Amazon Vine Guide 2024 - 3fin Weekly Briefing #15
Upcoming deadlines for Black Friday, Amazon Vine 2024 Guide, Pro Tip for Old Listings
Today’s Menu
Amazon news of the week: upcoming deadlines for Black Friday & Cyber Monday
Deepdive: everything you need to know about Amazon Vine
Pro Tip: deleting inactive listings
News of the Week
Stat of the Week: 61% of All Units Sold on Amazon during Q2 2024 Came from Third-Party Sellers
Amazon to Launch Revamped Alexa with Advanced AI in October: Amazon is set to release a new version of its Alexa voice assistant, powered by Anthropic's Claude AI, just in time for the U.S. holiday shopping season. The upgraded Alexa will offer enhanced conversational capabilities as a subscription service, marking a strategic shift for Amazon as it aims to turn Alexa into a profitable venture.
Low-price FBA fees in Belgium postponed to 2025: Amazon announced that the low price FBA fees - a roughly 10% discount on FBA fees for products priced less than 12€ - will come in effect only from 2025 onwards, instead of Sept. 1, 2024.
September 6 - Don’t Miss the Deal Submission Deadline: September 6 is the final date to submit your deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Missing this deadline could cost you valuable sales opportunities during the holiday season.
September 13 - FBA Inventory Deadline for Prime Big Deal Days: Ensure your inventory arrives at Amazon by September 13 to maintain your Prime badge and ensure your deals go off without a hitch during the highly anticipated Prime Big Deal Days in October.
Deepdive: Everything You Need to Know About Amazon Vine
Introduction
If you ever launched a product on Amazon, you’ve surely heard of Amazon Vine. The program allows you to get early, high-quality feedback from trusted reviewers known as Vine Voices. But with costs involved and specific requirements, it’s crucial to know if Vine is the right choice for you. Let’s explore what the program offers and how it can impact your business.
What is Amazon’s Vine Program?
Amazon’s Vine program is designed to help you gather early reviews from a select group of top reviewers, providing your new products with a credibility boost. Here’s a quick overview:
Eligibility: To participate, you must be brand-registered, and your product should have fewer than 30 reviews. It also needs to be in new condition and eligible for Prime shipping. If you’re opening a brand new seller central account, make sure you get brand-registered before launching your first product - this is essential to use Amazon’s Vine program and get your first product reviews.
Costs: The Amazon Vine enrollment fee used to cost around $200 for a maximum of 30 Vine reviews. However, Amazon changed the enrollment fee rates last year: for 1-2 units enrolled, Amazon Vine is free, for 3-10 units enrolled, Amazon Vine will cost $75, and for 11 to 30 reviews you will pay a $200 Amazon Vine fee.
If you’re new to Amazon, you might be eligible for Vine credits, which can help offset the cost of the program. Make sure to use them if you’re launching new products.
Benefits of Using the Vine Program
If you’re launching a new product and want to get “social proof” as quickly as possible, Amazon Vine is a serious option to consider. You get:
High-Quality Reviews: Vine Voices are selected based on their track record of providing detailed, trustworthy reviews. This means the feedback you receive is likely to be thorough and reliable, which can help build your product’s reputation. And between us, Amazon Vine reviewers often give a (really) “good” review with often at least 4 stars (provided you’re selling quality products).
Increased Visibility: More reviews can improve your product’s ranking in Amazon’s search results, making it easier for potential customers to find and buy your product. Besides, having reviews will significantly improve the conversion rate of any sponsored product, brand or display ads you’re running.
Early Feedback: Getting reviews early in your product’s life cycle can help you identify and address any issues before they affect a wider audience.
As of 2024, Amazon has broadened the range of Vine Voices, ensuring that the feedback you receive comes from a diverse group of reviewers. This helps ensure that your reviews reflect a wider range of customer opinions, which can be especially valuable for products that appeal to broad demographics.
Drawbacks and Considerations
While Vine offers significant benefits, there are some important considerations to keep in mind:
Cost vs. Benefit: The fees can be substantial, particularly if your product has thin profit margins. It’s important to weigh whether the potential increase in sales will justify the cost of enrolling in the program. If you alternative solutions to get high quality and valid amazon reviews, Amazon Vine might not be necessary.
Reviewer Bias: Although Vine Voices are generally reliable, their opinions might not always match those of the general public. This could lead to reviews that are detailed but not entirely representative of your broader customer base.
Is the Vine Program Right for You?
So, should you use Vine? Here’s how to decide:
Good Fit: Vine is ideal if you’re launching a new, premium product or competing in a crowded category. If your product has unique or complex features, detailed reviews from Vine Voices can help potential customers understand its value.
Think Twice: If you’re on a tight budget or your product already has a solid review base, the cost might outweigh the benefits. In such cases, focusing on other strategies like organic review generation might be more cost-effective.
If Vine doesn’t seem like the right fit for your business, there are always alternatives. Consider using follow-up emails to request reviews from satisfied customers or offering promotions to encourage more organic feedback. These strategies can help build up your review base without the upfront costs associated with Vine.
Conclusion
Amazon’s Vine program can be a powerful tool for generating early, high-quality reviews that give your product a strong start. However, it’s important to carefully consider whether the benefits justify the costs for your specific situation. If you’re launching a new product and have the budget—or access to Vine credits—Vine might be a smart investment. But if the program isn’t a perfect fit, there are other ways to build those valuable reviews and boost your product’s visibility on Amazon.
Tip of the Week: Delete Old Listings!
Do you have old listings lingering in your Amazon Seller Central account that you clearly don’t plan to sell again? If so, it’s time to delete them!
When old or inactive listings remain in your inventory, Amazon assumes you intend to sell them again. This might not seem like a big deal, but it can lead to unexpected compliance or IP issues. Even if you haven’t sold an item in years, Amazon could still hold you accountable if something goes wrong with the product.
To avoid potential problems, I highly recommend regularly cleaning up your inventory and removing any old or inactive listings from your account.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s briefing. If you wish to learn more about 3fin, you can book a call or try it for free.
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