Amazon has fierce competition within its marketplaces, both from honest and unscrupulous sellers. Speaking of unscrupulous sellers, the Amazon marketplace is full of cheap, low-quality counterfeits and unscrupulous resellers trying to profit from the arbitrage earned on selling your products, making it hard for you as a seller to thrive. But the good thing is that Amazon offers a free Amazon Seller Brand Registry Program to give you a competitive advantage.
More than 100,000 brands worldwide use this program; will your brand be one of them?
What is Amazon Seller Brand Registry?
Amazon Brand Registry is a program offered by Amazon that allows brands to register their trademarks and intellectual property with Amazon. Once registered, brands can use the Brand Registry to help prevent the sale of counterfeit products, protect their trademark from being used improperly by other sellers, and manage the product content and listings on Amazon.
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Amazon Brand Registry has a specialized team to whom brand owners can report policy violations, intellectual property infringement, listing issues, and technical concerns, as well as escalate previously reported complaints.
Why Should You Enroll in Amazon Seller Brand Registry Program?
Enrolling in an Amazon Brand Registry program has more benefits, especially if a person or business is an Amazon Seller and manufactures or sells under their brand. It not only protects registered Amazon trademarks, but it also offers purchasers a trustworthy experience.
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Here are the main reasons and benefits for brand registration to the program:
1. Protects the Brand Against Product Piracy
One major concern most sellers have when selling products under their brand is that a random merchant may hijack their products. Since Amazon has fierce competition, with such a large seller base, hundreds go above and beyond to stay ahead.
The good thing is that Amazon Registry allows the brand to be registered and gives sole ownership to the "Amazon Buy Box." So, even if the product is hijacked, the authorized or legitimate seller can contact Amazon seller support to have it removed.
2. Extensive Access to Who Can Sell a Brand?
A brand can determine who can sell its products using Amazon's registry program. Here are five types of sellers that are eligible:
- Sellers who are manufacturers
- Sellers selling their products under their brand name
- Sellers that produce white-label products
- Sellers that have their own private-label product
- Sellers who are distributors and have the authority to have a trademark's content on Amazon
If a vendor sells in any two of the following categories, they are not eligible for the five categories mentioned above:
- Video, Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, Media, and Books
- Sports and entertainment collectibles (both used and new products)
3. Have Full Control of the Product Listings
As a Brand Registry member, you can manage and update product information. This gives you more control over how your brand is represented on Amazon, so you can ensure that your products are accurately and professionally represented.
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On the other hand, a regular Amazon seller is often constrained by their tight algorithmic requirements. However, the regulations are relaxed through their Registry program, and a seller has full control over the following:
- The title of the product
- The product's image with the trademarked brand name
- Product Description
- Use of product IDs rather than UPCs and EANs
- Reducing "match" errors throughout the listing process
4. Access to Marketing Tools
The Brand Registry program provides access to various marketing tools, such as sponsored brand ads and the ability to create custom landing pages. As mentioned earlier, these tools can help you increase brand visibility and drive sales, giving you a competitive edge on Amazon.
5. Improved Product Authenticity
By enrolling in the Amazon Transparency program, you can provide a unique code for each product that customers can use to verify its authenticity. This can help improve customer trust and loyalty, as customers will know they purchase genuine products from your brand.
6. Dedicated Support
As a Brand Registry member, you'll have access to dedicated support from the Amazon Brand Registry team. This can be handy if you have questions or need assistance with any aspect of the program.
7. Increased Customer Trust
By enrolling in the Brand Registry program, you can demonstrate to your customers that you are a trusted and professional brand, which can increase customer trust and loyalty.
8. Increase Your Ad Options
On Amazon Brand Registry, Sponsored Brands are usually unlocked. This ad option allows your business to market up to three products. Furthermore, Sponsored Brands display your logo and brand name, which can help with brand recognition. Besides, Sponsored Brands show the above-Sponsored Products at the top of search results.
Steps on How to Enroll for the Amazon Seller Brand Registry Program
To enroll in Amazon's Brand Registry program, you must obtain an active registered trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It may take up to 12-18 months for an application to be processed. The good thing, however, is that Amazon allows enrolling with a pending trademark using a trademark application number.
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Additionally, you need to create an account at Amazon Seller Central if you don't already have one. Once you are done, follow the steps below:
1. Sign in to Your Amazon Seller Account
To access the Brand Registry page, log in to your seller account and click on the "Inventory" tab in the top menu. Then, click on the "Brands" link in the submenu. This will bring you to the Brand Registry page.
2. Create an Amazon Brand Registry Account
On the Brand Registry page, you will see a button labeled "Apply now" near the top of the page. Click on this button to begin the application process.
- Provide legal/corporate information
- Text/SMS verification of identification
- Accept its policies, terms, and conditions
- Then, press the "save" button.
When providing the legal/corporate information, these are the documents you need; a trademark registration certificate, a Statement of Brand Ownership (SBO), and a list of product categories you will be selling.
