How to improve your products for advertising
Tips for refreshing your product detail page to help increase your chance of generating a click or a sale when advertising with Sponsored Products.
Simple updates to help increase your sales, when advertising with Sponsored Products
Arguably one of the most important parts of a successful advertising campaign is to set up your products properly. At Amazon, we’ve analyzed what makes your products most likely to perform well when they are advertised. We’ve developed machine-learning models that assess the information a customer can view about your product, such as the description, imagery and shopper reviews.
We have identified 11 simple steps you can take to help increase the likelihood of your product receiving impressions, being clicked on by a shopper and then potentially purchased.
+29% increase in sales
Advertisers who applied at least one improvement recommendation for their product detail page saw a 29% increase in sales after one week, on average, when advertising with sponsored ads.*
Throughout this guide, we’ll use a fictitious brand, KitchenSmart, to bring our recommendations to life, and make it is for you to replicate your own products.
Here are the six easy and free tips to upgrade your product detail page that we’ll explain in this guide..
* WW, 07/01/2022 to 12/31/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Create a strong product title
How to hook your audience with a strong product title
Think of your product title as a way to make a first impression with shoppers. It will appear prominently in your Sponsored Product’s creative, not to mention on your product detail page.
An informative, easy-to-read title lets shoppers quickly know key facts about your product and can help encourage them to click on your ads. We recommend making titles approximately 60 characters long. Being concise helps ensure that your title won’t be truncated in your Sponsored Product’s creative, which helps provide shoppers with an accurate view of what your product is.
What should you include in your title? Consider the following:
- Brand
- Product line
- Material or key feature
- Product type
- Colour
- Size
- Packaging/quantity
Here’s an example
KitchenSmart sells an espresso machine. They might create a product title like this:
KitchenSmart [brand] SmartEspresso [product line] Silver [material] Espresso Machine (15”) [Product type, height]
Where to make these changes: Vital Info tab
* WW, 1/7/2022 to 31/12/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Feature high quality images
How to promote your product with pictures
When customers browse your product detail page, images can help capture their attention and educate them about what you offer. Include four or more images showing your product from different angles, highlighting important details and features, and demonstrating how it can be used. If your product includes variations (a lipstick that comes in five shades, for example), show pictures of those variations.
Advertisers saw an average uplift of 59% in sales one week after adding four or more images to products they advertise with sponsored ads.*
Make sure your images are set against a plain white background and that your product fills at least 80% of the image area. Also, as a best practice, use images at least 1,000 pixels in height or width. Meeting this minimum size requirement enables the zoom function on Amazon, letting customers get a closer look at your products.
Advertisers saw an average uplift of 64% in sales one week after making at least 25% of their product images zoomable to products they advertise with sponsored ads.*
Here’s an example
KitchenSmart have used high quality images for their product detail page, and made sure they are zoomable, so shoppers can get a better look before buying.
Where to make these changes: Images tab
* WW, 07/01/2022 to 12/31/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Include 3+ bullet points
How to best use bullet points to capture an audience
Once a shopper clicks on your ad and lands on your product detail page, you want to provide them with the information they need to make an informed purchase decision.
One way to help do this is by including at least three bullet points that give them a clear overview of your product’s key features: contents, uses, dimensions, operational considerations, age rating, skill level and country of origin are all ones to consider. Keep your bullet points concise and written with shoppers' needs in mind.
Use these tips to craft your bullet points:
- Begin with a capital letter
- Format as a sentence fragment (don't use end punctuation)
- Reiterate important information about the title and description, where applicable
- Avoid promotional or pricing information
Here’s an example
Let’s look at how KitchenSmart might write bullet points for its espresso machine:
- Fully automatic espresso machine [contents]
- Grinds beans, brews specialty drinks and prepares milk froth [uses]
- Operates at the touch of a button [operational considerations]
- Crafted in Italy [country of origin]
- 10” x 17” x 15” high [dimensions]
Where to make these changes: Description tab
* WW, 1/7/2022 to 31/12/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Craft a helpful product description
How to write a detailed description
With your product description, you can go beyond the simple features included in your bullet points and capture your product's benefits, uses and value proposition in detail.
As a best practice, you should always write descriptions for your products. Treat your description like a short narrative: use complete sentences, check your spelling and grammar and be concise but informative. Accurate, engaging copy can help you turn ad clicks into purchases.
Here’s an example
When writing a description for its espresso machine, KitchenSmart takes the opportunity to show shoppers what makes their product special (and their brand interesting):
Get a café-style brew at home in minutes. Combining a modern design with classic Italian craft, the SmartEspresso Espresso Machine is simple to use, easy to clean and delivers rich, flavourful espresso drinks whenever you want them. (Morning, afternoon, evening or all three). The unique milk system mixes milk and air in the built-in frothing chamber, adding an irresistible layer of foam to your cappuccino or latte. Sleek silver construction complements any kitchen. Imported.
Where to make these changes: Description tab
*WW, 1/7/2022 to 31/12/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Include relevant search terms
How to curate relevant search terms for your audience
To help customers find your products on Amazon, it’s important to add words they might use when shopping for what they want to buy. Search terms should focus on elements that are most relevant to your product, so aim to include generic words that enhance the discoverability of your product: key features, materials, size, use and more. You can add Search Terms within Manage Inventory on the Inventory tab.
Advertising can also help you gain insights on which Search Terms to apply to your product detail pages. Leveraging the Search Term report available in advertising console, you can find the queries shoppers use to find your products and add these to your product title, bullet points and/or product description. Also include synonyms and spelling variations.
