Key takeaways:
- This guide is specifically tailored for Amazon sellers operating in the United States marketplace (Amazon.com) and enrolled in the US Brand Registry.
- Formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content, Amazon A+ Content is a powerful tool that enables registered brands to enrich their product listings with richer media, including detailed images, comparison charts, customized text layouts, and infographics.
- To access and create basic Amazon A+ Content, all you need to do is enroll as a Professional seller under the Amazon Brand Registry.
- Premium Amazon A+ Content or A++ Content is an advanced version of Amazon's A+ Content tool that offers more features and capabilities compared to Basic A+ Content. Brand Registered sellers unlock it once they meet Amazon's eligibility criteria.
- Amazon A+ Content offers several powerful benefits, including increased conversion rates, improved customer engagement, enhanced brand storytelling, and reduced return rates.
Imagine you walk into a store, surrounded by rows of identical-looking products. As you scan the shelves, you catch sight of a product that stands out from the crowd. Its packaging is sleeker, its images are clearer, and its description tells you exactly what you need to know about the product. Well, this doesn't just happen in physical stores.
Amazon sellers can create a similar effect using Amazon A+ Content. This powerful tool allows brands to transform their product listings into an immersive experience that captures customers' attention and drives sales.
From high-quality images and videos to comparison charts and interactive elements, Amazon A+ Content allows you to tell your story, showcase your products in action, and address common customer questions. At ePlaybooks, we help our clients utilize A+ content to tell compelling brand stories that connect with audiences that matter. Whether you're an experienced seller or a newcomer eager to establish your brand presence, leveraging Amazon A+ Content can be a game-changer for your business.
In this article, we'll explore what Amazon A+ Content is, how to create it, and most importantly, how to use it to boost your sales and build brand loyalty on Amazon.
What is Amazon A+ Content?
Formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content, Amazon A+ Content is a powerful tool that enables registered brands to enhance their product listings with richer media formats, including detailed images, comparison charts, customized text layouts, and infographics. Instead of a standard product description limited to 2000 characters, A+ Content allows you to transform your product listings into visually appealing and informative presentations that help your customers make informed purchasing decisions.
Amazon offers two types of A+ Content:
Basic A+ Content
The basic A+ Content is available to all Professional sellers enrolled under the Amazon Brand Registry. It allows up to 5 modules per ASIN.
Premium A+ Content
This is available to Brand Registered sellers who meet Amazon's eligibility criteria. It offers more advanced module options and a larger layout space.
Who is eligible for basic Amazon A+ Content?
To access and create basic Amazon A+ Content, all you need to do is enroll as a Professional seller under the Amazon Brand Registry. There are no additional eligibility requirements.
Amazon registered brands must:
- Have a registered and active text (word mark) or image-based trademark (design mark).
- The trademark must appear on products or packaging.
- Brand Registry applications must be submitted by trademark owners.
What is Premium Amazon A+ Content?
Premium Amazon A+ Content or A++ Content is an advanced version of Amazon's A+ Content tool that offers more features and capabilities compared to Basic A+ Content. Formerly, this feature was available only to Vendors or through Amazon Launchpad. It later opened to Brand Registered third-party sellers who meet Amazon's eligibility criteria.
Some key features of the Premium Amazon A+ Content include:
Improved visual elements
This includes full-width imagery, which allows you to use the entire width of the screen to display high-resolution images, creating a more immersive experience for customers. You can also add videos to showcase products in action, highlight key features, and engage customers with dynamic visual content.
Interactive features
This includes hover hotspot modules, which allow you to add interactive elements to product images, helping customers to hover over specific areas for additional information or zoom in on details. The carousel modules also give you a flexible way to showcase multiple images, videos, or product variations within a single module.
Advanced comparison charts
With Premium A+ Content, you can access the upgraded comparison chart modules. This feature allows you to present product specifications, features, and benefits in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand layout.
