In case you haven’t yet heard, some of Amazon’s most effective selling tools are available exclusively to sellers registered with Amazon Brand Registry.
And though becoming brand-registered will take some of your time and money, we think it’s worth it since it has the potential to give you a major leg up on your competition.
To help you decide if the Brand Registry is right for you, this article is going to go over the following:
- What is the Amazon Brand Registry?
- Insights into trademarking.
- Amazon Brand Registry features and benefits.
- Analytics available through the registry.
This is going to be good, so let’s get started!
What is the Amazon Brand Registry?
Regarding the registry, Amazon states:
“For brand owners, enrolling in the Brand Registry provides access to powerful tools to help protect your trademarks, including proprietary text and image search and predictive automation.”
Now, if you’re still in the beginning stages of setting up a seller account, you might want to read our comprehensive guide to Amazon Seller Central before digging in here.
But, if you’re gathering information about selling on Amazon, and have started researching products, you might already have brand registry on your mind.
To begin, let’s answer some general questions you might have.
Am I a brand owner?
A brand owner is someone who is selling a product with a registered trademark.
We talk a lot about creating your own private label brands, which is free to do. But, in order to truly own a brand name, you’ll need a trademark.
Do you need a trademark for Amazon Brand Registry?
Yes! As of May, 2017, the program requires you to have a registered trademark for your product in order to apply.
In the U.S., that means you need to have registered your trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
How do I get a trademark?
To get the ball rolling, you’ll need to take these steps:
- Once you have a name and/or logo, you’ll want to ensure that it is unique and that there are no other registered trademarks with the same name. You can check this on the USPTO website by doing a thorough search using their official database.
- You will file within a specific class for your trademark. This is similar to selecting a product category in Amazon, and it will define what type of items will be under your trademarked brand. The cost for the trademark will depend on its class.
- Hire a licensed trademark attorney to file your trademark application. You can find lawyers offering this service in your local area, online, or through the Jungle Scout Market.
How long does it take to get a trademark registered?
Expect to wait at least one year before you get an answer from the USPTO, as each task you complete has a general timeline.
How long does it take for Amazon Brand Registry approval?
The entire approval process should take about two weeks, as long as you submit everything Amazon needs for your brand the first time around.
Make sure you review all of the eligibility requirements, and please note that your brand must have an active registered trademark in each country where you would like to enroll.
If you enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry prior to May, 2017,
you’ll need to re-enroll with a registered trademark in order to access all of the benefits.Don’t want to trademark? No problem.
You’ll still be grandfathered into the brand registry; you’ll just have limited access. #
Coming up next
Now that you know the registry’s general guidelines, it’s important to mention that you CAN start selling on Amazon without Amazon Brand Registry.
Or without a trademark, for that matter!
In fact, many sellers prefer to test products in the market first, to make sure they have a profitable product. Once they feel secure, then they often consider investing in a trademark.
And because trademark approval takes time, while you’re waiting you can tackle the selling-on-Amazon learning curve.
But, for interest’s sake, let’s go over the registry’s advantages as though your trademark has already been approved, and you’re officially a part of the Amazon Brand Registry.
Amazon Brand Registry benefits
A lot of the registry’s perks and capabilities live right on the Seller Central (SC) dashboard.
As a member of the Brand Registry, you can go to the Performance tab on SC’s main navigation bar, and select Brand Dashboard to gain access.
This screen will give you a holistic view of your brand performance, with additional information and metrics to dig into.
And if you go into the new Brand Benefits section, you should see the information in the screenshot above*.
*Not all Seller Central views are equal!
It even differs for several sellers here at Jungle Scout.
The difference may be due to your permissions setting or type of account,
so you might need to search around a bit to find this view.
Protect your brand
If you’ve taken the time to apply and pay for a registered trademark, the last thing you want is for someone to mess with your brand.
But, thankfully, the brand registry can help with that. It is your best bet for safeguarding your products.
