Can You Use Amazon’s NEW Premium A+ Content To Grow Sales?
Want to gain an unfair advantage on Amazon?
Amazon just opened up Premium A+ Content to Branded Sellers (and very few know it).
This means that you can take advantage of an enhanced marketing tool that until recently was an invite-only offering with $250K buy-in available only to super-elite brands. Amazon has now made it available to anyone with a Professional Seller Account and Brand Registry (like you).
Let’s dive into what you need to know…
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Scrolling and scrolling…
That is what I did for the first few minutes.
I sat, mouth open, watching the options roll before my eyes.
A few hours before, Amazon had granted early access to the new Premium A+ Content to one of our clients, Sam. Sam then turned and asked me and my team to make something of it.
As I looked on, I remember having two thoughts:
- Oh, my…this is going to be fun!
- This is going to change on-page conversions forever!
I was right on both accounts.
That is why I created this in-depth guide.
I want you to unlock this advanced Brand Registry benefit for your products as soon as possible. And I want to make it as easy as possible to do so.
Below you will find two useful and free resources:
Your A+ Template Pack: This is a complete set of manipulatable Premium A+ modules. Use these templates to create, share, and communicate Premium+ design ideas with your team and your designers. It is free and easy to use.
Your Premium A+ Guide: This guide on thi page gives you data, takes you through the approval process, and gives you the current best practices.
GET YOUR FREE TEMPLATE PACK
(Free Premium A+ Kit)
Why wait? You can start laying out your Premium A+ Content now. This kit uses the power of Canva to help you lay out a truly interactive Amazon experience for your products.
And, it is all free. Why wait?
Why Care About Amazon’s New Premium A+ Content?
Old A+ Content (first called “EBC,” now called “Basic A+ Content”) is about to be a dinosaur. A few years ago Amazon released a full revamp of its battle-proven A+ Content. They called it Premium A+ Content – often referred to in the industry as A++ (said out loud as, “A, plus-plus,” or “A double-plus” content).
Bottom line…
This is the most elegant and effective Amazon Enhanced Marketing yet! Unlike the hardboiled elements on the above-the-fold Amazon product listings, Premium A+ Content gives you the ability to manipulate the full array of 17 A++ modules in any way you choose.
This modular approach lets you craft a customizable UX (user experience), featuring captivating HD Images, Interactive Elements, and Full-Width videos.
Your new Amazon Premium A+ Content modules include some exciting features.
New Premium A+ Content Features
In an effort to become more efficient, a few years ago Amazon combined Vendor Central and Seller Central into one platform. The next logical step was an upgrade to the outmoded digital marketing content.
The new Premium A+ Content is the result. It picks up where old A+ Content and Enhanced Brand Content left off. A full array of customizable features let you elegantly personalize your Product Listings on Amazon to better express your brand.
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Interactive Elements (Hotspots Buttons)
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HD video integration in A+ (not just in the Image Stack)
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Interactive “FAQ style” Q&A Section
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Product tutorials
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Interactive comparison charts
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Flash Video (360-degree user-controlled product spin and zoom)
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Carousel modules
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Full-Width Images
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Mobile-friendly and voice-friendly product listings
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Testimonials
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Return-reducing “What’s in the box” section
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Connection with the Alexa System to allow your customers to research your product anywhere
The result is a digital experience that moves us closer to the feel of a physical store rather than the disconnect of flipping the pages of a print catalog.
With this customizable content, you can present your branded product to the world with premium brand story elements, gloriously large images, and rich media such as HD video, while still enjoying the tried-and-true text placements.
7 Big Benefits Of Premium A+ Content
1. Interactive Elements Capture Lost Sales
Experience has shown us that once potential buyers scroll downward on your Amazon product listings, there is a greater than 90% probability that you have lost the sale.
Basic A+ Content and the new Premium A+ Content are proven capable at recapturing shoppers who have wandered below the fold. Amazon’s own internal data confirms what we’ve known for years: “Product pages paired with Basic A+ Content experience up to a 10% increase in average sales.”