Enhanced Q&A module
With the Q&A module, you can feature frequently asked questions and provide detailed answers to help your customers in their decision-making process.
Who is eligible for Premium Amazon A+ Content?
To unlock Premium A+ Content, you need a published A+ Brand Story on all the ASINs you own in your catalog and at least five A+ Content projects approved and published in the past 12 months. You don't need to apply. Once you qualify, a banner appears in A+ Content Manager.
Your content still has to pass Amazon's review. Check A+ Content Manager to confirm which Premium modules are available for your brand.
Benefits of using Amazon A+ Content
Amazon A+ Content offers several powerful benefits for brands, making it an essential tool for those looking to improve their product listings and ultimately boost sales. Here are a few benefits of using Amazon A+ Content:
Increased conversion rates
A+ Content gives product listings a more attractive and professional appearance, boosting trust and credibility. By enhancing the way your product's information is presented, A+ Content gives your customers all the details they need in a visually appealing format, often leading to higher conversion rates.
Improved customer engagement
With high-quality visuals, comparison charts, and detailed feature descriptions, customers can better understand a product's benefits and unique features. So, enhanced content helps buyers quickly see why the product is a good fit, reducing decision-making time and making the listing more engaging overall.
Enhanced brand storytelling
A+ Content gives you the chance to share your brand story and values in a more captivating way. By including brand-specific messaging, logos, and design elements, you can create a stronger brand connection with your customers, boosting brand loyalty and trust over time.
Reduced return rates
Clear and detailed content leads to better-informed customers, which can reduce returns. A+ Content helps set accurate expectations for customers by allowing sellers to present all aspects of the product, addressing common concerns, and reducing misunderstandings that lead to returns.
Amazon A+ content vs. Premium Amazon A+ content
Here are the key differences between the basic Amazon A+ Content and Premium A+ Content:
| Basic A+ Content | Premium A+ Content | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Brand Registered sellers | Brand Registered sellers who meet the eligibility criteria |
| Modules per ASIN | Up to 5 | Up to 7 |
| Layout | Standard width (970px) | Full-width, higher-resolution layouts |
| Video | No | Yes |
| Interactive modules | No | Hotspots, carousels, and Q&A modules |
| Comparison charts | Standard | Enhanced, more detailed charts |
A step-by-step guide to creating Amazon A+ Content
Before diving into the A+ Content creation process, ensure you have the following:
- An active Amazon Professional seller account
- Enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry
- High-quality images and videos of your products
- Product information and specifications.
Once you are registered, you can start the creation process:
Step 1: Go to A+ Content Manager
First, log in to your Amazon Seller Central account and navigate to Advertising > A+ Content Manager. Select either Basic or Premium A+ Content based on your eligibility.
Step 2: Choose your modules
Next, review the available modules for your chosen A+ Content type and choose the modules that best showcase your product and brand story. You are allowed to choose up to five modules per ASIN for the basic A+ Content and up to 7 modules per ASIN for the Premium A+ Content.
Step 3: Customize each module
For each selected module, upload relevant images and videos. Enter product specifications and details, craft compelling descriptions and headlines, and set up interactive elements (for Premium A+ Content). As you customize each module, keep mobile optimization in mind, as Amazon prioritizes mobile-friendly content.
Step 4: Preview and edit
Review your A+ Content on both desktop and mobile views and check for any missing information. You want to ensure all modules are properly linked and functioning as intended.
Step 5: Apply content
Select the products (ASINs) you want to apply the A+ Content to and choose whether to apply content individually or in bulk. Confirm your selection and proceed with applying.
Step 6: Submit for approval
Ensure you refer to Amazon's A+ Content guidelines to ensure you are right on track.
Here are the minimum image sizes for common Basic A+ modules:
| Module | Minimum size |
|---|---|
| Company logo | 600 x 180 pixels |
| Comparison chart | 150 x 300 pixels |
| Banner image | 970 x 300 pixels |
| Four image and text module | 220 x 220 pixels |
| Four-image quadrant | 135 x 135 pixels |
| Most other image modules | 300 x 300 pixels |
Click "Submit for Approval" once you're satisfied with your content. Wait for Amazon's approval process, which can typically take up to 7 business days.
