Winning the Amazon Featured Offer is crucial for sellers looking to maximize sales and visibility on Amazon.
Amazon has continuously refined its algorithm that determines which seller gets this coveted digital real estate, so it should come as no surprise that in 2025, machine learning and AI play an even more prominent role in determining which sellers earn the Featured Offer. While Amazon’s mission of making it easy for customers to find and purchase items remains the same, the methods for achieving this have evolved significantly over time.
This guide breaks down the latest 2025 strategies to secure the Featured Offer and increase your Amazon sales. Whether you’re just starting your Amazon journey or are an experienced seller curious about recent changes you’ve noticed about the Featured Offer, we aim to help you better understand what goes into the Featured Offer and what you can do to maximize your chances of receiving this crucial distinction.
Amazon Featured Offer Explained (2025 Updates)
If you’re asking, “What is the Amazon Featured Offer?” you are not alone. Amazon allows multiple sellers to offer the same product on the same product listing, but if you’re shopping and add a product to your cart, you can purchase without selecting the seller you purchase from. Instead, Amazon selects the default seller, and the seller they select for the sale is the owner of the Featured Offer.
The Amazon Featured Offer, previously called the Amazon Buy Box, is the prime section on a product detail page where customers can quickly add items to their cart. In 2025, Amazon refined this concept by integrating advanced machine learning and AI algorithms incorporating customer experience scores and real-time return rates to showcase the sellers Amazon deems most likely to provide a smooth, positive customer experience.
For any given product, multiple sellers may offer the same item, but only one can win the Featured Offer position at any time. This position rotates among eligible sellers based on various performance metrics, with Amazon’s algorithms determining which seller deserves this prime placement.
How Amazon’s AI Algorithm Selects the Featured Offer in 2025
Because so much rides on receiving the Featured Offer, it only makes sense for sellers to ask how to become the Featured Offer on Amazon. Amazon’s AI algorithm for selecting the Featured Offer has become increasingly sophisticated in 2025, leveraging advanced machine learning and data analysis to prioritize offers that deliver customers the best value and experience. Understanding how this algorithm works is crucial for sellers aiming to secure this coveted position.
Amazon utilizes a proprietary algorithm to determine which seller earns the Featured Offer, so the exact formula remains unknown. However, we know a few key factors that carry significant weight in their sophisticated system that you can use to your advantage when chasing or maintaining the Featured Offer. If you would like to take over the Featured Offer or strengthen your dominance for it, your best bet is to focus on the following areas:
- Customer Satisfaction Metrics
- Pricing Competitiveness
- Fulfillment Method
- Inventory Availability
- Listing Optimization
Throughout this post, we’ll dive into what each of these factors means and how you can fortify your positioning for the Featured Offer.
Why the Featured Offer Matters
Plain and simple, winning the Amazon Seller Featured Offer and becoming the default option for purchasing as easily as one click directly impacts your sales and business growth. Needless to say, possessing the Featured Offer is a prerequisite for long-term success and profitability.
Sellers who claim the Featured Offer designation can indisputably boast about the following perks of landing the Featured Offer:
- Boosts Sales: According to a BigCommerce report, 82% of Amazon sales go to the seller who owns the Featured Offer during checkout, and it’s estimated to be even higher on mobile purchases, meaning sellers who win this position gain a massive advantage in driving conversions.
- Enhances Visibility: The Featured Offer increases exposure by placing your listing front and center on the product page. This prime placement not only attracts more customers but also builds credibility as Amazon’s algorithm signals that your offer is the best available.
- Builds Customer Trust: Winning the Featured Offer reassures customers that your product meets Amazon’s high pricing, fulfillment, and seller performance standards. This trust can lead to repeat purchases and stronger brand loyalty.
- Competitive Edge: In crowded marketplaces, securing the Featured Offer can decide between success and stagnation. Sellers who consistently win this position gain a competitive edge, making scaling their business on Amazon easier.