The numbers only get more exciting with the new Premium A+ which is enjoying a massive conversion rate boost of over 15%!
This means that if you already implemented Basic A+ content, then a quick upgrade to the new Premium A+ can add another 5 percentage points to your conversion rate – all from the same traffic.
And, let’s be clear – industry-wide numbers are even more exciting than Amazon’s own conservative estimates.
We’ve seen sales bumps from 20% to over 100%.
One of the biggest reasons for the extra boost is that A++ content captures attention via stunning, interactive elements that let potential buyers play and engage before they scroll away to buy your competitor’s offerings.
In the off-Amazon world, a study by MediaMind analyzed 24,000 websites and discovered that the addition of media-rich content (similar to those found in A++ content) helped boost impressions by 3x. But this is not a new thing…
The direct response marketers of old relied on what were called “Widgets” for similar results. The old-timers knew that kinesthetic interaction of any kind boosted response.
In physical mail days, widgets could be anything from a Post-It style lift note that required the reader to pick up to see what was hidden below, to cool sliding charts which revealed hidden answers.
Human nature hasn’t changed in all these years. That’s why Premium A+ Content works so well and has now become a proven tool for sellers who don’t want to rely solely on pumping up paid ads budgets to boost their product sales.
2. Build Brand Awareness
Big bold visuals and fun interactive elements not only grab the attention necessary to recapture sales, but when crafted with elegance and consideration, they also build trust for your brand.
The Premium A+ offerings give Amazon sellers a stunning array of highly-visual options.
With 7 customizable modules at your disposal, you can add images, comparison tables, a large image header, rich multimedia content, high-definition videos, interactive content, and product descriptions.
Basically, you can quickly create A+ content that takes up a huge swath of digital real estate across all of your product sales pages.
Use this real estate to promote your brand story or to engage potential shoppers with a sophisticated online shopping experience.
Either way, when done correctly you will enjoy boosted conversion rates while your shoppers enjoy a customized product page that will give your products a unique look that is both professional and trust-enhancing.
3. Increase Organic Attraction (Even Off-Amazon)
Organic Attraction is the foundation of profitable selling on Amazon.
An often overlooked benefit of A+ content (either Basic or Premium) is that Google loves to index the text placed inside enhanced content.
This means that the simple deployment of any A+ Content onto your product pages can boost organic traffic through Google SEO. Of course, this requires a focused effort to match your on-page SEO factors (like keyword density) with valuable off-Amazon search terms that place your product in line with relevant Google search results.
It takes a little bit of work, but what a great way to increase brand exposure beyond the walls of the Amazon marketplace!
4. Boost Your Amazon Sales Rank (BSR)
When it comes to ranking inside the Amazon eco-system, the A10 Algorithm considers everything from back-end keywords to front-facing bullet points and product titles, as well as reviews.
Yet, the biggest factor, by far, is how your products perform.
Specifically, the better your products sell, the better they will rank for specific Amazon search terms (because high-converting products are better for Amazon’s bottom line).
This means…
On Amazon, Conversion Rate is King.
And conversion rates are where Premium A+ content really shines.
Experience has shown that by deploying Premium A+ Content modules featuring large hero images lovingly crafted with professional, eye-catching, interactive, and elevated design, you are simply more likely to enjoy higher conversion rates.
This can give you a huge competitive advantage because when you sell better, you rank better – bottom line.
5. Attract Better Reviews
Years of experience has shown us that more immersive marketing also drives better feedback and reviews. This comes down to helping shoppers make informed buying decisions because your product detail page offers clarity and a step-by-step process for building customer trust. The Testimonial Elements inside of A++ content give shoppers the social proof they need to confidently push that Add To Cart button.
Likewise, the Interactive FAQ section lets brand owners establish crystal clear expectations about what will happen after shoppers finalize their purchase. The result? Shoppers leave genuine, positive reviews. And positive reviews are a key metric that the Amazon A10 algorithm uses when ranking product pages.
