Amazon says that its A+ Content enhancements can boost product sales on average by 3-10%. That’s not too shabby. Especially when you consider that all you need to do is add some additional content to your listing page. Improving sales doesn’t really get any easier than that. Oh yeah, and it doesn’t cost you a cent to implement. Yep. With Amazon A+ Content, you can make more money by spending no extra money? We’re pretty sure there hasn’t been a deal this good since Popeyes’ $5 Big Box. Or since Black Friday ‘17 at Best Buy. Or maybe even since the Louisiana Purchase. (A third of America for $15 million? That was a pretty good deal.) That’s right, Amazon A+ Content is Louisiana Purchase-good. After all, you have to assume Amazon didn’t call it “A+” for nothing.

What is A+ Content

A+ Content is a tool offered by Amazon that lets brands add additional information to their product pages by integrating product descriptions, rich images, charts, graphics, videos, and narrative copy to help customers make more informed buying decisions. In other words, A+ Content makes your Amazon product listings sexier. Amazon likes to say that A+ Content “enhances your product story with beautiful details.” And everyone knows beautiful details are the best kind of details. Conveniently, Amazon has shown all this beauty in a promo video containing unnecessarily bouncy devices: Previously, A+ Content was referred to as “Amazon Enhanced Brand Content” (if you’re a seller) and “Amazon A+ Enhanced Marketing Content” (if you’re a vendor). It’s since been streamlined as simply “A+ Content” across the board. A+ Content is a vital component of Amazon Listing Optimization (ALO) with the ultimate goal to help you increase traffic, conversion rates, and sales. Or, in the words of Amazon, it enhances your business with beautiful sales.

Why Use A+ Content

Everything mentioned above should be enough to get you crushing hard on Amazon A+ Content. But if that didn’t do it for you, how about A+ Content’s ability to:  

• Showcase your product’s unique value proposition.
• Tell your brand’s story.
• Build brand affinity.
• Provide SEO relevance.
• Drive purchase decisions with relevant info.
• Answer common questions.
• Differentiate you from your competition.

  All in an easily digestible, visually engaging experience. That’s enough of a reason for us to recommend A+ Content to all of our clients selling on Amazon. That last bullet is especially important since every product page on Amazon looks near identical. A+ Content is how your products can stand out from the others.

How to Get A+ Content if You’re a Seller: Register Your Brand

Product pages for sellers don’t automatically come with A+ Content enabled. You have to request access. (Unless you’re a seller within Amazon Exclusive or Amazon Launchpad, in which case you do automatically have access to A+ Content.) In order to take advantage of all A+ Content has to offer as a regular seller, you need to register with Amazon’s Brand Registry. To do so, you’ll need:  

• An active registered trademark for your brand
• The ability to verify yourself as the trademark rights owner
• An Amazon Brand Registry account

  (If you registered previously, before March 2018, you’ll likely need to it again as Amazon has since updated the process.) Once accepted into the registry club by Amazon, you can add up to 15 ASINs per month with A+ Content. (We’ll help you figure out which ones to choose a little further down.) The only other catch is that you can only add A+ Content to products that are a part of your Amazon-approved brand catalog.

How to You Get A+ Content if You’re a Vendor: Be a Vendor

Vendors on Amazon have it a little easier. They automatically qualify for A+ Content solely by being a vendor. Vendors can also opt-in for a premium paid version of A+ Content, not available to sellers. It’s invitation-only, but once that invite arrives, they gain access to several additional interactive features and video options.

Free A+ Content vs. Premium A+ Content

So while in the majority of cases, A+ Content is free, there is a version that vendors can pay for, known as Premium A+ Content. To get in on the premium goodness, a vendor will have to spend typically between $250K to $500K. But while Premium A+ Content offers a few more features, so-called “basic” A+ Content is still spectacular. Also, it’s free, which makes it even more spectacular. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two:   (You can get a list of the modules included in the A+ Content free-version here.) Some of the premium features that invited vendors can play with are:  

• Hover & Click Interactive Content

Click (or hover) on various feature points to reveal product details.  

• Premium Product Comparison Chart

An enhanced version of normal product comparison charts.  

• Content Slider Gallery

Image sliders that can be designed for various purposes.  

• “In the Box” Content

Shows exactly what comes in the product’s box.  

• Content Video

A high-quality video that appears right on the page.   There are a few others. The point is, if you see those features on another brand’s product page and enviously wonder aloud, “How do I get that?” Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That’s how.

