Find out how the Amazon Small Business Badge can strengthen your credibility and boost your visibility as a small business.
Jens Vittrup
Are you considering expanding your business on Amazon? Perhaps you have noticed products featuring a ‘Small Business Badge’ and are wondering what it means and how you can qualify. The Small Business Badge programme on Amazon has been created to highlight products from smaller businesses, giving them the chance to stand out in a vast marketplace.
Millions of sellers compete for customer attention on Amazon. For small businesses, it can be challenging to get noticed among large, established brands. This is where the Amazon Small Business Badge offers a valuable opportunity to boost your visibility and credibility.
This guide explains everything you need to know about the Small Business Badge on Amazon: what it is, the benefits it offers, how you can qualify, and how it can impact your business. As an Amazon agency, we have helped many businesses optimise their presence on Amazon, and the Small Business Badge is one of the opportunities that can truly make a difference.
The Small Business Badge is a label that appears on product pages and in Amazon’s search results. It signals to customers that the product is sold by a small business. The badge is displayed with an icon and the text “Small Business” next to the product.
To qualify as a small business on Amazon, you usually need fewer than 100 employees and an annual turnover of less than $50 million, which aligns with Gartner’s definition of a small business. This allows customers to consciously support smaller businesses when shopping on Amazon.
The Small Business Badge is part of Amazon’s initiative to support smaller businesses on their platform, giving them tools to compete with larger brands. For customers, it provides more informed purchasing options and the ability to back smaller businesses if that is something they value.
Securing the Small Business Badge on Amazon unlocks a range of advantages that can significantly impact your business performance on the platform. Here are some of the key benefits:
One of the most significant benefits of the Small Business Badge is improved visibility in Amazon’s search results. Amazon actively highlights products from small businesses, helping your products stand out among a multitude of similar offerings. This is especially valuable in highly competitive categories where gaining attention can be difficult.
Some customers specifically look for products with the Small Business Badge because they prefer to support smaller companies. This gives you access to a segment of Amazon customers who might otherwise be hard to reach.
The Small Business Badge acts as a trust signal for potential customers. It shows that your business has been verified by Amazon as a small business, which can help build trust. Many customers have a positive perception of small businesses, associating them with authenticity, quality, and personal service.
This increased trust can lead to higher conversion rates, as customers feel more confident buying from a verified small business than from an unknown seller without a badge.
Amazon frequently runs campaigns and events that specifically promote small businesses. For example, small businesses may access exclusive Prime Day deals and other promotional activities. This gives you the opportunity to participate in some of Amazon’s biggest sales events with extra visibility.
Such campaigns can result in significant sales increases, as they often attract large numbers of customers to the platform. With the Small Business Badge, you can make the most of these opportunities and maximise your Amazon presence.
Today, many consumers are highly aware of their purchasing habits and want to support local economies and smaller businesses. The Small Business Badge makes it easy for these customers to identify and support smaller companies when shopping on Amazon.
This trend towards conscious consumption is growing, and by securing the Small Business Badge, you position your business to benefit from it. It can help you attract a loyal customer base that values what your business represents beyond just the product itself.
To achieve the Small Business Badge on Amazon, you must meet certain criteria and follow a specific application process. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can qualify and apply for the badge:
To be eligible for the Small Business Badge, your business needs to:
Amazon may also have further requirements depending on your region or product category. It’s important to remember these criteria can change over time, so always check the latest requirements directly on Amazon.
If you’re unsure if your business meets the criteria, it can be valuable to consult Amazon consultants who can guide you through the process.
Here’s a detailed guide to applying for the Small Business Badge on Amazon:
Please note that the process may vary slightly depending on your region and Amazon marketplace. Therefore, it’s advisable to follow the specific guidelines for your local Amazon Seller Central.
The Small Business Badge on Amazon is more than just a symbol – it conveys valuable information to customers and influences their purchasing decisions in several ways. Here’s an in-depth explanation of what the badge means for customers:
For many customers, the Small Business Badge signals authenticity, personal service, and unique products. In a market dominated by mass-produced goods, many consumers seek products with character and a story. When customers see the Small Business Badge, they often associate the product with these positive qualities.
Studies show that many consumers consciously choose to support smaller businesses when possible. They see it as a way to diversify the economy, support innovation, and contribute to local communities. The Small Business Badge makes shopping in line with these values easy, even on a global platform like Amazon.
This shift in consumer preferences can have a major impact on your Amazon marketing strategy, as you can highlight your status as a small business as part of your brand story.
Customers who specifically choose products with the Small Business Badge often have distinct expectations for their purchase experience. They typically expect:
As a seller with the Small Business Badge, it’s important to be aware of these expectations and aim to meet them. This might mean offering excellent customer service, sharing your business story in product descriptions, and ensuring your product quality matches customer expectations.
By meeting these expectations, you can build a loyal customer base that not only buys your products but also becomes ambassadors for your brand. This can lead to more positive word-of-mouth, more reviews, and ultimately higher sales.
