, the second photographic form of manufacturer’s proof may be a better option.

Goat Consulting recommends proactively creating this manufacturer's proof when the product is uploaded/offered so that issues related to product information can be quickly resolved.

Goat Consulting works with our clients to implement corrections and changes to product information across their catalogs. If you have any additional questions about Manufacturers Proof or other Amazon.com topics, contact us using the button below.

Amazon Attribution - Measure Outside Traffic to Amazon Product Listing Pages

Did you receive an email from Amazon Advertising about Amazon Attribution, or just want to learn what is Amazon Attribution and how it can help measure your marketing and advertising activities? This post can help.

What is Amazon Attribution

Amazon Attribution is a tool that helps you measure traffic from outside marketing and advertising initiative’s traffic to Amazon product listings. These activities can include search ads like Google ads, social ads like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, direct marketing like email campaigns, or unique codes and URLs for sharing with influencers that promote your product. These tags measure standard marketing metrics including impressions, clicks, page views, add to cart, and purchases; which can be used to analyze which outside of Amazon advertising are providing the best return on advertising and marketing. If you are familiar with Google Tags or Facebook pixel then this topic will be familiar. The goal of this post is for you to understand:

• What is Amazon Attribution

• Why Should Amazon Sellers Use Amazon Attribution

• How to Set Up Amazon Attribution

• Best Practice for Amazon Attribution Campaign Structure

Why Amazon Sellers Should Use Amazon Attribution

Amazon Attribution helps you understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and offer several benefits for free.

Amazon Attribution Helps Measure Marketing Metrics

A problem you may have is that you are trying several different marketing tactics all at once to drive traffic and generate sales, but it is just not clear which channels are performing the best. This can cause you to spend precious advertising dollars on avenues that are not as effective. The on-demand and customizable reporting allows you to make an informed decision to better allocate your advertising dollars.

Amazon Product Listings Could Convert Better Than Your Own Site

You may ask yourself, “Why should I drive outside traffic to my Amazon listing instead of my own website?”. That is a valid question, given you are paying Amazon a referral fee for every product sold. However, your ads could convert at a higher rate due to the trust and familiarity for customers purchasing on Amazon. Customers may have their address and payment information saved and with one click purchasing that friction for purchasing is greatly reduced. Using Amazon Attribution can help you objectively see if the conversion rate and ROI is better relative to your own website (even with the referral fee paid to Amazon).

Amazon Attribution is Currently Free and Easy to Get Started

In the current beta version of Amazon Attribution, it is currently free to use the advertising measurement tool. If you are currently advertising to your Amazon product listings you should measure the effectiveness of each campaign. If you are just reviewing the Seller Central business reports, it does not tell you the specific story of how a customer got to your listing.

How to Set Up Amazon Attribution

Here are the steps to set up Amazon Attribution:

1. Create a new order

2. Select the Amazon product listing or products you want to measure

3. Create Line Items for each marketing or advertising campaign and include the Amazon click through URL you would like the link to direct traffic

4. Copy the tag and use in each unique advertising campaign

There are a few things you should know for proper structuring before setting up your first Amazon Attribution campaign:

• Naming is important for analyzing the results as it will display when you pull reports

• Orders are the specific group of products or product you want to advertise

• Line items create the specific URLs containing the tags. There should be a unique line item for each advertising campaign

Best Practice for Amazon Attribution Campaign Structure

Now that you have seen how easy it is to set up your first Amazon Attribution tag, let’s review best practices for structuring campaigns. For this example, let’s take a Home products seller that sells a lamp and a rug. They want to create Amazon Attribution tags for their Google Ads and Facebook ads campaigns that drive traffic to their sets of Amazon listings. This Home products seller should create:

• 2 Unique Orders - One order would include the lamp and the other order would include the rug

• 2 Line Items - In each order there would line items for the Google Ads and one for the Facebook Ads

• In total, there will be 4 unique Amazon Attribution URL tags

• This will allow clear reporting for reviewing the effectiveness of each campaign and product advertising

Contact Us at Goat Consulting

At Goat Consulting, we can help you merchandise your products so that when you drive traffic from outside channels, they can convert at the highest levels. Using Amazon Attribution, we can see which products and channels are providing the greatest ROI for your business. If you have questions about Amazon Attribution or selling on Amazon, please reach out to us with the contact form.

Amazon Storefront

This post covers the subject of the Amazon Storefront, also called Amazon Stores, and how they improve the Amazon shopping experience. A professional-looking Storefront is a great way to drive sales, increase exposure, and control your brand. It should create a unique experience for the customer that differentiates your brand from your competitors. This post covers what is an Amazon Storefront, steps to create an Amazon Storefront, insights available from Storefront, and a collection of examples of Amazon Storefronts.

What is an Amazon Storefront

An Amazon Storefront is a free self-service branded destination where brand registered sellers can curate content that inspires, educates, and helps shoppers find your brand’s product selection. It’s a great way to introduce your brand story and unique value to shoppers through custom text, images, and videos that will inspire them to browse and hopefully purchase your products. Creating an Amazon Storefront helps drive deeper engagement with your customers and helps your brand communicate its key message.

