High-quality photography increases Amazon sales, so wouldn’t enhanced photography be even better? That’s one of the strongest advantages of Amazon enhanced brand content, also known as Amazon A+ content. Amazon EBC allows sellers to post better-quality images, among other features, that can better share your brand story and entice more clicks.
EBC content directly affects how customers perceive you and your products. By putting a little extra care into your Amazon EBC design, sellers can effectively improve conversion rates and impress more shoppers.
Below, we discuss the best tactics in EBC images design for Amazon sellers, so you can post your own eye-catching lifestyle images for more buyers.
What are Amazon EBC images?
Amazon enhanced brand content, a.k.a. Amazon A+ content, is an optional free tool offered by Amazon that provides extra features. A+ content lets Amazon sellers upgrade their product listings by uploading videos, customizing text placement in product descriptions, using shoppable comparison charts, and adding more to the detail page. However, the favorite feature of Amazon EBC/A+ content is typically the enhanced images.
Amazon EBC images, which appear in your product listings, can be bigger and better than standard Amazon product listing images. While Amazon policies restrict what you can show in your usual Amazon image stack, EBC content design is more permissive.
For example, A+ content lets you display more detailed Amazon infographics or use interactive comparison charts for ushering shoppers to your other products. Using higher-quality images also means you can show off finer details and explain usability more clearly. These enhanced photos also attract the eyes of potential customers.
Above all, EBC lifestyle images can show people using your product in real-life scenarios, a welcome improvement to conventional product photography against a white background. Lifestyle images do wonders for your brand story and help shoppers associate your Amazon store with the joy or satisfaction they get from your products.
Amazon EBC vs. Amazon A+ content vs. Premium A+ content
To be fair, Amazon A+ content and Amazon enhanced brand content are naturally confusing titles because they started as two separate services and recently merged.
In the past, Amazon EBC was designed for sellers on Seller Central, who sell directly to consumers, and Amazon A+ content was designed for sellers on Vendor Central, who sell to Amazon as an intermediary before consumers. EBC and A+ content have since merged under the uniform name “Amazon A+ content,” although sellers still refer to it as “EBC” out of habit.
To make matters even more confusing, Amazon launched a separate service known as Premium A+ content, which itself was formerly known as A++ content. Premium A+ content is just how it sounds: EBC with even better features, like HD video and more customization.
Amazon EBC content eligibility
The good news is that the pricing for Amazon EBC/A+ content is free for any seller in the Amazon brand registry, as well as new sellers approved for certain programs like Amazon Exclusive or Launchpad.
Amazon Premium A+ content, on the other hand, is more exclusive. For starters, it’s only available to sellers who are already using Amazon EBC/A+ content, plus you need to meet the following requirements:
- All of your brand-owned products need to use a Brand Story module.
- You’ve published five A+ content projects in the last year.
How Amazon enhanced brand content improves product listing SEO
You might not think much about graphic design, fonts, or photography composition for your e-commerce business. However, using well-made product photos is one of the best ways to influence potential customers and boost your Amazon CTR. With that in mind, you can see how better product photos lead to better sales – and with the way the Amazon algorithm works, better sales lead to better SEO (helping you stand out in Amazon search results).
Simply put, Amazon EBC images are better quality than regular Amazon product listing images. Amazon EBC images have more options and less restrictions than conventional product photography, giving you more styles to demonstrate your brand story.
Moreover, the higher quality pictures show more product details, which leads to a better understanding of the product. Less mystery about a product’s size or texture makes the shopper feel more secure, increasing the likelihood of a sale.
You can also demonstrate your product’s functionality better through the enhanced images. As a result, potential customers can more easily figure out how to use certain product features, leading to greater customer satisfaction and fewer returns.
Image optimization has become one of the most effective sales strategies in e-commerce. The goal is to show your products at their best, providing potential customers with all the relevant info they need to decide to purchase. Using Amazon enhanced brand content really just makes your optimized photography even more optimized, with all its extra options and opportunities.
If you’re in the Brand Registry, Amazon EBC is pretty much a no-brainer – whether it’s part of your global Amazon expansion strategy or just a way to boost the ROI of your small business.
How to make an Amazon EBC template with modules
The Amazon EBC template you create is based on a system of “modules,” interchangeable visual pieces that you can rearrange how you like. Think of the Amazon EBC template as a collage made up of these modules.
The standard modules included with Amazon EBC/A+ content are:
- logo
- image header
- image header with text
- image and highlights
- image with text overlay – light
- image with text overlay – dark
- left image
- right image
- image with sidebar
- tech specs
- image with tech specs
- product description text
- three images and text
- four images with text
- four images with a text quadrant
- comparison chart
Don’t be afraid to experiment and play with different combinations to see what best reflects your brand’s personality. When you’re ready to get started, follow the steps below. (These instructions assume you use Seller Central).
