We predicted this was on it’s way: Amazon has begun offering a version of A+ enhanced content through Amazon Vendor Express. You’d never know it unless you’re a vendor visiting their site, or if you’re like us and keep tabs on all things Amazon. But it’s true, and because it’s a new service, they’re claiming to offer it for free, but you’d do yourself a favor to read the fine print.
Amazon Vendor Express homepage is advertising free A+ content.
As Amazon reports on that Vendor Express main page, “A+ enhanced marketing content (A+ EMC) can boost your sales 3-10%.” And that’s no lie.
We wrote back in April about the benefits Amazon Vendor Express offers for third-party sellers who want to become Amazon suppliers. The critical missing piece of Vendor Express up until now was that it didn’t include A+ content. But an Amazon manager wrote, when asked about the topic on a LinkedIn forum, “We are very interested in feedback from our vendors and use vendor feedback to guide our next steps.”
Apparently, you Vendor Express users spoke up, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Or in this case, some of the grease, for the time being.
But buyer beware: You will need to copy and paste your content into a Word template and then submit it to Amazon to create the A+ page for you. This Amazon-builds-it-for-you approach differs from Amazon Vendor Central, where vendors can create A+ pages using self-service modules. And what’s more, the examples they provide for this new service are not completely accurate as far as what you’ll be able to do with your own product pages.
Enhanced Content is a Deal Maker
We heard from several companies in past months who initially thought Amazon Vendor Express would allow them to add enhanced content (which is also referred to as Amazon A+ content) to their product pages, only to be told by Amazon that it wasn’t an option. The lack of A+ content ended up being a deal-breaker. Why?
Enhanced content allows brands to add the following elements to their product pages:
- Images: Product and lifestyle images make it easier for online shoppers to see what they’re buying.
- Bulleted lists: When done correctly, these fact nuggets make it clear what the most important features and benefits are of the product.
- In-depth product information: Some shoppers want to read everything they can about the product. Long-form text gives them thorough information about the product.
In addition to adding sales, A+ content has also been shown to increase shopper engagement while decreasing return rates.
A Heads Up
A few words to the wise. Amazon is only offering this service “free” for new products added to Amazon after August 10 and that meet very specific parameters. It’s also unclear if you’ll also be able to sell those products elsewhere. Reading through their terms and conditions is a good way to familiarize yourself with the details. That page will also show you the limitations of this version of A+, including the number of modules you can use (up to 4) and image requirements.
Because Amazon is pretty quiet about offers like these, we didn’t get hep to this news until this very week, so the window for building enhanced content through this offer may be tight.
If you know you’re interested in using this new service, definitely give your Amazon contact a call for the details and to get things rolling.
Takeaway: Try Out Amazon Vendor Express A+
If you haven’t yet experienced what enhanced content can do for your brand and merchandising strategy, this could be a really good chance to dip your toe in. As is often the case, details are unclear, but your Amazon contact should be able to fill you in on details.
If you’re still not sure if you need enhanced content, or even what it is exactly, that’s why we’re here: It’s our specialty. We’d love to help you navigate these new waters, so get in touch!