Amazon Featured Offer Eligibility
Before you can compete for the Featured Offer position, your account and listings must meet Amazon’s basic eligibility criteria. While Amazon’s exact algorithm remains proprietary, they’ve clearly outlined several fundamental requirements.
To be Featured Offer eligible, you must:
- Maintain a Professional selling account in good standing with Amazon
- Only list items in “New” condition (used or refurbished items follow different eligibility rules)
- Set competitive pricing for your products (less than or equal to the lowest price for retailers outside of Amazon)
It’s important to note that eligibility requirements can vary slightly between different product categories, with some highly regulated categories having additional verification steps. Meeting these baseline criteria doesn’t guarantee winning the Featured Offer position, but they’re essential first steps in the process.
Once you’ve met these fundamental requirements, you’ll need to focus on optimizing the various performance metrics we’ve covered to increase your chances of becoming the Featured Offer.
Common Questions About the Amazon Featured Offer
Does the lowest price always win?
No. Amazon evaluates fulfillment method, seller history, and shipping speed alongside pricing.
Does FBA guarantee the Featured Offer?
Not necessarily. While FBA increases your chances, Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) sellers can still win with strong performance.
Do reviews matter for the Featured Offer?
Yes! A strong seller feedback rating and positive customer reviews influence your eligibility.
Factors Amazon Considers for the Featured Offer
Amazon automates the process for who receives the Featured Offer designation based on a multitude of seller metrics, including but not limited to:
1. Competitive Pricing
When customers are polled about why they come to Amazon, lower prices consistently rank as one of the top reasons. You can trust Amazon knows its value proposition, as they’ve consistently weighted pricing heavily in its algorithm for deciding who gets the Featured Offer and credit for a sale.
This metric is relevant because competitive pricing attracts more buyers and signals to Amazon that your offer is the best value option, increasing your chance of receiving the Featured Offer.
2. Fulfillment Method
When it comes to fulfillment methods, using FBA provides a significant advantage, as Amazon’s industry-leading logistics has set the standard time and time again. Many sellers see their Featured Offer percentage increase dramatically when switching from FBM to FBA. However, sellers with excellent Seller-Fulfilled Prime metrics can effectively compete against FBA sellers, particularly for products where Amazon’s storage fees might impact profitability.
Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) sellers can also earn the Featured Offer with speedy and cheap shipping options, but FBM sellers may need to compile a more comprehensive track record before seeing the benefits that FBA sellers may experience from the start.
3. Order Defect Rate
Your Amazon Order Defect Rate (ODR) plays a critical role in receiving the Featured Offer. Amazon tracks negative customer experiences through many seller metrics, including but not limited to:
- Negative Feedback (poor seller ratings, complaints)
- A-to-Z Guarantee Claims (customer disputes)
- Chargebacks (credit card disputes)
Higher than average negative feedback via ODR signals a poor customer experience, so Amazon would prefer to limit exposure to sellers that are less likely to result in a positive experience and jeopardize the shopper’s likelihood to shop on Amazon again.
4. Shipping Speed & Performance
Amazon values speed and consistency. Predictable delivery windows that customers can depend on outweigh sporadic, faster deliveries that lack consistency. Maintaining on-time delivery rates above 97% significantly improves Featured Offer chances.
5. Inventory Availability
Products that are consistently in stock and ready to ship have a higher chance of winning the Featured Offer. If your item frequently goes out of stock, Amazon may remove it from consideration even after inventory is replenished, as the algorithm may flag your product as a potential problem due to its historical performance.
6. Seller Feedback Rating
For many of the same reasons ODR weighs heavily in determining who gets the Featured Offer, Seller Feedback Rating creates meaningful differentiation between competitors.
It’s important to remember that when selling a product that includes other sellers also offering the product, every percentage point matters. For example, a seller with a 92% Seller Feedback Rating may rightfully believe they have a great track record, but this metric typically includes higher ratings and sellers with 98% positive ratings often win the Featured Offer against those with 92% ratings, even with slightly higher prices. These percentage points represent significant trust in Amazon’s evaluation system and directly impact Featured Offer allocation.
