Important! Amazon changes listing requirements starting today

Amazon has changed its listing requirements . All new listings created by sellers must comply with the new product attribute requirements. When existing old listings need to be modified, they must also ensure that they comply with the new requirements.

The platform wants to improve the shopping experience of buyers, but sellers seem unable to adapt in a short time. As we are about to enter the new year, Amazon Listings have changed significantly, and sellers need to pay special attention.

Sellers must meet new requirements when creating listings

Starting from December 11, 2023, Amazon requires changes to product listing information including 1,750 types.

Sellers must comply with the new product attribute requirements when creating all product listings except for media, digital, and handmade products . Amazon provides a spreadsheet showing which product types and attributes are changing.

( Partial screenshot of spreadsheet provided by Amazon )

Amazon 's reason for the change is : "These updates will reduce the situation where sellers are not required to fill in attributes when uploading products . The new changes are also intended to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. "

Amazon did not explain why it made this change during the busy holiday season . The company said that existing listings will not be affected , but sellers may be asked to provide additional information to meet the new change requirements when editing existing listings. Sellers can continue to update prices and inventory levels as usual using the Manage Inventory page or price and quantity templates.

Amazon said that not all sellers will see this change immediately when creating a listing , and the platform will gradually roll out these changes to all sellers between December 11, 2023 and February 1 , 2024. This is equivalent to giving sellers a buffer period .

The new changes are as follows:

1. Add products : With the introduction of the changes, sellers using the "Add Product" page will see the updated requirements when creating or editing a listing. Note: If the new required product attributes are incorrect , you can hover the mouse over the "?" character next to the attribute to alert the platform and re- select the "irrelevant attributes" option next to the listing.

2. Add products by uploading : Starting from December 11, all sellers using "Add products by uploading" can choose to upgrade to a new listing template with updated attribute requirements. When you select the product category of the listing, you will see a banner with a link , and then download the new template here . However, the platform still accepts listings submitted using the old template . To download the previous template, click the "Switch" button in the upper right corner of the banner. Amazon will notify sellers 30 days in advance on the upload to add products page before the updated template becomes the default option .

Some sellers pointed out that the update of this listing is a headache and will waste a lot of everyone’s time.

The seller searched for liquids in the spreadsheet and found that basketball hoops need to indicate whether they contain liquids and what sports they are used for ; beds need to indicate whether they are fragile. Will Amazon sell fragile beds? Bicycle lights need to describe the material, and bottle openers need to indicate whether they contain liquids . Buckets also need product compliance certificates. What is the purpose? Drinking straws, drills, electric fans, fishing lines, etc. all need to indicate whether they contain liquids ...

“I have been unable to change my listings for years, nor can I ask Amazon to change a listing that has an error or misbranded listing. Products that I cannot upload on Amazon can be uploaded on other platforms. Does Amazon no longer want to be the one-stop shop it once was?

If you are not the brand owner, maybe Amazon should post a warning not to waste time trying to add or update incorrect information. Because only the brand owner has editing rights on the listing. " said another seller.

Regarding the new changes to the listing, many peers think that the more changes there are, the worse it gets. One peer shared his experience: six months ago, shirts could not be listed because they required waist measurements but no neck measurements. But if you reply "I will enter the waist measurement", it will give you an error feedback: "Shirts do not have waist measurements". On the same day, swimming trunks began to require neck measurements, but if you filled it in, the system would give you an error feedback because swimming trunks cannot have neck sizes.

The new changes may make it difficult for some sellers to adapt in a short period of time. In their view, Amazon's "improvement of shopping experience" needs to start from the buyer's side. There are many professional methods to solve this problem. After this problem is solved, they can add listing requirements and the like.

Amazon launches new version of listing scoring standard

Judging from the recent platform policies, Amazon has increased its requirements for listings. Not long ago, it just released the 2024 version of the listing scoring standard, which will take effect on January 1, 2024.

Compared with the old version of the scoring table, the new version of the scoring table has added 4 key scoring items: filling in all key attributes, 10 characters < title length < 200 characters, the title starts with the brand name, and the completeness of the image information. In the old version, these four items were not scored.

A new version of the scoring table with a score of 80 or above (A grade) is considered a qualified listing. The specific scores are:

A 80-100 points: All elements or only one missing

B 70-79 points: 1-2 elements are missing, there is room for improvement

C 60-69 points: 2-3 elements are missing, there is room for improvement

D 50-59 points: 3-4 elements are missing and need to be improved

E 10-49 points: 4-5 core attributes are missing, exposure conversion will be seriously affected, and improvement is urgently needed

F 0 points: The ASIN is created but there are compliance issues or all elements are missing and it is prohibited from being displayed in the search and browse interface.

Moreover, for ASINs rated as Grade A, the new version of the standard has significantly improved traffic and conversion compared to the old version.

Starting from 2024, if sellers do not make changes according to the new scoring standards, many ASINs originally rated A will become B or even lower!

According to the four new scoring items in the new scoring table, Amazon sellers need to make the following adjustments:

1. Improve the quality of listing titles : keep the title length between 10 and 200 characters; the title should start with the brand name; if it is a non-branded product, no points will be awarded for this item.

2. Fill in all key attributes : The more key attributes you fill in, the higher the Listing weight score will be. Filling in all attributes will give you full marks.

3. Completeness of picture information : Upload at least four pictures, and enrich the product selling information conveyed by the pictures from multiple angles according to the characteristics of products in different categories; ensure that the main picture and accompanying pictures meet the requirements of the product category.

Amazon mentioned that a correct and complete listing can attract traffic and promote conversions. The traffic and order volume will be 22% and 9.8% higher than that of an incomplete listing. To judge whether a listing is good enough, Amazon has a set of scoring standards. The higher the score, the more complete the listing is and the more it meets consumer needs.

The importance of listing is self-evident. In 2024, sellers creating new listings must ensure that they meet the new requirements, and old listings must also be adjusted according to the scoring criteria to ensure smooth business operations next year.

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