With an Amazon Storefront, shoppers discover your product portfolio, related products, and recommendations on Amazon. By making it easier for shoppers to discover more of your product offerings, you can create the opportunity for repeat purchases and customer loyalty. Your Storefront is a unique webpage that you can drive traffic to using sponsored advertising and other marketing activities, like social media and email, with a specialized branded URL.

Here are some reasons why you should create an Amazon Storefront:

• Free to create

• Brand control

• Highlight products

• Location to drive sponsored advertising to

• Place to drive external traffic to on Amazon

• Easy to build

How to Build an Amazon Storefront

Brand Registered Professional Selling accounts can build an Amazon Storefront in 3 steps:

1. Create Amazon Storefront

2. Design Amazon Storefront

3. Submit Amazon Storefront for Approval

Create Amazon Storefront

In order to create your Storefront, you’ll need to login to Seller Central and select Stores > Manage Stores from the top menu.

On the following page, you’ll see a list of all your registered brands. Find the brand you wish to create a Storefront for and click the “Create Store” button. If your brand’s name isn’t listed, you’ll want to make sure you’ve completed the Amazon Brand Registry enrollment process.

Next, you’ll be brought to the Store builder where you’ll start by filling in your brand display name, brand logo, and page meta description. Your brand logo is used to promote your Storefront throughout Amazon and the page meta description is used for SEO.

You’ll also be able to choose a product grid style that determines how you’d like your products to show in your Storefront when they appear in a product grid. There are also Storefront templates with default tiles for you to choose from. You can customize any template by moving, adding, and deleting sections of content.

Design Amazon Storefront

Whether you’ve selected a default or blank template, designing your Storefront is incredibly simple. Every page is divided into content tiles that include images, text, videos, or products.

These tiles are easily arranged by dragging and dropping. This allows you to quickly customize your Storefront and make it as engaging and accessible as possible. Each content tile has it’s own unique requirements.

Submit Amazon Storefront for Approval

When you’re finished designing your Storefront, you can preview how it’ll look on both desktop and mobile devices. Before you submit, you’ll want to make sure your Storefront is in compliance with Amazon’s Storefront Content Acceptance Policy. Once ready, click the “Submit for Publishing” button in the top menu. You’ll need to click one more “Submit” button for your Storefront to be submitted for review. The review process can up to 24 hours and common reasons for rejection include empty tiles, typos, and grammatical errors.

Amazon Storefront Insights

Amazon Storefront insights provide a powerful understanding of your Storefront’s performance, including traffic and sales data. This information is displayed by page and traffic source. Diving deeper into your Storefront’s performance can help you optimize your marketing strategy and identify new opportunities to drive Store traffic. These insights help brand owners provide customers with richer content experiences.

Storefront insights provide the following metrics: Visitors, Visits, Views, Views/Visitor, Views/Visit, Sales, Units Sold, Orders, Units/Order, Sales/Order, Sales/Visitor, & Sales/Visit.

Storefront insights also provide a breakdown of metrics categorized by traffic sources as follows: Amazon Sponsored Brands, Amazon organic traffic, Your tags, and other sources.

You can access your Storefront insights from the Storefront builder or your Storefronts main page.

Amazon Storefront Versions

Storefront Versions is a scheduling feature that allows you to customize your Storefront and prepare in advance for temporary content updates. With this tool, you can create multiple versions of your existing Storefront and schedule them to run during a specific time frame. This is very useful for editing your Storefront in advance of seasonal promotions, new product launches, or brand updates. When submitting your updated Storefront for publishing, you select the start and end date for which the changes will be live to customers. The time-saving feature automatically reverts your Storefront to its original version once the end date has passed.

Examples of Amazon Storefronts

Here is a collection of Amazon Storefronts that have done a great job utilizing the different modules available to brands. Use these examples to inspire you to create the best storefront you can that shares your story and highlights your catalog.

Lenovo - Video and Brand Value Proposition

The Lenovo Amazon Storefront does a great job differentiating itself by being confinement in it’s brand through displaying a video sharing the value proposition. Potential customers visiting this page can be confident they are purchasing from a brand that is a technology leader.

Lenovo Amazon Storefront

Green Gobbler - Differentiating Use Cases

The Green Gobbler brand does an amazing job of educating potential Amazon customers of the wide variety of use cases. The images are clearly depicting the different purpose of each product line.

Green Gobbler Amazon Storefront

Barilla Pasta - Highlighting Specific Products

Barilla Pasta balances infographic images and video tied directly with the product listing. This connects both the branding and lifestyle Barilla is trying to portray, as well as making it easy for potential Amazon customers to purchase immediately. This storefront breaks out the different pages based on brand, pasta type, and sauces making it easy for customers to navigate the brand’s offerings.

