Amazon Transparency: A Crystal Clear Layer of Protection for Your Brand’s Integrity

Author name

In his mission to safeguard his brand’s integrity in Amazon’s bustling marketplace, John Mark took a crucial step: enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Registry. With this strategic move, he effectively minimized unauthorized resellers, reclaiming control over his hard-earned brand. But, this was merely the beginning of his journey towards preserving brand integrity.


As he delved deeper into the realm of brand protection, John Mark stumbled upon a game-changing discovery: Amazon’s Transparency Program. A chance encounter with a fellow brand owner enlightened him about this innovative initiative, sparking his curiosity to explore its potential further.


In this article, we will take you through the process of getting your brand enrolled in Amazon’s Transparency Program. Discover the transformative power of this cutting-edge program as we delve into its remarkable benefits for your business.


What is Amazon’s Transparency Program?


It is a unique serialization service by Amazon that assigns individual codes to each unit. It enables both Amazon and its customers to verify the product’s authenticity before they are even shipped out. In essence, it empowers brands to safeguard their integrity and consumers to shop with confidence, knowing that what they are getting is the real deal every time.


How to Enroll in the Program?


Eligibility Check


Before proceeding to the enrollment process, check if your brand meets Amazon’s eligibility criteria for the Transparency Program. Generally, brands must be registered with the Amazon Brand Registry and hold trademarks for their products in the countries where they intend to enroll.


So if you haven’t registered your brand with the Brand Registry, best that you do this first. Brand Registry provides access to tools and features designed to protect intellectual property and enhance brand presence on Amazon. We can assist you in this step just contact us here or book a zoom call.


Sign up for Transparency


Once you have successfully registered your brand with the Brand Registry, navigate to the ‘Contact Transparency’ section in your Seller Central Account. Follow the prompts to start applying to the Transparency Program. You will need to provide information about your brand and contact information.


Verification and Approval


Once you have completed your application, Amazon will review the provided information to verify your eligibility and compliance with program requirements. This may take some time, so be very patient. Once your application is approved, the Transparency team will send you a notification and instructions on how to proceed.


Register your Products


Once approved, you will need to start registering the products you want to enroll in the Transparency Program. Not all products are eligible for transparency so it’s best to check with Amazon on this. Also, bear in mind that this program comes with a cost so it is better to study which of your products goes into the program.


Product Serialization


After you have registered your products, the next step would be to serialize your products. You may start requesting unique Transparency codes from Amazon and apply them to each of the products. Ensure that the transparency code label is applied to the corresponding products during the manufacturing or packaging process.


How Does it Work?


This cutting-edge measure works in two effective ways. One, it prevents resellers from shipping counterfeit products. Products are scanned by Amazon and if the barcode labels don’t match the ones in their system, that product is flagged and investigated for possible counterfeit. Two, customers can download the Amazon App or Transparency App to scan the barcode labels of products they purchased to verify the authenticity of their orders.


What Do You Gain?


Fights Counterfeiting


Transparency ensures that only authentic products sourced from legitimate manufacturers get into the market. It is also a deterrent for unauthorized resellers, as they are likely to sell counterfeit or unauthorized products that can easily be identified and verified by customers.


Enhanced Brand Trust and Reputation


Transparency provides a way for consumers to verify the authenticity of products, fostering trust in brands that participate in the program. It helps business owners protect their brand reputation by ensuring that customers receive genuine products, reducing the risk of negative reviews or experiences due to counterfeit products.


Increased Sales


When consumers can verify the authenticity of products, they are more likely to trust the brand and make purchases with confidence. Increased trust can lead to higher conversion rates and repeat purchases, and ultimately drive up sales. It also helps minimize the likelihood of returns and refunds due to dissatisfaction with counterfeit items. By reducing the proliferation of bad actors and unauthorized resellers, brand owners can protect their market share and maintain sales revenue.


In conclusion, Amazon's Transparency is a crystal clear layer of trust and integrity for protecting brand reputation. By empowering brands to authenticate their products and providing consumers with the assurance of authenticity, Transparency fosters a marketplace of trust, transparency, and reliability. Transparency offers advantages to both the brand and the customer, from combatting counterfeits and safeguarding brand integrity to elevating the overall shopping experience. 