Pro Tip: Boost your product’s credibility and sales by leveraging Viral Launch’s Amazon Review Generator Tool, which automates the process of requesting customer reviews. By streamlining Amazon’s “Request a Review” feature, this tool helps sellers increase review volume and Seller Feedback Rating while staying compliant with Amazon’s policies.
7. Customer Experience Metrics
While admittedly vague, metrics related to customer experience play a significant role in establishing the Featured Offer recipient. With Amazon’s goal of providing excellent experiences for customers that entice them to return to Amazon for more, it’s critical they hook up shoppers with sellers that have a track record of positive customer experiences.
Reducing return rates through improved product descriptions, detailed size charts, and clearer product photos directly correlates with improved Featured Offer win rates. Every customer touchpoint contributes to these metrics and ultimately affects Featured Offer eligibility.
8. Sales Velocity
Amazon prefers products with higher sales volume and conversion rates. Sales Velocity creates a powerful feedback loop. Products that win the Featured Offer sell more, which increases velocity and helps them win the Featured Offer more consistently. New products often benefit from PPC campaigns to jumpstart sales velocity and break into this positive cycle.
Pro Tip: A product Launch is a great way to boost sales velocity by placing your product in front of hundreds of thousands of Amazon shoppers at a significant discount, likely resulting in a quick influx of sales.
9. Buy Box Eligibility
Lastly, Buy Box Eligibility serves as the foundation for Featured Offer consideration. Without meeting the basic eligibility requirements, none of the other optimizations matter. Regular monitoring of eligibility status helps identify and address potential account issues before they significantly impact Featured Offer percentages.
10 Tips To Win the Amazon Featured Offer
1. Use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or Seller-Fulfilled Prime (SFP)
Amazon prefers sellers who use FBA or SFP because it guarantees fast, reliable shipping. If you fulfill orders yourself, maintain fast shipping times and a low order defect rate (ODR), two metrics that carry plenty of weight when it comes to customer satisfaction.
2. Keep Your Prices Competitive
Use Amazon’s Automated Pricing Tool to adjust prices dynamically or weaponize our Competitor Intelligence tool to see how your pricing stacks up against relevant rivals in the marketplace. Amazon’s Pricing Health page in Seller Central offers automated insights on low-hanging fruit so you can take action to improve your pricing competitiveness.
A key aspect of being competitive is keeping your total landed price (product price + shipping) lower than competitors. Avoid huge price fluctuations, which may signal volatility and thus, reduce your eligibility.
3. Maintain a Low Order Defect Rate (ODR)
Monitoring and addressing negative feedback, A-to-Z claims, and chargebacks promptly is crucial because it helps maintain a low Order Defect Rate (ODR) and reinforces a positive seller reputation. A low Order Defect Rate (ODR) demonstrates reliability and quality in service. Failing to manage negative feedback, A-to-Z claims, or chargebacks not only risks your status as the Featured Offer but could also lead to account suspensions.
4. Improve Your Shipping Metrics
As previously mentioned, faster shipping times are prioritized regarding the Featured Offer, so if you find yourself behind others in your category, a less-than-stellar shipping speed may be to blame. Beyond delivery times, we recommend striving for a 97%+ on-time delivery rate and keeping your cancellation rate below 2.5%, as these thresholds appear to affect Featured Offer performance.
5. Keep Your Inventory Stocked
As they say, availability is the best ability. Amazon rewards sellers with inventory that can consistently meet demand, as running out of product and refunding purchases or waiting on slow delivery times can jeopardize the credibility of Amazon’s marketplace and cause customer satisfaction to plummet. Sellers with longer, cleaner inventory records are Amazon’s preferred sellers and, as a result, often receive the Featured Offer.
