Amazon uses ASIN numbers to create and manage their retail catalog. These numbers are used to identify the exact items you wish to sell.
If you want to sell on Amazon, one of the first steps you’ll take is to identify your ASIN numbers for your products.
This article will detail what Amazon ASIN numbers are, why they’re important, and how you can find your ASIN numbers to list your products on Amazon.
What is an ASIN number?
So, what is an ASIN number anyway?
ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number. It’s a 10-charcter alphanumeric unique identifier that’s assigned by Amazon.com and its partners. It’s used for product-identification within Amazon.com organization.
ASINs are only guaranteed unique within a marketplace. So, different national Amazon sites may use different ASINs for the same product.
Why Amazon ASIN are Important to Amazon and its Sellers
An Amazon ASIN is important to both Amazon and its marketplace sellers. For Amazon, an ASIN is used to reference catalog data, track inventory for products, and index catalog pages for search and browse.
Think about the customer experience on Amazon.
Amazon gives customers advanced search options. This allows shoppers to easily select and drill down through multiple categories of products to find the item they’re looking for. Or, they can just type the product description into the search box. Either way, customers can find the exact item they’re looking for.
Using a product’s ASIN, Amazon delivers accurate, and relevant product searches for customers.
It’s vital then that sellers identify and use the correct ASIN identifier for their products. Otherwise, Amazon won’t be able to search your products to show them to customers.
To list any products on Amazon, you’ll first need to find your Amazon ASIN number.
How to Find Your Amazon ASIN Number
You can locate an Amazon ASIN number in a few different places: product web address, product details, or a software tool for ASIN lookups.
The fastest way is to look in your browser’s address bar for the product you’re looking to sell. The Amazon ASIN will be after the product’s name and “dp”, as highlighted below.
The second place you can find the ASIN is in the product details on Amazon.com, near the bottom of the product’s page.
There are also software tools specifically for ASIN number lookups. If you have thousands of products, you wouldn’t want to search web addresses of each item individually, then copy and paste each one. Tools, such as Synccentric, allow you to import your product identifiers, and then they retrieve the Amazon ASINs for you.
Of course, these types of tools will cost you. Whether or not you need to pay for a tool will depend on the number items you have and how often you list new products to Amazon.
Adding Unique Amazon ASINs: Using GTINs, UPCs, ISBNS, and EANs
In some cases, you might need to add a unique ASIN to Amazon’s product catalog. This happens when you sell a new item not yet sold on Amazon. This is usually the case when you manufacture your own items.
To do this, Amazon provides an “Add a Product” tool that allows you to create new product detail pages on Amazon.com. Once your product page is up, you can sell your items. (Be aware that other sellers can also use this ASIN number to sell the same items.)
When creating a new ASIN, you’ll need to know your product’s GTINs, or Global Trade Item Numbers. The most common GTINs used are UPCs, ISBNs, and EANs. These types of codes are generally found near the bar code on the product package of your product.
- ISBN (International Standard Book Number): 10 digits or 13 digits
- UPC (Universal Product Code): 12 digits
- EAN (European Article Number): 13 digits
- GTIN-14 (Global Trade Item Number): 14 digits
If you don’t already know your GTIN, you can request it from the manufacturer of your product. But, if you manufactured the item yourself, you’ll need to register your product through the GS1 US for UPCs, or US ISBN Agency for ISBNs (for US sellers).
Amazon uses these universal product identifiers to create and match their own unique ASIN codes.
Need of New Amazon ASIN is an Indication of Competition
Amazon continues to grow its base of marketplace sellers, and the number of product it offers. But, the results for sellers is that Amazon becomes more competitive to sell on. If you need to create a new Amazon ASIN for a product you want to sell, this can be a good indication that there’s low selling competition for that item.
When you have to do this, it indicates that you’re the only seller offering this product. You don’t have to compete with other sellers for customers. This strategy can also help you win the buy box!
As you’re looking to list new products on Amazon, keep in mind how competitive it is to sell that item. Looking to whether or not you need to create a new ASIN can help you determine that.
What to Do Next
Identifying your Amazon ASIN number is the first step in selling on Amazon. Accurately matching, or creating your ASIN number is vital to making sure that your items are searchable for customers on Amazon.
However, identifying your ASIN number is only the first step in creating your product listings. Subscribe to Multichannel Insights below, so you don’t miss our next articles about winning the buy box, optimizing your Amazon listings, and how to list your Amazon products on eBay.
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