Detailed explanation of Amazon platform brand authorization and distribution management

On the Amazon platform, brand authorization and distribution management are the focus of sellers and brand owners. According to market data, Amazon accounts for 49.1% of U.S. online retail sales, providing important sales opportunities for brand merchants. To stand out in this competitive environment, brands need to effectively manage the licensing and distribution process of their products.

1. Basic concepts of brand licensing

Brand authorization refers to a brand owner granting the right to other sellers or resellers to sell their products on the Amazon platform. Although brand owners can establish partnerships with multiple authorized sellers, Amazon’s policy stipulates that the same brand can only have one main brand store, which can avoid competition and confusion for the same brand on the platform. Therefore, when a brand grants multiple sellers, it needs to ensure that these sellers’ stores exist as sub-stores.

2. Brand registration and distribution

Brand registration is the first step in fighting unauthorized sellers. Brand owners first need to own trademark patent rights and register their Amazon brand. After completing the registration, the brand can authorize other sellers to sell its products. The authorization process is relatively simple and is usually confirmed within 1 to 2 hours and takes effect after 24 hours.

When licensing a brand, a clear cooperation agreement is required, which stipulates sales policies, pricing strategies, and after-sales service details to ensure the consistency and quality of products on the platform. When implementing an authorization strategy, brands should monitor the behavior of authorized sellers to ensure that product quality and services meet brand standards.

3. Strategies for dealing with unauthorized sellers

With the increase in unauthorized sellers, brands and manufacturers need to take effective measures to protect their own interests. This includes:

  1. Execute Brand Registry: Signing up for Amazon Brand Registry is the first step in controlling your product sales and getting support from Amazon.

  2. Lay the foundation: Brands need to gather evidence of issues with products from unauthorized sellers so they can report them to Amazon and take action.

  3. Monitor sales: By continuously tracking the sales of relevant sellers, we can identify potential problem sellers and classify them in a timely manner.

  4. Strengthening customer rights and interests: Ensure that customers can enjoy quality assurance, warranty services and other rights when purchasing products from authorized sellers, thereby enhancing consumers’ trust in the brand.

  5. Conduct quality control: Design unique packaging and sign shipping and storage agreements with authorized sellers to reduce the damage to your brand image caused by counterfeit products.

4. Conclusion

Effective brand licensing and distribution management are crucial in the current competitive e-commerce environment. Brand owners need to establish close cooperation with their authorized sellers to meet platform policy requirements and protect brand reputation. At the same time, as Amazon continues to expand its market share, brand protection and management measures need to be continuously optimized to adapt to new challenges.