Having the Small Business Badge is just the first step. To make the most of it, you should integrate it into your overall Amazon strategy. Here’s how you can maximise its value:
Your product page is often the first point of contact for potential customers. By optimising these pages to showcase your status as a small business, you can enhance the effect of the Small Business Badge:
This optimisation should be part of your broader Amazon SEO strategy, which is essential for reaching the right customers.
To maximise the value of your Small Business Badge, incorporate it into your wider marketing approach:
By telling a consistent story across all marketing channels, you can strengthen the positive impact of the Small Business Badge and build a stronger brand.
Outstanding customer service is an area where small businesses often outperform larger competitors:
By providing exceptional customer service, you confirm the positive expectations customers have of small businesses and increase the likelihood of repeat business and recommendations.
Besides the Small Business Badge, Amazon offers several other certifications that can help highlight your business’s unique attributes. These can often be combined with the Small Business Badge to give your business even more visibility and appeal to specific customer groups.
This badge is available for businesses certified as minority-owned. It helps customers who want to support black entrepreneurs to find and purchase their products on Amazon. To qualify, the business must have valid certification from a recognised organisation confirming its black-owned status.
This certification can be particularly valuable during cultural events and initiatives highlighting black-owned businesses, where Amazon often runs special campaigns.
This badge highlights businesses owned and managed by women. It enables customers to consciously support female entrepreneurs through their purchasing decisions. To obtain this badge, official certification from a recognised organisation confirming the business is woman-owned is usually required.
With a growing focus on gender equality in business, this badge can attract customers who wish to support women in business.
This badge identifies businesses owned by individuals from minority groups. It allows customers to support diversity in business through their purchases. As with the other badges, official certification from a recognised organisation is normally required.
By highlighting your business’s minority status, you can attract customers who value diversity and inclusion in their buying habits.
This badge is for businesses owned by military veterans. It allows customers to support former service personnel who now run a business. Official certification is typically required to qualify for this badge.
This badge can be especially effective in countries with a strong tradition of supporting veterans and can help connect your business with customers who have personal ties to the military.
Combining the Small Business Badge with one or more of these certifications can give your business a unique profile on Amazon and help attract customers especially interested in supporting businesses with particular values or backgrounds.
To understand the true value of your Small Business Badge, it is important to measure its impact on your business. Here’s how you can track and analyse its effect:
To assess the impact of the Small Business Badge, monitor the following key performance indicators:
By analysing these metrics, you can gain a clear picture of how the badge affects your business’s performance on Amazon. This type of analysis is an important part of ongoing optimisation of your Amazon business.
Studies show that products with the Small Business Badge typically experience an average sales increase of 13.5%. However, this effect varies greatly between product categories and markets.
For example, handmade or specialist products with a unique story often see a greater positive effect from the badge compared to more standard goods. Customers are more likely to value the “small business” element when it comes to unique or personal products.
Businesses that actively promote their small business status in their marketing and product descriptions generally benefit more from the badge than those who simply receive it without integrating it into their wider brand narrative.
While the Small Business Badge can offer significant advantages, there may be challenges related to obtaining and maintaining it. Here are some common challenges and strategies to overcome them:
Some businesses struggle to meet all the qualification requirements for the Small Business Badge. Here are some solutions:
By being proactive and seeking help as needed, most qualification challenges can be resolved effectively.
Maintaining your Small Business status requires ongoing attention:
By being aware of these factors, you can help ensure your business retains its Small Business status for as long as possible.
Amazon continues to develop its programmes to support smaller businesses, and the Small Business Badge is likely just the start. Here are some trends and opportunities to look out for:
In recent years, Amazon has increased its focus on supporting small businesses. This is visible not only through the Small Business Badge, but also via other initiatives such as Amazon Handmade, Launchpad, and various mentoring programmes.
As consumers become more conscious of their purchases and seek authentic connections with brands, it’s likely Amazon will continue to expand its small business programmes.
This could include more detailed badges providing extra information about the business, greater opportunities to tell your story on product pages, or special events and marketplaces dedicated to small businesses.
To be ready for future developments in Amazon’s small business programmes, you can:
By being proactive and forward-thinking, you can put your business in a strong position to benefit from both current and future opportunities for small businesses on Amazon.
If you find the process of obtaining the Small Business Badge challenging or time-consuming, there are several resources available. Here are some options for getting professional assistance:
Amazon offers a range of resources specifically to help small businesses:
These resources are an excellent starting point and are free to use, but they may lack the tailored guidance and expertise that some businesses require.
For more specialised help, consider working with professional Amazon consultants:
Professional help can be particularly valuable if your business has unique circumstances or if you want to ensure the application process is as smooth as possible. An experienced consultant can often identify potential issues in advance and help you prepare the strongest possible application.
With the right support and preparation, obtaining the Small Business Badge can become much simpler, allowing you to focus on running and growing your business on Amazon.
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