When you purchase something, you usually want to know how it stacks up against its competition. Is it the best brand for what it does? Is it in the top ten? It makes sense to want to know if what you’re buying is popular among others as well. Amazon understands this, which is why they rank their products based on how well they are selling. BSR, or Best Sellers Rank, is the ranking assigned to products on Amazon.If you want to open a successful Amazon store, you need to understand BSR.
This ranking tells businesses and customers alike how well a product is currently selling in a given department. Whether you’re a customer or a seller, understanding a product’s BSR can have a big impact on your Amazon shopping experience. In this article, we’ll cover the ins and outs of a BSR and what a good ranking looks like. We’ll also explain the other ways Amazon keeps track of their most popular brands and products. Finally, we’ll discuss the overall importance of understanding your BSR.
Table of Contents
What is BSR?
BSR stands for Best Sellers Rank. Your Best Sellers Rank (BSR) is a numerical ranking assigned to a product based on how well it sells. Really popular items might have a BSR like 8 or 5, meaning that it is within the top 10 best-selling items for that category. Less popular items will have higher numbers, like 5,435. These rankings are usually specific to certain departments, like “Electronics” or “Fashion.” One item can be listed within multiple departments, meaning that it might have different BSRs for each department. For example, an electronic toy might be listed under both “Electronics” and “Toys and Games.” It may be more successful in one of these categories than the other. It all depends on how popular it is compared to other items in those same departments.
How Amazon Calculates BSR
Amazon calculates Best Seller Rankings using data about sales volume over time. While a product might be selling well compared to other products in your store, how your product ranks against similar products in the same category is what really affects BSR.
BSR is determined by Amazon’s algorithm, which examines all of a product’s sales history. Even though all sales are taken into consideration. newer sales are considered more important. Thus, newer sales affect the BSR more than historical sales. BSR does not consider ratings or product reviews when calculating rankings. This means that the BSR a product has is determined solely based on how much it is selling. How well a product is selling might not always be a great determinant of its quality. However, many users will likely feel comforted by how popular a product is. Usually, a product’s popularity indicates that it must be relatively good quality, even if it doesn’t factor in customer reviews. So, sales rank doesn’t necessarily indicate quality.
Why Do Customers Like BSR?
For customers, BSR can be a great tool to determine what sellers are legitimate and provide quality products. For businesses, a good BSR is a coveted status that identifies the success and quality of your product. Businesses want customers to trust that the seller they are buying from is providing good products. Because of this, knowing your BSR and how to improve it are very important for online sellers.
What is a Good BSR?
Now, you might be wondering what constitutes a “good” BSR. Determining what makes up a “good” BSR can be difficult. Ideally, every one of your products would be number one in all departments. Unfortunately, that probably isn’t the case. Still, deciding on a good BSR is very relative. Depending on the size of your business, a BSR of 100 might be impressive. If your business is a little bigger, you may even be able to reach the top ten best sellers in a given category. For large businesses, striving for the number one position might be more realistic than you think.
Even though many products have an Amazon Best Sellers Ranking, Amazon only displays some of the best-selling products under its “Best Sellers” tab. Once again, this tab is ranked based on the department that a product is in. Within each department, Amazon displays the top 100 best-selling products. Being within this top 100 can be very beneficial for your business since it would be listed under its own Amazon “Best Sellers” tab. Being listed under this tab can be amazing for your business. It’s almost like free advertising from Amazon itself. Regardless of your specific BSR goals, unless your ranking is already number one, you probably hope that it will increase. But how can you improve your BSR?
How Do You Identify Your BSR?
To improve your BSR, you need to start with determining your current BSR. For customers, an item’s BSR is usually listed under “product details” or “product information” on a listing. This section will typically also include dimensions, weight, country of origin, reviews, and release date. Sellers can view their BSR by sellers looking in “Sellers Central” where they will be able to click on Reports. Then, they should select “Business Reports,” and then “Inventory.” Under “Inventory,” they should be able to see all of their products listed alongside its BSR.
Amazon BSR Tool
You can also use an Amazon BSR tool to check the average monthly sales numbers for specific Amazon categories. JungleScout has an Amazon Sales Estimator tool.
How to Become an Amazon Top Seller
Once you’ve seen your BSR, you still might not be satisfied. In that case, there are a few things you can do to become an Amazon top seller.
Use Keywords
If you’re looking to join the ranks of Amazon’s top sellers, it may help to use appropriate keywords that are relevant to your product. When you use relevant keywords, your products are more likely to show up in a user’s search. For example, your product may be listed alongside words like “make up.” But users may be searching for similar products by using words like “beauty” or “fashion.” If your item’s keywords are not up to date, you may be missing out on a lot of business simply because users aren’t seeing your product in their search results pages. So, make sure to optimize your product descriptions section.
Name Products Wisely
Similarly, a product’s name is an important part of the purchasing process. The name should be inviting while also telling potential customers about the product. Any details that aren’t conveyed through a product’s name should be included in the item description. Customers want to know exactly what they’re getting when they order something online, so it’s important to include as many details as possible. Make sure users can easily find an item’s dimensions, color, uses, and any other relevant information.
Photos of the Product
In addition to a detailed description, professional photographs of the product can influence a potential customer. The better and more detailed an image, the more likely someone is to buy that product. Again, customers typically want to learn as much as they can about a product before they buy it. Quality images are a great way to show customers exactly what they are buying.
Price Strategically
One of the most effective ways to improve a BSR score is to offer competitive prices. Unsurprisingly, customers want to save as much money as possible when they buy something online. It’s important to establish your prices carefully though. Otherwise, Amazon’s algorithm may keep your BSR at its current ranking if it thinks you’re trying to intentionally change it. For example, suddenly lowering the price of an item but increasing the cost of shipping might flag the algorithm. Similarly, some discounts or coupons may prevent you from moving up. It’s important to do your product research.
Amazon Charts
Amazon’s Best Sellers Ranking can be very valuable for businesses. Since the algorithm updates hourly, users can rely on the rankings to be relevant and up-to-date. Amazon prioritizes best sellers so much that there is even a tab on their website where you can view the best sellers in every category. Being listed as a “Best Seller” by Amazon can significantly improve your business since users are more likely to see your product. Customers are also more likely to trust a product when they see how many other users trust it. Understanding your BSR can help you understand what is and isn’t working for your product. Trying to climb the Amazon best sellers list can improve your sales while allowing you to see what works when marketing your product.
Rankings on Amazon
Best Sellers Rankings are an invaluable tool from Amazon that allow businesses and customers alike to see how popular a given item is. These rankings are calculated hourly, using a product’s sales history. Even though it is very difficult to say what a “good” BSR is, most businesses would like to improve their score. That being said, being within the top 100 best-selling items in a given category can greatly improve your business since it means you will be listed under Amazon’s “Best Sellers.”
Understanding how a BSR is determined can help you improve your own ranking. Optimizing your product’s photos, details, and keywords can all help you rise through Amazon’s best-selling charts. While lowering your price may increase sales, it might not affect your BSR depending on how you go about it. Amazon’s algorithm is very intuitive, trying to only reflect the most organically best-selling items. Amazon’s BSR is a useful tool that can allow customers to consider an item’s popularity before purchasing. Similarly, sellers can increase their business by having a good, trustworthy BSR.
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FAQ:
- What is considered a good BSR?
- What does BSR stand for on Amazon?
- How can I improve my BSR rating?
- How do I find my Amazon ranking?
- Why are Amazon Charts helpful?
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