Barilla Pasta Amazon Stores

Amazon Storefront Conclusion

Amazon Storefronts is a section on Amazon that allows brands like yours to customize the look and feel of the page utilizing Amazon’s easy to use module system and page creation. Share your brand message, inform customers on your product offerings, and connect with customers to promote specific products. Goat Consulting can help you in every aspect of Amazon Storefronts including helping develop a template, submitting a draft of the Storefront, creating unique pages, analyzing insights from reporting, and troubleshooting any issues you may have. Reach out to us through our contact form to start the conversation about Amazon Storefronts or any Amazon related topic.

Amazon Early Reviewer Program - How to Generate Your First Product Reviews Quickly

This post is about the Amazon Early Reviewer program with the goal of educating you on how to generate your first product reviews quickly. Launching a product on Amazon is not easy. It is difficult to generate sales on a listing without reviews, and it is impossible to receive reviews without sales. Reviews on Amazon are crucial to the success of any listing. Product reviews on a listing increase consumer confidence and clarify product expectations leading to a better shopping experience for the customer and increase long-term sales for the seller as their listings will receive more visibility. Luckily, the Early Reviewer Program can be utilized to help speed up the process of receiving early reviews. Once your product is listed on Amazon, enrollment in this program can help your first sales also become your first reviews.

What is the Amazon Early Review Program

The Early Reviewer Program encourages customers who have purchased a product to share their authentic experience about it through reviews. The program helps brand owners and Amazon sellers jumpstart their listings by allowing them to easily acquire their first reviews. This program is a win-win-win for Amazon, the seller, and the customer. Amazon is able to build out their marketplace with better product information, sellers get reviews on new products, and customers get a reward for taking the time to leave a review. The Early Reviewer program allows sellers to generate product reviews while maintaining compliance with Amazon’s community guidelines on review incentives.

How the Amazon Early Review Program Works

When a customer receives a product they’ve purchased that is enrolled in the Early Reviewer Program, they will receive an email from Amazon asking them to leave a review on the product. Amazon will offer the customer a $3 Amazon Gift Card to leave an authentic review within an offer period on the listing. The review left by the customer could be either a 5-star review or a 1-star review, as long as it complies with Amazon’s review guidelines. The reward for the customer will not be dependent on the rating of the review they provide.

The Early Reviewer Program will generate up to 5 reviews for your product enrolled in the program. If you enroll the parent SKU of the variation, the program will generate 5 reviews for the Parent ASIN, not 5 reviews for each child ASIN. If you enroll your product at 0 reviews, the program will continue running until your product receives 5 reviews through the program. Any reviews that are received through means other than the Early Reviewer Program will not count against your 5 reviews.

When to use the Early Reviewer Program

The Early Reviewer Program is the perfect tool for launching any new product on Amazon Seller Central. New products to Amazon benefit from this program as it expedites the time needed to build a healthy sample size of product reviews. When launching a fresh product, enrollment in this program provides great long-term return at a reasonable cost. This program also is beneficial to existing products on Amazon that have been established, but are not generating sales. By enrolling in the program, more of your sales will convert to reviews.

Your product should be retail ready before enrollment in the program. The Early Reviewer Program only incentives a customer to leave a review, not necessarily a positive review. To increase your likelihood of a positive customer experience, it is important to ensure that the customer fully understands the product and has realistic expectations, which translates to a better customer experience. Before enrollment in the program, you should ensure your listing meets the following criteria:

• Product title, bullet points, and the product description accurately describe the product

• The listing has multiple, quality images of the product that detail what the customer will be receiving

• Variations, A+ Content, and other available product information fields have been filled to accurately merchandise the product

Eligibility of Early Reviewer Program

All Seller Central accounts have access to the Early Reviewer program, although not all products will qualify for enrollment. Here is how you can determine if your product is eligible for enrollment in the Early Reviewer Program:

• This program is only currently available for Amazon US (Amazon.com)

• Your SKU must have less than 5 reviews at the time of enrollment

• Your offer must be priced greater than $9.00 - If you price drops below $9.00 when enrolled, the customer will not receive a review request from Amazon

• You may not openly advertise or merchandise the fact that your products are enrolled in the Early Reviewer Program.

• You agree to pay all fees charged in connection with your participation in the Early Reviewer Program.

Costs of Early Reviewer Program

Enrollment in the Early Reviewer Program costs $60 per listing, plus any applicable taxes. This equates to $12 per review gained. Enrollment in the program is determined at the listing-level, meaning if you have a product with many size or color variations housed under a single listing, you will only pay a single $60 that covers all SKUs in the listing. The $60 fee is not charged until you receive your first review that was incentivized by the Early Reviewer Program. There will be no additional fee for any of the other four reviews that you may receive through the program. If your product enrolled in the program does not receive any reviews, you will not be charged for enrollment. You can cancel your enrollment in the program before you receive your first review and avoid facing any fees.

Charges for the Early Reviewer Program can be reviewed under the “Transaction View” tab of the “Payments Dashboard”. These charges will appear as “Early Reviewer Program fee” under the “Product Details” section of each transaction.

