Selling on Amazon Category Style Guide: Industrial and Scientific

July 21, 2024

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5 min read

This guide will help you to list your products effectively on Amazon.

Contents

Provide Information about Your Products. ...2

Make Your Products Easy to Find . ...2

Search Keywords. ...3

Item Type Keyword (ITK) and Browse. ...4

Search and Browse Refinements . ...5

Image Guidelines.. ...6

Technical Specifications: . ...6

Main Images. ...7

Secondary Images . ...7

Detail Pages: Product Titles, Features, and Descriptions . ..8

Content Complexity . ...8

Product Titles (Item Names) . ...9

Bullet Points (Product Features). ..10

Product Descriptions. ..11

Listing Restrictions and Restricted Products. ..12

Listing Restrictions . ..12

Restricted Products Guidelines. ..12

Seller Central. ..12

Editing Content . ..12

Appendix A - Units of Measure in Titles, Descriptions, and Bullet Points. ..13

Basic Amazon Standards for Units of Measure. ...13

Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Provide Information about Your Products

To help customers find and buy your products, you need to provide as much completely accurate product information as possible, any information required by law or by Amazon's policies, and the following six types of required information about your product:

brand

product title

features (bullet points)

product description

main product image

Item Type Keyword

Note: Products that don't have these minimum requirements will not be available for sale on Amazon.

Make Your Products Easy to Find

One of the most important parts of listing your product is making sure customers can find it. Customers find products in two ways: Search and Browse. It's important to categorize your products correctly to help customers locate them in their search and browse results.

Place Your Products in the Correct Category

Products that are correctly categorized get more page views. The information that you provide will help your products appear when customers browse through the left column navigation on Amazon.com.

Pay special attention to Item Type Keywords (ITKs). ITKs are keywords that identify the product type and refer to the category your products are located in. We will talk more about them in the Item Type Keyword (ITK) and Browse section below.

Miscategorization can make it difficult for customers to locate your items and could therefore result in lower sales. Also, if your products repeatedly show up in the wrong place, it can damage the customer’s perception of your products and brands.

Please select the best Item Type Keyword (category) for your product–it really matters.

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Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Search Keywords

You can add search keywords to help customers find your product. The information that you provide in the item and brand name fields in your Inventory Template counts towards search, so add different keywords that describe your product. Search keywords can include features of the product not mentioned elsewhere, alternate names, and descriptive synonyms.

Note: Search keywords do not affect searches on external search engines, such as Google. Do:

✓ Provide keywords that customers will likely search on For example:

Product title: Barnstead Labquake Shaker, Small, 14-Tube with Bar & Clips, 120V

Suggested search terms: lab shaker, lab mixers, multishaker

Product title: Barnstead Type 2200 Thermostatic Hot Plate, 1600W,120V,50/60Hz

Suggested search terms: lab hotplate, digital hotplate

✓ List compatible models if relevant

For example:

Product Title PURELL 2137-08 Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer with Aloe, 1,000 mL NXT Space Saver Refill

Suggested search terms: 2120-06, 2156-04, dispenser refill

Don't:

Add words already in the product title or brand name - these will appear in search automatically

Include common misspellings of the product name, or variants of spacing, punctuation or capitalization (for example both 80GB and 80GB ) - the Amazon search engine includes these types of variations in search results

Include subjective terms, such as "best", or time-sensitive statements, such as "on sale" or "available now"

Include generic terms such as "essentials"

Worry about case - our search engine is case-insensitive, which means it doesn't matter if the customer searches for "SHAKERS" or "shakers"

Include information that misrepresents the product, such as a competing brand name

Examples of improper search terms for item with title "XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer":

Examples of appropriate search terms for item with title “XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer”:

3D prototype single nozzle ABS filament 3D software

PLA filament

3D printer Da Vinci

XYZprinting printer

1.0 labels

✓ Includes phrases which are not already in the product title but which customers search for

Repeats keywords already in product title (3D printer, XYZprinting, Da Vinci)

Includes keywords customers don't typically use alone when searching for 3D printers: labels (3D printers use filament instead)

Includes vague keywords that could apply to other products: printer

amazon.com®

Item Type Keyword (ITK) and Browse

In your Inventory Template, you can enter your product’s Item Type Keyword (ITK). ITKs are standard keywords that identify which category your product is in. Refer to the Industrial and Scientific Browse Tree Guide in Seller Central to find the ITK that is most similar to your product. You may not always see an ITK that exactly matches your product, so choose the one that seems closest to your product. The ITK for your product should always be a leaf node (more on this below).