6. Maintain a High Seller Feedback Rating
Your Seller Feedback Rating directly reflects customer satisfaction, with ratings above 95% being ideal. Prompt and effective customer service is crucial to maintaining these ratings, while poor feedback can severely hurt your chances of being featured.
7. Optimize Your Product Listings
When performed effectively, a product listing optimization increases visibility and sales and sets the right expectations for sellers, all of which is critical for achieving the Featured Offer. Use clear images, detailed descriptions, and relevant keywords. Ensure your product title, bullet points, and descriptions are fully optimized for conversions.
Pro Tip: Use our Keyword Research and Listing Builder tools to find the best keywords and optimize your product listings for maximum visibility.
8. Increase Sales Velocity
Amazon favors products with strong and consistent sales performance. You can run Amazon PPC ads, offer promotions, and leverage discounts to boost sales velocity and improve your ranking while boosting your likelihood of receiving the Featured Offer.
9. Reduce Return Rates
Frequent returns can hurt your chances of winning the Featured Offer. Ensure accurate product descriptions to minimize returns. Address customer concerns in the Q&A section and monitor return reasons to improve product quality.
Pro Tip: Check out our guides to understanding the Amazon return policy and what you can do to maximize your review count.
10. Respond to Customer Inquiries Quickly
Timely customer service impacts your seller performance. Respond to customer inquiries within 24 hours to maintain high satisfaction ratings and improve your eligibility for the Featured Offer.
Pro Tip: You can set yourself up for quicker response times to customer issues by navigating to Seller Central > Settings > Notification Preferences > Return and Claim Notifications. Enable alerts for both pending return requests (whether auto-approved or approved by Amazon CS) and refunds when issued so you’re always promptly informed of any customer activity.
How To Check if You Own the Featured Offer
Finding out whether or not you own the Featured Offer is quick and easy, with a couple of ways to check. To check your Featured Offer status:
- Log into Seller Central
- Navigate to the Inventory Dashboard and select Manage All Inventory
- Look for the Featured Offer section under Price
- Troubleshoot by selecting Preferences and updating the Column Display to showcase the Featured Offer
To verify if your offer is currently the Featured Offer:
Visit your product’s detail page on Amazon. If your brand or seller name appears directly next to “Ships from and sold by” or “Sold by Your Business and Fulfilled by Amazon,” congratulations, you will have the coveted Featured Offer!
If, instead, you find your name listed under “Other Sellers on Amazon” or in the “Available from these sellers” section, you’re currently not the Featured Offer for the ASIN.
You can also check how often you receive the Featured Offer by going into Seller Central and navigating to Reports -> Business Reports -> Detail Page Sales and Traffic, on which you should see a table like the one below.
On this page, you can see the percentage of product page views where your offer is the Featured Offer, giving you a better idea of your presence and competition for the Featured Offer designation.
Final Thoughts on Amazon’s Featured Offer
Securing the Amazon Featured Offer is a fundamental building block for any seller who wants to grow and maintain a considerable presence on Amazon. Without it, you’ll continually find your business fighting for a fraction of a fraction of sales not just for your category, but for your very own product, a formula for sporadic sales and disappointment.
By focusing on Amazon’s key points of emphasis, like pricing strategy, fulfillment efficiency, and seller metrics, that help make the Amazon marketplace the top e-commerce platform by an overwhelming margin, you can significantly increase your chances of securing this top spot.
Without ownership of the Featured Offer within a listing, your opportunity for success plummets in the short term and long term, so we cannot recommend achieving and maintaining the top spot on a listing enough. But with it, the sky is the limit.
Success on Amazon is all about building a sturdy foundation and building from there, and at Viral Launch, our cutting-edge tools have helped thousands of sellers fortify their foundations and scale at each selling stage. With tools made for Amazon sellers by a top-shelf data science team, we’ve monitored the Amazon marketplace for nearly a decade to provide software that gives sellers an edge and the greatest opportunity to take their online business to the next level.
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