How to Use the Early Reviewer Program

Here are the steps to how to generate Amazon reviews with the Early Reviewer Program:

1. Navigate to the Amazon Early Reviewer Program - the tool can be accessed in Seller Central via the “Early Reviewer Program” dropdown on the “Advertising” tab.

2. Enroll Products - Enter the SKU of your product into the available field to check eligibility

3. Review and agree to the fees and charges and enroll in the program

Once your product have been successfully enrolled in the program, you can monitor their status in the “Enrollment Dashboard” tab. The table on this page displays the following information:

• Item name, Parent SKU, and ASIN that is enrolled

• Number of Child SKUs housed under the enrolled Parent SKU

• Date of enrollment

• Number of reviews received through the program

• Status of SKU in the Program (Enrolled or Completed)

• Amount billed

Contact Goat Consulting to Jumpstart Reviews on Your Product Listing

Generating reviews on Amazon is one of the most common obstacles that sellers face. The Amazon Early Reviewer Program, when used successfully, is a great tool for any new seller or new product launch. If you want to learn more about growing your reviews on Amazon or how to effectively use these programs we encourage you to reach out to Goat Consulting with any additional questions through the contact form below.

How to Use Coupons on Amazon Seller Central

The focus of this post is how to use coupons on Amazon Seller Central. Coupons on Amazon give you the opportunity to offer customers a discount on your products. It’s possible to offer a coupon on just a single product in your Amazon catalog, or entire set of products. Coupons can be a simple yet powerful tool for promoting your products. This post will tell you what amazon coupons are, how to set up Amazon Coupons, and some best practices and common issues that go along with them.

What are Coupons on Amazon Seller Central

Offering an Amazon Seller Central Coupon for your product gives customers a greater incentive and urgency to purchase a product while it is on sale. It also takes advantage of automatic merchandising for your coupon and products throughout Amazon. According to Amazon, customers can discover coupons on Amazon.com in the following areas: coupons home page, search results, product detail pages, the offer listings page, and in their Amazon carts. Customers must simply “clip” the coupon by clicking on it on Amazon, and then the savings are applied when they check out. Amazon also offers a Video Explanation on the basics of digital coupons.

Offer Product Discount with Amazon Coupon

Amazon Coupons give you the power to choose the amount of the discount you will offer and the duration of it. For the discount, you can offer a flat dollar value off of the product, or a percentage. There are a few rules about the discount and duration. The coupons have to be at least 5% off of the product’s price to run. More specifically, the coupon has to be at least 5% off the lowest price in the last 30 days, which is important to consider if you have increased your product price recently. The maximum discount you can offer on a coupon is 80% off. Be aware that money off and percentage off coupons will be combined with any other discounts or promotions that you are running at that time such as a lightning deal, promotion, sale price, business price, or giveaway. You are able to choose a date range for your coupon, of between 1 to 90 days. A coupon will begin running 6 hours after it is created, at the earliest, as Amazon will run a number of validation rules on your coupons and review it before it is live. You can schedule a coupon in advance, but you cannot create a coupon more than 1 month in advance of it’s scheduled run date.

Improve Product Merchandising with Amazon Coupons

Coupons can drive purchases and provide additional merchandising, and for this they come at a small cost. Amazon Coupons will cost you a $0.60 redemption fee each time a customer redeems it. This redemption fee can be seen as the cost to gain that additional coupon merchandising and allow your product to show up in other places than usual on Amazon.com. When creating a coupon you will create a budget for it, which will be shared by the $0.60 redemption fee and the dollar equivalent of the discount you are offering. Your coupon will be deactivated when it reaches 80% utilization, but keep in mind coupons budgets are not hard limits.

How to Set Up Coupons on Amazon Seller Central

It is easy to set a coupon on Amazon. The steps to creating and launching a coupon on Amazon Seller Central are listed below:

• Navigate to the Coupons Section of the Seller Central Dashboard

  • From the Amazon Seller Central home page, hover over “Advertising” and then click “Coupons”. Then, click on the “Create a new coupon” button on the upper right of the dashboard.

• Decide which product or products you would like to discount

  • To add a product to your coupon, search for the SKU or ASIN in the search box on the left of the page and then select “Add to Coupon”. The products you add will move to the right of the screen. Once you have added all products you want, click “continue to next step” in the upper right corner.

• Decide the quantity of discount you would like to offer

  • You can choose between Percentage Off and Money Off discounts. This could be a percentage off such as 10% off or cash amount off such as $5.00 off. You can select the discount type and then input the amount. Here you can also select if coupons are limited to one per customer, or if they can be used multiple times by the same customer.

• Set a budget for your coupon

  • This is where you set the maximum amount of discount you will be willing to give out. Your budget will be shared among the following 2 costs: the discount you are offering and the $0.60 fee for each coupon redemption. Once you input your budget amount, click “continue to next step” in the upper right corner.

• Title your coupon

  • This is what customers will see. For an effective coupon title, choose something that accurately describes what products are on the coupon. If it is just 1 product include the product title, if it is more than 1 product include the product type in the title.

