Organic, thoughtful, authentically written, and a healthy mix of critical but mostly positive product reviews are precisely what Amazon sellers need to bolster shoppers' confidence and ensure their continual sales growth. New-to-Amazon brands and products have a particularly unique set of challenges with cold start ASINs. How does a new product make sales without product ratings or reviews? On the other hand, how does a new product get product ratings and reviews without sales? Hum.
There are solutions to this paradox, including the Amazon Vine program. However, is Amazon Vine a good option? To Vine or not to Vine, that is the question! It’s a question I’m often asked, and I’m happy to share my “opinionated” opinion on this Amazon-originated, deployed, and managed product reviews program. Detailing everything to know about the program and how it works is NOT the purpose of this article. However, I will touch on the basics.
This article aims to deliver a critical viewpoint drawn from my own experiences and interactions with other sellers so you can understand Vine's benefits and considerations and make an informed decision if it’s right for your Amazon product launch strategy.
What is the Amazon Vine Program, and how does it work?
Vine is a free product giveaway in exchange for a review program. As I said earlier, the Amazon Vine Program is wholly controlled and managed by Amazon. According to Amazon, “Vine invites the most trusted reviewers to post opinions about new products to help fellow customers make informed purchase decisions.” Buyers become Vine reviewers by invitation, based on the “insightfulness” of past reviews posted on their previously purchased products. This select group of supposedly unbiased reviewers is referred to as Vine Voices.
Eligible sellers can enroll up to 30 individual units per parent ASIN to put into the hands of Vine Voices. Enrollment is once per ASIN’s lifetime. To qualify for Vine, you must have a professional Amazon seller account, be enrolled in the Amazon Brand Registry program, and your product offers must be FBA, already launched, and have less than 30 reviews. Adult, digital, and heavy or bulky items are not eligible for Vine.
The fees associated with Vine are a one-time, fixed-price fee of $200 per parent ASIN charged upon publication of the first Vine Voices review to the ASIN product detail page. You will also pay all the FBA fees usually associated with selling your items on Amazon. Enrolled items are fulfilled like any other FBA customer purchase but at a zero cost to the Vine reviewer. You can track the allocations, claims, reviews, and order activity within Seller Central. Lastly, Vine enrollments conclude 90 days from the start date, and there is an early-out option if you choose to.
Now that you have a high-level view of the Vine program, let’s consider the Pros and Cons!
The Pros of the Amazon Vine Program
Shoppers are accustomed to ignoring offers on the search results page that do not have a star rating and focus on the ones that do. There is no question that positive reviews bolster shoppers' confidence. It can’t be overstated how important it is for newly launched products on Amazon to possess a positive star rating and informative reviews from previous buyers. Obtaining customer reviews was the number 2 most common seller challenge in 2023*. Amazon Vine provides a way for cold-start ASINs to receive genuine reviews from real people who received your product. In effect, credible reviews aid in gaining early visibility, boosting sales, and building awareness of new brands.
Amazon’s selling platform is not known for intuitiveness or user-friendliness. However, I must credit Amazon for giving sellers a relatively straightforward way to gain social proof for their newly launched products for a nominal fee of $200. Of course, there is the cost of the free product and covering the FBA fees, but from an “access” standpoint, it’s very affordable and turn-key.
The Cons of the Amazon Vine Program
A healthy seller skepticism of Amazon is a good thing. Amazon’s priority is making more money for itself, not necessarily more for the seller, and to gain greater control of their FBA and 3rd party seller’s accounts. Let me inform you if you’ve not heard about this or experienced it for yourself. In recent years, Amazon has been courting new sellers to relinquish control of their seller accounts and agree to have Amazon manage them. I can’t count the number of times a new client of mine informed me that someone from Amazon reached out to them to offer advice and account management services. I’m always amazed at the number one question they ask me. “Do you think I should do it?” My answer is always an emphatic No! After all, what was I hired for?
I think turning over control of my seller account to Amazon is akin to the fox guarding the hen house idiom. As a general principle, sellers must have a healthy skepticism of programs Amazon controls and manages, such as Amazon Vine. Also, Vine Voices may be outside the sphere of your target audience, and it can work against you than for you. For example, I recently worked with a client in the plant-based protein powder niche. They received several negative Vine Voices reviews because of the product's bad taste and mouthfeel. If you’ve never had plant-based protein powder, taste and mouthfeel could be significant issues because much different than a whey protein powder. Let's say plant-based protein powders such as Ka’Chava require an acquired taste. It stands to reason that if you’re looking for a potentially positive review of your product, you will select participants who appreciate plant-based protein powder for it's health benefits not its taste and mouthfeel. Unfortunately, with Amazon Vine, you don’t know who is receiving your product, which can result in many negative product reviews and potentially derail the success of your product launch.
In conclusion, the Amazon Vine Program can be a powerful tool for sellers looking to establish credibility, generate early buzz for their products and display social proof of the features and benefits of your newly launch product. Providing a platform for genuine reviews from real people facilitates informed decision-making for potential customers. However, sellers must weigh the costs and relinquish control against the potential benefits to determine if the program aligns with their product launch strategy.
Do you need more information about Amazon Vine or help with your Amazon seller account? Contact me today using the contact form at the bottom of the page, or email me at jamie@primesellerpro.com to schedule a call. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
*Cited from The State of the Amazon Seller 2023 publication by Jungle Scout.
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