Feeling overwhelmed by the enrollment process for the Transparency program but eager to get your brand on board? Don’t worry we got you covered. Our team of experts is just a click away if you need any assistance. Contact us here or book a zoom call.


Here at Chief Marketplace Officer, we help brands like yours succeed on Amazon so you can focus on developing your products to grow your business.

Why Your Amazon Ads Aren’t Working (And It’s Not the Budget)

By William Fikhman • January 5, 2026
When Amazon ads underperform, most brands reach for the same lever first: increase the budget . More spending. Higher bids. Broader keywords. But here’s the reality most sellers learn the hard way: If your Amazon ads aren’t working, the budget is rarely the real issue . In fact, increasing ad spend without fixing the underlying problems often leads to higher ACOS, wasted traffic, and frustration. Let’s break down what’s actually stopping your Amazon ads from converting—and why throwing more money at them won’t solve it. Ads Don’t Sell Products — Listings Do Amazon ads only do one thing well: drive traffic . They don’t persuade. They don’t build trust. They don’t close the sale. Your product listing does. If your listing isn’t built to convert, ads will simply accelerate the loss. Common conversion killers include: Generic hero images that blend into search results Titles written for keywords instead of shoppers Bullets that explain features but fail to communicate value Listings that overwhelm mobile users with text-heavy layouts If shoppers don’t immediately understand why they should buy your product, paid traffic becomes expensive noise. More Keywords Often Mean Worse Performance A common mistake brands make is assuming more keywords equal more opportunity. In reality, broad and loosely related keywords usually bring: Low-intent clicks Poor conversion rates Inflated spend without revenue growth Amazon’s algorithm rewards relevance and conversion. When your ads target keywords that don’t clearly align with your product’s use case, ads struggle to stabilize—no matter the budget. Strong campaigns are built on intent-driven keywords , not volume. Your Product May Not Be Ad-Ready Yet Not every product should be scaled with ads immediately. Ads work best when a product already has: Competitive pricing Clear differentiation Strong imagery Social proof that supports buying confidence If those elements aren’t in place, ads act more like a tax than a growth engine. Before scaling spend, ask yourself: Would I buy this product based on this page alone? Does it clearly stand out against competitors? Does it justify its price within seconds? If the answer is unclear, ads will struggle regardless of budget. Optimizing Ads Without Fixing the Funnel Many sellers focus heavily on: Bids Match types Campaign structures But overlook what happens after the click . Amazon advertising is a funnel: Search visibility Click decision (image + title) Product page engagement Conversion Improving conversion rate by even 1–2% often outperforms aggressive bid increases. Ads scale profitably only when the entire funnel is optimized. Mobile Is the Silent Performance Killer Over 70% of Amazon shoppers browse on mobile. Yet many listings are still built like desktop pages—long paragraphs, cluttered visuals, and no clear scroll flow. Mobile shoppers decide fast. If your first two images and title don’t communicate value instantly, the click is lost. Mobile-first optimization isn’t optional. It’s foundational. Ads Are an Amplifier — Not a Fix Amazon ads don’t fix weak positioning, poor imagery, or unclear messaging. They amplify whatever already exists. Strong listings become scalable winners. Weak listings become expensive problems. That’s why the most successful brands treat ads as part of a system—aligned with listing strategy, imagery, and conversion optimization. The Real Solution: Strategy Before Spend High-performing Amazon brands don’t ask, “How much should we spend?” They ask, “Is our listing ready to convert traffic?” When listings, keywords, images, and ads work together, performance becomes predictable—and scalable. Ready to Fix the Real Problem? At Chief Marketplace Officer (CMO) , we don’t treat Amazon ads as a standalone tactic. We build conversion-focused systems that align listings, imagery, keywords, and advertising—so ad spend works harder instead of leaking budget. If your Amazon ads are driving clicks but not sales, it’s time to fix the foundation. 👉 Book Your Free Strategy Call with CMO Now