  • Example: "Save 15% on hand sanitizers" or “Save 15% on the 8oz Aloe Hand Sanitizer”

• Target your coupon (optional)

  • If you want you are able to limit your coupon to a specific target market such as Amazon Prime Customers, Amazon Student member, Amazon Family Member.

• Schedule your coupon

  • You can input a start and end date for your coupon, the duration can be between 1 to 90 days. Once you input your schedule, click “continue to next step” in the upper right corner.

• Submit for review and let run

  • On the final page you can review the details of your coupon and then “Submit Coupon”. Amazon will review the coupon and then if approved it will start to run on your scheduled date.

Best Practices for Coupons on Amazon for Sellers

When deciding if you are going to use a percentage off or dollar amount off coupon, it is important to consider what the customer will see. We recommend choosing the discount that shows the larger number. For example, say you have a $20 product and want to offer a discount of around $2 or 10%. In this case, you should choose a 10% off coupon, as that appears to be a larger number to customers. In an alternative example, say you have an $150 product and want to offer around 10% off or $15.00. In this case, we recommend you choose the dollar amount coupon of $15.00 as that appears to be a larger number to customers. Considering these examples, in general, dollar off coupons work better on larger priced items, while percentage off coupons are more effective for the lower priced items. Overall, because of the $0.60 cent redemption fee, coupons may be more financially effective on higher priced items.

We recommend leaving your coupon open to All Customers. Leaving the targeting option as “All Customers” will give your coupon the most additional visibility. When a coupon is targeted to a customer segment other than "All Customers," such as the prime or student members, the orange coupon badge will not appear in the search results, and you will not be taking advantage of all merchandising opportunities.

Coupons can be a smart tool to use when you are looking to help liquidate inventory. As Amazon continues to adjust their FBA rules in accordance to the changes we have seen throughout the pandemic, you may be facing higher storage fees on certain products. Using a coupon is a great way to push more product and sell through excess units before facing long-term storage fees.

Common Mistakes for Setting Up Coupons on Amazon Seller Central

Coupons are generally simple to create, however there are a few common mistakes to look out for. If you have created a coupon and it is not approved, or has been marked as “Failed” you should consider the following:

• Make sure the ASIN is live and active. A coupon can’t run on an Inactive or Suppressed Listing.

• Make sure the ASIN is in stock. If you have tried to run a coupon and get the message “Inventory Error” it is possible you don’t have enough inventory to accommodate the increased demand that may be generated by your coupon. You will need to send in more inventory to run a coupon in this case.

• Check the listing’s star rating. Coupons require the products being discounted to have a minimum star rating of 2.5 if the product only has 1-4 reviews, and a minimum star rating of 3.0 if the product has 5 or more reviews.

• Make sure the discount is at least 5% of the regular inputted price. More specifically, it has to be at least 5% off the lowest price in the last 30 days, if you have changed it recently. A coupon will not run if the discount is less than this.

Final Thoughts on How to Use Coupons on Amazon Seller Central

Coupons on Amazon Seller Central are a great tool when wanting to offer a discount to customers and drive product traffic on Amazon. They are simple to create and add value to a product listing. Follow the steps above to ensure you are getting the most out of your coupon. We encourage you to reach out to Goat Consulting with any additional questions on coupons through the contact form below.

Sources:

• Coupons on Seller Central Help

• Intro to Digital Coupons Seller Central University

• Create a Coupon Process Seller Central Help

• Understanding Coupon Errors Seller Central Help

Amazon Product ID UPC GTIN Listing Requirements

This post covers the topic of the Amazon Product ID and the UPC GTIN listing requirements. The Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) is the core product identifier on Amazon.com. This Product ID plays a key role in how your product is identified and protected on Amazon.com. For this article Goat Consulting had the privilege of speaking directly with Michelle Covey, Vice President of Partnerships at GS1 US about GTIN usage on Amazon.com.

Product ID on Amazon

Amazon sellers may not be aware of the value of an authentic and properly-constructed GTIN and how it can impact sales and the business’ future success on online marketplaces. Covey says that “ There are tremendous benefits associated with identifying products with an authentic prefix that identifies the brand. Our organization ensures that a GS1 Company Prefix, the numbers that identify a company within a UPC number, is unique, like a fingerprint--no one else has that number. GTINs can serve as an important bridge between the product’s digital representation and the physical product itself, increasing the chances that the shopper will receive the correct product. Plus, using GTINs in product listings can ensure products are included in search results and are more discoverable by shoppers.”

When a new product is uploaded to the marketplace, Amazon requires that the product’s GTIN be submitted at upload. The only exception to this is if the Product ID Exemption is awarded for the product. Setting up products with Product ID Exemption is not recommended unless it is absolutely necessary. During our conversation, Michelle mentioned “Amazon has a process for GTIN exemption in the rare cases where a seller is listing handmade products, product parts, or other unconventional products. However, in general, by not incorporating unique product identification into a product listing, a brand owner is risking the ability to prove that its products truly belong to them.” If a GTIN is available for a product it should always be used and if you are sourcing or manufacturing a new product, a GTIN should always be sourced and applied to the SKU.

