It’s no secret that there are tricks of the trade when it comes to boosting your Amazon listing and increasing its conversions. One of those tricks is implementing Amazon A+ Content.
Amazon claims that implementing A+ Content into a listing can improve conversion rates by 5% but internally, we have seen even greater returns. Kaspien performed an internal study that showed a 12% growth in orders for one of our partners that added A+ Content into their listing! They also saw a 7% growth in overall sessions and a 10% increase in conversions.
OK but What is Amazon A+ Content?
Amazon A+ Content — previously known as Enhanced Brand Content in Seller Central — offers an opportunity for brands to give consumers a better idea of who they are and what they have to offer. A+ Content is supplementary material that can be found underneath a product’s Amazon listing, allowing brand registered sellers and vendors increased space to share more info about their products and brand. It’s designed and provided by the brand themselves (or their seller), which allows for increased branding opportunities and improved discoverability.
Amazon A+ Content is a free tool offered to sellers, adding yet another reason why brands should utilize it. (Fun fact: A+ Content used to cost $600 for brands retailing through Vendor Central). While this additional content does not increase a product’s SERP ranking, it does help persuade shoppers to buy. As seen in our study, the more info provided to consumers, the more they are likely to trust your brand, and the more likely they are to convert. Also, although A+ Content is not indexed by Amazon’s algorithm, it is indexed by Google. It gives more context to the listing, allowing Google’s algorithm to better match user searches to the products they are looking for.
How to Create A+ Content
First off, to create A+ Content, you must be either Brand Registered or have a Vendor Central account on Amazon. Once this essential step is complete, just head to your Seller Central account and you’re ready to follow these steps:
- Click the “A+ Content” tab in the Advertising menu. From there, to create the content you want, click “Start Creating A+ Content” and choose your desired content.
Available content includes an Enhanced Product Description, which provides more details on product details while offering the ability to answer questions customers may have. - Name the content you are creating, following the provided cues to design your desired A+ Content.
- Add in your images and captions. During this stage of the process, you can click “Preview” at any point to see what it looks like on both desktop and mobile.
Notes:
-To add photos, you need to first add them to the Creative Assets Library. This holds content from other initiatives like Sponsored Brands and other A+ Content you may have created in the past.
- You must include image alt-text keywords. This text does not appear within the traditional A+ Content but does give context to those with screen reader apps. When writing the alt-text, think of simple sentences like “Child floating on pool noodle in the water.” - Add desired and applicable ASINs to the content through the ASINs management portion.
- Create language variations. Language variations copies your created content and ASINs so you can use them as translated content.
Not everyone shopping on your listing is going to be speaking your native language, so to address this you must create numerous variations of the A+ Content. - Click “Review & Submit”, look over your created A+ Content, and when satisfied click “Submit for Approval”.
Your content may take up to 7 business days to either receive approval or be sent back for necessary changes to be made.
After approval, it can take up to 24 hours to be applied to the specified ASINs.
Requirements for Creating Amazon A+ Content
In order to create A+ Content, there are a couple of must-haves:
- You must be Brand Registered or have a Vendor Central account.
A+ Content has been designed to increase customer conversion so that the people who visit the listing are more likely to make a purchase. - You must have high-quality assets.
It is absolutely necessary to include high-quality images and graphics on the page. A+ Content is designed to give shoppers more information about the brand and provide additional resources in order to increase their conversion rate. By providing less than high-quality materials, a brand risks being perceived as lower quality by consumers, which is the last thing they want to do.
So, How do You Provide Consumers the Content They Want?
Make it exciting! Create graphics that are eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing so that the shopper pays attention and retains the info provided. Nobody wants to read content that is boring and difficult to follow, so make sure you compose your A+ Content in a way that is captivating for consumers.
Best Practices for Amazon A+ Content
When designing your A+ Content, some best practices to keep in the forefront of your mind are:
Craft Comparison Charts
Comparison Charts are particularly helpful when you have products with slight variances. Highlighting the differences between products helps consumers better understand what each product offers. This prepares shoppers to make more informed purchasing decisions, which is advantageous to both the consumer and your brand. When customers make confident, informed buying decisions, they are more likely to be satisfied with the product and your company.
Another benefit of the Comparison Chart is the ability to cross-sell other products that they may be interested in. These may be products that complimentary to the one the consumer is already viewing or products from your other lines.
Highlight Your Competitive Differences
How are you different than your competitors? What makes your brand and your products unique? Highlight these things! It’s important to show customers how you are exceptional and how you will benefit them. While doing this, you must avoid directly criticizing your competitors as Amazon will penalize this practice.
Keep it Simple
Your A+ Content should be to the point and simple. Instead of writing long sections, try including pictures, graphics, and succinct sentences. This will keep your audience informed and engaged at the same time.
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!
Bypassing any possible grammatical and/or informational errors is vital in sustaining your brand’s authority. Not only will Amazon not publish your content if it has these errors, but you want to make sure you are putting your best foot forward with your customers. As Amazon is an extremely saturated marketplace, it is essential to make the best impression to customers visiting your page. Mitigating errors within your listing helps with product conversion.
Tell Your Brand’s Story
Personifying your brand and highlighting your “why” through storytelling creates a much stronger first impression with your base than straightforward, black-and-white information. This can be accomplished by featuring your founders and their stories and/or explaining why your brand exists and the beliefs that fuel it. From here, consumers are more likely to have created an emotional bond to your company, increasing their likelihood to convert.
Highlight Brand Safety & Reliability
Another promising A+ strategy is sharing safety and reliability stats pertaining to your product. Using this extra space to share your product’s superiority and dependability in comparison to its competition further differentiates your products. Amazon market saturation can be a tough space for sellers to navigate, so using the A+ Content to separate your product can be advantageous.
Learn More About Amazon Marketing Strategies
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