For example:

Your product is a 3-inch wire cup power brush for deburring and finishing.

Select the ITK 'cup-power-brushes' because it best represents your product's category.

Your ITK determines where your product displays within Amazon’s browse structure. You can see the browse structure by going to Amazon.com and clicking Department in the upper-left corner of the site.

The browse structure groups similar items together. Think of the Amazon.com browse structure as a tree, with branches and leaves. The branches are categories of products, and the leaves are products.

For example:

A customer can find a product with the ITK ’cup-power-brushes’ by clicking on the following branches within the Industrial & Scientific Department.

Where your product is located on Amazon.com is determined by its ITK. The more specific the ITK you choose, the more easily customers will find your product. Make sure to place your products below every branch of the tree down into the leaf level, the most specific and deepest level to which customers can browse. Ensure every ITK for your products is a leaf at the end of its branch.

Note: Don't include the text "item_type_keyword:" when you enter the ITK.

Do:

Don't:

✓ Pick the leaf-level ITK that is the closest match to your * Use a branch-level ITK, such as 'industrial-products' or product 'electronic-components'. Your product will not appear when customers browse further down the tree structure.

Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Search and Browse Refinements

(Power Transmission Products

Refinements are the additional filters that you see in the left column under browse ("Departments") after you either search for a term or navigate (browse) through the Amazon website.

Material Type

◻ Alloy Steel E52100 (510) The deeper you navigate through the departments, the more specific the refinements get to ◻ Carbon Steel (132) that sub-department (leaf node). This refined set of results, whether used alone or with Galvanized Steel (103) search keywords, helps customers hone in on a very specific set of items. If a customer Stainless Steel (327) filters by a refinement, your product will not show up unless you provided data for that

Stainless Steel 420 (78) refinement.

Stainless Steel 440 (51) We are constantly adding more refinements - so the more data you add, the more easily Steel (240) customers will be able to find your products. Please complete as many fields as you can

See more... when setting up your products via the Seller Central product feeds.

Bore Diameter

Additionally, most of the attributes you complete in the Seller Central product feeds will

◻ 0.75 inches (1) appear in the Specifications for this item section of the detail page. This also supports

◻ 1 inches (1) internal and external search. We encourage you to complete the optional fields of the Seller Central product feeds to enhance the Specifications for this item section of the

Item Diameter detail page.

◻ 1 inches (1)

◻ 1 millimeters (2)

◻ 1-1/2 inches (2)

Specifications for this item

1-1/4 inches (1)

Brand NamePart NumberUPCMaterial TypeSmall PartsB000FN1V4G616614209847Stainless SteeExterior FinishSystem of MeasurementThread StyleLengthPlainMetricRight Hand12 millimetersFastener SizeThread SizeDrive StyleHead StyleM4M4-0.7PhillipsPanEANPkg QtyThread Style0616614209847100Metric Coarse

3.5 millimeters (2)

1 1/16 inches (2)

1.1.4 inches (4)

. 2 inches (2)

◻ 2 millimeters (2)

◻ 3 millimeters (3)

◻ 3.5 millimeters (2)

◻ 3/16 inches (3) See more... Do:

✓ Fill in as many of the columns as you can in the Seller Central product feeds

Remember: The more information you provide, the more easily customers will find your product, and the more likely they will

be to buy it.

amazon.com°

Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Image Guidelines

Good product images are a key component in a customer's decision to purchase a product. This is your opportunity to show your product to your customer, so quality matters. Images display on the product detail page, in search results (both on Amazon.com and on external search engines), and many other places. There are different requirements for main images (the image that appears in search results and as the default image on the detail page) and secondary images (images that appear under the "Click for larger image and other views" option below the main image on the detail page). Both main and secondary images reflect the Product Description and Product Features bullet points. Check Seller Central after uploading your images to see if the uploads have been successful.

Do:

✓ Choose images that clearly and accurately represent the product

✓ Show the main product image against a pure white background

✓ Show the main product only and not accessories or other items in the box

✓ Use an image with a pure white background

Don't:

Include text, logos, watermarks, price tags, or graphs of product ratings

Include a background or border on the main image (it's OK for other images)

Show multiple identical items in the same image even if the product contains more than one of the same item

Show multiple views of the product in the main image

Show images of used images

Use sketches or image placeholder in lieu of a product image

Include images of compatible products. For example if you are selling phone cases, don't picture them with phones in them.