- In Seller Central, go to the Advertising tab and click A+ Content Manager.
- Click Start Creating A+ Content.
- Choose a name and select your language.
- Select the modules you want to use.
- Arrange your modules in your preferred layout.
- Apply your EBC template to whatever ASINs you want.
While the actual management of EBC may be simple enough, it’s the creative choices that require more effort. Follow the tips below to get a more professional, eye-catching style for your visuals.
Best tips for Amazon EBC design
Avoid off-limit topics
Amazon EBC gives you more kinds of images to post, but that doesn’t mean you can post anything. There are still Amazon policies that regulate what you can and can’t show or say. Take a look at some of the most important restrictions below.
DO NOT:
- include your contact information in the images.
- mention any warranties or guarantees.
- make bold claims like, “#1 product” or “best product on Amazon.”
- suggest products can be used for illegal activities.
- attempt to redirect traffic outside of Amazon, as with links or textual instructions.
- include photos without the product.
- add third-party quotes or testimonials from external sources.
- use copyrighted, trademarked, or registered symbols.
- make time-sensitive claims like “on sale now.”
- use imagery related to Amazon, such as the Amazon logo or a mock Amazon product listing.
Take advantage of lifestyle images
Lifestyle images are one of the best ways to use your Amazon enhanced brand content. Unlike other product photos, lifestyle images are allowed, and encouraged, to be more expressive and sentimental, appealing to potential customers’ emotions as well as their logic.
Specifically, try to show real people enjoying your product in a natural environment. If you sell kitchenware, show a picture of a happy family cooking together. If you sell audio books, show a couple cuddled up together listening to one.
Consider what kind of brand story you want and depict that attitude in your lifestyle images. Be creative and try to set your brand apart from everyone else’s, perhaps even targeting an often-ignored niche.
Regularly update your EBC content
Amazon EBC images are not something you post once and forget about. It’s best to update them regularly and try new methods, just to keep your listings interesting. Refreshing your EBC design can also reveal new strategies and techniques that make a difference. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas.
Make sure the photos you use are at their best
As always, you only want to use the highest-quality photos — Amazon EBC images just take that a little further. For starters, you want to use a professional-grade camera for the best quality. Using studios or controlled sets can also help you manage all the details. On top of that, we recommend using Photoshop or other editing software to get rid of blemishes and unsightly mistakes like dust.
Try text and images together to highlight unique features
The option to combine text and images can be a huge advantage if they work together. These modules can emphasize your product’s best features by demonstrating them visually and explaining them textually, all at the same time.
Because so much of EBC design is based on visuals, be sure to use the perfect font. As graphic designers know, fonts can influence how people perceive your brand: formal fonts make you seem more serious and professional, while casual fonts make you seem fun and energetic. Consider how you want your brand to come across.
Use split testing to optimize EBC design
How do you know which images work best for your target shoppers?
Why don’t you just ask them?
Amazon split testing (using PickFu’s DIY consumer research platform) lets you show multiple images to a built-in panel of your target audience and ask them which one they like most. Just upload your images, ask a question, and wait for the votes and comments to come back – most polls finish within hours.
No more guessing what your customers want – you can make informed decisions about which EBC image design will perform best from the start.
At PickFu, we’ve got split testing down to a science. For starters, you can filter your audience not just by demographic, but also by behaviors or traits, such as coffee drinkers or Amazon Prime members. This feature allows you to really hone in on your target audience, rather than diluting results with people who wouldn’t be interested in your products anyway.
Want to test other elements of your Amazon listing, beyond EBC images? Try our Amazon main image optimization test. This helps you discover which of your product photos to use as your main listing image on Amazon’s search results page. Optimizing your main image has a direct impact on your click-through rate and helps you stand out among the competition.
For example, Leap Stores (an Amazon agency) used PickFu to improve their client’s main image by testing it against their top competitors. Just days after launching the new image, they were ranking on page one for most of their keywords.
“I’ve never had a way to get immediate feedback from real potential buyers like I can with PickFu. It makes a huge difference to our product listings’ rankings and conversions.” – Jeff O’Bryant, CEO & Co-Founder of Leap Stores
You can use PickFu for more than just your product listing images. Our Amazon PPC optimization test offers the same treatment to your Amazon ads, improving your ROI and making your ad spend as efficient as possible.
Or you can test the product design itself. The Amazon product variant test asks your audience which version of your product they like best. This can save you time and money on development by circumventing the trial-and-error approach.
You’re not limited to comparing images, either – try testing copy (like your product description) and video (like a product tutorial) using PickFu. For every test, participants are required to explain their choices and give written feedback – helping you understand the “why” behind shoppers’ choices, rather than having to read their minds.
A direct connection to your consumers offers valuable, game-changing insights on how you run your business.
Sign up for free now to put your best foot forward for Amazon EBC.
