Essential Strategies for Safeguarding Your Brand on Amazon

In today’s fast-paced e-commerce world, protecting your brand on Amazon is no longer optional—it’s essential.

With counterfeits and unauthorized sellers increasing every day, even the most established brands are at risk of losing revenue and reputation. Amazon’s marketplace, while providing vast reach, also makes it easy for bad actors to infiltrate listings, sell knock-off products, and mislead customers.

This guide breaks down the strategies and tools available for brand owners to effectively safeguard brands on Amazon. Whether you’re looking to enroll in Amazon Brand Registry or learning about Amazon’s Project Zero, we’ve got you covered.

Why Brand Protection Is Essential on Amazon

1. Expansive Reach with High Exposure Risk
Amazon’s 300 million-plus active customer base and global accessibility can make your brand grow fast. But greater visibility also means higher exposure to counterfeiters and unauthorized sellers. They may try to “hijack” your listings and exploit your brand’s popularity.

“Counterfeits are estimated to account for around 3.3% of global trade,” according to a report by the OECD and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office. That’s nearly half a trillion dollars of fake goods annually—many of which end up on popular platforms like Amazon.

2. Low Barrier to Entry Increases Brand Risks
Amazon’s marketplace is open to nearly anyone, from reputable brands to anonymous sellers, making it easy for counterfeiters to pose as authentic sellers. This unrestricted access is a double-edged sword for brands.

Common Threats to Your Brand on Amazon

Brands on Amazon face several serious threats, all of which can harm revenue and reputation. Here’s a look at the most common ones:

• Listing Hijacking: Competitors or counterfeiters take control of your listings, often without your knowledge, offering lower-quality items under your brand name.
• Counterfeit Products: These fake items use your brand’s name but deliver a subpar product. A customer who buys these unknowingly may leave a poor review, impacting your brand’s image.
• Review Manipulation: Some sellers buy fake reviews or leave fake negative reviews on competitor listings. This skews the customer’s perception, either falsely boosting poor-quality items or harming reputable ones.
• Price Undercutting: Unauthorized sellers often sell at lower prices, undermining your pricing strategy and potentially confusing customers about your brand’s value.
• Negative SEO and Fake Complaints: Competitors might use fake complaints or manipulate SEO to push your listing down the rankings, impacting sales.

Core Strategies for Brand Protection on Amazon

1. Trademark Registration

Getting a trademark for your brand name, logo, or any distinctive product identifiers is essential. With a registered trademark, you can take stronger actions against unauthorized sellers and counterfeit products.

Tip: Trademark registration is often the first step in many Amazon brand protection tools, including Amazon Brand Registry.

2. Amazon Brand Registry Enrollment

Amazon Brand Registry gives brands exclusive tools to safeguard their listings. By enrolling, you get:

• Greater Control: You can directly edit listings to ensure accurate product details.
• Enhanced Reporting Tools: You gain access to powerful reporting tools for counterfeit and infringement issues.

Many brands report that “Brand Registry reduces suspected infringements by over 90%,” making it a top recommendation for all sellers.

3. Brand Gating

With Brand Gating, Amazon requires sellers to receive brand approval before listing products. This additional layer helps prevent unauthorized sellers from offering your brand’s items without permission.

Example: If your brand is “X”, only authorized sellers with verified approval can list “X” products. This barrier drastically reduces the number of counterfeits and unauthorized sellers on your listings.

4. Amazon Project Zero

Project Zero leverages Amazon’s machine learning to automatically detect and remove suspected counterfeit items. It combines Amazon’s algorithms with data provided by the brand itself.

• Automated Protections: This tool identifies and removes fake items from your listings.
• Self-Service Removal: Project Zero participants can also manually remove counterfeit items from their listings without needing Amazon’s approval.

5. Amazon Transparency Program

Transparency is Amazon’s unique anti-counterfeit program, where each product unit is assigned a unique code that customers can scan to verify authenticity.

Example: A customer buying a Transparency-protected product can scan the code and confirm it’s a legitimate item, ensuring confidence in their purchase.

