In an endless sea of sellers, you need new ways to get your brand noticed. How can you be heard on Amazon when everyone else is shouting just as loud?
How can you survive the competition? The answer? Differentiation. You need to tell a clear brand story to forge a deeper connection with shoppers. Amazon A+ Content can help.
In this guide, we’ll share tips for using A+ Content to optimize your product listings, boost your visibility, and grow your Amazon ROI.
What Is Amazon A+ Content?
Amazon A+ Content is a tool within Amazon Seller Central that lets brand owners create and manage customized product detail pages. Sellers can use Amazon A+ Content to add high-quality images, charts, and other elements to shape their product pages into vivid brand narratives.
A+ Content, formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content (EBC), was introduced in 2008, but was only available to certain sellers. It was then rebranded in 2016 and made available to all Brand Registered sellers.
Two years later in 2018, Amazon launched another tier of A+ Content, called Premium A+ content, or A++ Content. Premium A+ Content was initially available to a small number of select vendors and high-performing sellers, by invite only. In exchange for this exclusive content, sellers paid anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000 per product, per year.
A lot has changed since then. In 2022, Amazon started offering Premium A+ Content for free through Seller Central, though it’s still only available to those who qualify.
Types of A+ Content
Though there is currently no charge for either Amazon A+ Content or Premium A+ Content, sellers must meet Amazon’s requirements to qualify for each category.
Here’s a closer look at the two different types of Amazon A+ Content, their unique features, and how to know if you’re eligible.
Basic A+ Content
Basic A+ Content is available to sellers who are on Amazon Brand Registry and hold a Professional selling plan. To join Brand Registry, sellers must hold an active registered trademark for their brand, or be enrolled in the Amazon IP Accelerator.
With Basic A+ Content, sellers can take advantage of enhanced images, detailed product descriptions, comparison charts, technical specifications charts, and bullet points. Sellers can choose up to five content modules per ASIN, with customizable layouts and formats.
Certain users also have access to free A/B split testing with the Amazon Manage Your Experiments tool. However, the tool can only be used on eligible high-traffic ASINs by sellers who own their own brands.
Premium A+ Content
Brands that meet the eligibility criteria gain access to Premium A+ Content features, like larger images, videos, navigation carousels, and Q&A sections.
Premium A+ Content also includes interactive image hotspot modules, which show users pop-up text when they hover over different parts of an image. This text can be used to highlight important product features, key benefits, or other product information.
To become eligible for Amazon Premium A+ Content, you should have already published an A+ Brand Story to all ASINs within your brand catalog. You also need to have had at least five A+ Content modules approved within the last 12 months.
If your brand becomes eligible, Amazon will display a banner within A+ Content Manager and you’ll be able to use it in any of the countries where you sell.
While there is currently no charge to use Amazon Premium A+ Content, fees could be introduced in the future. If this happens, Amazon says there will be an announcement in the A+ Content tool, and your existing content won’t be impacted.
| Basic A+ Content | Premium A+ Content | |
| Eligibility | Available to all Registered Brands with Professional selling plans | Same as basic, plus:Published A+ Brand Story to all ASINsFive A+ Content modules approved in last 12 months |
| Imagery | Display high-resolution lifestyle images, use models, and show products from different angles | Same as basic, plus:VideosClickable image carouselsLarger images on detail pageProduct images with interactive hover hotspots |
| Cost | Free to all eligible Amazon users | Currently free to all eligible users, but Amazon may charge fees in the future |
| Comparison Charts | Display product information including model type, dimensions, and features | Same as basic, plus:More control over chart appearanceOption for shoppable “Add to Cart” buttonOption to display reviews and prices |
| Additional Features | Brand StoryA/B Testing | Brand StoryA/B TestingQ&A Sections |
| Time Commitment | Approximately 4-6 hours to create a product page | Approximately 11-14 hours to create a product page |
5 Big Benefits of Amazon A+ Content
1. Increase Conversions
According to Amazon, using A+ Content can lead to an average conversion rate increase of 5.6%, simply by building more awareness for your brand and products. Premium A+ Content has been shown to increase sales by up to 20%.
2. Reduce Returns and Negative Feedback
Both types of A+ Content can help you reduce customer returns and negative feedback, by letting you share more complete product information and answer customer questions in advance.
3. Keep Customers Coming Back
Amazon says A+ Content encourages repeat purchases and offers additional space to cross-sell and link to your Amazon Storefront.
4. Boost Engagement
Both Basic A+ Content and Premium A+ Content can increase customer engagement and activity, especially during deal events like Amazon Prime Day.
5. Create a Unique Brand Experience
Scrolling down Fishwife’s product page, you can see that it uses an interactive image carousel to deliver a comic book style content experience not often seen in other listings. Rather than your usual text-based description, Crocs’ “product description” is a high-impact video of young models enjoying their shoes. And Owala’s colorful comparison tables practically gamify the process of choosing a thermos to “Add to Cart.” These are all powerful examples of A+ Content in action.
