When it comes to the consumer experience on an Amazon PDP, reviews are not just important, they’re critical to have. Positive reviews can start the flywheel effect to increase sales and conversion rates. But for some ASINs, particularly those with low sales velocity, reviews can be hard to come by. This is where the Amazon Vine program may come in handy.
An official program run through Amazon, the Vine program allows brands to send products free of charge to the Vine reviewers, known as Vine Voices, who will in turn post a review. On the PDP page, the review will have an accompanying verbiage noting that it’s a “Vine Customer Review of a Free Product.”
In order for a brand to participate in Amazon Vine, they must meet the following criteria:
- Be brand registered in Amazon Brand Registry or be a Professional Selling Partner
- Identified as a brand owner (Vendor)
- Have eligible FBA offers (Seller)
Additionally, the ASINs enrolled in Amazon Vine must fall within the following criteria:
- Be brand registered in Amazon Brand Registry
- Have fewer than 30 reviews on the product detail page
- Have already launched the product on Amazon at the time of enrollment
- Have available inventory
- Have an image and description
How to Enroll in Amazon Vine
To enroll your ASINs in Amazon Vine, first identify as the brand owner within Brand Benefit Eligibility. Enrollment is completed within this platform, and once your brand is enrolled, Vine Voices will request products to review.
The fee to participate is $200 per parent ASIN but is only charged after the first Vine review is published. If the enrolled products do not receive any reviews within 90 days, there is no charge.
Benefits of Amazon Vine for Brands
Code3 Strategists recommend leveraging Amazon Vine when launching a new product or when an ASIN is slow selling. The cost is nominal, and the entire process is quick and easy to obtain the reviews.. As a verified Amazon program, there’s no confusion about whether it’s against the rules - Amazon invites their most trusted reviewers to be “Vine Voices.” They monitor the selected reviewers and ensure that only the best remain in the program, so brands can rest assured that by participating, the posted reviews are legitimate.
However, on the flip side, there’s no guarantee that the reviews will be favorable. Typically they are, but there’s always a chance reviews may not be positive. It can also take a bit of time for the reviews to be posted, so the participating ASINs may have a long time with low reviews on the PDP.
Keep in mind that Amazon recommends 15 reviews for a product to be considered retail-ready. If your brand has ASINs with reviews below that number, consider investing in Amazon Vine now, before the busy holiday season begins.
If you could use a strategic partner to help you navigate Amazon Vine and other review generating tactics, contact us today.
