Amazon Best Sellers Rank – Everything You Need to Know
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This guide will help you get started, understand the basics of Amazon selling, and explain in simple words how it all works.
As an Amazon seller, one of the most important things to know is how many product units can be sold monthly. Amazon doesn't tell it directly. However, you can judge that by Amazon Best Sellers Rank.
BSR is an essential tool for sellers to understand how products perform in the market. It helps sellers to know the sales volume, market share, and standing against direct competitors.
In this post, we will cover what BSR means, why it is important, how it is calculated, and how to use it for product research.
What Is Amazon Sales Rank?
Amazon Best Sellers Rank (BSR), also called sales rank, is a ranking system that tells you how well a product sells on Amazon compared to other products in the same category.
BSR is a tool to estimate a product's popularity within its category on Amazon. Because Amazon doesn’t explicitly show how many units of a specific product were sold in a month, BSR can be a helpful indicator for sellers to see how well products sell.
While the Best Sellers Rank doesn’t tell how many products were sold, it reflects sales. Higher sales correspond to a lower BSR. A product with a BSR of #1 is the current best-seller in its category.
Though BSR is a rank, it’s not about reviews. It doesn't consider product reviews or ratings, just sales volume.
Related: Top Amazon Product Categories
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What does BSR show?
Amazon Bestseller Rank indicates how the product sells in the category where it performs the best. BSR isn't a universal rank across Amazon. It gives insights into how a product performs compared to similar items within a specific category. So, a #1 BSR in headphones doesn't mean it outsells laptops. Here’s what it shows.
Item's sales volume
BSR is influenced by sales volume. A lower BSR generally indicates more recent and frequent sales. However, it's not a direct reflection of unit numbers sold.
Product's market share
BSR doesn't give you the exact market share, but it can be a proxy. A dominant product with a low BSR likely has a larger share of the category's sales.
How often a product sells on Amazon
BSR updates based on sales velocity. A product experiencing a surge in sales will jump in the rankings, indicating more frequent purchases recently.
If a product is worth selling
BSR can be a helpful indicator of demand. However, it shouldn't be the sole factor in deciding to sell a product. Consider factors like profit margins, competition, and product reviews as well.
Item's standing against direct competitors
BSR is most valuable when comparing a product to its closest competitors within the same category. A lower BSR suggests it's outselling similar products.
Where to Find Best Sellers Rank on Amazon?
You can find the Best Sellers Rank for a product directly on its Amazon product page. Here are the steps to do it.
Steps to find Best Sellers Rank on Amazon
Step 1. Go to the product page of the item you're interested in on Amazon.
Step 2. Scroll down to the product information section. This might be titled "Product Details" or "Product Information."
Step 3. Look for a line mentioning "Best Sellers Rank". It will usually show the rank along with the specific category the rank applies to. For example, it might say "#358 in Patio, Lawn & Garden".
The rank might be for multiple categories if the product applies to several. It will differ in different categories.
Example. A product ranks #628 in Video Games, #8 in Xbox One Headsets, #22 in Xbox Accessories, and #44 in Xbox Series X & S Accessories.
How Is Amazon Best Sellers Rank Calculated?
The lowest BSR on Amazon indicates that the product currently sells the best in its category or subcategory. The better the product’s sales volume, the lower the BSR number.
Example. A high-performing product can have a BSR of 100. An ASIN with a bit lower sales will be assigned a rank of 10,000. A “good” BSR varies depending on the category. Generally, anything less than 50,000 should indicate sufficient sales volume.
How does Amazon determine BSR?
Amazon determines BSR with the help of its proprietary algorithm. It focuses on recent performance: BSR is updated hourly and prioritizes recent sales over older ones. So, a product selling well lately will rank higher than one with consistent but older sales.
Example. If 100 units of a product were sold during 3 hours, and in the next 3 hours, sales went down to 50, the algorithm wouldn’t automatically change BSR from 100 to 50 units’ equivalent. It will consider sales during 3 previous and 3 next hours.
Key metrics that influence BSR
- Current and historical sales volume
Sales history and recent sales performance are the primary factors influencing BSR. Products with more sales tend to have a lower BSR (better rank). Recent sales hold more weight than older sales figures.
- Time is a factor
BSR is dynamic and updates hourly. This means a product's rank can fluctuate based on how it's selling compared to competitors at that particular moment.
- Category-specific
BSR applies to a product's performance within a specific category, not across the entire Amazon store. So, a product ranked #1 in Sports & Outdoors might not even be close to the top seller in Electronics.
How to Use Amazon BSR in Product Research?
When you research a product, BSR can help you understand how many product units you can sell per month, product sales velocity (if a product sells fast), and whether its sales increase or decrease over time.
To get this information, you must use Amazon seller tools. Seller Assistant is a product sourcing platform that provides you with the Amazon BSR calculator, among many other helpful features, and allows to get all this data on the Amazon product and search pages, and on the Side Panel View on any website.
Product sales trend
BSR trend can show you whether product sales go up and down over time. This is essential to estimate because it shows if the product's popularity grows and you will be selling more, or the demand grows, and you will not be able to sell fast.
Seller Assistant shows you the current BSR number and its trend. The first figure in the BSR line is the current BSR, and the figure next to it is the average BSR over 90 days (you must look at the average BSR value because it changes constantly). If you hover over the figure, you will see the average BSR over 30, 90, and 180 days.