Technical Specifications:

Minimum resolution 72 pixels per inch; minimum size 1000 pixels on the longest side (up to maximum of 2000 pixels)

Product should fill at least 85% of image

Preferred file format: JPEG (.jpg)

sRGB color mode

Background with HTML/RGB color code of 255, 255, 255

There must not be any spaces or non-standard characters in the image URL

amazon.com' Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Main Images

Secondary Images

Examples of Appropriate Secondary Images:

Guidelines for Secondary Images:

✓ The image must be of,or pertain to,the product being sold.

✓ The image must be in focus,professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.

✓ Other products or objects are allowed to help demonstrate the use or scale of product

✓ The product and props should fill 85% or more of the image frame

✓ Cropped or close-up images are allowed.

✓ Backgrounds and environments are allowed.

✓ Text and demonstrative graphics are allowed. Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

✓ Secondary images should be consistent with the product offered and the product description (i.e. if only 1 bottle of soap is being sold, do not show an image of a pack of 4 bottles of soap)

✓ Add up to six secondary images

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Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Detail Pages: Product Titles, Features, and Descriptions

Research shows that creating proper product attributes, descriptions, and detail pages is the most important thing you can do to help sell your products on Amazon.com. A 2009 Amazon study found that when searching for products online, customers place most value on product details, particularly specifications, features, and descriptions. Next were reviews, followed by price, and then images.

Note: Do not create duplicate product detail pages. Creating a product detail page for a product that already exists on Amazon.com is prohibited and such pages will be removed. Duplicate pages for the same item make it difficult for customers to compare offers. The existing product detail page almost always get the most traffic, so there is no benefit to setting up a duplicate.

Manufacturer-Issued IDs and Other Identifying Attributes

Provide the product’s manufacturer-issued identifier (EAN, GTIN, or UPC) when available. By supplying this identification number, our catalog system can quickly match your offer to the most-viewed existing detail page for the item and it prevents duplicate pages.

If you are the brand owner, you should sign up with the Amazon Brand Registry and apply for GCIDs (Global Catalog IDs) for your products. This will give you more control over your product data and is an improvement on UPCs, EANs, and GTINs.

Every product must have the following:

Brand/manufacturer

Manufacturer part number

Number of items

These will uniquely identify the product without an EAN/GTIN/UPC, and prevent mismatches to pack quantities. Your product will be rejected without these three items.

This information also supports Amazon searches and external search engines, such as Google. See the guidelines provided in the Product title and Product description sections.

Content Complexity

You must provide all required product information for each of your products. Different types of products may need to be described with different levels of detail for customers to make informed buying decisions.

Be sure to consider how much information the average customer will need to know about your product when setting up your listings. Remember, product complexity is not always linked to cost and there are some products that are deceptively complex, such as a shoulder screw. To buy a shoulder screw, a customer needs to know the values of over 13 attributes.

Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Product Titles (Item Names)

Informative titles help customers identify and differentiate products. Titles appear in search results (both on Amazon and on external search engines), on Amazon's browse pages, on the product detail page, and in Amazon's automated and personalization features. Along with thumbnail images, titles are usually the first information customers see regarding a product and therefore should provide customers with the right information to help them find the product they are seeking.

Do:

✓ Provide a short,informative title that helps customers quickly identify the product

✓ Include details highlighting differences among products

✓ Limit to 150 characters

✓ Keep it factual,descriptive and accurate

✓ Capitalize the first letter of each word except: the,and,or, for, a, an, in, over, with

✓ Write numbers as numerals (2 instead of two)

✓ Be mindful of how to include units of measure (See Appendix B for more information.)

Don't:

Use HTML tags (such as </𝑝> ) or special characters not on a standard keyboard (for example (R) (C) TM or other Type 1 High ASCII characters)

Use all capitals: THEY MAKE CONTENT HARD TO READ

Include your company's name. The detail page, including the title, will be used by all sellers

Use subjective adjectives such as "awesome" or "great"

Reference variations (such as availability of item in multiple colors)

Include too much information. Titles should contain the minimum information needed to identify the item. More information makes it hard for customers to scan and identify items, and may harm your search results (see Search Keywords section above)

Include price or availability Examples of appropriate product titles:

Filabot ABS Plastic 3D Printing Filament, 3mm Diameter, 1lb Spool

Technical Concepts #750411 Wall Mount Auto Foam Dispenser, 1100mL ,Black/Chrome,5.25" Length ×5.18′′ Width x 10.86" Height

