How to transform your product pages into visual sales magnets

Amazon A+ Content: Boost your product pages with enhanced visual content

Do you dream of standing out on Amazon? A+ Content is a powerful feature that can transform your standard product descriptions into compelling visual experiences. In this guide, we dive into everything you need to know about Amazon A+ Content – from core features to advanced strategies that can help you capture your customers’ attention and increase your conversions.

As an Amazon seller, it is crucial to present your products in the most attractive way possible. This is where A+ Content comes into play – a tool that can provide you with a significant edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

What is Amazon A+ Content?

Amazon A+ Content (previously known as Enhanced Brand Content or EBC) is a premium feature that allows brand-registered sellers to enhance their product pages with advanced visual elements. Instead of standard text-based descriptions, you can now add rich images, informative infographics, comparison tables and even videos to your product listings.

A+ Content replaces the traditional product description on Amazon product pages with more visually appealing content. This enables you to highlight your brand story, product features, and unique selling points in a more engaging way.

Essentially, Amazon A+ Content is designed to give customers a more detailed understanding of your product, which can lead to higher conversion rates and fewer returns, as customers gain a precise understanding of what they are buying.

Types of Amazon A+ Content

There are two primary types of A+ Content on Amazon, each with its own strengths and use cases:

1. Enhanced Product Description: Focuses on highlighting specific product details, features, and benefits. The enhanced product description appears directly on the product page and replaces the standard text description.
2. Brand Story: This allows you to tell your brand’s story and values across all your registered products. The Brand Story appears as a separate section on the product page and helps build a stronger connection with your customers.

In addition, Amazon also offers Premium A+ Content, which was previously reserved for large brands by invitation only, but is now available to qualified brand-registered sellers. Premium A+ grants access to even more advanced modules and interactive features, which we will explore further below.

How does Amazon A+ Content differ from standard product descriptions?

Compared to standard product descriptions, A+ Content offers significantly more flexibility and creative opportunities. Here are the key differences:

• Standard product descriptions are limited to plain text with basic HTML formatting
• A+ Content allows high-resolution images, advanced text layouts, and multiple module types
• Standard descriptions offer limited options for highlighting brand identity
• A+ Content enables you to include brand logos, storytelling, and consistent branding
• Standard descriptions cannot include comparison charts or video content

Many Amazon SEO experts also highlight that A+ Content can contribute to better visibility in Amazon’s search results, as it increases the time customers spend on your product page – a positive signal to Amazon’s algorithm.

Benefits of implementing Amazon A+ Content

Investing time and resources in creating A+ Content on Amazon can bring a range of valuable benefits to your business:

• Increased conversions: According to Amazon, A+ Content can boost sales by up to 3-10% by providing customers with more detailed product information
• Reduced return rate: When customers have more complete information about your product, they are less likely to be disappointed after purchase
• Improved brand recognition: Consistent visual branding helps create a stronger impression with customers
• Differentiation from competitors: In a category with many similar products, A+ Content can be the decisive factor that convinces customers to choose your product
• Opportunity to tell your story: You can create an emotional connection with customers by sharing your brand story and values

For businesses new to Amazon’s marketplace, A+ Content can be especially valuable for establishing credibility and standing out from established competitors.

Who can use Amazon A+ Content?

To access the A+ Content feature on Amazon, you must meet certain requirements:

For Basic A+ Content, you must:

• Be a professional seller on Amazon Seller Central
• Be approved in Amazon’s Brand Registry programme
• Be the official representative of the brand (with a registered trademark)

For Premium A+ Content, additional requirements apply, which may vary, as Amazon often grants this feature based on sales volume, brand strength, and other factors. Many large brands gain access by invitation, but Amazon has also run periods where the feature was available to all qualified brand-registered sellers.

If you are not yet brand-registered, it is definitely worth considering, as this not only gives access to A+ Content, but also to a range of other protection and marketing tools.

