Protect your brand’s credibility through Amazon’s Brand Registry program. Read on to learn more.
From the very beginning, the Internet has been the Wild West. If there is a way for hucksters to turn a buck, they’ll discover it, figure it out, and revel in their ill-gotten success no matter how small.
Just take a look at the “black hat” forums where shifty Amazon sellers talk about hijacking well-known brands to sell knock-off copies.
To some extent, Amazon has been fighting this trend that has swamped their pages with lower quality wannabe copies of more popular original products. Sellers can no longer use another’s brand name in their title, text, or backend keywords without risking the wrath of Amazon’s indexing. Many find their listings are no longer included in searches. And that’s the kiss of death for a seller.
In recent years Amazon has taken a giant leap forward by upgrading their much-lauded Amazon Brand Registry. This lets manufacturers register their products so Amazon and their buyers know who has the real deal. Once your products are in the registry, no one else can easily use your name or precisely copy your products.
- Details for your product will automatically be displayed on any listing that sells it. There will be no doubt YOUR company is the manufacturer and this product is originating from you.
- Once you’re in the Brand Registry, you don’t have to use Amazon’s UPCs or EANs. You can specify your own key attribute.
Here is how Amazon defines eligibility for inclusion in the Brand Registry:
- Manufacturers or brand owners
- Distributors, resellers and other individuals or companies who have the written authorization from the manufacturer or brand owner to manage a brand’s content on Amazon.
Very simply that includes everybody who qualifies and cuts out all the copycats that would like to attach their shoddy imitation to your well known and loved product or brand.
How to Apply
Now let’s look at the nitty gritty of getting your brand and product included in the Amazon Brand Registry. It’s pretty straightforward and not at all hard for most people who have a product they are manufacturing.
Amazon has an application that asks for the manufacturer’s company, listing, product, and trademark information.
You’ll need:
- An image of your product packaging with branding visible on the package.
- A product image with your branding visible on the actual product. It can’t just say “Widget 9000.” It must say “Joe’s Widget 9000.”
- An active company website that display your brand or products. This is why so many sellers have a website with photos of their pots, pans, fashions, tools – you name it.
In today’s advanced web where nobody thinks of having a website any more, this might seem like a blast from the past. But the truth is ALL established companies have a website. The first thing many prospects do before buying is Google you and see if you’re established outside of Amazon.
And not everyone buys on Amazon. If you’re getting Google action on your Amazon product (and we hope you do!) people are also going to see your website. Some will prefer to buy direct from your site rather than have to logon to Amazon.
By far the easiest way to get a professional looking website that fully satisfies Amazon’s requirements for Brand Registry is to use MySellerPal at www.MySellerPal.com. They make it super simple to create your own professional site with just a few clicks. And it’s a LOT cheaper than using Amazon’s more difficult site building system. My SellerPal is the ultimate turn-key websites for Amazon sellers.