If the current BSR figure is green on the green background, and the arrow beside the figure points down, that means the BSR decreases over time and product sales grow. If the current BSR figure is red on the pink background, and the arrow beside the figure points up, that means the BSR increases over time and product sales go down.
How fast a product sells
Seller Assistant shows you two figures that help understand product sales velocity: BSR drops and Top.
BSR drops
BSR drops are the number of times when BSR is recalculated downward. That shows how many sales of a product happened over a specific period. Seller Assistant displays BSR drops during 30, 90, and 180 days, and you can see how many sales occurred during these time slots.
Top
Top is a product’s rating in the category expressed as a percentage. This figure helps estimate the product’s sales velocity as a percentage. If the Top is 0.5% or less, the product sells well. If the Top is 1% or more, a product is a slow-mover.
How many units you can sell
Seller Assistant gives you a sales estimation in the Sales line. This is a calculation of monthly product sales in units based on BSR and category. It shows how many products you can potentially sell monthly.
Seasonality
BSR can also help you determine if a product is seasonal and sells only during specific periods, such as summer or winter shoes.
If a product's BSR drops to zero during certain periods, it may be a seasonal product, which can be seen on the Keepa chart shown by Seller Assistant.
Related: Amazon Seasonal Product Check - Complete Guide
Can You Choose an Amazon Deal by BSR?
BSR can be a helpful indicator for choosing an Amazon deal, but it shouldn't be the sole deciding factor. Here's why.
Product risks
BSR doesn’t show product restrictions and alerts. You must consider intellectual property complaints, product flags, and other risks a product may have to avoid losing money. Seller Assistant shows you all these risks.
BSR focuses on sales, not profits
A low BSR tells you a product is selling well, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good deal. You must carefully account for all expenses and fees to ensure you will get profit. Seller Assistant’s FBA&FBM calculator helps you quickly calculate product profitability, fees, and logistics expenses for FBA and FBM separately. You can also calculate VAT schemes if applicable.
BSR doesn't consider competition
BSR doesn’t give you a picture of how intense the competition is. You can judge that by the number of seller offers and Featured Offer (Buy Box) price drops. The optimal seller count for moderate competition is between 3 and 15. If there are more than 15 offers, the competition is fierce. In that case, the Buy Box price can go down drastically because the sellers engage in a price war. That means price dumping and low margins.
Seller Assistant allows you to see all this data effortlessly: it shows the FBA and FBM offer count. The first number on a blue background is the number of all product offers. The number on the white background next to it is the count of the lowest price offers (Buy Box price +5%).
What is the difference between BSR and organic ranking?
Both BSR and organic ranking are important for Amazon sellers, but they focus on different aspects of a product's success.
BSR helps you understand how a product is performing in terms of sales within its category. It focuses on sales performance. A lower BSR indicates a product is selling well compared to others in its category on Amazon.
In turn, organic ranking (Search Engine Page Results. SERP) helps you understand how easy it is for potential customers to find your product through search. It highlights search visibility. A higher organic ranking means a product appears closer to the top of search results on Amazon for relevant keywords.
How Can I Improve My BSR?
Improving BSR involves optimizing your product listing and driving sales. Here are some key strategies.
Optimize your listing
Identify relevant keywords that customers might use to search for your product. Include these keywords in your product title, description, bullet points, and backend search terms. Write clear, informative, and engaging product descriptions, use professional product photos from multiple angles, and A+ content.
Set competitive pricing
Research your competition and set a competitive price that balances profitability with attracting customers.
Apply promotions and deals
Consider offering occasional promotions like discounts, coupons, or bundles to incentivize purchases and improve sales velocity.
Attract positive customer reviews
Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews by providing a great customer experience and following up after purchases.
FAQ
What does sales rank mean on Amazon?
Sales rank, also called BSR, shows how well a product sells on Amazon compared to others in its category. A lower rank means more sales and a higher rank indicates slower sales.
What is Amazon BSR chart?
An Amazon BSR chart isn't provided by Amazon itself. It's a tool created by third-party services that display a product's BSR over time, allowing you to track its sales trends within a specific category.
What is Amazon seller rank?
There's no separate Amazon seller rank. Seller rank refers to a product's ranking within its category based on sales. Lower rank (BSR) means it's outselling similar products.
How to see number of sales on Amazon?
You can see the number of sales on Amazon by BSR drops. BSR drops are the number of times when BSR is recalculated downward. That shows how many sales of a product happened over a specific period. Seller Assistant displays BSR drops during 30, 90, and 180 days, and you can see how many sales occurred during these time slots.
How to find out average BSR in 90 days?
You can find out the average BSR in 90 days in Seller Assistant. It displays average BSR during 30, 90, and 180 days on the Amazon product pages.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, sellers on Amazon should neither overestimate nor neglect the Best Sellers Rank. Understanding different BSR aspects can assist in product research. However, you should be careful and not rely solely on the BSR to select your deals.
Seller Assistant is a powerful tool that allows you to see BSR in one click. This ultimate product sourcing platform combines all product research tools and features you need. With its Side Panel View, FBM&FBA Profit Calculator, Quick View, ASIN Grabber, Restrictions Checker, and other product research functionalities, you can automate product data collection. This will give you insights into product profitability, competition, demand, and other vital product information. You can use this information to select the most high-margin items for your store.