Also, when Amazon needs to validate changes of key product information on Amazon may require evidence of GTIN ownership/registration, and photo evidence of the GTIN applied to the product is often required. Some examples of key product information include “Brand Name”, “Size Name”, “Title”, “Images” etc.

Different Types of Product IDs Recognized by Amazon

The Product IDs commonly used in the Amazon marketplace are listed below:

• Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) (Used for case pack labeling and is associated with GTIN-14 codes)

• European Article Number (EAN) (associated with GTIN -13 codes)

• Universal Product Code (UPC) (associated with GTIN -12 codes)

• International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

• Japanese Article Number (JAN)

  .

Valid Certified Amazon UPC / GTIN Product IDs

GTINs are available and managed by an entity called GS1 US. GS1 is a global entity that maintains supply chain standards across the globe. and GS1 US is a brand that serves businesses based in the United States. When a GTIN is licensed from GS1 US, the buyer receives documentation proving ownership of the GTIN. Also in GS1’s global database, the GTIN is registered strictly to your business.

Amazon.com, strictly uses GS1’s database for determining ownership and registration. For this reason it is critical for sellers to source their Product IDs/GTINs directly from GS1. It’s important to note that if you purchase your product IDs from a source outside of GS1, you run the risk of either applying illegitimate product IDs to your products or you may be purchasing product IDs that are owned and registered to another business entity in the GS1 database.

For new products these risks could lead to rejection of product ID at upload. For existing products using these illegitimate product IDs, sellers may be unable to make important corrections to listing information and in worse case scenarios, lose control over their product detail page completely. To research Product ID Registration information, sellers can discover ownership registration by GTIN search in the GS1 database.

Sourcing a Valid Amazon UPC / GTIN from GS1

Product IDs need to be sourced directly from GS1 in order to guarantee their legitimacy and to make sure the brand is properly identified. If you already have purchased Product IDs from another entity and are currently using them to sell your products on Amazon, search the product IDs in the GS1 database linked in the previous section to determine if your product IDs are registered to another business/entity.

To buy GTIN / UPC codes for Amazon from GS1 follow these steps:

1. Visit GS1 US’ website and click “Apply for a Barcode”

2. Determine the quantity of barcodes that you need. You will need to know the quantity of GTINs needed when you submit your application. Note that every unique SKU in your catalog needs to be assigned a product ID. GS1 US has a barcode estimator tool that can help you discover how many barcodes you need.

3. Review the GS1 US® Fees and Costs. If you determine you need 10 or more GTINs, your business will be assigned a “GS1 Company Prefix”. The GS1 prefix will be included in every GTIN you purchase/create and will tie your products directly back to your brand. GTINs can be purchased in quantities ranging from 1 to 100,000 which can include an initial fee and annual renewal fee. Also, GS1 US recently introduced an option designed for smaller businesses to license a single GTIN for $30.00 and with no renewal fee.

4. Fill Out the Application. The application has three simple steps:

   1. Select GS1 US GTIN or GS1 Company Prefix

   2. Provide business and contact information

   3. Make Payment

5. Once the application has been submitted, you will be sent an email from GS1 US that will include a certificate (which is an important document Amazon will often request for proof of ownership of GTINs) and access information for “myGS1 US” which will serve as your online member account.

GS1 US Data Hub is also where you will create your GTINs and barcodes, manage your product data, and download important documents. GS1 US customers will need to renew their GS1 memberships annually in order to access GS1 US Data Hub® and for their purchased GTINs to remain linked to their Company Prefix.

Final Thoughts on Amazon Product ID UPC GTIN Listing Requirements

Getting a valid GTIN for products on Amazon is a vital part of ensuring your product is identified and recognized by Amazon. If you have questions about getting a GTIN for selling on Amazon or how to listing your product with the correct GTIN, please reach out

How to List a Product on Amazon without a UPC or EAN Product ID Exemption on Amazon

How Do I List a Product on Amazon Without a Product ID or barcode?

A common question businesses have for us is “How do I add a product to Amazon if I don’t have a UPC”? or “ow to List a Product on Amazon without a UPC or EAN, Product ID Exemption on Amazon.com”. By applying for Product ID Exemption on Amazon.com, sellers can upload new products to Amazon without product ID assignment.

Product ID Exemption is not standard practice on Amazon. Special authorization from Amazon is required. When a new product is uploaded to the Amazon.com marketplace, a product ID is required due to Amazon Product ID UPC GTIN Listing Requirements. Amazon requires a GTIN or Global Trade Identification Number. Commonly used GTIN types in the Amazon marketplace include Universal Product Code (UPC), International Standard Book Number (ISBN), European Article Number (EAN), Japanese Article Number (JAN). Accurate product ID assignment and validated ownership is the best method to secure your product’s identity and protect its image on Amazon.com.

Selling a Product without a UPC or EAN on Amazon.com

How to Apply for Product ID Exemptions

First, check the Amazon catalog to see if your product already exists. To check if the product exists, try searching for the product on Amazon using key identifiers like an SKU number, Model number, or Keyword. If your product matches an existing product, you can add your offer on the existing product detail page without a product ID/GTIN.