6. Decreased Refund Requests
The Immersive elements also have the added benefit of giving shoppers precise and detailed knowledge that sticks in their memory. The result of this clarity and knowledge is fewer complaints, returns, or exchanges.
7. Improve Paid Ads Efficiency
If you manage Amazon PPC or if you run Amazon advertising, then you know how Pay-Per-Click ads have becomes increasingly essential to selling on Amazon. I can tell you as an Amazon Ad Agency owner, the need for diligence and care in managing paid ads efficiency is also more important than ever.
That’s why crafting Amazon Product Pages that capture and convert shoppers into buyers is more critical than ever before. Better converting pages reduce your Advertising Cost of Sales (ACOS) while boosting your ROI (Return On Investment). A win-win!
Basic A+ vs. Premium A+ Content (What’s the Difference?)
We created this quick-reference chart to help you quickly understand the difference between the New Premium A+ Content and the older Basic A+ Content (formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content /EBC).
Premium A+ Content Qualification
While it was true that Premium A+ Content was once only available to global brands (like Apple, Dove, Sony, and Pampers). It was invite-only, and had a hefty $250,000 buy-in – this qualification is now gone.
Amazon has opened this channel to established Brand Registered sellers. As of the time of this writing, you must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the new Premium A+ Content:
5 Steps To Premium A+ Content Eligibility
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Have a Professional Selling Plan
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Be registered with Amazon Brand Registry.
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Set up your Amazon Storefront
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NEW! Now you only need 5 Basic A+ Content projects published and approved within the past 12 months on each of your eligible Amazon storefronts (This was recently reduced from 15).
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Have at least 1 published Brand Story attached to every ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) in your catalog.
Those are the barriers to entry. Once met, your account will be internally reviewed (no Seller request needed). Simply keep an eye out for that invitation banner asking you to try out the new Premium A+ Content.
Note: Currently, Access for this Premium Content feature is granted at the end of each month. For more information on Basic A+ content, Premium A+ Content, and to find out if you are eligible, visit: Get started with A+ Content.
How much does Premium A+ Content cost?
Great news! When your invite is open, there is absolutely no fee to publish your Amazon Premium A+ content.
However…
The sheer number of design options (and sub-options) available inside the new Premium A+ modules may place burdens on design and creative teams. There is a cost of creating Amazon-compliant copy and image design may be too time-consuming to learn, or beyond their current bandwidth.
If that is you, feel free to reach out and let the team at Ecom Optimization for help. However, if your team can handle the burden, then we believe the benefits are just too powerful to ignore. So, craft up a full array of creatives (copy and images) for an enhanced product description that takes full advantage of the new interactive modules.
Where Do I Find A++ Content Tool To Set Everything Up?
You will simply upload the Premium Amazon A+ content using the A+ Content Manager tool you are probably already familiar with.
Once Inside…
Check Out Some Of These Awesome A++ Modules
Below we’ve gathered some of the team’s favorite Premium A+ modules together for you to get a feel of the persuasive power ready to be leashed on your Amazon product page. Included below are great examples of how these self-service modules can be used (including some of our own work in the space).
Premium A+ Background Image with Text
This module pairs a beautiful full-width image with a nice Amazon SEO-friendly text box, as in this example from Sony.
Plus, in an extraordinary departure from the old EBC image with locked-in text box placements, this new Premium A+ module allows you to move the text box (the dark box with white text), placing it wherever it works best with your image design.
Premium A+ Comparison Table
These comparison chart modules are great for both cross-selling and differentiating between your product offerings, like this table from L’Oreal.
The team at Ecom Optimization likes this table because, unlike how most sellers use it, you can build a value ladder, moving shoppers toward higher-margin products and bundles. Simply add higher margin items from left to right.