3. Enroll the Brand
The next step is now to enroll the brand. This comprises four crucial criteria:
i). Brand Eligibility
This page requires information on the brand name to be registered, the brand's logo, and the number of brand names to be enrolled in the registry. Once you fill in these details, click the "next" button.
ii). Intellectual property
This page requires you to select the brand's trademark name, trademark type, registration number, and the registration office. Once you are done, click on the "next" button.
iii). identification
This page requires you to upload the brand logo(s), product images, package images, and information about your internet presence (website and social media page). Once you are done, click the "next" button.
iv). Characteristics
This page describes the brand in depth, including seller account information, seller account details, license details, manufacturing details, whether the products have EANs, UPCs, GTINs, or EANs, a manufacturing country, and states where the products are distributed. Once you provide all the information, click the "submit application" button.
4. Verification From Amazon
After submitting your application, Amazon will validate all the information. It takes up to 10 days for the process to be completed and the brand registry activated. Amazon usually sends a code to the registered trademark office at this stage. (If your application is declined, you will receive a notification explaining why and how you can appeal the decision).
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You(as the seller/brand owner) must reach that registered contact and inform them that they will get an email from Amazon that must be forwarded back to you.
- After receiving this code, log in to your Amazon Seller Central account, enter the Case ID from the initial email, and click the Go button.
- Select the View or Respond button, and choose Reply. Then, paste the code and click the send button.
Once the whole procedure is complete and the code is successfully entered, the Brand Registry process takes 1 - 2 working days to finish.
5. Enjoy the Benefits
Once you have been approved for the Brand Registry program, you will enjoy the benefits that come along with it. These benefits include access to powerful marketing tools, enhanced product protection, improved listing visibility, etc.
What Are the Marketing Tools Offered on Amazon Seller Brand Registry?
A brand registered on Amazon Brand Registry can use it to access various tools and resources to help them optimize their product listings and improve their visibility on Amazon. These tools can create enhanced brand content, create and manage product listings, and access performance data and analytics. The tools include:
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1. A+ Content
The tool is also referred to as Enhanced Brand Content. It allows you, as an Amazon Seller, to modify your listings.
2. Sponsored Brands Ads
As a brand owner, the tool provides you with advanced marketing and advertising tools.
3. Amazon Live Creator
The tool is used to answer any live queries from potential customers.
4. Amazon Vine Program
The tool allows Amazon's most trusted customers to leave product reviews, attracting new buyers by providing honest and unbiased feedback.
5. Amazon Stores Builder
The tool usually helps you create and maintain a dedicated page that is modified and structured to showcase your products on a single storefront.
6. Transparency Program
The tool provides you control over who sells your products.
7. Project Zero Program
The tool allows you to ban users who have violated the terms of service after the infringement has been verified.
8. The Amazon Attribution Tool
The tool offers analytical insight into social media, display advertisements, PPC, and email marketing data.
9. The Virtual Bundles Tool
As a brand owner, the tool allows you to build customized "bundles" out of some complementary products from a single detail page.
Frequently Asked Questions on Amazon Seller Brand Registry
1. Who is Eligible to Enroll in the Amazon Seller Brand Registry?
- Distributors with registered trademarks
- Private-label products owners or manufacturers
- Resellers and individuals with legal authorization from a manufacturer or brand owner to manage a product's Amazon detail page
2. Can an Agent Enroll in Amazon Seller Brand Registry on My Behalf?
No, you must accept the terms and conditions and enroll yourself in Brand Registry. Later, you may add an agent as a brand representative and give them access to the Seller Brand Registry tools.
3. Do I Need to Enroll in Brand Registry on Each Amazon Marketplace Separately?
Yes, because every country has its registry, you must enroll separately.
Amazon's updated brand registry has country-specific trademark enrollment requirements, including:
- Every country's trademark office
- Each office's terminology for text-based or image-based trademarks that contain text.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is an extra option for EU nations.
This helps you to ensure that your trademark is registered with the appropriate authorities and is of the correct type. To check the exact requirements, go to the eligibility page and click "Review country-specific requirements here" under step one.
4. Is it My Responsibility to Find and Report Infringement?
Amazon usually uses the reports you submit to develop its automated algorithms. The more information you provide to Seller Brand Registry about your brand, the better their algorithms grow. They intend to flag automatically:
- Images of your logo on products that are not your brand.
- Listings that use your trademark phrases yet aren't affiliated with your brand.
- Sellers shipping products from countries other than the ones where your brand is manufactured and distributed.
As a result, the more infringements you submit, the better Amazon's automated tool will become, resulting in fewer infringements to report manually in the future.
5. How Do I Determine If a Product is Enrolled in the Brand Registry?
There is no publicly accessible database of Amazon-registered brands at the moment. However, if a product description page has Enhanced Brand Content (EBC), it's in the Brand Registry. EBC offers more detailed product descriptions, images, advanced layouts, and formatting. Conversely, since EBC is an optional feature, the absence of EBC on a product detail page does not imply that it is not enrolled in the registry.
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