If your product does not match an existing product and a product ID is not available, you need to request a GTIN exemption and then add your product.

Before you apply for exemption, you will need the product name and a minimum of two (and a maximum of nine) images showing all sides of your product and the packaging of the product.

Here are the steps to apply for a GTIN exemption:

1. Navigate to the GTIN exemption page on Amazon Seller Central

2. Select the Product Category you wish to apply for GTIN exemption

3. In the Brand/Publisher field input the name/names of the product (if the product is unbranded or a bundle, input “Generic”)

4. Click the “Check for eligibility” button to display which are eligible for GTIN exemption

5. If the product is Eligible, click continue to submit the product name and package images to provide proof of the product

6. Repeat step 5 for every product you wish to request GTIN Exemption

7. Click Submit request

8. Within 48 hours, you will receive an email regarding the status of the request, or you can view the status in the Seller Central case log

Adding a Product Using Product ID Exemption

Once the Amazon Product ID Exemption has been accepted, the next step is to add your products to your catalog. Keep in mind that sellers need to wait 30 minutes after exemption is granted before uploading the exempt products.

In order to successfully list the product with Product ID Exemption, it's critical that you list the product with the exact brand name used on the exemption application. The brand name field is sensitive to spacing and capitalization, pay attention that the brand name matches exactly.

Once your account receives exemption approval, you can leave the product ID and product ID type column blank when using an inventory file to upload products in bulk and when adding individual products using the add a product tool.

Important Things to Remember for Product ID Exemption

• Sellers have the ability to reapply for Product ID Exemption. Exemption approval is granted on a brand name and category basis, so if you want to list products with exemption under a different brand name or list products in a different category, you will need to submit a new application.

• In a single Product ID Exemption application, sellers can apply for exemption of up to ten different brand names/category combinations to be exempt from Product ID assignment.

There is some risk associated with setting up a product with Product ID Exemption on Amazon.com. Product IDs are often used by Amazon to verify product identity and to validate changes to key product information like “brand name”, “size name”, “title” and other key attributes. By setting up a product without a Product ID assignment, there is a risk that you may not be able to make adjustments to these attributes in the future. You also may face issues verifying the product’s identity.

One aspect of our engagement with our clients is to ensure that their products are identified consistently and accurately on Amazon.com. If your brand or business has issues related to product identification or is having issues achieving Product ID Exemption for your products, start a conversation today.

Helpful Resources

• Listing Requirements: Product IDs

• How to list products that do not have a Product ID (UPC, EAN, JAN or ISBN)

• Apply for GTIN Exemption

Brands and Manufacturers Selling on Amazon During the Coronavirus

UPDATE 3/16/2020 - Added Amazon’s Official Response to COVID-19

UPDATE 3/18/2020 - Amazon Temporarily Prioritizing Products for Inbound Shipments to Amazon

UPDATE 3/23/2020 - Amazon Prioritizing Fulfillment of Certain Products through FBA

I am writing this post on the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. This post will be updated as new information becomes available. I want to share my perspective on how brands and manufacturers can thrive by selling on Amazon in this environment, how the Coronavirus impacts brands and manufacturers selling on Amazon, steps Amazon has taken on the marketplace, and practical advice for brands and manufacturers selling on Amazon. This post is not intended to convey any medical advice, share statistics on the disease, nor downplay the effects of the disease and personal impact but to share a perspective that brands and manufacturers can thrive in this business environment and practical business steps to take during this time.

"Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty. Yet, in spite of the ubiquity of the phenomenon, there is no word for the exact opposite of fragile. According to Taleb, the opposite of fragile is antifragile. Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better" -  "Prologue" (PDF). Fooledbyrandomness.com. Retrieved 3 November 2017. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder

Here is Amazon’s official response to Covid-19.

Increased Demand From Amazon Customers

The CDC suggests putting distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This means staying away from the local brick and mortar shop and could lead to increased online purchases - including buying products from Amazon. Mike Pence, Vice President and now in charge to lead coronavirus response, in a tweet suggested commercial establishments to encourage customers to “use online transactions where possible.

Keep yourself and those around you safe from the Coronavirus: pic.twitter.com/XHz9BWzxq0

— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) March 10, 2020

“Use online transactions where possible”

As more and more employers utilize work from home policies and less local market shopping; brands and manufacturers can capitalize on the increased demand for shoppers on Amazon.com. Bill D’Alessandro, the CEO of Element Brands stated his sales for Aloe Vera gel (used to mix with alcohol to make hand sanitizer) has seen roughly 20X the sales velocity of these SKUs.

Came in today to an overnight 5X increase in orders for our Aloe Vera gel. It's not a huge seller anyway, and also usually only in summer. At first I couldn't figure it out, but then I realized...