Premium A+ Full Video
Sometimes nothing sells quite as well as a simple “show and tell” video, like this wonderful video for the new Fusion Pro Black.
New Premium A+ content offers you full-width video so you can bring your product to life in glorious HD quality and sound. We have found that a benefits-rich sales script turned into a voice-over with an accompanying video does wonders for conversions.
If you have video from your influencers, consider repurposing it using this A++ module for a quick easy win. Or go full studio production, as Pampers did with their video (below)
Premium A+ Hotspots Modules
I truly love Hotspot modules. They are so interactive (and so addictive) I find myself obsessively clicking on each “hotspot” – which honestly doesn’t need to be clicked because it responds when shoppers simply hover over the “dots”.
We’ve tested up to 6 hot spots per image and found they let shoppers enjoy a unique kinesthetic ‘feel’ that engrains product features and benefits – like with this layout that the team at Ecom Optimization and I did for the Fusion Pro massage gun.
Hotspots are fairly simple to set up. Just place the hotspots where you want them, add text, and let your customers hover over a circle to read more about that feature and benefit – as Pampers did here…
Premium A+ Q&A Module
The biggest benefit of this module is that YOU GET TO PICK the questions and answers you want to post.
This feature is a great way to overcome sales objections and preempt all of the questions that are too often repeatedly asked (because they get buried in the standard questions section of product listings).
If you use this module, you must come up with two questions minimum. We have never found this to be a problem, even when launching Amazon listings, we simply take generate the questions right from the deep Market Research and answer them right here.
Use these as a place to answer common customer questions, manage expectations or expand upon your brand.
This handy interactive module lets you control the conversation and overcome sales objections in a direct way that would seem awkward in other modules.
Premium A+ Features (Regimen) Carousel
This module lets you pack maximum-content-per-square-inch. The ovals along the top act like tabs that shoppers can click to reveal new content (similar to photo-scrolling on Instagram).
You can pack in high-quality images as L’Oreal did (above) with their Premium A+ Carousel. Or use the image with text module as Galaxy did with theirs (below). Either way, have found 5 ‘tabs’ to be the most manageable number.
Once set up, customers easily scroll through a series of vibrant panels. The topic of each panel appears above the carousel. This is a great choice for brand storytelling, instructions, demonstrations, or case studies.
WATCH: Video Overview - Premium A+ Content & Templates
GET YOUR FREE TEMPLATE PACK
(Premium A+ Kit)
Why wait? You can start laying out your Premium A+ Content now. This kit uses the power of Canva to help you lay out a truly interactive Amazon experience for your products.
And, it is all free. Why wait?
Premium-Rich Product Pages To Inspire You
We’ve rounded up a few Amazon product pages that have Premium A+ content as examples – including our own work.
Is Amazon Premium A+ Content Right for Your Brand?
Short answer – If you have access, yes!
Long answer – There are many factors to consider.
Though publishing Premium A+ content costs you nothing, there will be an obvious investment in time and resources (ie staff). When considering whether to launch A++ content, ask yourself:
Q: How much revenue does my product currently generate?
Calculate the potential ROI. A conservative 10% increase with A++ cotent on a product that sells $300,000 per year is a $30,000 boost to your top-line sales!
Some other considerations:
Q: Do my competitors have A+ content?
If better-performing competitors only have basic A+ content, you could leapfrog past them by boosting conversions with this simple differentiation.
Also, consider the value of negating downsides. Amazon often places product comparisons right on your product pages like this…
A++ Comparison charts allow you to combat this intrusion by creating your own (dare I say, better) Comparison Chart.
Here you can showcase your brand’s other products. And, as I said, you can create a value ladder that leads shoppers toward purchasing whole solutions via product bundles and value packs.
Q: How complex is the product?
If you’re selling products with specs that are hard to understand, A++ content gives you the ability to highlight features by explaining (and showing) the benefits in detailed, yet highly-visual ways.
Likewise, failing to deploy A++ content means that you’ve passively decided to let profits slip away.