Why “More Keywords” Can Hurt Your Amazon Ranking

By William Fikhman • January 5, 2026
For years, Amazon sellers were taught a simple and seemingly logical rule: the more keywords you add, the more visible your product becomes. That belief shaped how listings were built across the platform. Titles were stretched to the maximum character limit. Bullet points became long chains of disconnected phrases. Backend search terms were filled with anything that might possibly index. On the surface, this looked like strong optimization. In reality, many brands saw rankings stall, flatten, or slowly decline. Here’s the truth most sellers don’t realize until growth stops entirely: adding more keywords often weakens relevance instead of strengthening it. Amazon does not reward keyword volume. It rewards clarity, intent alignment, and buyer response . Amazon’s Algorithm Looks for Confidence, Not Coverage Amazon’s algorithm is designed to answer one primary question: What is this product most relevant for, and do shoppers respond positively when they see it? When a listing is overloaded with loosely related keywords, Amazon receives mixed signals. Instead of clearly understanding the product’s primary purpose, the algorithm struggles to categorize it with confidence. This confusion leads to: Diluted relevance signals Slower indexing improvements Unstable ranking movement Weaker authority for core search terms Amazon would rather rank a product confidently for a smaller set of searches than rank it weakly across many. Focus builds confidence. Confidence builds ranking strength. Keyword Overload Damages the Buying Experience Even if a keyword-heavy listing manages to index, it still has to convert. Overloaded titles and bullets often: Sound robotic and unnatural Make products harder to understand quickly Force shoppers to interpret instead of decide Reduce trust during the buying moment Amazon closely tracks shopper behavior. When shoppers hesitate, scroll without engaging, or exit the page, those actions send negative engagement signals back to the algorithm. Low engagement tells Amazon that the listing is not a strong match for the search — regardless of how many keywords are present. Ranking follows buyer behavior, not keyword density. Backend Keywords Are Not a Shortcut to Rankings Many sellers treat backend search terms as a place to hide extra keywords. They are not. Amazon still evaluates backend fields for relevance, duplication, and intent alignment. Repeating keywords already used in the title or bullets wastes valuable space. Adding loosely related terms introduces noise that weakens clarity. Backend keywords perform best when they: Reinforce the primary keyword theme Add meaningful variations or alternate phrasing Support buyer intent without overlap A clean backend structure strengthens ranking signals. A cluttered one works against you. Strong Rankings Come from Search Ownership, Not Expansion High-performing listings do not rank for everything. They own a focused group of high-intent searches . Winning listings are structured around: One primary keyword that defines the product A tight cluster of closely related terms Consistent alignment between keywords, images, and messaging This alignment allows Amazon to learn quickly what the product does best and confidently surface it higher in results. Trying to rank for too many unrelated terms often prevents a listing from ranking strongly for any of them. More Keywords Often Lower Conversion Rates When listings try to appeal to everyone, they often resonate with no one. A focused listing: Speaks directly to the intended buyer Communicates value immediately Reduces friction in the decision process An unfocused listing forces shoppers to pause and interpret what the product actually is. That hesitation hurts conversion — and conversion is one of the strongest ranking signals Amazon uses. The clearer the message, the stronger the performance. Advertising Exposes Keyword Mistakes Faster Paid ads do not fix keyword overload — they expose it. When ads are layered onto a diluted keyword strategy, sellers often see: High impressions with low engagement Rising ACOS Increased spend without sales growth Ads amplify whatever foundation already exists. If the keyword strategy and listing clarity are weak, ads simply accelerate inefficiency instead of driving scale. Strong SEO creates efficient ads. Weak SEO makes ads expensive. The Smarter Approach: Intent-Driven Amazon SEO Modern Amazon SEO is no longer about keyword quantity. It is about intent clarity . High-performing brands: Choose keywords based on how buyers actually search Build listings that answer buyer questions instantly Remove keywords that do not support conversion Allow Amazon to learn what the product does best This focus strengthens relevance signals, improves engagement, and supports more stable rankings over time. Final Thought If your Amazon ranking is not improving, adding more keywords will not solve the problem. The better questions are: Are we targeting the right searches? Does our listing clearly match buyer intent? Are we helping Amazon understand our product — or confusing it? Less noise builds authority. More focus builds momentum. Ready to Fix Your Amazon SEO Strategy? At Chief Marketplace Officer (CMO) , we help brands remove keyword clutter and build focused, conversion-driven Amazon listings designed to rank, convert, and scale. If your listing is overloaded with keywords but underperforming, it is time to rethink the strategy. 👉 Book Your Free Strategy Call with CMO Now