Amazon to Highlight Small Businesses with New Badges

Amazon is testing a program that will help shoppers identify products from small businesses – however, only brands and artisans qualify for the program.

Sellers who own their own brand and meet the eligibility criteria can register with Brand Registry in order to participate in the new small-business program.

Amazon announced, “We’re starting first by testing the Small Business badge on a subset of eligible product detail pages in the U.S., and plan to scale further as we learn how the badge can best help customers discover small business products they love.”

Amazon provided FAQs about the Small Business products program:

1. What is a Small Business in Amazon’s store?
   In the US, we follow Gartner’s definition of small business. Small businesses are eligible for this badge if they are registered with Brand Registry or participate in the Handmade program. The specific products that receive the badge are from small business brands and artisans based in the US. We are currently testing the Small Business badge and not all customers will see the badge on all eligible small business products during this test.
2. What are the benefits of being identified as a Small Business in Amazon’s store?
   The badge will indicate to customers that the products they are viewing are from a Small Business. In addition, Small Businesses will have the opportunity to be included in special events, and promotions in the Amazon store.
3. How do I know if my business is enrolled as a Small Business?
   If your branded products have the Small Business badge on their product detail page in the Amazon store where your business is based, this means that your business is enrolled in the program.
4. Is there a cost to be identified as a Small Business in Amazon’s store?
   No, participation is completely free for eligible businesses.
5. Are all my products enrolled in this program?
   If your business meets the eligibility criteria to be identified as a Small Business in Amazon’s store, all products within your registered brands will be enrolled.
6. Can I remove products from my Small Business brand from participation in this program
   At this time, we do not allow the exclusion of specific products. If you don’t want to participate, you may choose to have your business removed from the program completely by contacting Selling Partner Support (it may take up to two business days to reflect on the store).
7. I believe my business qualifies, what is the process to confirm that I own a Brand Registred Small Business?
   You can contact Selling Partner Support, provide the name of your brand and company, business address, and your merchant token ID, and our team will review your eligibility in the program. You can expect a reply within 10 business days from your initial request.
8. How long will my Small Business be included in this program?
   As long as your business meets our eligibility criteria, products within your brand will remain featured in the Amazon store where your business is based.
9. I have selling accounts with Amazon in multiple countries. Will my products be part of this program in all stores where my products are sold?
   We will showcase the Small Business badge in the Amazon store where your business is based.
10. How can I report a potential error, such as a large business that is mistakenly identified as a Small Business?
    You can contact Selling Partner Support and report the business in question, and we will investigate.
11. Is this program only launched for a limited time or event, such as Prime Day?
    We are currently testing this program, and we will share further updates in the future.
12. I am not a brand owner. Will you allow my products to be enrolled in the program?
    The current feature is limited to Small Businesses that are enrolled in Brand Registry or participate in the Amazon Handmade program. If you own your own Small Business brand and meet the eligibility criteria, register your brand with Brand Registry to participate. After registration, you can contact Selling Partner Support, provide the name of your brand and company, your business address, and your merchant token ID, and our team will conduct a separate assessment to confirm that your business qualifies. You can expect a reply within 10 business days from your initial request.
13. Why do I need to enroll my brand with Amazon Brand Registry to benefit from the “Small Business” badge program since I am a Small Business brand owner according to my country’s definition?
    Amazon Brand Registry is a free service that provides brand owners with active registered trademarks access to a set of powerful tools that help them manage and protect their brands and intellectual property rights. To contact the Amazon Brand Registry team regarding enrollment, click here. Our specialists on the Brand Registry support team are standing by to provide assistance on issues related to protecting your brand on Amazon.

You can find Wednesday’s announcement and read seller comments on Seller Central on Amazon.com. It did not provide an image of the new badge.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.