Third party sellers make up a big part of Amazon’s sales. The retail giant generated a whopping 31.88 billion dollars in third-party seller services revenues in 2017 alone.
A lot of these third-party sellers are competing to sell the same products. And since there is only one listing per product, these sellers need a way to stand out from the pack. That’s where the Buy Box comes into play.
What is the Buy Box?
The Buy Box is the featured section on the right-hand side of the product page where shoppers use the “Add to Cart” feature to add the item to their shopping cart. Only one seller wins the Buy Box. And whoever that is has a clear advantage when it comes to dominating sales.
On mobile, the Buy Box is even more prominent. It pops up front and center on the listing.
In order to be in the running to win the buy box, there are certain eligibility requirements to meet. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) sellers are automatically eligible. All other sellers must:
- Have a professional account
- Meet certain metrics when it comes to order defect rate, cancellation rate, and late shipment rate
- Have sufficient order volume
Sellers who meet the eligibility requirements don’t automatically win the Buy Box. Amazon considers a variety of factors such as landed price, fulfillment method, performance metrics, and customer feedback when determining the winner. Essentially they are chosen based on a combination of pricing and performance based criteria.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t win the Buy Box right away, it’s not permanent. The winner of the Buy Box can rotate so you still have a chance.
Buy Box Alternatives
Losing the buy box doesn’t mean all chances of landing sales are gone. There are two other places where the offer can appear.
Other Sellers on Amazon
Located directly under the Buy Box, this section features up to three additional sellers. Sellers looking to get featured in this section must also meet the minimum eligibility requirements for the Buy Box. Amazon determines what offer is shown based on a variety of factors including price, availability and the customer’s shipping address.
All Offers Page
From the Other Sellers section on Amazon, you can click to view the All Offers page. This page lists all offers for a certain product, regardless of Buy Box eligibility.
Conclusion
In the world of Amazon, the Buy Box is often looked upon as the grand prize. The seller who wins the sought after space can expect to see a positive impact on sales.