How to create A+ Content on Amazon

Creating A+ Content on Amazon involves several steps. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get started:

1. Log in to Seller Central: Start by logging into your Amazon Seller Central account
2. Find A+ Content Manager: Go to the “Advertising” dropdown menu and select “A+ Content Manager”
3. Create new A+ Content: Click the “Start creating A+ Content” button
4. Choose content type: Decide whether you want to create an Enhanced Product Description or Brand Story
5. Define ASINs: Choose which products (ASINs) your A+ Content will be linked to
6. Select modules: Amazon offers various module types such as banner modules, text modules, image modules, etc. Choose those that best fit your narrative
7. Upload content: Add images, text, and other elements to your chosen modules
8. Preview and edit: Review your content to ensure it appears as expected
9. Submit for approval: When you are satisfied with your A+ Content, submit it to Amazon for approval

The approval process typically takes 7-10 business days, but this can vary. If your content is rejected, Amazon will usually provide feedback on what changes are required for approval.

Amazon A+ Content guidelines and restrictions

To ensure your A+ Content is approved by Amazon, it is important to follow their guidelines carefully. Here are the key rules and restrictions:

Prohibited content:

• Pricing information or promotions (such as “discount”, “free shipping”, etc.)
• Time-limited offers or seasonal claims
• Information about shipping or company policies
• References to other products or retailers
• Subjective or exaggerated claims (such as “best ever” without documentation)
• External website links or QR codes
• Guarantees or warranty statements, unless included in the product package
• Grammar mistakes, spelling errors, or incorrect punctuation

Image requirements:

• Images must be high-resolution and professional quality
• No watermarks or text overlays on images (unless part of the product)
• No animations or GIFs
• No images of happy customers or reviews
• No comparisons with competitors’ products via images

Remember, your Amazon marketing should always be customer-focused, informative, and honest. Following these guidelines will save you from rejections and delays in the approval process.

What is Premium A+ Content on Amazon?

Premium A+ Content (also known as A++ Content) represents the highest level of product presentation on Amazon. It was originally offered exclusively to large brands with significant turnover, but has at times been made available to more qualified sellers.

How does Premium A+ Content differ from standard A+? It offers:

• Video integration: Ability to include HD videos directly in the product description
• Interactive hotspots: Customers can hover over different parts of an image to see more details
• Carousel views: Advanced image galleries and carousels with more interactive features
• Q&A modules: Pre-set questions and answers in an elegant format
• Full-width presentation: Modules that use the entire width of the screen for a more impressive display

Premium A+ Content delivers an almost shop-like experience and is particularly suitable for premium products or products with complex features that require thorough explanation.

To access Premium A+ Content, contact your Amazon consultant or representative to check if your account is eligible.

How to optimise your Amazon A+ Content

Having A+ Content is good, but having optimised A+ Content is even better. Here are strategies to maximise the effectiveness of your A+ content:

Content optimisation:

• Focus on benefits rather than features: Explain how the product solves customer problems, not just its technical specifications
• Use high-quality images: Invest in professional product photography that showcases your product at its best
• Create a coherent story: Ensure your entire A+ Content tells a consistent story about your product and brand
• Address common objections: Use A+ Content to answer frequent questions or concerns customers may have
• Keep it readable: Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and highlighted text to make the content easy to scan

Technical optimisation:

• Optimise for mobile: Test your content on mobile devices, as many Amazon customers shop via smartphone
• Include relevant keywords: While A+ Content does not directly improve searchability, it can indirectly affect rankings through increased engagement
• Leverage module variations: Experiment with different module combinations to find what works best for your products

Continuous testing and optimisation is key to achieving the best results with your A+ Content. Monitor conversion rates before and after implementing A+ Content to measure effectiveness.

A+ Content examples and best practices

To give you a better understanding of what effective A+ Content looks like, let’s review some best practices and examples:

Effective strategies:

• Use lifestyle images: Show your product in use in real-life situations, so customers can visualise it in their own lives
• Before and after scenarios: Demonstrate the problem your product solves and what life looks like after the solution
• Size and scale comparisons: Help customers understand the physical dimensions of the product
• Step-by-step guides: Show how easy your product is to use or install
• Product families: Present related products or accessories that work together

Many successful brands also use Amazon Advertising in combination with A+ Content to create a seamless customer experience – from ad to product page to purchase.

The difference between A+ Content and Enhanced Brand Content (EBC)

There is often confusion over the terms A+ Content and Enhanced Brand Content (EBC). Previously, there was a distinction between the two:

• Enhanced Brand Content (EBC): Was originally the feature available to brand-registered sellers in Seller Central
• A+ Content: Was the corresponding feature for vendors in Vendor Central

In 2019, Amazon unified these features under the name “A+ Content” for both sellers and vendors. So today, “A+ Content” and “EBC” are essentially the same – although some sellers and Amazon FBA experts still use the old EBC term out of habit.