Example of an improper product title:

16 Compatible T0711 Black Epson Ink Cartridge for Epson Stylus B40w BX300f BX310fn BX410 BX510 BX600fw BX610fw D78 D92 D120 DX400 DX4000 DX4050 DX4400 DX 4400 DX4450 DX5000 DX5050 DX6000 DX6050 DX7000f DX7400 DX7450 DX8400 DX8450 DX9400f S20 S21 SX100 SX105 SX110 SX115 SX200 SX205 SX209 SX210 SX212 SX215 SX218 SX 218 SX400 SX405 SX405wfi SX410 SX415 SX510w SX515w SX600fw SX610fw Printers - Compatible Epson Cheetah Inks T0711 Black TO711 E- 711 ***by Company XYZ***

Don't forget to include the quantity of your product at the end of your title when instructed to do so within Seller Central inventory management.

Examples:

Georgia-Pacific Signature 23000 White 2-Ply Premium C-Fold Paper Towel, 13.2" Length x 10.1" Width (Case of 12 Packs, 120 per Pack)

✓ Norton 3X High Performance Hook and Sand Paper Discs with 6 Hole, Ceramic Alumina, 6" Diameter, Grit P60 Coarse (Pack of 10)

Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Bullet Points (Product Features)

These short phrases summarize a product’s key features as well as convey what is unique about a product. A customer should be able to scan the bullet points and quickly see what your product is and what it does. Product Features bullet points are displayed on the product detail page above the Product Description, and they feed into Amazon search and external search results. They help customers evaluate a product. It is essential to only include information that is directly relevant to the product.

The first Product Features bullet point should present the product’s most important/distinguishing feature and its benefits. Subsequent Product Features bullet points should provide additional features/benefits in order of importance.

Do:

✓ Limit to 200 characters

✓ Keep the information factual,descriptive,accurate and quantifiable

✓ Describe the most important features or attributes of the product and the benefit that each feature brings to the customer; typically these features are in the product's title

✓ Include product dimensions where relevant

✓ Begin each bullet point with a capital letter

✓ Check spelling and grammar

✓ Keep information focused on the detail page product rather than related products sold separately except when referencing a product accessory. Example: "Compatible with Epson Series X, Y, and Z printers (sold separately)"

Don't:

Exceed 200 characters per bullet

Feel obliged to fill in all 5 fields -3 good bullet points are better than 5 weak ones. (Note: certain BISS categories do require 5 bullet points so do your best to make each one strong.)

Use all capital letters.

Use ending punctuation, for example, periods or exclamation marks

Include subjective or time-sensitive comments i.e. "great value" or "hot this year"

Include details specific to your listings, for example pricing, promotional or shipping information

Use HTML tags or special characters not on a standard keyboard (for example ® © TM or other Type 1 High ASCII characters)

Examples of appropriate bullet points:

Automatic calibration at one or two points with two sets of memorized buffer values for ease of use

Replaceable electrodes to prolong life of meter

Automatic temperature compensation (ATC) eliminates need for extra calculations

Waterproof and floats in water

Automatic shut-off to extend battery life

Examples of improper bullet points:

Stand out from the crowd

Unique design

Another essential product, a great deal from XYZ

amazon.com'

Category Style Guide

Industrial and Scientific

Product Descriptions

A concise and accurate product description helps customers decide if a product meets their needs. Product descriptions are on the product detail page but also feed into Amazon search and external search results. We recommend the product description include the following: manufacturer or brand name; product model number and name; brief summary of the features in the Product Features bullet points. Additional product benefits, key applications, and industries where the product is used are also helpful.

Depending on the complexity of the product, you may also wish to include the following: specific industry standards that are met (ANSI, DIN, IP, MIL-SPEC, etc.) or included accessory items and parts. If the product requires another product to function that is not included, state that using the parenthetical expression "(sold separately)".