Advanced Brand Protection Tactics

1. A+ Content [Previously Enhanced Brand Content (EBC)]
A+ Content allows brands to create more engaging, visually rich product pages. This exclusive feature, available to Brand Registry members, helps you stand out and build customer trust.

• Custom Images and Videos: Adding professional visuals differentiates your listing from unauthorized or counterfeit products.
• Improved Brand Recall: High-quality branded content makes it harder for counterfeit listings to compete.

2. Defensive Amazon Advertising
By running ads on Amazon targeting your brand’s keywords, you can secure the top spots on your own listings and prevent competitors from diverting traffic.

Strategy Example: Set up campaigns targeting keywords like “[Your Brand] Official” to prevent other sellers from appearing on top when customers search for your products.

3. Review Monitoring and Reporting
Regularly monitoring reviews can alert you to potential counterfeit issues or signs of listing manipulation.

• Flag Suspicious Activity: Look out for sudden negative reviews or patterns that suggest fake reviews, and report these immediately.

4. Pricing Strategies and MAP Policies
Maintaining a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) helps ensure that authorized sellers keep pricing consistent, discouraging unauthorized sellers from undercutting your prices.

Example: By enforcing MAP with authorized sellers, you create a fair pricing environment that protects the perceived value of your brand.

5. Two-Step Verification for Amazon Seller Central
Securing your Amazon Seller Central account with two-step verification ensures that only authorized individuals can access it, reducing risks of listing tampering.

Legal and Procedural Actions for Brand Protection

1. Cease and Desist Notices for Unauthorized Sellers
Sending a cease-and-desist notice reminds unauthorized sellers of your trademark rights and warns them of potential legal consequences.

Tip: This approach can be particularly effective for deterring smaller or new unauthorized sellers who are infringing on your brand.

2. Trademarked Logos in Packaging and Images
Including logos on packaging and product images adds a level of authenticity that counterfeiters struggle to replicate, making it easier to report fake listings.

3. Using Amazon FNSKU for Inventory Control
Amazon FNSKU (Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit) uniquely identifies your brand’s inventory, ensuring only your authorized stock is sold through Amazon.

Example: By using Amazon’s FNSKU labels, you ensure that only authentic products sourced from you or your authorized partners are distributed.

Monitoring and Reporting System for Brand Protection

An effective monitoring system is essential for quickly catching and responding to issues.

• Automated Brand Protection Tools: Use automated tools that monitor product listings, reviews, and seller activity to detect counterfeits and unauthorized listings.
• Regular Listing Audits: Conduct frequent audits of your listings to ensure they are accurate and free from hijackers.
• Dedicated Brand Protection Team: For larger brands, having a team or partner dedicated to brand protection enables faster response times and continuous monitoring.

How to Report Violations and Escalate Issues on Amazon

When issues arise, Amazon provides several pathways for reporting and escalation:

• Amazon’s Reporting Tools (Report a Violation): Use Amazon Brand Registry’s “Report a Violation” tool for quick reporting of counterfeit products, listing hijacking, and other infringements.
• Contact Amazon Support and Seller Central: For complex issues, contacting Amazon Seller Support can help address matters that reporting tools may not resolve.
• Legal Escalation Options: For unresolved violations, consider escalating through legal means, such as sending cease-and-desist letters or filing trademark infringement claims.

Conclusion: How Nuvoretail Can Help with Brand Protection

Protecting your brand on Amazon requires a multi-layered approach—from using Amazon’s Brand Registry to enforcing MAP policies. However, effectively managing all these elements can be challenging for enterprise brands and growing e-commerce teams.

Nuvoretail specializes in Amazon Brand Protection services, helping brands navigate the complexities of Amazon’s platform. With expertise in Amazon’s tools, defensive advertising, legal measures, and proactive monitoring, we work with you to develop a customized strategy that maintains your brand’s integrity and boosts its growth.

Contact us today to discover how Nuvoretail can help your brand stay protected and thrive on Amazon.