This consolidation of terminology reflects Amazon’s efforts to harmonise the experience across their different seller programmes and platforms.

How to measure the effectiveness of your A+ Content

After investing time and resources into creating A+ Content, it is important to evaluate its impact on your business. Here’s how you can measure effectiveness:

Key metrics to monitor:

• Conversion rate: Compare the conversion rate before and after implementing A+ Content
• Average order value: Check if customers purchase more expensive variants or multiple products after A+ implementation
• Time on page: More time spent on the product page may indicate greater engagement with your content
• Return rate: Effective A+ Content should reduce returns by providing customers with clearer expectations
• Earned media: Increased mentions, social shares, or reviews that reference your detailed product descriptions

For the most accurate measurement, you should establish a baseline before implementing A+ Content and then track changes over a period of at least 30-60 days afterwards.

If you use an Amazon course or external consultants to create your A+ Content, they can often help establish KPIs and track results.

Common mistakes to avoid with Amazon A+ Content

Even experienced Amazon sellers make mistakes when creating A+ Content. Here are some of the most common pitfalls you should avoid:

• Overcomplication: Cramming too much information into one module can overwhelm customers
• Lack of mobile optimisation: Content that looks good on desktop but becomes unreadable on mobile devices
• Text in images: This can lead to rejection from Amazon and makes the content less accessible
• Repeating product titles and bullet points: A+ Content should add new information, not repeat what is already visible
• Insufficient brand investment: Lack of consistent branding across all modules reduces recognisability
• Overreliance on text: Too much text and too few visual elements reduce the effectiveness of A+ Content

Another common mistake is treating A+ Content as a one-time task. The most successful Amazon sellers regularly update their A+ Content based on customer feedback, seasonal changes, and new product features.

Is Amazon A+ Content right for your business?

While A+ Content offers many benefits, it is not necessarily the right choice for every Amazon seller. Here are some considerations to help you decide if you should invest in A+ Content:

A+ Content is a good fit for your business if:

• You sell products with complex features or technical specifications
• Your products have unique selling points that require visual demonstration
• You focus on building a long-term brand on Amazon
• Your products are in a higher price range where customers expect detailed information
• You have resources to create quality content (or can partner with an Amazon agency)

A+ Content may be less urgent if:

• You primarily sell consumables or very simple products
• Your focus is on short-term revenue rather than long-term brand relationships
• You have a very limited marketing budget

For most serious Amazon sellers, however, the benefits of A+ Content outweigh the costs, especially in competitive categories where differentiation is crucial.

How to get help with Amazon A+ Content

If you do not have in-house resources or expertise to create effective A+ Content, there are several ways to get help:

• Amazon A+ Content services: There are specialist agencies and freelancers who are experts in creating Amazon A+ Content
• Amazon A+ Content design services: Professional designers can help create visually striking modules that capture attention
• Amazon A+ Content writing services: Experienced copywriters can craft compelling product descriptions that convert

When choosing a partner to assist with your A+ Content, it is important to select someone with proven experience specifically with Amazon’s unique requirements and restrictions.

The future of Amazon A+ Content

Amazon is constantly evolving its platforms, and A+ Content continues to develop. Here are some trends and developments to watch for:

• Increased availability: Amazon has gradually made A+ features accessible to more sellers
• More interactivity: New module types with greater interactivity to engage customers
• Video integrations: Improved options for including video across all levels of A+ Content
• Mobile-first design: Increased focus on optimising the A+ experience for mobile devices
• AR/VR integrations: Potential future opportunities to include augmented reality experiences

By keeping up to date with these trends and continually improving your A+ Content, you can ensure your Amazon presence remains competitive in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape.

The future of your Amazon business with A+ Content

A+ Content is no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ feature on Amazon – it has become an essential part of a successful Amazon strategy. By leveraging the rich visual and informative opportunities in A+ Content, you can:

• Enhance the customer experience and increase conversions
• Build stronger brand recognition and loyalty
• Communicate complex product benefits in an engaging way
• Stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace

Whether you are new to Amazon or an established seller looking to improve your presentation, investing in quality A+ Content is a strategy that can yield significant returns in the long term.

Remember, A+ Content is an ongoing process, not a one-off task. The most successful Amazon sellers regularly evaluate and refine their A+ Content based on customer feedback and market changes.