Amazon, like any other online marketplace, has its own rules and algorithms for its Buy Box. The Buy Box is the place where all sellers want to be because that is where the magic happens. BigCommerce discovered that 82% of all Amazon sales go through the Buy Box. Amazon does not reveal the specific scores needed to win the Buy Box, but we know the factors taken into consideration to win it. The higher you score on them, the higher the chances for your store to win the Buy Box.
1- Fulfilment program
The fulfillment program is probably the most influential variable that Amazon takes into consideration for the Buy Box. Amazon offers three programs. FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), SFP (Seller-Fulfilled Prime), and FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant). Sellers that pick FBA and are part of SFP are at an advantage over FBM because, in FBA, Amazon takes care of the shipping, returns, and customer service. But sellers that use FBM can beat FBA and SFP merchants and win the Buy Box.
2- Shipping time
The faster sellers ship their products, the better the chances of winning the Buy Box. For some products, like birthday cards and perishable products, the impact on this metric is very high and important. Shipping time is arranged into the following brackets and only includes working days: 0-2 days, 3-7 days, 8-13 days, and 14 or more days.
3- Landed price
The landed price is the total amount the product is sold for on Amazon, including shipping. The common misconception is that the product with the lowest price will win the Buy Box, which is wrong. If a seller has a high-performance metric, they could raise the price and still win the Buy Box.
4- Availability
Sellers with good stock levels and who can ship items immediately are more likely to win the Buy Box. Backordered items can win the Buy Box, but Amazon favors sellers with available stock and can ship a product right away.
5- Order defect rate (ODR)
The order defect rate (ODR) includes three metrics. Negative feedback, A-to-z Guarantee Claim Rate, and Credit Card Chargeback rate. ODR is the percentage of orders with one or more indications of poor customer service over 60 days. Sellers must have an ODR below 1% to sell on Amazon.
6- Valid tracking rate (VTR)
The VTR measures the percentages of packages with accurate tracking. With the tracking number, customers know where their package is and when to expect them. Sellers must use carriers that provide real-time tracking status to Amazon. Sellers must maintain a VTR greater than or equal to 95%. VTR below 95% in a product category hurts the chances of winning the Buy Box. To calculate VTR, Amazon takes the number of packages you ship with a valid tracking number and divides it by the number of packages you dispatched and confirmed over 30 days.
7- Late shipment rate
These are the number of orders shipped later than the expected shipping date. This metric is also vital because if you do not comply with Amazon rules, that will lead to having your seller account deactivated. Sellers must have a late shipment rate below 4% to prevent this.
8- On-time delivery
These are the orders delivered on time. Amazon recommends having this metric over 97%. If you fail to meet the 97%, Amazon will not deactivate your account like the late shipment rate metric, but it will make winning the Buy Box harder.
9- Feedback score
These are all the feedback ratings sellers have received from customers over the last 30 days, 60 days, and a year. Of course, the latest feedbacks are the ones that make the difference. Sellers with more positive feedback are the ones that will win the Buy Box.
10- Feedback count
These are the number of people that have given feedback to sellers. The higher the number, the higher the chances of winning the Buy Box.
11- Customer response time
This measures how quickly you respond to customers’ questions. Sellers must answer messages within 24 hours, including weekends and holidays. One important thing: auto-responders are not valid responses. Sellers have a tool that helps them called “No Response Required.” For example, when a customer sends a thank you message, you can mark it as “No Response Required.”
12- Inventory depth and sales volume
Constantly having more inventory to deal with demand will help sellers win the Buy Box. Sellers that make sales regularly and have excellent stock history will also help you obtain the Buy Box. If a seller frequently runs out of stock on items hurts the chances of winning the Buy Box.
13- Cancellation and refund rate
These are the number of canceled orders by the seller. Pending orders or items canceled by the customer directly on Amazon are not included. Amazon recommends sellers have a cancellation rate below 2.5%. Anything above this value results in the deactivation of the seller account.
Conclusion
There are factors that Amazon considers to win the Buy Box. Checking them one by one takes too long. Meanwhile, if you use the Amazon Repricer created by PriceTweakers, you will have the relevant criteria to win the Buy Box. Plus, it will tell you who is winning it. This tool is perfect for companies that sell through Amazon or have intentions to do so. On top of that, you can quickly modify all of your products’ prices and monitor your competitors.
