As the dominant player in Ecommerce, Amazon thoroughly understands the importance of representing product information accurately and completely. With billions of products listed, it can be confusing for consumers and B2B buyers alike to distinguish between similar products when shopping the platform without key information.
What’s more, unscrupulous, opportunistic sellers often use the platform to either sell popular products or knock off versions, typically without the brand’s knowledge or authorization. This only serves to mislead and frustrate buyers, while creating significant channel conflict with a brand’s authorized resellers.
Amazon, of course, wants to provide the best Ecommerce experience possible and has recognized the problem with unauthorized resellers and knockoffs. They realized early on that the best source of product information is the manufacturer itself.
For these reasons, Amazon introduced its Brand Registry program in September 2015 with the intention of providing Intellectual Property (IP) holders, i.e., branded manufacturers, with the ability to proactively maintain product and brand information on their platform. Today, Brand Registry is an integral part of a comprehensive Amazon sales strategy.
Let’s take a closer look at what Amazon Brand Registry is and how you can leverage it to thrive in the world’s largest online marketplace.
Why Your Brand Needs Amazon Brand Registry
The most basic reason why brands should use Brand Registry is because it gives IP (i.e. trademark) holders the right to manage their own brand presence and products on the Amazon platform.
This benefits brand holders in two ways. First, for brands selling on the marketplace, the registry allows them to control not only their own brand presence, but also to request Amazon to remove or consolidate illegitimate product listings. Without the Brand Registry, anyone can create a product listing and input any information they want. Opportunistic resellers, motivated by the absence of a brand presence, often list products with minimal information to capture sales based purely on the brand’s market recognition. This has become an acute issue, and the Brand Registry is one way brands can regain control and work towards eliminating channel conflict.
Secondly, Brand Registry helps IP holders to improve sales on the platform by opening up a set of tools that enable them to improve visibility on the platform. These tools provide manufacturers with the ability to include Enhanced Brand Content in product listings (more on that below).
And there’s a benefit for Amazon, too. The customer experience is dramatically improved when brands control their products and brand presence. Customers can be confident about the products they're buying, increasing the overall trust in Amazon (and in the brand itself).
How to Take Advantage of Amazon Brand Registry
Amazon’s Brand Registry allows brand manufacturers and IP holders to stake a claim and inform Amazon that it is the intellectual property holder for its brand name and products on the platform. To register your brand, you must be the owner of an official trademark, such as a word or image mark issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), or issued by another recognized IP authority (for sellers in other countries) and submit:
Documentation of trademark ownership or license
A picture of the product in its packaging
Example Amazon listings for your product, if they exist (if not, you can submit links to your own online Ecommerce store, product information page, or similar website).
Corporate information (such as formal company name, address, and other details)
You will also need to answer a handful of questions about your manufacturing and distribution information.
It’s important to note that this process can also be completed by distributors or brand licensees selling private-label products, as long as they hold a legitimate trademark or license documentation that Amazon recognizes.
Approval, which generally takes about two weeks, unlocks a number of tools that will help you communicate your brand value on the platform.
Enhanced Brand Content
Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal for selling on Amazon, and it’s only available with Brand Registry approval. Brand owners can add sections to their product listing pages to share more specific product info, technical specifications, videos, images, differentiation points, compatibility data, and more. EBC enables sellers to tell brand stories in a deeper, more informative way that will help buyers understand product differentiation points and make a buying decision with confidence. Think of EBC as a digital salesperson for your products.
Branded Storefront
Brand owners can also create branded storefronts that tell their brand story the way they want it to be told. These storefronts often look similar to a standard website, but with the Amazon header bar on the top of the page. Brands can use this space to add and organize rich brand content and products into navigable categories, making it easier for buyers to find what they’re looking for quickly.
Channel Control Tools
Brand Registry also gives you a lever for channel control that allows you to monitor Amazon for counterfeit products, and file trademark infringement complaints to Amazon regarding unauthorized resellers who are using your IP without authorization. Brand Registry also helps you consolidate ASINs, which each can remove listings of your products from unauthorized sellers.
Make Brand Registry a Part of Your B2B Amazon Strategy
It’s important to understand that Brand Registry is not a panacea if you have issues with unauthorized resellers. This does not provide a way to remove unauthorized resellers entirely from Amazon simply because you don’t want a reseller offering your products on the channel. It only provides recourse to better manage product listings and brand content, and in some cases, a path to remove or consolidate unauthorized listings. You may need to take additional legal action outside of the platform to further protect your IP—and your sales.
That said, Brand Registry needs to be part of any brand’s strategy, even if you’re not selling on Amazon. Without it, you have no recourse at all to remove inaccurate information from the marketplace. And not taking action is more likely to cause channel conflict, which all brands and manufacturers want to avoid.
Struggling with unauthorized resellers on Amazon? We can help! Enceiba has worked with hundreds of B2B manufacturers to protect their brands and mitigate channel conflict on the world’s largest marketplace. Get in touch with us to schedule a strategy session to help your brand make the most out of Amazon Brand Registry.
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