This means that the same product – say a particular set of headphones – could be offered by dozens of different vendors at different prices and with different shipping costs. When customers search for and click on the product they are looking for, the Amazon algorithm chooses one vendor’s offer to put in the buy box. Having your product in this buy box offers a major advantage for the retailer, as most customers end up clicking “add to cart” and buying the product. A whopping 94% of sellers who were selected for the buy box placement but who did not have the cheapest listing were either sold by Amazon itself or by companies paying Amazon. Amazon won’t reveal how exactly the buy box works, but outlines tips for sellers looking to win placement in the hallowed box.

Source: The Guardian September 21, 2016 02:16 UTC