One of the biggest missed opportunities for Amazon sellers (including publishers) is failing to add A+ content to their Amazon listings. I’ve talked about why A+ content matters (see “Why sellers are so eager to get on the Amazon Brand Registry“) but let’s take a look at the Amazon A+ sales impact according to various sources, including Amazon itself.
The following screenshot is from an official Amazon document titled “Complete Guide to A+ Content for Brand Owners.” It notes that A+ content can “potentially increase sales by 8% by using rich content to showcase your brand and educate customers about your product features.” This information was published in March 2023 (an earlier version of the same document published in 2021 stated the boost was 5.4%).
For Premium A+ content, the impact is even higher. In an email and attached PDF from August 10, 2022, Amazon stated that sellers could increase sales up to 20% *on average* when implementing Premium A+ content:
However, there were some important caveats in the small print:
Amazon has conducted studies to measure the current performance for products that have A+ content vs no A+ content. The results of these studies found that, on average, there is a 20% sales lift for Premium. Results of A+ content on the Detail Page may vary based on numerous factors including content quality, product price, and product category. This study of A+ contentis based on internal research conducted by Amazon and is nota guarantee of future sales.
Variation in Amazon A+ sales impact by product category
Is there any variation in the A+ sales impact for different product categories on Amazon? I asked Amazon about this in June 2024 in an online seller thread, but was told that this data was not available.
Datahawk, a French company that works with Amazon and Walmart sellers, presented data about A+ detail pages showing a strong positive correlation with paid conversion rates. The chart appeared on Twitter and LinkedIn, but without a link to the original report:
Nevertheless, the correlation rings true, considering Amazon’s own statements about the A+ content sales impact and the undeniable fact that A+ content can inform customers about the product and the brand in ways that standard detail page photos and descriptions cannot.
Amazon A+ impact on book sales
According to a Hot Sheet newsletter dated August 4, 2021, a major book wholesaler said A+ content made a difference, but the range varied, depending on the category.
Jess Johns, consumer insights manager at Ingram Content Group, tells us that studies across different product categories have shown anywhere from a 3 to 20 percent conversion rate improvement for products with A+ content.
I assume the Ingram data only applies to book categories, and only for standard A+ content (Premium A+ content is currently not available to publishers).
Regardless, I tell my publishing clients that good A+ content can yield real results just because it’s so rare. Relatively few books use A+ content on detail pages. Of the million new ISBNs published to Amazon each year, I doubt even a few percent have A+ content. Further, the quality of book A+ content on Amazon is generally quite bad – even big New York publishing houses fall back on review quotes dressed up with fancy graphics. This means if a book has well-designed A+ content, it will truly stand out and elevate the detail page, yielding better conversion rates, all other things being equal.