Research vs. Perfection: A Savvy Amazon Launch Strategy

• Amazon retail readiness 

• Page scores

• Optimal title lengths 

• Number of bullet points and images

• A+ and premium A+

If you have listed a product on Amazon, then you have likely heard these terms. But what are they, why do they matter, and should you really care about them? 

Ultimately, all of these are about the quality of a listing and its “ability” to convert a shopper into a customer. But as to whether you need to care about them, that’s not such a simple question. Not all listings on Amazon are created equal,  and different categories and product offerings require varying levels of “effort”. It’s fairly easy to understand that a $1.99 pack of tissues needs to do less to sell itself than a $1000 Television. So price is clearly a factor; the less someone is spending, the less justification they need to have in their purchase, and for simpler products like tissues, many consumers will just be driven to the cheapest options. 

But even looking at the $1.99 pack of tissues, there are minimum requirements to have it function as an effective listing: a clear title and a clear main image showing exactly what customers receive, not just for conversion but to prevent returns. However, A+ content, optimized bullet points, bullet points at all, and product description are areas where many top-selling examples below the $5 mark show that some or all of these can be an “optional extra.”

So when are they worth doing, and what benefit do they offer? Unfortunately, there’s not a clear-cut answer to this, and there will be exceptions to everything. A good rule of thumb is the lower the price point, the lower the requirement, but once past that, it becomes much more category-specific and involves understanding the customer's mindset. For example, let’s take two similarly priced products with different parameters: an external hard drive and a jacket. One has a lot of technical parameters, and the other is more of a fashion and lifestyle choice. So both obviously require a good title and main image, but beyond that, the requirements differ. A customer interested in an external hard drive will be after a certain size, transfer speed, and other technical specs, but for the jacket, most decisions will be based on the main image if it suits them, with the support info as a double-check to justify the purchase. So what does this mean for the content requirements?  

For an external hard drive, detailed bullet points highlighting USPs, images focused on practical aspects such as ports, and showing size via lifestyle shots, detailed A+ showing tech details. Then for the jacket, lifestyle shots to show the product, bullet points highlighting USPs, but shorter and less detailed. A+ content will be around the brand more than the product, allowing the same content to be used for multiple product ranges.   

So how do you figure out what is best for your brand and what the requirements are for a good listing in your category? Simple answer: research.

Research competitor listings, research the category, and be driven by the data. Many agencies will push you to optimize everything to a “perfect level,” regardless of whether it will actually have an impact or not.

Whether you are looking to grow your existing Amazon presence or launch in a new region, the first thing that should be considered is the research. At RT7, we use multiple third-party software, as well as first-party Amazon data to dive deep into subcategories in each region and identify the defining factors for the category, and lay out a roadmap for how to take your brand into a new market or expand in its current one. We can show the size of the market you are entering and provide an honest assessment of the challenge it would be to break into this market and if it is worth it. I see too many companies announce they’re going to “soft launch” in five regions to see what works; this wastes money, wastes time, and ultimately spreads resources too thin. There is an incorrect perception this is the “cheaper” and lower-risk route, but Amazon is not the market to just dip a toe in the water; you need to pick a point and swim straight to it. Using research, we will map out a plan that is more along the lines of hitting regions 1 and 2 first, moving to 3 and 4 afterward, and leaving 5 alone as it is too small. If a region isn’t going to work for you, then it won’t  benefit us to put you there.