5 Tips to Boost ASIN Discoverability on Amazon

When considering Amazon’s dominant position for ecommerce sales, it’s no surprise that brands are now recognising the importance of having a marketplace strategy. Yet, as the number of marketplace sellers on Amazon’s global sites continues to rise, competition amongst sellers is stronger than ever when trying to boost ASIN discoverability for newly launched products.

Amazon Standard Identification Numbers (ASINs) are unique blocks of 10 letters and/or numbers that identify items and are used to search for items on the marketplace. The sales and reviews history that is attached to an individual ASIN helps to boost where it appears in search results, and so new ASINs typically struggle to get visibility on Amazon at first, at least in natural search results.

From optimizing listings to strategic advertising and inventory prep, we highlight five tips to increase the discoverability of new ASINs on Amazon and drive traffic to listings.

Brand awareness is key

First and foremost, a successful product launch on Amazon is heavily reliant on brand awareness. Although advertising on-platform can boost ASIN discoverability, brands must also place emphasis on off-platform marketing channels to help to build sales momentum on Amazon.

Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram as well as email newsletters should be used to strengthen brand awareness, reinforce customer loyalty and showcase the product offering on Amazon.

Add product variations to your listings

Product variations permit brands to showcase multiple colorways, sizes and flavors of the same product to their customers. To boost ASIN discoverability on new products, consider adding product variations to your Amazon listings where possible, to better the shopping experience for your customers and increase conversion rates.

Although the addition of product variations can help to increase your search rank, it is important to keep in mind that variant options differ by category. Brands should only create valid variations specific to their category to avoid a confusing customer experience.

Boost ASIN discoverability with customer reviews

Amazon’s A9 algorithm takes into account customer reviews and ratings when determining whether the product is worthy of a higher spot on its Search Engine Ranking Page (SERP). Newly uploaded ASINs typically start off with a lower conversion rate due to the lack of reviews on the product listings.

Pattern’s recent consumer polling survey found that plenty of shoppers are now starting their product searches on Amazon, therefore we would recommend having a minimum of five ratings for every product you sell on the site. To speed up the process of collation of reviews for newly listed ASINs, those selling on Vendor or ‘1P’ model can take advantage of the Amazon Vine program which invites trusted reviewers to share their thoughts on the latest and even pre-released items.

Similarly, those selling on a Seller or ‘3P’ model can make use of Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program, which helps to acquire reviews on products with few or no reviews by encouraging customers to share their authentic opinions on purchases.

The Amazon Advertising Ecosystem

Having a consumer-focused advertising strategy in place on the marketplace is essential, especially if Amazon is a major sales channel for your brand. A variety of on-platform marketing tactics can be implemented to boost ASIN discoverability for your brand on Amazon. Brands can choose to invest in sponsored ads that appear on the first page of search results and product pages to provide an instant visibility boost and generate conversions.

Promotional discounts such as Seller Central Coupons are a great way to draw attention to your listings and increase sales volumes. The digital coupons can be linked to specific customer groups including those who have previously looked at or bought certain ASINs, offering them a purchase discount. Those ASINs with 4* and above ratings, qualify to be used in Lightning Deals to further increase sales volumes; particularly on peak promotion days such as Prime Day or Black Friday.

Additionally, brands can offer their own price promotions where a strike-through promotion is seen on the product detail page. Many opt for this strategy as it remains relatively low cost and easy to manage in comparison to the other methods.

Prep your inventory for launch

Finally, successful product onboarding on Amazon requires brands to carefully consider the timing of their product launches. Preparing your inventory for launch by uploading product listings in advance ensures your products will be made available for sale as quickly as possible.

For some brands, coinciding the launch of a new product range so it is in sync with their direct to consumer site allows for a multichannel approach. For others, product launch may be time-sensitive in order to achieve “first to market” advantages over competitors.

As a registered authorised Amazon Seller for a number of brands across a variety of categories, we work with ASINs every day and understand the importance of a strong product launch on the marketplace. Our team are experts at managing product listings and creating value add brand content, optimising your Amazon marketing, managing reviews and customer service, and ensuring your products are available for Fulfil;ment By Amazon.