People are mixing it with alcohol to make hand sanitizer. pic.twitter.com/8U0adjY1RL

— Bill D'Alessandro 🚀 (@BillDA) March 9, 2020

Steps Amazon Has Taken to Improve Trust in the Marketplace

The first leadership principle at Amazon is Customer Obsession, which states that “leaders start with the customer and work backward. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.” Amazon has taken steps to improve consumer trust and provide a fair marketplace by removing inflated pricing, suspending seller accounts, limiting advertising on certain products, and temporarily suspending products related to coronavirus.

Removing Third-Party Sellers Violating Pricing Policies

Since Amazon acts as a third party marketplace for brands and manufacturers selling on Amazon, sellers are able to adjust the retail price of products. With the spike in demand for items such as bleach, hand sanitizer, and face masks there have been issues with third-party sellers price-gouging or not complying with fair pricing policies. As of March 6th, Amazon has addressed this by removing over 530,000 offers from the marketplace for coronavirus-based price gouging and suspended more than 2,500 seller accounts in its U.S. marketplace for violating its price-gouging policies. 

Updated Critical Policy Around Product Advertising

Amazon has instituted new policies for rules around Advertising by adding prohibited products related to Amazon including medical, surgical, N95, disposable and dust face masks. This will allow authentic products to be displayed in search results without the ability to have items that are unsafe to be displayed for potential customers.

Suspending to Investigate Potentially Coronavirus Related Products

Amazon will periodically remove product listings from the Amazon marketplace in order to review compliant information. We have seen an increase in this removal for products anywhere generally related to coronavirus. By performing these reviews, customers will be ensured they will be purchasing appropriate and compliant products. If listings are getting removed, check out how to reinstate product listings on Amazon.

Amazon Temporarily Prioritizing Products for Inbound Shipments to Amazon

On March 17th, Amazon announced to third-party sellers they have temporarily disabled inbound FBA shipment creation for non-essential items to Amazon Fulfillment Centers due to increased online shopping demand from COVID-19 until April 5th, 2020. Vendors received a similar notice stating they will see reduced purchase orders and pausing of purchase orders for products that are not essential items and extended delivery windows for existing purchase orders to give more time for Vendors to fulfill purchase orders with a request to ship products toward the end of that extended window. Amazon is classifying prioritized essential products as household staples, medical supplies and other high demand products. In order to match this increased demand, Amazon is looking to hire 100,000 new full- and part-time positions in fulfillment centers across the US in order to increase capacity of receiving, warehousing, and fulfillment.

Amazon Prioritizing Fulfilling Amazon Customer Orders

Amazon is prioritizing fulfilling Amazon Customer orders for essential products, even when the non-essential products are in stock and Prime eligible through Amazon FBA. This is affecting both third party FBA products and Vendor Central shipped from and sold by Amazon.com offers. The updated windows range from 2 days delayed to 29 days and some items that do not show a specific time from for when the product will ship.

Delivery options showing 2 business days “once shipped”

Practical Advice For Brands and Manufacturers to Thrive on Amazon During the Coronavirus

Here is some practical advice for brands and manufacturers selling on Amazon during the coronavirus.

• Audit product listing information to ensure there is no information around coronavirus including backend search terms. Information like this will lead to the removal of your product listing pages and will require case management correspondence to get your product reinstated.

• Capitalize on Increased Customer demand by being in stock. There will be increased online shopping during this time as customers avoid public places so being in stock with products so customers have the opportunity to buy your offer.

• Advertise towards the increased demand. With this increased demand, increase Amazon Advertising budgets or run new types of campaigns to capture more sales.

• Take swift and immediate action to address compliance concerns with Amazon. If your product is removed from the Amazon marketplace due to potential concerns around the coronavirus, respond quickly and accurately through Amazon’s case management to help expedite any resolution of your product listings.

• If you sell products related to the coronavirus, comply with all fair pricing policies and price gouging laws.

• Utilize Fulfilled by Amazon. If your work place has a work from home policy, fulfillment of orders can still occur by outsourcing inventory warehousing and fulfillment to Amazon.

• Consider alternative Amazon selling business models. With Amazon temporarily suspending non-essential items, sellers and vendors can consider different fulfillment methods including merchant fulfilled for sellers and direct fulfillment for vendors in order to keep in stock for products.

To reiterate, this piece is not intended to convey any medical advice, share statistics on the disease, nor downplay the effects of the disease and personal impact but to encourage brands, manufacturers, sellers, and vendors on Amazon to take advantage of the increased customer demand. Stay positive. Amazon is taking increased action to provide a safe marketplace for customers, which may seem to be at the detriment of sellers. However, keeping a safe and trustworthy marketplace will rise the tide of all ships.

A leadership principle Goat Consulting holds deeply is being resilient and adaptable. We have been helping brands and manufactures navigate selling on Amazon for years. For some companies, this brings new challenges related merchandising, advertising, fulfillment, and reporting but we have been there to help companies navigate these difficult challenges and thrive. This coronavirus is no different, we will continue to provide the level of commitment and service to help your brand navigate this challenges and help your business thrive. Reach out through our contact form to start a conversation to see if Goat Consulting can help you achieve your goals.