What is Amazon Vine?

Amazon Vine is an invitation-only programme which selects the most insightful reviewers in the Amazon store to serve as Vine Voices. Vine Voices have the unique opportunity to order items free of charge and share their product experiences with Amazon customers to help them make informed buying decisions.

Amazon Vine is an excellent way for sellers to generate authentic reviews and build trust with potential customers, ultimately improving product visibility and sales.

How does it work?

Once enrolled in Vine, Voices may request products from thousands of brands selling in the Amazon store which are shipped to their doorsteps at no cost. They then use the products and provide insightful reviews that reflect their honest and unbiased opinions - positive, neutral or negative. Reviews of a product ordered through Vine appear in the same location as other reviews. Amazon Vine reviews are distinguished with the special badge "Vine Customer Review of Free Product" for full transparency.

Thousands of products from all types of categories are added daily, ensuring that Voices always have something new to try!

How does the Amazon Vine program work?

So here's how the Amazon Vine program usually works:

• Amazon sellers or merchants sign up for the program by submitting their products to Amazon.
• Amazon selects products eligible for the program based on factors such as product category, customer demand, and availability.
• Amazon invites its most trusted reviewers, called Vine Voices, to join the program. Vine Voices are selected based on their ratings, upvotes, and overall reputation.
• Amazon sends Vine Voices a list of eligible products for you to choose from. Vine Voices can select up to five products at a time.
• Sellers or Amazon sellers send selected products to Vine Voices for free.
• Vine Voices receive the product and must write an honest and objective review within 30 days of receiving the product.
• Amazon posts Vine Voice reviews on product detail pages with a special Vine badge to indicate that the review was written as part of the program.

It is important to note that Vine Voices are not compensated for their reviews and are not required to write a positive review in exchange for receiving a product. However, if Vine Voice consistently writes low-quality or biased reviews, they may be removed from the program.

How does the Vine program benefit Amazon sellers?

The Amazon Vine program is designed to help you get more high-quality reviews for your products on the Amazon marketplace.

Here are some benefits of participating in the program:

High-Quality Rating

• Amazon Vine members are selected based on their history of providing high-quality, helpful reviews. This means products reviewed by Vine members are likely to receive thoughtful, quality reviews, which can help other shoppers make informed purchasing decisions.

Brand Awareness

• The Amazon Vine program can help increase brand awareness for products by introducing them to more potential customers. When Vine members review a product, their reviews are labeled as such, which can help draw attention to the product and differentiate it from other products on Amazon.

Increase Review Potential

• Merchants and sellers who participate in the Amazon Vine program can receive more reviews of their products than otherwise possible. This can help create a broader review base for the product, which can be important for social proof and SEO purposes.

Increase Traffic and Conversions

• Products that receive more reviews and have higher ratings are more likely to appear in Amazon's search results and recommended products section. This can help drive more traffic to your product listings and increase conversion rates.

Useful and practical opinions

• Amazon Vine members are often very active and thoughtful reviewers who take the time to provide practical and helpful feedback.
• This can be valuable for sellers and merchants looking to improve their products or identify areas where they can improve. If you understand what the benefits are then let's move on to the question of who benefits from Amazon's Vine program.

Who benefits from the Amazon Vine program?

The Amazon Vine program has advantages for both sellers and buyers, but it can be particularly challenging for new brands or products. To ensure that they receive early reviews that can drive new sales, sellers send samples to Vine reviewers before launching their products. Such early reviews, especially those with 4- or 5-star ratings, are often preferred by customers and can contribute to the product listing of the seller. Vine also aids in boosting your product’s conversion rates. As a result, positive reviews are crucial in generating sales and maintaining a high rank in search and browse queries.

What are the requirements to enroll in Amazon Vine program?

The Amazon Vine program was previously only available to vendors, but since 2019, sellers have also been able to enroll. To be eligible for the program, sellers must meet certain requirements:

• The seller must have a professional selling account on Amazon.
• The seller must be enrolled in Amazon’s brand registry.
• The product being enrolled in the Vine program must have fewer than 30 reviews or ratings.
• The product must be available in new condition through Amazon’s FBA service.
• The seller must have sufficient inventory of the product.
• The product must be launched at the time of enrollment.
• The product listing page must have an image, title, and description.
• Digital software, applications, and adult products are not eligible for the Vine program.

By meeting these criteria, sellers can enroll in the Amazon Vine program and provide their products to Vine members in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews

How to Enroll in Amazon Vine

To enroll a product in Vine, complete the following steps.