Step 7: Monitor and make adjustments
Lastly, once your content is up and running, you want to track the performance of your A+ Content listings. Monitor sales, click-through rates, and customer reviews. Gather feedback from customers and adjust your content as needed.
How to optimize Amazon A+ content for increased conversion
Here's how you can make the most out of your Amazon A+ Content to increase conversion and sales:
Choose relevant modules
You want to ensure you select the most impactful modules that showcase your product's key features and benefits. These modules work especially well:
Brand story module
Utilize this for telling your brand's narrative and promoting complementary products.
Comparison charts
Highlight your product's unique selling points against competitors.
Product grids
Cross-promote related products to increase average order value.
Optimize your visual content
High-quality visuals are crucial for capturing your customer's attention and communicating your product information. Use high-resolution images that clearly show product features and benefits. Incorporate lifestyle shots demonstrating how your product works. This will help customers visualize what using your product will look like for them. For products with specific parts, include ingredient/component photos.
Leverage brand storytelling
One way to make the most out of your Amazon A+ Content is to craft an engaging brand story that resonates with your customers. Design a strong banner showcasing your core values.
Keep the narrative simple and focused on your brand identity and product uniqueness. You want to aim for about 200-250 words of text, balancing copy and images. If you are using Premium A+ Content, incorporate interactive elements like scrollable text modules.
Optimize for mobile shopping
Since a large portion of Amazon shoppers use mobile devices, you want to preview how your A+ Content appears on mobile. The text should be large enough to read easily, and images should remain clear without requiring zoom. Avoid overcrowding images with too much small text. Instead, use concise copy and clean designs that go well on smaller screens.
Incorporate comparison charts to upsell and cross-sell
Amazon's A+ Content offers modules for comparison charts, which allow you to showcase related products or different versions of the same product. This not only helps upsell but also gives customers additional options, increasing the chances of a sale if they find a more suitable option.
Keep the comparison chart clear, highlighting the differences in features and benefits without overcrowding it.
A/B test different elements
Consider creating variations of your A+ Content to test which elements (images, headlines, descriptions) drive the most conversions. Monitor the performance using Amazon's analytics, which tracks metrics such as click-through rates, engagement, and conversion.
Based on the insights you gather, optimize your content elements, such as changing how the modules appear, refining images, or changing the tone of the copy.
Combine text and images
Image-only modules look attractive but leave shoppers guessing. Pair every key image with short supporting text that explains the feature or benefit it shows, so shoppers understand the product even when they scan quickly.
Add keywords to text and image alt text
A+ Content is designed mainly to convert, not to rank, but relevant keywords in text modules and image alt text still help. Use them naturally and focus on readability.
Highlight your unique selling point
Make it obvious why your product is different. Lead with the benefit competitors cannot match, whether that is a material, a feature, a guarantee, or a brand promise.
Proofread and follow Amazon's content guidelines
Check spelling, specs, and image text before submitting. Avoid content Amazon does not allow in A+, such as customer reviews or testimonials, pricing or promotional claims, shipping details, unverifiable health claims, and comparisons that criticize competitors. Breaking these rules is the most common reason A+ Content is rejected.
See also: Viral Launch Reviews: What Amazon Sellers Need to Know
Final thoughts
Amazon A+ Content provides sellers with powerful features to enhance product listings and engage customers. By leveraging images, videos, comparison charts, and storytelling elements on Amazon A+ Content, you're not just optimizing your listings. You're creating a relationship with your customers. You're giving them reasons to trust your brand, to understand your products deeply, and to feel confident in their purchasing decisions.
Ready to tell your brand story with Amazon A+ content? You can work with the experts at ePlaybooks to maximize this feature and stand out from the competition.