Let’s look at some pros and cons for your brand.
PRO
Premium A+ Content is available free of cost
You can become eligible for Premium A+ Content on your current Amazon Product Pages
You can deploy Amazon Premium A+ Content on any approved brand catalog
A++ content boosts conversion rates on products with good traffic.
Access is open to brand-registered accounts and you don’t have to pay $250,000+ anymore.
CON
Likewise, failing to deploy A++ content means that you’ve passively decided to let profits slip away.
You still need designers and copywriters familiar with Premium A+ content to craf content for the self-service modules
You still must qualify within the 12-Month qualification period (see Premium A+ Content Qualification)
The demand on your team for this content may require strategic planning: Consider adding A++ to your best-selling products with great ROI and a unique selling point
Premium A+ Content is not a quick fix for products that are not selling well – before deploying A++, double-check your product-market fit, core messaging, and unique selling propositions
Creating 15 pieces of A+ Content in a single year to qualify may be too large of a financial and logistical commitment for some brand owners (consider Basic A+ Content as an alternative)
That said, if your brand is fortunate enough to have access to the best of the Amazon Brand Registry benefits, take advantage of the opportunity.
Tips for Creating Great Premium A+ Content
At Ecom Optimization we manage accounts through a variety of new content rollouts, including premium A+ content. If interested you can check out our services here. Below are some of the best tips we’ve gathered after rolling out enhanced content for 100+ brands.
1. Grab as much Visual Real Estate as possible
Competing against the noise on Amazon demands you grab attention to overcome the hordes of ads and Amazon suggestions that are crowding your product page, clamoring for attention.
To overcome this, simply take up space with big, bold high-quality images, and banners that steal attention away from all those nagging annoyances on your product detail page.
2. Make Your Copy BEEFY!
Premium A+ content offers ample opportunity to re-engage shoppers, it is also an opportunity to re-engage the Amazon Robot (A10 algorithm).
As Amazon has been working to reduce the title character allotment down to a measly 50 characters while shrinking the backend keywords, there is still plenty of room for emotionally engaging, SEO-packed copy down in the A+ content section.
Piling on an extra 1000 words of copy below the fold is entirely possible and acceptable. Is the customer going to read it? Maybe not all of it, probably only what is needed to make a decision.
But do you know who will read all of it?
That robot! This also means you should be careful not to hide all of that keyword-rich copy in images. Rather, leave behind some crawlable text.
3. Craft Video That Gets Results
These three styles of videos work really well on Amazon.
Explainer videos: If your product is complex or innovative, this type of video follows the simple “tell & show” format by telling how your product works and then showing them the benefits in action.
Product showcase videos: Consider this as your lowest barrier to entry for videos. A simple Voice Over with lots of HD images lets you create a showcase video that captures attention in the simplest form. Just make sure to highlight those emotionally driven benefits (not just the features).
Brand story videos: These types of videos are great for products with low market differentiation. Brand Stories give you the ability to appeal to your shoppers based on your story – ie. the “other” value you bring to the marketplace.
3. Don’t Focus On Your Logo
While it is great to brand an image with your logo, is not about you, this is about the customer. So make sure all of your sales language and your images are focused on identifying with your shoppers, pointing to their desires, and poking at their pains.
4. Set the ALT Text For EVERY Photo In A+ Content
Most sellers don’t do this, but there are 100 characters available to describe each image that you upload to Amazon.
This is called your Alt-Text and it is a great piece of SEO real estate. Use these 100-character strings to describe your image and stuff in a high-value keyword.
While it is true that Amazon claims they don’t use alt tags for SEO (there is much debate about this) one thing we do know is that this Alt Text is crawled and indexed by Google as well as other search engines.
Additionally, while it will never be visible to the front end (meaning, where shoppers browse) it will aid shoppers with visual impairments (i.e., those who use screen readers)
For those two reasons alone, be sure to place keywords and product descriptions behind each photo you upload to Amazon.
