Understanding Amazon's A9 algorithm and how to optimise your listings is the difference between selling 10 units a month and 1,000.
Understanding Amazon's A9 Algorithm
Amazon's A9 algorithm determines which products appear at the top of search results for any given query. Unlike Google's algorithm which prioritises informational relevance, A9 prioritises purchase likelihood. The primary ranking factors are: (1) Relevance — how closely does your listing match the search query in title, bullet points, description, and backend keywords? (2) Performance — what is your conversion rate, sales velocity, and review score? (3) Customer satisfaction — return rate, seller rating, and response time.
The most actionable insight from understanding A9: sales drive rankings. Products that convert searchers to buyers are rewarded with higher placement, which generates more impressions, which generates more sales. This virtuous cycle means the best strategy for new products is to aggressively generate initial sales (even at a lower margin) to establish a performance foundation that then sustains organic ranking.
Seller metrics that Amazon monitors: Order Defect Rate (must stay below 1%), Pre-fulfillment Cancel Rate (below 2.5%), Late Shipment Rate (below 4%), and customer feedback score. Consistently poor performance in any metric leads to account health warnings and potential suspension.
Optimising Your Product Listing for Maximum Visibility
Title: Amazon allows up to 200 characters in the title. The formula: Brand + Product Name + Key Feature(s) + Size/Quantity. Include your 2-3 most important keywords naturally. Do not keyword-stuff with every possible synonym — Amazon's algorithm and customers both penalise illegibility.
Bullet points (5 maximum): each bullet should address one key benefit or feature. Lead with the benefit, then explain the feature. 'Leak-proof design ensures your bag stays dry even in heavy rain — triple-sealed zippers and waterproof coating tested to IPX6 standard' is far better than 'Waterproof — triple seal zippers'.
Backend keywords (search terms): in Seller Central, you have 249 bytes of hidden keywords that appear in search but not in your listing. Use this space for: misspellings of your product, related search terms not in your listing, synonyms, regional variants, and complementary product terms. Do not repeat words already in your listing — Amazon already indexes those.
Images: primary image must be on white background, product filling 85%+ of the frame. Supporting images should include: all angles, lifestyle shots in use, size comparison photos, and close-ups of key features. Lifestyle images showing the product being used in realistic contexts significantly improve conversion rates.
Amazon Advertising — Sponsored Products Basics
Sponsored Products are pay-per-click ads that appear in search results and product pages. They are the most effective Amazon advertising format for most sellers. Campaign types: automatic targeting (Amazon selects keywords — good for keyword discovery), manual targeting (you select specific keywords — better for optimised spend), and product targeting (you target specific competing products or categories).
Starting budget: ₹500-₹1,500/day is adequate for most new products to generate data within 2-3 weeks. Amazon charges per click — your daily budget controls total spend. Start with automatic campaigns, run for 2 weeks, then move high-performing keywords from automatic into manual campaigns with more aggressive bids.
Advertising Cost of Sales (ACoS) = Ad Spend / Ad Revenue. Your target ACoS depends on your margins — if your gross margin is 40%, you want ACoS below 40% to remain profitable. For new products, accept higher ACoS initially to build sales velocity and reviews; optimise down as organic ranking improves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many reviews does a product need to rank well on Amazon India?
Reviews are a significant trust signal but not a direct ranking factor. However, products with 20+ reviews and 4+ star ratings convert significantly better than those with fewer reviews, which means better sales velocity, which means better rankings. Focus on gathering your first 20-30 reviews as a priority. Use Amazon's 'Request a Review' button (in Seller Central for each order) within 5-30 days of delivery — this is Amazon's compliant method for requesting reviews.
Is FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) worth the extra cost for Indian sellers?
For most sellers with products of moderate size and weight, FBA is worth the cost because it: provides Prime badge eligibility (Prime members buy significantly more than non-Prime), improves delivery speed and customer experience (which improves reviews and conversion), removes operational burden of packing and shipping, and can improve search ranking (Amazon gives preference to Prime-eligible products). The additional FBA fees are typically 15-20% of sale price — offset by the higher conversion rate and Prime customer LTV.