Do:

✓ Provide as much factual,descriptive,accurate and clear information as possible -- avoid marketing-speak and instead use an informative and authoritative tone

✓ Limit to 2,000 characters

✓ Where applicable include the brand name, series and model number in the first sentence, even if they already appear in the product title

✓ Describe the product’s key features,including size,color, and compatibility where applicable, and the benefit(s) in language that can be understood by a wide range of customers

✓ Include model numbers of products your item is compatible with

✓ Only capitalize the first word of a sentence,or proper nouns

✓ Check spelling and grammar

Don't:

Write about extensively about other products than the one for sale; this is your opportunity to tell the customer about the product so that they can decide whether to buy it

Use industry jargon

Include subjective or time-sensitive comments for example "great value" or "hot this year"

Use any HTML other than <𝑝> and </𝑝>

Include any web or email addresses

Example of an appropriate product description:

The Starrett 125 series vernier caliper measures in inches and metric, has a 0.001′′/0.02mm graduation,and four-way jaws for measuring the inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter (OD) of holes and grooves. The caliper’s inch scale has an accuracy of + or - 0.001" on 0- 4" measurements and + or - 0.0015" on measurements over 4 "; the metric scale on the caliper has an accuracy of + or −0.025mm for each 300mm . A fine-adjustment screw ensures accurate measurements and a locking screw secures the measurement in place for accurate readings. The hardened stainless steel depth rod is wear-resistant. Included: caliper; fitted case.

Example of an improper product description: 6 Inch LCD Digital Caliper with Extra Battery and Case. Shipped by DYI Scientific Supplies.

amazon.com®

Listing Restrictions and Restricted Products

For many types of products there are highly specific technical terms and requirements for attribute values.

This guidance is not intended to be legal advice, and you should consult your own legal counsel to ensure that your products, including the labeling on them, comply with applicable laws and any related rules and regulations. Providing this information to Amazon through Seller Central inventory templates does not relieve you of your obligations to follow all applicable laws. Products that are incorrectly described in the Seller Central inventory templates or not properly labeled may be returned to you at your expense. It is your responsibility to ensure that the product information you provide Amazon is accurate and contains all necessary information to sell your products.

Listing Restrictions

Amazon has general listing restrictions as well as listing restrictions that require statements or disclosures for multiple categories. As a seller on the Amazon platform, it is your responsibility to comply with all laws and regulations and with Amazon policies when listing and describing your products. Review the most current and comprehensive listing restrictions on Seller Central here: Seller Central Help>Account Settings>Reference>Policies and Agreements>Selling Policies>Category, Product, and Listing Restrictions>Listing Restrictions

Restricted Products Guidelines

Amazon has guidelines for restricted products, including examples of products that cannot be lawfully marketed or sold, products that Amazon does not allow to be marketed or sold on Amazon.com, and guidance pertaining to claims, guarantees, California Proposition 65, testimonials and endorsements, labeling, and much more. You are responsible for reviewing the most recent Restricted Products guidelines on Seller Central to ensure compliance: Seller Central>Help>Restricted Products Seller Central Help>Account Settings>Reference>Policies and Agreements>Selling Policies>Category, Product, and Listing Restrictions>Restricted Products

Seller Central

Seller Central is a portal designed specifically for seller use. Inside you’ll find everything you need to operate efficiently with Amazon. Please familiarize yourself with Seller Central and ensure that you are using it as a reference tool for any questions you may have. If you are unable to find the answer to your question please use Seller Central’s Contact Seller Support link and your question will be forwarded to the relevant team member.

Editing Content

You can request more detailed guidelines on identifying content defects (images, product descriptions, and product features bullet points) as well as submit Excel spreadsheets with corrected data via the Seller Central’s Contact Seller Support link.

Appendix A – Units of Measure in Titles, Descriptions, and Bullet Points

Within your Seller Central inventory management template, you will be asked the type of unit of measure (UOM) you plan to use for your products. This will prepopulate most of the units of measure for many of your entries. However, in certain cases, such as in your Item Titles, Product Features bullet points, and Product Descriptions, you will be asked to include the units of measure. To ensure consistency for Amazon's customers, we request you follow the guidelines below.

> Use abbreviated units in your Item Title, Product Feature bullet points and Product Description unless otherwise directed within the Seller Central product data feeds

Abbreviated units of measurement should stay in the same form whether singular or plural

For example, do not add an "s" to mm, lb., or oz. to denote plurality

> Use a comma in the thousandths place when formatting numbers equal to or greater than 1,000

Basic Amazon Standards for Units of Measure

Your products may require other units of measure but the table below gives you a sense of what we are looking for in populating Titles, Product Descriptions, and Bullet Points:

UnitSeller InputExampleDimensional UnitsFeet15'Inches115''Yardyd.5 yd.Millimetersmm5 mmLiquid VolumeMillilitersmL5 mLWeight UnitsPoundslb.5 lb.OuncesOZ.5 oz.Kilogramskg5kg2 units of measureSeparate with a “/”2.7kg/6lb .

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