Here’s an example
When entering your search terms, use single spaces to separate them. Don't use commas, semicolons, stop words (“and”, “by”, etc.), or subjective claims like “best”. Amazon accounts for misspellings, capitalization and pluralization, so you don't need to worry about those.
What are some Search Terms that KitchenSmart might add for its espresso machine?
coffee cappuccino latte espresso frother kitchen automatic beverage barista cafe coffeehouse drip tray water tank stainless steel dishwasher
Where to make these changes: Keywords tab
* WW, 1/7/2022 to 31/12/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Adding A+ content to your product
How to enhance your product detail page with A+ content
How can you help make your products even more compelling to shoppers? Be sure their detail pages feature A+ content.
Available to vendors as well as sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, A+ content lets you describe your product features with enhanced images, text placements and stories. These can help you increase engagement with your detail page and drive more conversions. You can find out if you are eligible for Amazon Brand Registry, here.
A couple of tips for using A+ content:
- Tell you product/brand story: Add rich images, text and comparison modules to share your brand story and build awareness.
- Reduce customer returns and negative feedback: Help customers make a more informed purchase decision by proactively answering their questions, leading to fewer returns and fewer negative customer reviews.
- Encourage Repeat Purchase Behavior: Enable customers to explore your other products and increase repeat purchases from your brand by more information about your products.
Here’s an example
You can see here that KitchenSmart have really enhanced their brand presence, and showcased their product, by utilizing the features that A+ content allows.
Where to add A+ Content
* WW, 1/7/2022 to 31/12/2022. This is based on past data and does not guarantee future performance
Keep your products reasonably priced
How to review your price point
For many shoppers, price plays an important role in their purchase decisions. In addition to your product title, image and other information, Sponsored Products ads include the price of your item. You can also add the List Price if you price offer is below the list price. List Price is the suggested retail price of a product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier or seller. This is not the offering or cost price. If you are unable to provide a list price, enter a value of 0. Shoppers may be more motivated to click on your ad, and ultimately make a purchase, if you offer great prices for your products.
Consider these tips when determining your price point:
- Research other products and offers similar to yours
- Take shipping costs into account
- Consider free shipping to help increase sales
Where to make these changes: Offer tab
Include products that are in-stock
How to check inventory levels and promote in-stock products
Your products need to be in stock in order to be the featured offer and be eligible for inclusion in a Sponsored Products campaign. If a product you are advertising goes out of stock, it will be automatically paused within your campaign.
Our tip: have a plan for products that tend to sell out quickly. Remember, advertising can increase the traffic to your product detail pages, which can result in more sales. You can monitor your inventory under "Manage inventory" in Seller Central, or within the Inventory Dashboard in Vendor Central.
Here’s where to go to check your inventory status for your products
Choose products displaying the Featured Offer
How to select products with the Featured Offer
The featured offer is the section of the product detail page where customers can add items to their cart or buy now. When multiple sellers offer the same product, Amazon combines the offers into one product detail page, so we can present customers with the best experience.
In order to advertise, your product must be eligible to be the Featured Offer. We recommend choosing products that regularly display the featured offer to help maximize your visibility and sales. You can refer to your business reports to see how often your products are the Featured Offer.
How can you become the Featured Offer? Check out these tips to help boost your chances.
- Keep your products reasonably priced
- Review your inventory
- Offer multiple shipping options, and free shipping if possible
- Offer great customer service, which can help generate positive ratings and reviews
Here’s an example
This product from KitchenSmart is likely to become the featured offer.
How to sign up to be the Featured Offer perhaps
Advertise products with a Prime badge
How to select products with a Prime badge
If your advertised product offers Prime Shipping, the Prime badge will automatically appear in your ad creative. This can be a compelling feature for shoppers as it lets them know they can get their product quickly, with no additional shipping costs. We recommend advertising products that offer Prime Shipping to potentially engage more shoppers.
What if none of your products offer Prime Shipping?
If you're a seller, consider using Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA). With this, you can store your products at Amazon fulfilment centres and take advantage of Amazon's customer service and returns. In addition to that, your products will be eligible for fast, free Prime Shipping.
Here’s an example
This KitchenSmart product displays the Prime bade when shoppers are browsing through Amazon.
How to enrol your products in Fulfillment by Amazon
Advertise products with positive reviews
How to advertise products with positive reviews
When it comes to buying a product, sometimes the most important factor for shoppers is the opinions of other shoppers. That's why we recommend advertising products with five or more customer reviews, plus a rating of 3.5 stars or higher. You're investing in ads to help drive traffic to your product and encourage sales, so help improve your opportunities by choosing well-reviewed, well-rated products.
What should you do next?
Applying our recommendations
We’ve now gone through our tips to help improve your product detail page. It’s best practice to apply all these recommendations..
When multiple sellers sell the same product through a single detail page, Amazon automatically combines the best product data from across various seller submissions to ensure customers get the best experience. You, other sellers and manufacturers can contribute product information on a product detail page, as we’ve listed in this guide. When evaluating your contributions, we consider your sales volume, refund rate, buyer feedback and A-to-Z Guarantee claims. You can see more about this on our Help page.
Next steps
We encourage you to review your products and implement these changes.
Follow these simple instructions to get started:
- Products Page – View your recommendations on ASIN level all in one place
- Campaign Manager Ad Groups page
- Advertiser Notification Centre
Thank you for reading
How to improve your products for advertising