How to Add A+ Content

We could outline the steps to creating A+ Content in your Amazon account. But Amazon has already done that in their comprehensive guide on how to create A+ Content. (Amazon’s bouncy promo video above also quickly shows what to do.) Also, their guide includes a list of restricted content that you can’t use for A+ Content. Super useful. (Amazon will reject a product listing that does not adhere to its guidelines.)

When to Add A+ Content

While free and relatively simple to implement, A+ Content does take time and proper execution. It’s also probably best not to head in guns blazing and try to A+ up all your eligible product listings. Strategically picking which to upgrade is a far better move. Start with products that meet at least one of the following:  

• Is premium-priced
• Is one of your best sellers
• Provides a strong ROI
• Offers differentiated benefits and features
• Offers complex features requiring explanation

  As a rule of thumb, we recommend initially applying the 80/20 rule to your A+ Content strategy. This means adding A+ Content to the 20% of products that are generating 80% of your profits through Amazon.

When Not to Add A+ Content

A+ Content is not a magic solution. It should not be used for products that aren’t already selling well. If you have an underperforming product, there is more going on there than a couple of images and extra copy can fix. We suggest reading our guide on how to boost your sales organically to get your listings up to snuff. Once they are, start enhancing your content. A+ Content should be used as an accelerator for products already demonstrating signs of positive growth. Use A+ Content to push them over the edge of success.

How to Tell If Your Amazon A+ Content is Working

You make more sales.

No Really. How Do You Know If Your A+ Content is Working?

Optimizing your product listing with A+ Content is one of those trial and error games. One of the best metrics to monitor success is your conversion rates (CVR). If your conversions rates drop after adding A+ Content, it’s usually a sure sign that your content is not tailored correctly to your target audience. Modify your content from there to see which items improve CVR. For another way to know what content is working, try “A+ Content Experiments” (also referred to as “Manage Your Experiments”). As of writing, this feature was in beta, but this new tool allows Sellers to A/B test their A+ Content to make better data-driven decisions. Here’s what the process looks like: Experiments let you test practically every component of your A+ Content. (We recommend testing one item at a time.) Some ideas to get you started:  

• The layout (e.g., shuffle around images and text.)
• Features (e.g., does a comparison chart improve CVR?)
• Different images (e.g., show your product in various situations, like in front of a tree. People love trees.)
• The tone of your copy (e.g., humorous, insightful, techy, etc..)

  Note: Not every seller is eligible for A+ Content Experiments. (Find out if you’re eligible.)

How to Create High-Converting A+ Content

Successful A+ Content follows a tried and true adage of marketing:  Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Remember how Amazon described this tool?  “[A+ Content] enhances your product story with beautiful details.” There’s a very key aspect to that description, and it has nothing to do with the beauty of your details. “Product story.” That’s the one. Your A+ Content should tell a story about your product. A+ Content is not a free-pass to display every piece of marketing content you can come up with and cram it onto your Amazon product listing. It is a selection of content that can be used strategically to enhance the messaging conveyed to your audience about your product — i.e., the story of your product and why they should buy it immediately. Flowing. Convincing. Appealing. That’s the ticket. And the result of that enhanced messaging? Higher conversions. To get there, try designing your A+ Content like an epic landing page. That is to say, text and images should work together to funnel your visitors into taking your desired action.

A+ Content Examples

A little inspiration can go a long way. So here are some brands that are applying A+ Content effectively that you can use as inspo for your future A+ Content endeavors. No additional explanations needed. These A+ Content examples speak for themselves. Zinus Memory Foam Mattress   Bose Headphones   Craftivity Tropical Terrarium    Pure Enrichment Humidifier  

Conclusion: Double Down on Profits With A+ Content

Selling things is fun. But you know what’s even more fun? Selling more things. So don’t go sitting on your laurels if you’re starting to turn a profit on Amazon. This is no time to pop the bubbly and make yourself a trophy. This is the time to double down, strike while the iron’s hot, and keep on keepin’ on. This is the time to enhance your selling strategy even further. There’s always room to improve. And you can do it today with A+ Content. Then watch your product sales skyrocket. Now that’s a beautiful thing. If you need help creating A+ Content, contact us today!   About the author: Danny has been named one of San Diego’s most admired CEO’s by the San Diego Business Journal, was the recipient of Google’s All Star designation, has been featured in Forbes and Inc. Magazine, and was voted and named a Metro mover for the last two years.