• Log in to your Amazon Seller Central account and click on the Advertising tab, then select Vine.
• Enter the ASIN you want to enroll in the search box and select the number of units you want to make available for Vine Voices (up to 30).
• Once the ASIN is registered, you can track progress through the enrollment details page by selecting the ‘Details’ button.

If Vine is not displayed under your “advertising” tab in Seller Central, you must access Vine permissions by navigating to Settings > Account Info > User Permissions > Manage Permissions > Advertising > Vine.

How Much Does Amazon Vine Cost?

On October 19, 2023, Amazon launched an updated pricing structure for its Vine program, designed to improve the experience for sellers and customers. With the upcoming changes, Amazon aims to make Vine more accessible to more brands, regardless of their budget or product offering. The updated pricing structure includes three tiers: the new $0 tier allows subscriptions for up to two units per parent product with two free Vine reviews, the $75 tier allows subscriptions for up to 10 units per product original and have 10 Vine reviews, and the available $200 grant allows for up to 30 units per original product with 30 Vine reviews.

How can you cancel your Amazon Vine enrollment?

You can cancel an enrollment for a product if Vine Voices do not claim any of the units. If a Vine Voice claims a unit, you can still stop an enrollment. In this case, Vine Voices cannot claim additional units. However, this does not guarantee reviews will not be published.

• To cancel a Vine enrollment, access your Vine application in Seller Central, then click Stop.
• You cannot re-enroll an ASIN after canceling enrollment.

How many reviews can I receive with Amazon Vine?

The maximum number of reviews your product can receive from Vine Voices is 30. If your product already has 5 reviews, you can only receive up to 25 reviews more through the Amazon Vine program. Once your listing reaches 30 reviews, they will be automatically unenrolled from the program.

Product restrictions for the Amazon Vine program

Not all products are eligible for the Amazon Vine program. Restricted products are not eligible for enrollment, including items that require bundling for delivery or review and those that require reviewers to purchase additional products to conduct the review.

Do keep in mind that Hazmat goods, drop-ship items, heavy or bulk items, and sample goods are also not eligible.

Pros and cons of Amazon Vine for sellers

Let’s go over the benefits and drawbacks of the Amazon Vine program to help you decide if it’s worth enrolling.

Pros:

Greater Review Potential

• Amazon Vine allows sellers to receive up to 30 reviews. There's still no guarantee that you'll actually get all 30, as some Vine Voices may choose not to leave a review.

Thorough, Higher-Quality Reviews

• Vine Voices were chosen by Amazon because of their reviewer ratings, which reflect the quality and helpfulness of their reviews as rated by other Amazon customers. This means that the reviews they leave will be carefully considered and detailed compared to the average customer review. Expect to see pros and cons lists as well as pictures/videos from customers.

More Practical Feedback

• Since Vine Voices aim to break down every aspect of the product, potential customers will get a more complete idea of how the product can work for them. Instead of vague, one-word reviews, Vine Voice reviewers leave feedback that is helpful and relevant to the customer's purchasing decision.

Drives traffic and conversions

• Customer reviews are one of the most important factors that influence sales and conversions on your listings.
• Having high-quality Vine Voice reviews of your products will help increase conversion rates and ultimately provide the momentum needed to improve the overall ranking of your best-selling products.

Cons:

Reviews are Not Guaranteed, Positive or Otherwise

• While any reviews the Vine Voices do leave will be full of important details, Amazon does not guarantee that they’ll leave positive reviews or any reviews at all. Sellers will have no control over what the reviewer says and won’t be able to contact them.

Only Available to Brand Registered Sellers

• This limits the number of sellers that can actually participate in the program. If your competitors don't have a registered trademark, taking advantage of Vine reviews can give you an advantage.

Registration Cost is 200 USD

• Vine will cost you a $75-$200 enrollment fee for each parent ASIN you enroll. You need to determine if the enrollment fee will be worth it to you.

Conclusion:

The Amazon Vine program for sellers can be a valuable tool for boosting your product's reputation and sales on the platform. While participation involves some investment and adherence to program guidelines, the benefits of authentic reviews and improved product visibility make it a worthwhile endeavor. However, it's essential to remember that Vine is just one of many strategies for obtaining reviews and building a successful Amazon business. Consider your specific business goals and resources when deciding if Amazon Vine is the right choice for your brand.