{"id":25389,"date":"2015-04-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/content26.com\/?p=25389"},"modified":"2017-02-21T13:57:04","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T21:57:04","slug":"amazon-vendor-express-where-is-the-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/987654321.space\/c26_dev\/blog\/amazon-vendor-express-where-is-the-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Vendor Express: Where’s the A+ Content?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prior to Amazon Vendor Express<\/a>\u00a0launching in March 2015, becoming an Amazon vendor was an invite-only affair. We know of people who tried unsuccessfully for years to get invited by Amazon to become a first-party seller.<\/p>\n

Amazon Vendor Express changes\u00a0that, making it easier for third-party sellers to become Amazon suppliers. Or, as Amazon puts it, “You sell us your products and we take care of the rest\u2014from shipping and promoting to customer service and returns.” Whether this is a good selling strategy or not is another question; make sure to read our Amazon Vendor Central v. Seller Central post<\/a>\u00a0for the pros and cons.<\/p>\n

\"amazon-vendor-express\"<\/p>\n

But one of the things Amazon Vendor Express doesn\u2019t allow is for the vendor to create\u00a0enhanced product\u00a0content\u00a0using self-service modules (or templates, or any other vendor-controlled A+ content option).<\/p>\n

“Vendor Express does not have A+ detail page support right now,”\u00a0according to an Amazon manager asked about the topic\u00a0on a LinkedIn forum.\u00a0“We are very interested in feedback from our vendors and use vendor feedback to guide our next steps.”<\/p>\n

Limited Content Options for Rising\u00a0Brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Some brands won\u2019t care that they can\u2019t add enhanced content to their product pages; the inclusion in Amazon Prime and the promise of \u201cships from and sold by Amazon.com\u201d will be enough to make them sign up for Amazon Vendor Express.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019ve heard from several companies who thought Amazon Vendor Express\u00a0would give them access to enhanced content (which is also referred to as Amazon A+ content), only to be told by Amazon that it wasn’t an option. Why would not getting enhanced content be a deal-breaker for brands looking to become vendors?<\/p>\n

Enhanced content\u00a0allows brands to add the following elements to their product pages:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Images: Product and lifestyle images make it easier for online shoppers to see what they’re buying.<\/li>\n
  • Bulleted lists: When done correctly, these fact nuggets make it clear what the most important features and benefits are of the product.<\/li>\n
  • Comparison charts: Are there other similar or related\u00a0products offered by the same brand? This keeps shoppers in-brand.<\/li>\n
  • 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    A+ content has been shown to increase sales and shopper engagement while decreasing return rates. So not having it puts small brands at a competitive disadvantage.<\/p>\n

    \"Vendor-express-screenshot\"

    This screenshot from Amazon’s video promoting Vendor Express indicates there may\u00a0be some descriptive product content. But it seems Amazon will determine what that is.<\/p><\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n

    More Competition for Large Brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    My guess is that Amazon will start allowing A+ content on Amazon Vendor Express at some point. If\u00a0small brands have the option to add A+ content, big brands could find themselves out-classed. In\u00a0our experience, small and medium companies currently selling on Amazon Vendor Central aren’t scared away by Amazon upload fees. They often commission beautiful product content.<\/p>\n

    And even if Amazon Vendor Express never allows for A+ content, the treatment of small brands as Amazon suppliers still adds competition for big brands that sell through Amazon Vendor Central.<\/p>\n

    Takeaway: Create Nimble Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Most of the companies we work with realized a long time ago that their content strategy needed to extend beyond Amazon. You should be creating multichannel content that:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Has consistent information across retailers<\/li>\n
    • Is optimized for search engines<\/li>\n
    • Meets retailer-specific guidelines<\/li>\n
    • Is ready to be translated and localized<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Editor\u2019s note:\u00a0A follow up post was written September 2 to announce a version of A+ content offered through Amazon Vendor Express.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Prior to Amazon Vendor Express\u00a0launching in March 2015, becoming an Amazon vendor was an invite-only affair. We know of people…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":25420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[125,789],"tags":[1382,1247],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n