What is the Small Business Badge?

Let’s start with the important stuff; what exactly is the Small Business Badge? To promote small businesses on the Amazon platform, Amazon has come up with the Small Business Badge that eligible sellers can display on their profiles.

The badge appears on the search results page at the bottom of all relevant listings and on the listing page beneath the product details.

Amazon’s Small Business Badge Example

An Amazon spokesperson said they wanted to “help customers who want to support small businesses while also enjoying the convenience and security of shopping in Amazon’s store.” and so have made it easier to identify the smaller businesses via the badge.

Are you eligible for obtaining the badge?

Unlike the other Amazon badges that you can get, the Small Business Badge does not rely on the algorithm to award the badge, businesses just need to meet certain criteria:

• Fewer than 100 employees
• Earn less than £50 million in annual revenue
• Sell products exclusively on Amazon or fulfil orders via the Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)
• Be registered in the Amazon Brand Registry or participate in the Handmade programme.

It’s as easy as that! But, remember to always be following the Amazon guidelines and rules as they can revoke your badge if you don’t always meet the criteria.

Benefits of the Small Business Badge

1. Increased visibility and discoverability on Amazon

More often than not, shoppers don’t know when they are buying from a small business on Amazon, so the badge helps you to shout loud and clear that you are a small business!

Amazon also has a section called “Support Small Business” where it has a landing page solely dedicated to showcasing small businesses, so this increases the likelihood of being found there. Amazon also gives the ability to search for small businesses by region too, so there is a higher chance of being found locally as well.

And now, with the new announcement of the Small Business Filter, this adds more potential for discovery as having the business badge is necessary to be included in this filter.

2. Enhanced trust and credibility among customers

Calms the minds of those who are buying! The badge can act as a trust signal, assuring customers that they are purchasing from a verifiable small business and not just ‘touting’ they are small in their profile.

It helps businesses differentiate from the larger companies, adding an extra benefit and reason to buy from them rather than a larger company.

Bonus tip: Populating your listing with this badge along with reviews and high-quality photos will help you stand out from the crowd!

Extra juicy bonus tip: Why not add other badges to your profile to give it that extra pop! Other badges that businesses can find are Black Owned Business Badge, Top Seller Badge, New Release Badge and many more are available – with different eligibility criteria, so be sure to check this out.

3. Increased exposure and sales

Amazon frequently runs promotional campaigns specifically for small businesses with the badge, these promotions can include discounts, deals or special events providing an opportunity for increased exposure and sales.

Small businesses were heavily prioritised in the “Support Small Businesses to Win Big” initiative. On the lead-up to the Prime Day event, for every £1 spent on products from small businesses, shoppers received one entry into sweepstakes to win big prices.

Not only did this contribute to more than $3 billion in sales across the globe, but customers also purchased over 100 million small business items!

Oh, and another massive benefit is a phrase we love to say: It’s free to sign-up for the badge!

How to Obtain the Small Business Badge

It’s a super simple process, If you meet the eligibility criteria stated above then you can apply for the small business badge. All you need to do is contact Seller Support with:

• The name of the brand/company
• Your business address
• Your Merchant Token ID (find this on Settings > Account info)

The Amazon team will review your submission and determine your credibility and should reach out to you within 10 working days.

Our thoughts

From what we have seen, with the introduction of the small business badge and the recent announcement of the Small Business Search Filter – Amazon is constantly looking to improve how they promote smaller businesses. So, it stands to reason that they want you to use these and are promoting ways to do so!

While there are many small businesses on Amazon, it still helps to increase that chance of discoverability and could be the decision tipping point for a customer when comparing you and a bigger brand.

It’s free and is a simple process to sign-up, so our verdict is: go for it!

Need some help?

Want to get ahead by adding badges to your Amazon listing but don’t know how?

Luckily you have a secret weapon up your sleeve that others don’t – us! This is Unicorn is made up of a team of Amazon experts, ready and willing to help you optimize your Amazon store and increase your sales.

Simply book a consultation or send us an message.