5. Create An Upsell Pathway
Squeeze that product comparison module for all it’s worth.
Most sellers just toss in a few unrelated products in hopes for cross-selling opportunities.
This use of Comparison Charts misses a huge opportunity for the comparison module.
Instead, consider promoting bundles and value packs in this section. Look at it as a Value Ladder, where each product is neighbored by an offering with a higher price tag (and higher margins).
For example, if you’re selling a dog leash, then related products could be:
A Dog Collar
Dog Collar and Leash bundle
Dog Collar, Leash, and Poo Bags bundle
So, consider how to strategically use Comparison Chart to go beyond just bringing attention to your other products, use it as a pathway to better margins and bigger sales.
Amazon A+ Content Guidelines and Regulations To Keep In Mind
Advertising competitor products is strictly prohibited.
Text and the images used to create A+ content should be unique.
Do not offer any contact information (email address, phone numbers, URL).
Do not display Shipping information.
Do not mention or quote Third-party reviews.
Do not use the same product image twice.
Do not mention guarantees or warranties.
Do not mention seller authorizations (for example, “shop with us for authentic products”).
Do not mention references to off-Amazon refunds and returns.
Do not use promotional price language, such as “cheap” or “free”.
Do not use obvious calls-to-action, such as “get yours now”.
Do not mention shipping details like “free shipping”.
Do not use Copyright, Trademark, or Registered symbols.
Avoid boasting, such as “#1 product on the market”.
Do not use Time-sensitive language, such as “on sale for a limited time”.
Limit your cited third-party quotes to two maximum (ie. quotes must come from a known public figure or well-known publication).
Violating Amazon policies can lead to your basic and premium A+ content pages being removed.
No Invite Yet? No problem…
Don’t wait around for that invite, start implementing the most interactive elements in classic A+ content right now.
Assuming you have a brand-registered account there are great classic A+ modules available right now that still move the needle with interactivity.
Consider setting up A/B tests with Basic A+ Content. This Enhanced Marketing is available via your Amazon Brand Registry right now, and it is a HUGE asset.
A/B Testing for A+ Content
Don’t rely on your designer’s eye.
Don’t even take our word for it.
Ultimately, you’ll have to find out for yourself what works for your product, your customer, and your brand.
The good news?
There’s built-in software to help you narrow it down. Amazon’s new split-testing capabilities allow sellers to test two different versions of A+ Content, for free!
It allows you to run experiments over a 4-10 week time period to help you discover which version is converting more customers.
Take the Next Step Toward Unlocking The Power Of Amazon
If you’re looking to get more money back from your Amazon efforts, hiring an expert is your best bet. An Amazon Account Management Agency will work with you on so much more than just A+ Content.
Daily management covers optimization of your ad campaigns, decreasing your advertising cost of sales (ACoS), and boost Sales Conversions, all while taking advantage of Amazon’s highly-effective Enhanced Marketing to boost organic attraction.
In other words, if you sell on Amazon, you can’t afford to not be leveraging experienced Account managers to your benefit. ECOM OPTIMIZATION Amazon Account Management can help you to build an effective strategy that aligns with your unique brand needs.
Using a hands-on, human-led approach, we’ll help you get more from your Amazon sales channel, so you can create more growth for your business in less time.
Ecom Optimization Amazon Account Management is here to Help
Ecom Optimization is a full-service Amazon Account Management Agency. Our team consists of specialists in all areas of Amazon optimization and management.
When you look at the many ways that Ecom Optimization Account Management can help you grow your brand on Amazon, you’ll see why selling on Amazon becomes headache-free with Ecom Optimization:
Strategic Growth Planning
Amazon Copywriting Optimization
Amazon Image Optimization
Paid Advertising Management
Seller Support Management
Amazon Enhanced Marketing
Brand Reputation Management
Amazon Posts
Full-Service Amazon Account Management
Ready to Grow Your Brand On Amazon?
