Amazon Feature Updates: 3 New Seller Tools and Product Recall Reporting Page

Over the last two weeks, Amazon has made a series of announcements introducing new features and dashboards for Amazon sellers. Let’s recap.

1. View Insights on Your FBA Returns (UK)
   
   Introducing a fresh addition to UK Seller Central is a dedicated page that shares comprehensive insights into your FBA customer returns. Find out the reason behind the return, customer feedback, grading disposition, and return status updates, so you can take action on returns that may be eligible for reimbursement.
   
   Amazon has established clear guidelines concerning customer returns and associated refund processes. Should a return fail to align with these guidelines, sellers may request a refund reversal for the amount that Amazon debited from their account.
   
   For instance, you may have a return request with “Customer refunded” status, but the customer never sent the item back. Or, Amazon reps themselves mistakenly accepted a return with missing parts or approved a return and refund request past the 30-day return period.
   
   In that case, file a reimbursement claim with Amazon 60 days (and no later than 18 months) from when the customer refund occurred.
   Visit FBA Returns to learn more.

2. Brand Tailored Promotions to Customize Promo Codes
   
   Just in time for the second Prime Day in October, Amazon introduces a new marketing tool that lets you to create and send discount codes to various types of customers.
   
   Called Brand Tailored Promotions, you can use this free tool to entice potential new customers, brand followers, repeat shoppers, big spenders, and cart abandoners (those who have added some of your products in their cart but haven’t bought in the last 90 days) with discounts ranging from 10% to 50%. Offering discounts will not only help you to expand your customer base but also encourage recurring transactions and boost customer retention.

Here’s how to get started:

• Go to the Advertising tab in Seller Central and click on Brand Tailored Promotions.
• In the drop-down menu, choose the brand and audience type you want to create the special offer for. The discount will be applied to all ASINs within the selected brand and each eligible shopper can only redeem the discount on a single purchase.
• Fill out the Promotional Details section with your preferred promo name, discount percentage, budget, and promo start and end dates.

Note that unlike Amazon Tailored Audiences, Brand Tailored Promotions do not allow email messaging your existing customers. Instead, the tool showcases your promotional discount to your target audience type(s) on your product listing, search result pages, and Amazon’s dedicated promotional shopping pages. 

Visit Brand Tailored Promotions to learn more.

3. Free 20,000 Transparency Codes for One Year
   
   Every new product enrolled in Amazon’s Transparency program by December 31, 2023, entitles brands to receive free 20,000 Transparency codes for a duration of one year.
   
   Distinctive for each product, a Transparency code is an alphanumeric, non-sequential barcode. When affixed to your product’s packaging, it means that the product is authentic, thereby protecting customers against counterfeit or inaccurate product variations, such as differences in compatibility, color, materials, language, and regulatory compliance. 
   
   Before enrolling in the program, be aware that applying a Transparency code to each qualified unit requires a bit of work.
   
   One seller commented that they have to “scan each transparency code” and “upload it to each and every order”, and thus, “should get reimbursed for the hassle, time and extra training we have to give to all employess to do this.”
   
   Given this, the benefits of Transparency are generally found with businesses prone to counterfeiting or unauthorized sellers.
   
   If the Transparency program fails to meet your expectations, you may reach out to Brand Registry Support to unenroll products. However, withdrawing participation from the program may be challenging, and sometimes unsuccessful, according to some sellers. 
   
   To make an informed decision, learn more about this special offer by contacting Amazon or checking out this presentation.

Related: Amazon Hopes to Restore Consumer Confidence with $1.2B Anti-Counterfeit Initiative

4. Recalls and Product Safety Alerts Page
   
   On July 26, Amazon launched a new page that provides customers with details about recalls and product safety alerts related to their orders.
   
   This means Amazon customers will no longer need to go hunting for information about recalled products on various news outlets or relevant government websites such as recalls.gov, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). They can simply go to “Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” page within their accounts. Furthermore, any recall or product safety announcement will also be dispatched to customers via email.
   
   Amazon is also making efforts to provide accessibility to this new system for third-party sellers as well. Sellers in the US will have the option to participate in Amazon’s Recalls Logistics Service (RLS).
   
   By opting in, sellers can effectively communicate with their customers who have purchased items that are subject to recalls. Meanwhile, Amazon will take on the responsibility of handling refund issuance on behalf of sellers and overseeing the intricacies of return logistics.
   
   However, a limitation of this system lies in its focus on US sellers and its reliance on an opt-in model. A considerable portion of Amazon’s marketplace sellers operate from overseas locations, often within regions that lack the same rigorous safety standards found in the US. 
   
   This discrepancy has led to instances where hazardous products from third-party sellers have found their way into the hands of American consumers.
   
   A CBS News investigation in 2019 highlighted examples like unsafe children’s toys entering the market through Amazon. The retailer has since removed said products from its eCommerce site. A Product Safety Team has also been put in place to keep an eye on the products sold on Amazon.com and investigate product safety concerns.
   
   The team normally takes their information from public recall alert websites, manufacturers, and sellers. And when they learn of a recall, they may:

• Remove the product from Amazon.com and hold any available stock in FBA.
• Reach out to sellers and manufacturers for more details about the recalled product or its potential safety hazards.
• Add a warning label to the product detail page.
• Inform relevant government agencies of any product safety complaints or incidents.
• Contact customers that purchased recalled or potentially hazardous products to tell them the next steps to take, such as refund, return, or repair.

In this way, Amazon hopes to make its platform a safer, more trustworthy retailer for consumers, assuring that they will not get their hands on items that don’t meet the standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).