A+ Content Guidelines
Amazon has three different categories of specific terms and guidelines for all A+ Content. Failure to follow each requirement could get your listings rejected, or even cause your ASIN to be removed as a restricted product.
To stay compliant, make sure to carefully read Amazon’s guidelines for all A+ Content. Here are just a handful of the key rules and restrictions:
Image and Text Formatting
- Don’t use blurry, pixelated, or low-quality images (resolution should be at least 72 dpi)
- Don’t use images with watermarks or small text that’s illegible on mobile devices
- Make sure alt text accurately describes the image and is useful for a screen reader application
- Avoid grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors, as these can result in content rejection
- Avoid using all-caps text, excessive bolding or italics
Claims and Awards
- Include dates of any awards or endorsements mentioned (don’t include awards 2+ years old)
- Make sure any certification claims are substantiated with a note in the text
- Don’t make satisfaction claims, like “100% satisfaction guaranteed,” “top-rated,” or “best-selling”
- Don’t make any claims about curing, treating, or preventing diseases in people or animals
Content Restrictions
- Don’t include addresses, phone numbers, or other contact information, and never direct customers to get in touch with you outside of Amazon
- Don’t quote any customers or private figures; any quotes must be from major publications or public figures and cited as such
- Don’t reference any competitors
- Don’t use comparison charts to compare products from other brands or categories
- Don’t use images or text that look like Amazon logos, headings, or other Amazon branding
Remember: Guidelines change all the time. Always check Seller Central for the most current and complete list of rules and restrictions.
How to Create A+ Content for Amazon in 2024
Now that you know what A+ Content is and why it’s worth your time, what’s the quickest way to get started?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you start creating exceptional A+ Content.
Step 1: Start Your Workflow
In Seller Central, navigate to the Advertising tab and click on A+ Content Manager. From there, you can search for an ASIN or product name, or simply start the A+ Content workflow.
Step 2: Select Your Content Type
Select the type of A+ Content, choosing between Basic Enhanced Product Description or Brand Story modules. Amazon recommends using both to “maximize your brand’s presence on the detail page.”
Step 3: Choose a Name and Language
Create a Content Name under Content Details and choose your intended language. Your content will only appear on the detail page in the language you select, but you can create multiple language variations.
Step 4: Add Modules and Images
Add different modules to start developing the style and layout of your page. You can use up to seven modules for A+ Content. You can also add images from your Asset Library. Remember to follow all Amazon guidelines, including image size guidelines.
Step 5: Apply ASINs
Associate the content with one or more of your ASINs by searching for ASINs or running a bulk upload. If you’re adding more than 1,000 ASINs, you must use bulk upload to upload a .csv or .xls spreadsheet of up to 500,000 ASINs.
Step 7: Submit Your A+ Content
Submit your changes and wait for Amazon to complete its approval process and publish your content. Note that it can take Amazon up to 7 business days to approve your content, plus another 24 hours to publish. If any of your submissions are rejected and you resubmit, it will take another 7 business days to approve.
A+ Content Do’s And Don’ts
With competition on the rise, there are some key best practices to implement. As you build your Basic A+ Content and Premium A+ Content pages, remember the following do’s and don’ts.
Do’s:
- DO focus on your unique strengths: Use A+ Content and Brand Story as tools to share your unique mission and values, and let potential customers know what sets you apart from competitors.
- DO be as descriptive as possible about your products: Use text and images to share as much accurate product information as possible to increase customer satisfaction and trust, and decrease returns and negative reviews.
- DO use high-quality visuals: Incorporate professional, high-res photos and graphics that showcase diverse models using your products.
- DO A/B test your A+ content: Use Amazon’s Manage Your Experiments A/B testing tool to see which images, text, and other elements work best. Be ready to make adjustments to improve conversion rates.
- DO monitor and update regularly: Keep your A+ Content up-to-date with the latest product information, features, and customer feedback.
Don’ts:
- DON’T accidentally violate Amazon’s guidelines: Amazon’s rules can change quickly. Take time to review them on a regular basis, you don’t want to get penalized or delisted for breaking a policy you didn’t even know about.
- DON’T depend too much on AI: Tools like StockIMG and Copy.ai can be great for creating unique product images and drafting written content, but make sure you always check its work carefully to avoid plagiarism and creepy fingers.
- DON’T assume Amazon will take care of optimization: Sure, Amazon will reformat your content for you, but always check the layout and ease-of-use on both desktop and mobile.
- DON’T forget to be inclusive: Use a representative group of models, captioned videos, and accurate alt text for screen readers.
If you get stuck, refer to Amazon’s A+ Content Guide and Premium A+ Content Guide for more tips on creating winning content.
An A+ Strategy for Winning on Amazon
It’s harder than ever to stand out on Amazon, but A+ Content gives you more flexibility and freedom to express who you are as a brand. With the right strategy and a strong identity, you can create pages that are more uniquely you.
To learn more about how to grow your Amazon business, check out SellersFi’s Amazon Resources Hub. While you’re there, swing by our full suite of e-commerce solutions to learn more about how we can help you scale.