You’ll be able to protect your intellectual property and content on Amazon, with a dedicated internal team on standby to help you with:
- Reporting any marketplace violations, including product review manipulations and “not as described” complaints from customers.
- Reporting any issues with your listing, including incorrect product details and product variation information, as well as blocked listings.
- Submitting or retracting IP infringement claims.
- Reporting any technical issues pertaining to page loading for your product listing, or your Seller Central homepage operations.
- Escalating previously submitted claims.
You’ll be able to monitor all of your ongoing cases related to any of the above, and can escalate when necessary.
Want even more protection?Transparency is an Amazon program that offers additional security for your brand, and for customers from counterfeiters.
Enhance your brand content
One of the best features of Amazon’s Brand Registry is its Enhanced Brand Content (EBC), though it’s now referred to as “A+ Content Manager” (borrowed from Vendor Central).
You should be able to find the tool under Brand Benefits, but you can also locate it under the Advertising navigation tab.
And the reason this tool is key?
Enhancing your brand content allows you to add further text and images to your product listings, over and above the standard plain-text product description.
Ultimately, it gives your listing a MUCH more professional look.
As for employing the tool, as soon as you select the ASIN for which you plan to use A+ content, it’s easy to create your enhanced listing. Amazon’s simple template setup allows you to select different module layouts, and media to upload.
Check it out: The A+ Content Manager Quick Guide.
Not to mention, enhanced content is proven to increase traffic to product pages, and drive sales and conversions while minimizing returns. Plus, there’s also the opportunity to grow a loyal customer base for repeat purchases.
Just makes sure you’re focusing on the quality of content and not the quantity.
Less is more!
Finally, to make sure it meets their requirements, you will have to submit all enhanced content for review. Before it goes live, it needs Amazon’s approval.
However, you can easily check the status of your EBC submission on your Brand Dashboard, enabling you to stay on top of any requested revisions.
Upload product video
This feature adds a ton of value to your product listing! Not only can you provide your customers with top-quality product photography, you now have the privilege to add a video to your listing.
Give your customers a 360-degree view of your product, and show it in action. Obviously, your creativity depends on the type of product you’re selling. But what a great, interactive showcase for your brand!
You can find this perk under the Inventory tab on the main navigation (odd place, we know). Select “Upload and Manage Videos” and start uploading. Like all Brand Registry content, it requires Amazon approval before posting to your listing.
*Your video will appear on the detail pages of products you select during upload.
Engage customers with your brand
Being brand-registered also means gaining access to features that will set you apart from the crowd.
Storefronts and videos will instantly add value to your brand and legitimize your business:
- Product Video: Unlike sellers who aren’t in the registry, brand-registered sellers can add product videos to their listings. This can be a huge boost to your conversions, as buyers don’t have to guess what your product is or how it works. The video, if done well, could be the difference between a shopper walking away, or pressing the ‘Add to Cart’ button.
- Amazon Storefronts: Stores are often comprised of one or more pages, with each page made up of a header and footer surrounding a number of content tiles. And when you choose to create a store, the step-by-step process is so straightforward, you don’t need any special skills to get it done!
Again, Amazon makes creating content like storefronts easy. You can just select one of the templates provided, or you can start from scratch!
If you choose to use a template, simply fill in the appropriate information and media to begin building your store.
And remember, as you build, preview both the desktop AND mobile view to ensure everything is aligned for optimal customer viewing.
Don’t hesitate to move the tile blocks around, add, edit, and delete until you’re satisfied.
Check it out: Read the full step-by-step process in the Store Creation Guide.
Lastly, similar to the A+ Content Manager process, you will submit your store (and/or video) for publishing.
So make sure you and double check your spelling, punctuation, images, video, and mobile view before submitting, and be prepared to wait a few days for the approval (or their request for revisions).
Sponsored Brands
Sponsored Brands are another way to engage with customers, and are the headline ads that appear at the top of the page in your Amazon search results.
