When you make a business decision, there will always be some risk involved. This is no different when it comes to selling on Amazon – if they’re not aware of the problems that can occur, sellers can run into things like counterfeit, having their products changed by third-party sellers, or customers having a poor experience ordering from your store.
Have you ever ordered a soap or shampoo on Amazon, only to find that it’s expired, a different color, a different scent, or a weird consistency? This is one example of how fraud can happen on Amazon, but the Brand Registry helps protect you from these things so you can avoid potential problems in the future.
In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about the Amazon Brand Registry from how to enroll and how it works to the benefits you’ll see from it.
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Amazon Brand Registry Overview & Benefits
The Amazon Brand Registry is a feature that Amazon offers to protect your brand, give you more access to reporting tools, and gives you more control over your brand on Amazon. It was released in 2017, and since its release, over 350,000 well-known and trusted brands have used this feature when selling on Amazon in order to protect themselves and their products.
There are also brand-building features within the Amazon Brand Registry that are available for you to use: A+ Content, Sponsored Brands, Amazon Stores, and Amazon Brand Analytics. And when it comes to protection, there are three main avenues.
1. Accurate Listings
As an Amazon seller, you should be constantly looking for ways to improve your customer’s satisfaction. The Amazon Brand Registry helps you to better manage your listings so your customers can have access to the most accurate information, which will in turn boost their satisfaction.
2. Brand Protection
The Amazon systems work proactively to make sure that no one is trying to counterfeit your brand. The Amazon Brand Registry takes the information you give them (the more the better) to consistently scan for irregularities, giving you a better experience overall. And if they do find something wrong, Amazon will let you know.
3. Report Violations
If you find something suspicious going on with your brand, Amazon’s reporting tools give you a simple way to report it and have it resolved quickly. Here are a few things they offer to make the process as smooth as possible:- Global search
- Image search
- ASIN search
- Search average customer ratings
If you find anything that looks suspicious, you can create a report so Amazon can look into it and take action if needed. Their team is available 24/7.
Here are some stats according to the Brand Registry website:
- 2.5 million bad accounts stopped from publishing listings
- Over 6 billion bad listings blocked before being published
- Enrolled brands report 99% reduction in suspected infringements
Amazon Brand Registry Costs
The Amazon Brand Registry actually doesn’t cost anything, but you do have to meet the eligibility requirements in order to register. One of these requirements is a registered trademark for your business, which can cost anywhere from $250 to $500+ depending on the level of protection you’re looking to purchase.
If you don’t already have a trademark number, that’s the first thing you need to do. It can take quite some time to go through the approval process, so getting started now will save you time in the future. To apply for a trademark, go to www.uspto.gov and complete the TEAS form. It’ll go through the cost and coverage of each trademark so you’ll know exactly how you’re protected if something were to happen.
Applying for & Enrolling in the Amazon Brand Registry
Know the Requirements
In order to qualify for the Amazon Brand Registry, there are a set of requirements you’ll need to meet. These include having an active or pending registered trademark as well as meeting the country-specific requirements. To read more about the details of eligibility, click here.
Here’s a quick overview of what Amazon requires:
1. You’ll need an active registered trademark (it’ll need to be on your packaging or products)
2. You’ll need to be able to verify yourself as the owner/authorized agent of the trademark
3. You’ll need an Amazon account
4. If you were enrolled before April 30, 2017, you’ll need to enroll again
Sign into Amazon Brand Registry
Once you’ve read through all the requirements and you find that you’re eligible, you can log into the Amazon Seller Brand Registry. If you already have a seller or vendor account, you can just use the same information to log in. It’ll then link up with your brand for a smooth and simple transition.
Enroll Your Brand
Now that you’re logged in, you can enroll your brand. To do this, you’ll need a few things:
- The brand’s name with its registered trademark
- The trademark number
- The product categories your brand should be listed in (sports, home goods, cleaning equipment, etc.)
- A list of where your products are manufactured and distributed
Once you’ve enrolled your brand, it takes about two weeks to be accepted (again, it’ll be a much longer process if you don’t have a trademark yet, but it’ll still be well worth your time).
Transparency by Amazon & Amazon Project Zero
Over the past few years, Amazon has taken even more steps to ensure brand protection and fight against counterfeit sellers. They launched Transparency by Amazon and Amazon Project Zero to help achieve this.
Transparency by Amazon
According to Amazon, “Transparency is a product serialization service that helps identify individual units and proactively prevent counterfeits from reaching customers.” Products that are enrolled in Transparency will be scanned before shipping to make sure that your customers are getting the authentic product they originally ordered instead of a counterfeit product.
To apply, you’ll need to be able to verify that you’re the brand owner, you’ll need a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), and you’ll need to be able to put Transparency codes on each of your products.
Amazon Project Zero
Amazon Project Zero aims to drive counterfeits down to zero using three distinct methods:
1. Automated Protections
With automated protections, brands let Amazon know key identifiers (logos or trademarks), then Amazon scans over 5 billion listings per day to find potential counterfeit products. If counterfeit products are found, they will be removed.
2. Self-Service Counterfeit Removal
If you’d rather take matters into your own hands, you also have the ability to take down counterfeit listings you see on Amazon.
3. Product Serialization
As mentioned above, products that are enrolled in the Brand Registry each have a unique code that can be scanned to confirm authenticity. Because of this, Amazon can scan a product before it reaches a customer to prevent counterfeit items being shipped out.
Is It Worth It?
If you’re planning to or already sell on Amazon, enrolling in the Brand Registry is most likely only going to benefit you in the long run. It can be a lengthy process, but it has the potential to save you a lot of grief. If you need any help applying for the Amazon Brand Registry, the experts at Laser Sight Digital are here for you.
