Whether us, DIGITAL FREAKS, or any other Amazon agency or specialist, they’ll tell you that investing in Amazon content is crucial. Depending on whether you have an in-house graphic designer and copywriter or hire external experts, you invest time and money for increased buyer engagement and boosted sales. However, Amazon offers several content options; understanding which one to choose is discussed in this article.
The meaning of Amazon EBC content has changed
Amazon EBC stands for Amazon Enhanced Brand Content, signifying enhanced brand content and serving as a collective term that includes other content types: A+, Brand Story, and Amazon Premium A+ content.
Brand Story and Premium A+ are relatively new content options, freely accessible to sellers on Amazon Seller accounts since 2022, so previously, Amazon EBC was simply synonymous with Amazon A+, more commonly used in the US market. Therefore, in older articles in English or when watching videos, don’t be surprised if these terms are used interchangeably with the simple term Amazon A+.
Amazon A+ and Amazon Premium A+ content – what’s the difference?
Until 2022, when Premium A+ content emerged, A+ content was the best simply because it was the only option. If you’ve been using A+ content from before, that’s fine. However, for new sellers or those just starting to create or enhance content, we recommend opting for Premium A+, sometimes also referred to as Amazon A++ content.
Both of these content options are created using the same principle – arranging Amazon’s provided modules in a selected order with images, headlines, text, comparison tables, and other content elements of specified format and size. This allows for the creation of numerous different content variations from a limited list of modules.
The main A+ and Premium A+ differences:
- Image size: In A+ content, the largest used images are 970×300 px, while in Premium A+, they are 1464×600 px. The image width is particularly crucial, as in Premium A+ content, it is increased by more than 1.5 times, allowing the entire content to be displayed across the full width of the web browser. This results in clearer, sharper images, the ability to use larger text fonts, and present more information.
- Consistency: In A+ content, white spaces are automatically left between individual modules, dividing the content into separate sections. In Amazon Premium A+ content, these white spaces are eliminated, and modules are seamlessly connected, giving the content a more professional appearance and resembling website design.
- Videos: A+ content doesn’t provide the option to add videos, but in Premium A+, you can add videos in various formats, including full-width or smaller formats with text beside them. In an era where buyers seek information quickly and videos are a popular content form, this is a significant advantage.
- Interactivity: A+ content lacks interactive content modules and requires choosing from static modules like images, texts, and tables. On the other hand, Premium A+ offers a wide range of interactive modules, including various image and video carousels, interactive comparison tables, expandable FAQ modules, and hotspots (points where hovering reveals text). These elements not only create a more professional appearance but also help retain buyers’ attention longer, encouraging them to purchase your product.
- Mobile Adaptation: In A+ content, the same images are used for both desktop and mobile versions, with minimal differences in the overall layout. Therefore, when creating simple A+ content, it’s essential to consider this and avoid overloading images with small text and details. For Amazon Premium A+ content, many modules require preparing two separate variants – one for desktop and another for mobile versions. Additionally, there is a significant difference in the display of both versions, ensuring excellent adaptation to all devices and all buyers.
Brand Story – A place to tell the history of the brand
Brand Story, as the name suggests, is a content element designed to narrate the story of your brand. Created using the same modular principle, it appears as a horizontal strip displayed before or occasionally after A+ or Premium A+ content. Here, you can present key information about the brand, its history, showcase product range, etc. It’s crucial to understand that A+ or Premium A+ content is designed to provide information about a specific product. Therefore, Brand Story is equally important in introducing customers to the brand and eventually making it recognizable to them over time.
Important information and limitations related to Amazon EBC content
The most important thing to know is that you can create any EBC content only if you have Amazon Brand Registry, meaning you’ve registered your brand on Amazon and are the sole owners of the brand.
Info about Amazon Brand Registry: https://digitalfrks.com/protect-your-business-and-expand-opportunities-with-amazon-brand-registry/.
You can create simple Amazon A+ content and Brand Story right away. However, to create Amazon Premium A+ content, you need to take a few additional steps:
- All your brand’s ASINs must have a Brand Story. It’s straightforward to do – you just need to create one Brand Story and assign it to all your ASINs.
- Over the past 12 months, you should have at least 5 Amazon-approved simple A+ contents. If you already have them, great. If not, there’s a small but effective trick: create a simple A+ content, even with just a basic product comparison table. Wait for Amazon to approve this content. Then, duplicate this content four times, making slight modifications in each version, even if it’s just changing a word. This way, Amazon will recognize each variant as a separate A+. Wait for approval for all of them and anticipate access to the Premium A+ content creation tool. This access is granted every Friday.
Finally, it’s important to understand that, like in all aspects of commerce, Amazon is stringent in content creation. There are numerous rules about what you can and cannot use in your content. Ultimately, having a good understanding of Amazon content, how it’s displayed, and analyzing what content your competitors are using is very beneficial. Therefore, knowing what to do is crucial. Keep in mind that Amazon may only approve your content after a second, third, or even tenth submission, requesting various corrections each time. It’s a lengthy and sometimes challenging process but unquestionably necessary. If you don’t have in-house content specialists, feel free to reach out – we, DIGITAL FREAKS, have a proficient team of content creators and designers well-versed in all Amazon EBC requirements.