Note to sellers: HTML tags cannot be used on product description pages!

Some time ago, Amazon Japan announced that sellers could not use HTML code on detail pages. Many Amazon sellers on other sites started to ask: Why is there no such news on the US site? Why is there no such news on the European site? Is the new rule only for the Japanese site?

Time will tell: sellers on the European and American sites will soon not be able to use HTML tags.

European and American sites issued a notice: HTML tags will no longer be supported on detail pages

It is understood that Amazon has always advised sellers not to use any HTML content on the product details page . This has long been stated in the product details page rules. Even so, there are still many Amazon sellers who use HTML on the product description page.

Recently, Amazon's European and American sites have issued notices stating that they will no longer support the use of HTML tags on detail pages .

As can be seen from the picture, in order to provide consumers with security and the versatility of listing products on non- HTML devices, Amazon will stop supporting the use of HTML tags in product descriptions on product detail pages after July 17, 2021. Sellers on the US site need to follow the regulations in the platform 's product detail page rules.

Amazon recommends that sellers update their product detail pages using HTML tags before the above date . Sellers can make such updates using Seller Central or the usual channels.

All product descriptions that do not support HTML tags in product detail pages will stop displaying HTML formatting after July 17, 2021. For example, if a seller uses HTML tags in a line of a product description , that line may be deleted or displayed without HTML formatting, depending on the usage of the tags.

In addition to the US site, sellers on the European site will soon not be able to use HTML tags.

From this, we can see that Amazon’s requirements for European sellers are similar to those for American sellers, except that the new regulations will take effect on different dates. Starting from June 19, 2021, if European sellers use HTML tags in any line of the product description, that line will be deleted or not displayed in HTML format.

Seller: How do I wrap a line? How do I make the font bold?

The editor learned that many Amazon sellers have been using HTML code to edit detail pages. Now Amazon does not allow sellers to use HTML. Many sellers are extremely disappointed: Is there any other way to achieve line break and paragraph functions?

One handmade seller said this policy is terrible for handmade sellers because until recently we were using HTML a lot and now we have to deal with the big bad news of re- editing all those listings !

Another Amazon seller similarly complained: This is horrible! I’m still working on the white background picture and re-edited my description when I updated my photos and now I have to change everything again even though it ’s the rules I followed because they changed the rules again!

In fact, this policy has once again brought up the topic of brands. In the words of an Amazon seller, Amazon is forcing sellers to register their brands and get A+. This is the general trend . For example, Amazon listing descriptions on the US site no longer support HTML tags after July 17, which means that sellers who have not registered their brands may have a pile of description pages in the future , which is really unbearable .

The editor found that since April this year , some sellers have said that they can no longer use HTML:

Seller A: Recently the visual editor cannot be used on the UK site. I have been typing manually recently, but as soon as I use the visual editor it prompts invalid values.

Seller B: I uploaded several products in April, but the code in the visual editor on the US site can no longer display the branches...

It is worth noting that after the policy was released, sellers were struggling with whether they could use HTML line breaks in the future . Regarding this policy, one seller believed that in the future, the commonly used line break <br>, paragraph break <p>, and bold <b> tags in the detail page description should no longer be used, and they should be removed in batches using template updates as soon as possible, otherwise it may affect the complete display of the listing.

However, some sellers said that they can still use line breaks after the policy takes effect , because Amazon stated that in special circumstances, sellers can use line breaks (</br>) in descriptions as needed .

The editor would like to say that no matter what, sellers should make preparations early and figure out what Amazon means by special circumstances, so as not to be too late to make amends after the policy takes effect.

Product Details Page Rules

In addition to the news that Amazon will stop supporting the use of HTML tags in product descriptions on product detail pages, which is worthy of sellers' attention, Amazon sellers also need to carefully read the product detail page rules.

Buyers learn about sellers ' products through product detail pages . Amazon also has strict regulations on product detail pages. Amazon requires sellers to ensure that each product detail page contains a single product , which helps provide buyers with a clear and consistent purchasing experience. Generally speaking, sellers need to comply with the following regulations :

1. Follow any relevant style guides and avoid using HTML, JavaScript, or other code .

2. Exclude inappropriate content, such as obscene or offensive material, links or contact information, plot spoilers, comments or requests for comments, and advertisements.

3. Avoid creating duplicate pages for products that already have detail pages.

4. Accurately classify and describe products.

5. Create new detail pages for new products or new versions.

6. Only create valid “variations” related to the main product .

When writing product information, Amazon states that none of the following are allowed in the product name, description, bullet points, or images on the product detail page :

Phone number, address, email address or website URL ;

Details of the availability, price or condition of goods ;

Comments, quotes or testimonials ;

Request buyers to post positive reviews ;

Links to other websites or alternative delivery services (such as free delivery) for placing orders ;

Add advertisements, promotional materials or watermarks to images, photos or videos ;

Time-sensitive information, such as dates of promotional events, seminars or lectures ;

Use all capital letters in your attributes . This applies to product titles, bullet points, and /or product descriptions . Amazon allows sellers to capitalize only the beginning of each word.

In addition, sellers should also note that product names must not exceed 200 characters (including spaces . This limit applies to all categories , but some categories may have fewer characters.

In short, any product sold on Amazon must comply with Amazon product information standards . Failure to comply with these standards will result in a negative buyer experience and may result in the temporary or permanent cancellation of the seller 's sales privileges .

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