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Why It’s Important to Enforce Pricing on Amazon

Your name has been blasted across social media. Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok. On all platforms, you’ll find people talking about you.

Yes, you. Because you made it. You’re running a brand that has people talking.

You have a brand vision and clear marketing goals. Of course, because you wouldn’t be here today if you didn’t. The question is, what are you doing to maintain your brand and keep its essence strong? Being in charge of the marketing team and the sales team, you set the rules on how to sell your products, where to sell your products, and at what price to sell your products. Selling, on Amazon is a different story. It’s not about your brand, it’s all about Amazon.

And, Amazon is all about giving the customer the best possible price.

Sellers are pitted against each other, aggressively competing for the Buy Box. To help win the Buy Box, sellers might undercut your pricing to increase their sales. Having resellers cut pricing against MAP guidelines will affect your margins, your brand value, and your relationships with distributors and retail partners.

TIP: Don’t have MAP guidelines?
MAP is a strong tool for building a strong brand. It helps to:

The intensity of competitive pricing of Amazon can lead to a significant decrease in your brand’s value, driving demand to a downward spiral. Amazon does not enforce MAP policies. It is your duty, as the brand owner, to protect your well-earned brand popularity.

If you don’t yet have MAP guidelines in place:

First, establish the guidelines that work for your marketing goals.
Communicate this change to all resellers, and advise by when it must go into effect.

If you don’t yet have MAP guidelines in place:

Get Brand registered. There are numerous benefits to being an approved brand on Amazon. Some of the benefits are being able to restrict unauthorized resellers and having access to analyze more of your sales data.
Limit the amount of resellers you work with. Fewer sellers means you have less policing to do, and it’s easier to uncover the perpetrator when there is an under cutter.

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If you don’t yet have MAP guidelines in place:

Note: Amazon will not help you. They, too, can often violate MAP guidelines.

First, uncover which reseller it is, or how the seller is procuring your goods. Because Amazon sellers don’t always display accurate business info, this can be difficult to do. Having a relationship with fewer resellers will help you in this process.

Once you know who the culprit is, send a cease and desist letter. It is smart to confer with a legal advisor for the appropriate wording.

Then, if the reseller still does not stop, it’s in your best interest to stop selling to them. You don’t want the perceived value of your brand to drop with low pricing. Be clear in your communication, that you will remove their authorized seller status, and stop selling to them.

Keeping your pricing consistent across different sales channels, especially when you’re selling on Amazon, sends a clear message about your brand’s value to buyers, building your brand stronger than ever.

And, it makes the clicking on that “click to cart” button consistent. (Smart move for preventing Buy Box Suppression.)

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