How Amazon product pages and outlines are other
Previously, we’ve published posts about how to write about product descriptions. How to make them enticing for consumers, how to make item descriptions Google-approved, how important they are for purchase decisions and reducing cart abandonment. We’ve talked about item data from the supplier perspective and the retailer perspective, and sometimes even about the 3PL perspective.
But when you start selling your products on Amazon, it’s a whole different ballgame.
Amazon has established its own policies for product detail pages. With hundreds of millions – possibly billions – of product pages, it pretty much has to or soon the website’s appearance would morph into infinite variations, providing for a less than optimal customer experience. When you create a product detail page for Amazon, you agree to a variety of rules and restrictions, including but not limited to:
- Existing items. If the product you’re selling has been sold on Amazon before, your item description options are mostly limited to the information that has already been created. These existing product pages contain information gleaned from previous sellers and customers for the most accurate product details. Though some fields can be customized, consistent basic details when multiple sellers offer the same product make it easier for consumers to search for and compare what’s available. It is against Amazon rules to create a unique product page for a product that already exists.
- Restricted items. There are a variety of products and items that people aren’t allowed to sell on Amazon. Naturally, you’re not allowed to sell pets or other animals through Amazon, but you’re also not allowed to sell alcohol, tobacco, firearms, medical devices and a range of other products. Some things on the list, such as hoverboards, can be sold if you just provide additional info, verify their authenticity and provide contact information for your lawyer. Yikes! But I guess they really want their bases covered. Take a look at Amazon’s list of Restricted Products for more information.
- Unique items. If the items you’re selling aren’t restricted, and they’ve never existed on the site before, you have the chance to set the tone for the product page. But depending on the category, there are certain style guides you may have to use to create the product page. Some of the rules are that there are character restrictions for the text, the images must comply with Amazon’s standards and listings can’t include HTML, DHTML, Java, scripts, or other types of executables. You can read the whole list of Amazon’s Product Detail Page Rules.
- Accuracy. Of course you want your Amazon product pages to be as accurate as possible so customers can be confident of what they are buying. The use of false product identification information, including UPC codes, is strictly prohibited and can get your item page pulled. Additionally, inaccurate details can cause dissatisfied customers to give your product or storefront a poor review, discouraging other shoppers from buying from you if you get enough poor marks.
- No cross-promotion. Though it’s a great idea to cross-promote your products, and we’ve recommended it before to offer “suggested items”, Amazon doesn’t allow you to cross-promote multiple products on a single product page. That’s OK, because Amazon has its own process for cross-promoting, usually something like “Customers who bought this item also bought these products” or display products that are “Frequently Bought Together” or even show “Other products from this seller.”
When Amazon product pages are uniform in style, it can be easy for your items to blend in with the competition, but there are other ways to make your stand out or send traffic to your product pages. The best way for the optimal results is to have a unique product that no one else has, but barring that, optimizing the page title, promoting through social media and becoming a niche market specialist are some of the ways for your Amazon store to be successful.
Though you’re restricted in your creativity for how you can create Amazon product pages, there is a tradeoff for following the rules. First, your product pages are more accurate, which means when customers purchase the item, they’re more likely to keep it instead of return it. Second, there’s a lot of competitor data available to you with just a simple search, so you can see what other people are selling and get an idea for what’s popular. Third, with so much data on the competition, you may find you have room for price adjustments to win more sales. Keep in mind, though, Amazon does have restrictions on prices – setting a product for a considerably below-market price can trigger an “investigation” of sorts.
When listing your products on Amazon, there are some differences from listing on your own e-commerce site. As with all methods for selling online, there are pros and cons for listing on Amazon versus other marketplace choices. It’s up to you to figure out if selling on Amazon is right for your selling strategy.
