The NEW Brand Registry 2.0 and what it means for Sellers on Amazon
Brand Registry, while having been around for quite some time has recently undergone some significant changes to help empower sellers in the fight against the ever-growing counterfeit problem on the Amazon Platform. In the past, Brand Registry was limited to allowing brand owners to control its content on Amazon Detail Pages. The May 2017 release brings some new and exciting features giving brands even more content control and new tools to help drive discoverability and conversions.
What is new in Brand Registry 2.0?
In May 2017, Brand Registry 2.0 was released with the intention of getting more serious about the brand control and counterfeit mitigation discussion to create a better shopping experience for customers. As such, the requirements to apply have become more strict. The requirement of holding a Trademark is the biggest change in this application process. After supplying a trademark, brands are required to enter contact information for the person(s) who applied for the Trademark as well as the involved attorney who worked on the Trademark. To finish the process, a verification code is sent to the referenced attorney that must be entered to complete.
In addition to the request for the Trademark, another very interesting feature of Brand Registry 2.0 that gives brands more of an upper hand in the counterfeit fight is the “Report a Violation” link. It’s a powerful tool that Amazon that allows Brand Owners to have their counterfeit complaints addressed in 4-hours’ time. This form is intended for use by intellectual property rights owners to notify Amazon of alleged copyright and trademark intellectual property infringements. Inside this process, it will allow you to Search by ASIN, Product Name or Brand and allows you to upload supporting images.
What are the requirements for Brand Registry?
- Brand name that has a live/active registered trademark.
- Government Registered Principal Trademark Registration or Serial Number
- For USPTO marks, the Mark Drawing Type must be equal to “4 – STANDARD CHARACTER MARK” or “1 – TYPESET WORD(S)/LETTER(S)/NUMBER(S)”
- Images of the brand’s logo.
- Images of products and packaging that carry the trademarked brand name. If the product is not branded, the packaging must be branded.
- A list of product categories (e.g., apparel, sporting goods, electronics) in which the brand should be listed.
- A social media page (optional)
- A list of countries where the brand’s products are manufactured and distributed.
Why Get Brand Registered? The Benefits and more…
The lax requirements for Brand Registry 1.0 have given way to more strict requirements but also an additional toolset beyond intellectual property protection. The below tools give brands even more power in driving discoverability and convertibility of listings ultimately driving more sales and giving Amazon customers a better shopping experience.
- Enhanced Brand Content
- Storefront
- Headline Search Ads
As many Amazon sellers know, these three areas of the Amazon platform are extremely powerful to leverage. Enhanced Brand Content has proven to increase conversions and allows Brands to tell their stories with more robust content to support their listings. Storefronts are another tool to showcase your brand in a more detailed light to give consumers that extra layer of personalized real estate. Lastly, access to Headline Search Ads at a time when Amazon is reducing the right rail Sponsored Ads real estate is critical as it gives 2.0 Registered brands more opportunity to buy placement in search results.
If I was Brand Registered in 1.0, do I still need to Register for Brand Registry 2.0?
Yes! The process has changed and while you may not have been alerted by Amazon to actively re-apply there is minimal grandfathering into this program. We at Channel Key have experienced some carryover but ultimately anticipate tools such as access to EBC without Brand Registry to go away. If you need to apply for this new version, please find it here: https://services.amazon.com/brand-registry.html
If you are a brand owner and not participating in Brand Registry 2.0 and need assistance or guidance, please reach out to Channel Key at [email protected] today.
