As someone who purchases nearly everything on Amazon (#primeforlife), I am very aware of who I am purchasing my goods from, where they are being shipped from, and if the items have the potential to be counterfeits. Problem is, I am in advertising and help sell many products on Amazon, but, the average Joe – they might not seek out these answers prior to purchase. When products are purchased on Amazon, under the belief that they come from one brand, but the products are really from an unauthorized seller – problems typically arise.

Some of these not-so-fun issues include:

• Customers bad-mouthing a product to their friends and family, or worse on social media when the product is not as expected or described.
• Customers leaving horrible Amazon reviews – a sure-fire way for sales to plummet if it impacts the brand’s overall rating.
• Most customers these days will only give a brand one shot, and if they get a counterfeit item, or an item they don’t like, they won’t purchase again. With enough of these encounters, lifetime value (or revenue for the company over span of a customer’s lifetime) can decrease significantly.

In truth, being duped can happen to anyone. I’ve even had family members run into issues with cosmetics, like perfumes and deodorants not being from the true brand, and formulas being different or worse, ineffective.

So, what’s a brand to do? How do you help guide your customers to your listings versus those of authorized resellers or those infringing on your trademark?

Enroll your brand in Amazon’s Brand Registry.

To get started, you’ll need to collect some important items, as there are eligibility requirements. These include the following:

• Brands need to have a registered and active text or image-based trademark in each country the brand wishes to enroll.
• There are even some specific country requirements you should be aware of listed here.
• Once you meet those requirements, you can sign into your existing Seller or Vendor Central account and enroll your brand(s).
• After Amazon confirms they have verified your information submitted during enrollment, you will be able to access many Brand Registry features and benefits.

While all the features and benefits of Amazon’s Brand Registry are designed to protect brands, there are also many reporting capabilities within Amazon’s Brand Registry. Here are some of the features for brands who subscribe:

• More control – Since accurate brand representation is important, Amazon Brand Registry gives you the ability to see all product pages that use your brand name and ensure that information is accurate. If you report anyone who is unauthorized and Amazon takes action, you are giving your customers a higher likelihood of seeing the correct information associated with your brand.
• Variety of Search Tools – To help you search for cases of potential brand infringement, Amazon Brand Registry has tools like Global Search, Image Search and Bulk ASIN search. These tools allow you to search for content in different Amazon stores from the same screen, find product listings on Amazon that match either your logos or your product, and get a comprehensive list of ASINs or product URLS so that you can report counterfeits quickly.
• Guided Workflows – Once you use the reports and search tools above, Amazon will walk you through how to submit reports and build cases against potential infringement. Once submitted, the Amazon team reviews these cases and takes appropriate action, which can entail shutting down the entire listing, giving a warning, etc.
• Automation Against Offenders – The more you tell Brand Registry about your brand and your products, the smarter it gets! With enough information, Amazon can attempt to identify and remove bad listings on your behalf.
• All Hours Support – Amazon’s Brand Registry global support team is available 24/7 to answer any questions you may have.

Even if you haven’t experienced another brand trying to poach your consumers (just yet, anyway), signing up for Amazon’s Brand Registry is still a great idea. From our experience, many of the offenders seem to pop up on a seasonal basis, and you wouldn’t want your holiday sales impacted by an authorized seller. The sooner you sign up, the more prepared you will be if this happens to your brand.

Have questions about Amazon’s Brand Registry or advertising on Amazon? Our team would love to help. Please comment below or contact us today.