From November 3rd, 2020, new Amazon buyer-seller messages guidelines are coming into effect. With new updates just around the corner, Amazon sellers should be aware of new changes.
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Recently we had a conversation with Colleen Quattlebaum, a marketing manager of FeedbackFive. She gave a quick overview of what changes are expected and what does it mean for Amazon sellers.
Also, check out this FeedbackFive tutorial where you will learn how to use the tool and send automated emails to your customers.
New Buyer-Seller Messages Guidelines
First Amazon announced the upcoming changes in early September 2020. The good thing is they gave some time for sellers to properly prepare beforehand.
Obviously, the reason behind the new Amazon communication guidelines is made to protect both sellers and buyers and make the buying experience on Amazon much more reliable.
What messages are allowed?
So, as a seller, you need to pay close attention when it comes to what messages are allowed and which need to be avoided at all costs based on the Amazon communication guidelines.
Basically, from now on, you need to keep your messages simple and clean. Here’s a list of messages initiated by a seller that are allowed:
- Requesting a product review or seller feedback
- Resolving an order fulfillment problem
- Requesting information for an order
- Sending an invoice
- Scheduling delivery for a heavy item
- Verifying custom design
- Asking questions related to return
- Scheduling a Home Services appointment
However, these messages have certain requirements as well. First of all, you need to send it within 30 days after the order is completed, include the order ID number, and make sure the message is written in the language of the customer’s preference.
Considering the last point, remember that the automated “Request a Review” button sends out an email to customers in their own languages by default. Meaning, you don’t need to worry about it when using the feature.
Messages to avoid
Always make sure your messages are compliant to Amazon TOS as well as with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Here are some rules what emails you shouldn’t send to your customers:
- “Thank you” emails
- Emails that offer assistance
- Promotional marketing or discount coupons
- Messages suggesting leaving a positive review or feedback
- Request to remove a negative review
- Repeat requests for product review.
Amazon is also very specific about elements that are not supposed to be included in the email:
- Attachments (except for instructions, warranty information or invoices)
- External links unless they are necessary for order completion
- Your logo cannot have an URL
- Link to opt-out of messaging
- Tracking pixels or images
- Images that are not related to your brand or company
- Sensitive content
- Emojis or GIFs
- Unsecure images, fonts in more than 3 sizes, margins over 20%, spelling errors.
Should you still use Amazon Buyer-Seller messages?
Definitely! Buyer-Seller messaging is a great way to assure your buyer has the best buying experience.
When messaging your customer, make sure to include your logo, send ASIN specific messages and add only permitted attachments. Most importantly, try to stay as simple as possible and follow the Amazon communication guidelines mentioned above. In this case, you are safe from violating Amazon TOS.
Request a Review button
If you choose to go with this option, you don’t need to worry about getting suspended by Amazon for sending inappropriate emails. The good thing about the Request a Review feature is that it’s fully automated and compliant with Amazon rules and goes directly from Amazon to a customer.
This button appears in your order details. It’s available within 5-30 days after the order has been delivered.
And here is the example of an email template:
This message requests product review AND seller feedback, both at once. It’s also translated to the customer’s language by default, and the content is tested and optimized by Amazon itself.
Anyway, be aware that it is a manual process, until you use a software tool, such as FeedbackFive, to automate it.
About FeedbackFive
FeedbackFive is the first feedback and review tool for Amazon sellers, trusted by tens of thousands of merchants in over 100 countries. With FeedbackFive, you can easily automate seller-branded or official Amazon email requests and proactively monitor feedback and reviews in 15 Amazon marketplaces.
FeedbackFive is also the oldest tool on the market to automate feedback and product review requests on Amazon. This solution is created for sellers of all experience levels to help them improve ranking by generating more reviews.
It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or been on Amazon for a while – every new listing needs lots of reviews to rank higher and you definitely need to maintain a good seller feedback rating to prove your the best choice for your customers and win the Buy Box.
So depending on your needs, FeedbackFive can give you lots of value.
The tool is live in 15 marketplaces. They have recently launched in the Netherlands, Brazil, UAE, Turkey and Singapore. It also includes all 4 US marketplaces, 9 marketplaces in the EU and 2 marketplaces in Asian region. So in case you have a global Amazon business in multiple marketplaces, FeedbackFive have you covered.
More about automated Amazon messages
So continuing talking about automated Amazon messages, FeedbackFive offers a very simple and user-friendly interface to fully automate your buyer-seller messages.
Email campaigns are where you specify when requests are being sent and for which products or orders. You can actually determine the content of an email by going to the “Templates” section.
Templates. Previously, FeedbackFive used to have only 2 request templates – seller feedback and product review, as you might’ve guessed. However, they upgraded their templates and added the 3rd option which is Feedback and review request.
All you need to do to set it up is to activate this feature in one click. Then FeedbackFive starts collecting information on your orders and submits requests to your buyers.
How does automated Amazon message look like?
The message sent as a “Feedback and Review” request includes your store name, a product image, and a star rating that buyers can click on and submit their seller feedback and product review:
The best thing is that Amazon knows what is a buyer’s preferred language and will send the message according to that.
By using the feature, you don’t need to worry about whether your subject line is good or your call-to-action really works. And, most ost importantly, does your email comply with Amazon TOS. In this case, Amazon has got you covered and send out the best-optimized message as possible.
Can you control “Feedback and Review” requests?
Yes, you can actually control when the message goes out and for which orders. Even though you don’t have control over the body text, you still can choose your preferred timing to send the messages. Remember, Amazon allows you to do so within 5-30 days after the delivery.
You have full control to decide the exact timing and date, whether the message needs to be sent out immediately after the delivery or not. Also, you can exclude orders you don’t want to get reviews on.
Special offer – there is no discount coupon code, but FeedbackFive offers a 14 day free trial but you can boost it to 30 days of free trial by following this link.