You can utilize these ads to help drive discovery of your brand, using custom messaging to help shoppers see your brand the way you want it to be seen.
Customers are already searching for your product, so what better way to draw attention to your brand!
When they click on your brand name or logo, they will be taken to your storefront immediately. Or, if they click on your product, they will be taken directly to your product page.
This does come at a cost though.
But, you’ll only pay when a customer clicks your ad, and you’ll be able to set both a daily budget and a max bid per click. This will help you stay in budget.
Check it out: Additional Sponsored Brands resources.
Amazon Live Creator
Good news! If you’ve ever wanted to engage with your customers directly, you can now add interactive, livestream video to your brand strategy.
This new addition to the Brand Registry allows sellers to share their brand story, ultimately reaching more shoppers on Amazon.
Maybe your product would benefit from a live demonstration, or maybe you just want to be able to chat live with potential customers to answer any questions.
Either way, the benefits of this tool are endless if you’re ready for your close-up 😉
To get started, just download the Amazon Live Creator iOS mobile app, select the products you want to feature in your livestream, and go live (use your iPhone camera, or connect to an external camera by using a video encoder).
And to get an idea of the content out there, and to learn how powerful of a platform it can be, go to amazon.com/live, where livestreams are located.
Shoppers will also be able to discover your livestreams across Amazon.com and the Amazon app; from your product listings, to your Amazon Store, to various placements where shoppers are browsing.
Check it out: Learn more about Livestream on Amazon.
Understand your customers
In order to effectively reach your customers using all of the Brand Registry benefits, you need to know who you’re dealing with.
Understanding the metrics of your customer base will ultimately guide your decisions regarding if and how you’ll use each the tools and services available to you.
Brand Analytics
You can find this new feature by going back to Brand Benefits on the Brand Dashboard, or by locating it under Reports on the main navigation bar.
Brand Analytics aggregates customer search and purchase behavior data to help you improve your business operations.
There is a wealth of information here, including:
Amazon Search Terms
Need help with PPC (pay-per-click)?
Now, with the registry, you can discover what products are winning the most clicks and conversions on strategic search terms.
You’ll see what kind of impact your marketing strategies are having on sales, and you’ll be able to adjust accordingly.
Market Basket Analysis
This invaluable insight shows which of your products customers are purchasing together.
With the tool, you can discover cross-selling and bundling opportunities. Or even new products to sell!
Item Comparison and Alternate Purchase Behavior
Improve your competitive intelligence by learning which other product is most frequently compared with yours.
You can also see the customer’s final choice, after they view your product.
Demographics
In this section, charts will display customer attributes such as age, household income, level of education, gender, and marital status.
You’ll also be able to select reporting range dates and export to CSV.
There is a LOT you can do with all of this information!
Check it out: Brand Analytics reporting metrics rundown.
TL;DR
At the end of the day, there are a lot of extras that most sellers starting out don’t need, or want. And that’s perfectly fine! Run your business as you see fit.
Just make sure you have solid footing before incorporating.
Having said that, though, the Amazon Brand Registry will step up your seller game. You just have to be ready for the challenge (registering a trademark is a massive investment, in both time and money)!
So to recap…
Amazon’s Brand Registry will:
- Give the brand owner greater control over their listing content.
- Offer a separate, more efficient, internal team to help with fixing and escalating incorrect listing contributions, and incorrect variations.
- Offer a dedicated internal team for submitting and escalating IP infringement claims.
- Provide a tool to monitor your brand on Amazon.
- Grant brand owners access to A+ Content to improve the content display on product listings.
- Increase visibility through alternative advertising routes and interactive media.
Amazon’s Brand Registry will not:
- Gate your brand or limit other sellers from selling it.
- Allow you to whitelist/blacklist other sellers from selling your brand.
- Allow someone other than the brand owner to submit infringement claims against other sellers.
I hope this helped give you a clear picture on how the Amazon Brand Registry works, and whether or not it is something you want to join. But, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments.
We’d love to hear from you!