It’s no secret that Amazon is a top retailer nowadays. According to Statista, more than half a billion active users purchased goods and services on the site in 2019 alone. Getting ungated in Topical Categories should be your priority if you want to reach these consumers. In this article, we will help you understand what topical categories are, how they impact your sales on Amazon, and how you can get ungated in them as quickly as possible.
Understanding Amazon’s Topical Categories
Selling on Amazon is a great way to make money online, and it’s also a great way to get serious about your niche. After all, there are millions of products that you can sell on Amazon by tapping into a specific product category. However, if you’re looking to sell in top-level categories like “furniture” or “beauty,” your product may not be eligible for listing unless it meets specific requirements.
To find out what those requirements are, look up the category in Seller Central, where you’ll see all its subcategories listed. Clicking on any one will bring up more information about what’s required for inclusion within that specific area (for example, More than 50% ink coverage for printer cartridges).
Applying for Amazon Topical Categories
You’ll need to fill out a form to apply for an Amazon Topical Category. This can be done directly from your seller central account:
- Click ‘Manage Inventory’ from the dropdown menu under Selling on Amazon.
- Select a product in the inventory list and click ‘Edit’.
- Scroll down to the section titled ‘Additional Amazon Topical Categories’ and click ‘Request Additional Topical Categories’.
You may also be asked to provide supporting documentation, such as financial statements or invoices, depending on the category you are applying for. You can only request one topical category at a time, so make sure you’re ready before starting! Your new topical categories will appear in Seller Central within two business days if approved.
When to Expect Approval for Amazon Topical Categories?
You can expect to wait a few weeks before you get approved for Amazon topical categories. Be encouraged if you get approved right away! If you meet all the requirements, have good content and pictures, and follow the instructions carefully, your chances of approval are good.
Be aware that Amazon may send an email saying they need more information before approving your application—this is normal! You can reply to them with what they need or wait until after the holidays when it’s likely that more employees will be available to review applications.
Examples of Approved Brands in Topical Categories
If a brand is listed here, it’s safe to assume that Amazon has approved it.
- Unilever (Aveeno, Pond’s)
- L’Oréal (Lancôme, Biotherm)
- Johnson & Johnson (Neutrogena)
- Crest
- Oral-B
- Gillette
The Future of Amazon’s Topical Categories
- Amazon may expand topical categories to other markets. Amazon has expanded its topical categories to other markets and languages in the past year. This is an excellent sign that they are looking to make the most out of their existing content and improve search results for customers in different parts of the world. If this trend continues, we may see an expansion of topical categories into more geographic areas over time!
- Amazon might add new topical categories or change how existing ones work. We know that untagged products can’t be included in topicals right now, but if you’re searching for something specific (like “dog sweaters”), it may be worth trying out some variations (“sweaters dogs”). Even if they don’t show up on your first attempt at entering them, remember that nothing is set in stone yet—Amazon may decide eventually to add these terms as well!
How to Get Ungated in Amazon Topical Categories?
Before starting, you need to know that there are two different types of categories on Amazon:
- Ungated – These are the most popular and common categories. If your product is listed in one of these, it will appear in search results.
- Gated – These are less popular and common categories. If your product is listed in one of these, it will only appear in search results once a customer searches for its specific name or keyword. It also means customers can’t find your product by browsing through ungated categories (see an example below).
Why Do You Need to Get Ungated in Topical Categories?
Getting ungated in topical categories can help you to increase sales, get more reviews, get more organic search traffic and gain brand awareness.
What is the Impact of Ungating on Product Sales?
According to a study by Moz, the average organic ranking of a product page increased by 32 positions after ungating (A/B testing with dummy data).
Regarding sales, two main factors affect how much money you make: your rank and the conversion rate. Your rank on Amazon determines how many people see your product when they search for something related to what you sell. The higher your rank is, the more likely customers will come across it. The conversion rate refers to how many visitors turn into buyers once they’ve clicked through from an ad or organic search result. Not all products have high conversion rates; some items are hard to sell even though they might be listed in one of Amazon’s top categories.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at what happens if we combine these two metrics:
What are the Requirements for Getting Ungated in Topical Categories?
There are two requirements for getting ungated in a topical category:
- You need to have a minimum number of reviews, sales and units sold (for each of the three) in that specific product category.
- You must have an Amazon seller account with at least one year of history.
Conclusion
If you are interested in getting ungated in Amazon Topical Categories, we would be happy to help. Our team of experts has a wealth of experience with all aspects of product listings and has helped brands big and small get their products into these new, exciting categories. We know what it takes to succeed on Amazon, and we can also show you how to do it!