Amazon brand registry vs. brand approval. What’s the difference, and why is it important?

Amazon is by far the most competitive marketplace. Because of that, there are programs for registered brands to protect their intellectual property against IP and trademark infringements to give you a competitive edge. 

Amazon is committed to offering the best customer experience. That means ensuring that all products sold on the platform are genuine. As a brand owner selling on Amazon, protecting your brand should be a full-time job. Counterfeit issues and listing hijackings are common, which could spell doom for your reputation.

Brand registry is a great program that gives you complete control over your brand. But you don’t necessarily have to register for the program to start selling, although it’s an investment that will prove worthwhile in the long run. For many brand owners, the confusion comes in when trying to figure out the best route for their brand – to get brand approval or enroll in brand registry.

This article will examine brand approval and registry, their differences, and why they are important.  

What’s the difference between branded vs. non-branded products on Amazon?

You can sell either branded or non-branded items on Amazon. A brand, according to Amazon, is a name that represents a product or a set of products. Such products share a common name, logo, and other identifying markers that either appear on the product or the packaging. Brands usually have trademarks acting as a common logo or name. 

The brand attribute is a field that allows you to list all products under your brand so customers can click on the attribute to see other products you offer. According to Amazon, a brand can’t be a description of the ASIN or a name that’s not reflected in the packaging or branded products. Your seller name isn’t a valid brand unless your products are packaged under that name. 

And it doesn’t stop there. You must permanently affix any branding you put on your products or packaging. What doesn’t this mean? It means you can’t just take a generic box, print your logo or brand name, and call it branding. You need actual branding on the packaging and the product to sell on the platform. 

But what if your products or packaging are not branded, but you have a registered trademark? If that’s the case, you can enroll in Brand Registry, where you can list your ASIN with your registered trademark as your brand value. Here’s what you never do? Don’t use a misrepresentation of an already existing brand on your ASINs. 

If a product is non-branded, it simply means it doesn’t belong to any brand. In such a case, you should use the value ‘Generic’ to indicate that your product is not affiliated with any brand. Non-branded products usually don’t have a common logo, name, or other labels on the packaging or product.

Suppose the product you want to sell doesn’t have a product identifier like the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) or a Universal Product Code (UPC). In that case, you need approval from Amazon to list such products in the desired country or category. 

What is Amazon brand approval?

When trying to list your products on Amazon, you may get an error 5664. That means you’re trying to list a product without a brand name, which goes against the Amazon Brand Name Policy. When creating a new ASIN, you can use your actual brand name or Generic if you don’t have a registered brand name. Amazon brand approval is the actual process of getting Amazon to allow you to sell your products under your brand or Generic brand attribute. When you get error 5664, you don’t have brand approval.

So, what do you do? Contact Amazon seller support and quote the error 5664. You will also have to provide a few documents and information that Amazon will verify before approving you to sell your product under that brand name. They include:

• The name you were using when creating the ASIN
• Actual pictures of your product, packaging, or both clearly showing your branding. The images can be of the product or packaging placed on the table or held in your hand. Your branding must be permanently affixed.
• If you’re using inventory file templates, provide the Batch ID of the inventory file report.

Amazon will reject any application where the brand name attribute is a product description, product type, model number, or another attribute besides the brand name. To get brand approval, you don’t need a registered trademark. You need to prove that you sell products from an authentic brand, not counterfeit products with generic packaging slapped with a brand name or logo. 

What is Amazon Brand Registry?

Amazon Brand Registry comes after brand approval. This one requires you to have a registered trademark. Brand Registry is an Amazon program that gives brand owners control over their intellectual property and content. The program allows you to do so much on your product detail page and provides access to plenty of tools for optimization. Since you need a registered trademark to enroll for Brand Registry, the program helps protect that trademark. Brand Registry, at the end of the day, helps registered brands:

• Add branded products to their listings
• Manage their branded products 
• Eliminate imitation products in the marketplace
• Ensure information on the listing page about the product is correct
• Leverage A+ Content and more robust Amazon advertising campaigns

So, who can enroll in Brand Registry? 

• Private label owners and manufacturers
• A distributor with a licensed trademark
• Product resellers and any other person with written permission from the manufacturer or brand owner to manage their product detail page on Amazon.

To enroll in Brand Registry, you need to meet the following requirements:

• Have an active and registered trademark in the country that appears on your packaging or product
• Verification of rights ownership through the contacts listed on your trademark registration
• An Amazon Seller Central or Vendor Central account in good standing

Why is Brand Registry important when selling on Amazon?

If you manufacture your own products or sell a manufacturer’s product under your own unique brand, you must enroll in Brand Registry. The program helps protect your registered trademark and creates a trustworthy experience for potential customers. Here are a few reasons to consider enrolling in Amazon Brand Registry.

• Protection from ASIN hijackers: Amazon is a competitive marketplace with millions of sellers. Some will go the extra mile to stay ahead, including hijacking listings to sabotage a brand. The Amazon Brand Registry program helps protect you from such sellers because you will have a registered brand that Amazon recognizes. On top of that, the program gives you sole ownership of the Amazon Buy Box. Should someone try hijacking your listing as the authorized seller, you can contact Amazon Seller Support and have them removed from the listing. Amazon is legally obliged to act whenever a brand owner files an IP complaint against a seller, whether genuine or fake.
• More control over your listing: The Amazon algorithm is sometimes restrictive regarding how much information you can add to your product listing. With Brand Registry, the rules are loosened a little, giving you access to A+ content and complete control over your product listing. Because of that, you can control what goes in the title, description, quality of images, and unique brand stories and use of your product ID rather than UPCs & EANs.
• You get to control who sells your products: While product resellers can help promote your brand and increase visibility, not all resellers are good. When you enroll for Amazon Brand Registry, you get to decide who sells your products like manufacturers, private label owners, sellers who sell under their own unique brand name, white label product sellers, and distributors with registered trademarks.

Summary

Competition is so fierce on Amazon that brands must find ways of standing out from the masses. If you sell products under a unique brand name or have a registered trademark, you must register your brand on Amazon if you want to control who sells your products and who gets on your listing. But first thing’s first; you have to get brand approval first. Once Amazon approves your application to sell products under a certain brand, you can enroll in Brand Registry. Brand Registry gives you access to additional tools for customization, A+ content and allows you to file claims for IP or copyright infringement. 

Did you know that the Skunk Labs offers Amazon Brand Management services? We’ll ensure your brand is approved to sell on Amazon and take care of the Amazon Brand Approval process on your behalf. Contact us today to get started.