There are currently more than 8 million sellers on the Amazon Marketplace, with nearly 120,000 signing up just in the past year. This makes it one of the most popular spots for small business owners and side hustlers to make money online. But it also makes it one of the most difficult places to really stand out.
However, there’s one interesting feature from Amazon Business could help a diverse array of sellers increase their reach on the Marketplace platform. Seller Certifications allow those with shops on Amazon Marketplace to add designations to their business, which shoppers can then use as filters when looking for specific types of shops to support.
For example, you can register as a woman owned business, minority owned business, veteran owned business, or SBA certified small business. There are also specific designations for states, historically underutilized businesses, and quality certifications like ISO 9001. Overall, you can add up to 11 designations to your Amazon Marketplace shop.
Anne Rung, Director, Public Sector, Amazon Business said in an email to Small Business Trends, “Through our credentialed seller program, customers purchasing on Amazon Business can easily search for selling partners based on the diversity certifications they’re interested in or are required by law to support. This not only accelerates our selling partners’ ability to grow across sectors, but it also levels the playing field for them to reach new customers without spending valuable resources.”
How to Use Amazon Seller Certifications
To use this feature, you need to fill out a form on the website and then submit a photo of your certification or letter of recognition to prove that you actually fall into that category. For example, if you’re registering as a SBA certified business, you may need to submit photos of your 8(a) program certification documents. If you want to be featured as a woman owned business, you can submit documents from the SBA’s WOSB program. Once you submit this information, Amazon will review your request and decide whether or not to approve your certification.
Benefits of Amazon Seller Certifications
Consider these benefits of this feature for small businesses that sell on Amazon. First of all, it makes your products more likely to appear in searches. This is because customers can specify that they only want to see products from SBA approved businesses. Or their preference could be for women or veteran owned businesses. This could prove especially powerful around holidays like International Women’s Day and Veteran’s Day. On these days, shoppers are more likely to have those qualifications top of mind. And some publications or promotional materials may even want to feature products specifically from relevant sellers.
Some companies and government agencies have rules or policies about supporting small businesses. And those rules sometimes include local businesses, or companies that meet particular diversity requirements. More specifically, the federal government has earmarked more than 23 percent of its annual acquisitions budget. That money goes to small and diverse businesses. So imagine the ability to find certified businesses that meet those requirements right on Amazon. Amazon would certainly make it an appealing destination to purchase needed items. And for sellers, this means more of that budget ending up in your own account.
Rita Bonarrigo serves as founder and CEO of The Office Tex. Bonarrigo told Small Business Trends, “Amazon Business’ credentialed seller program allows us to tout our SMB and woman-owned status, connecting us to new customers who prefer, or require diverse certifications.”
Thinking about selling products on Amazon or already have an account? Do you want to make the most of it? The Seller Credentials program could be a small but impactful way to get your products in front of more people.
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