amazon vine program
“First impressions matter.”
This couldn’t be more true for e-commerce businesses trying to grow on Amazon.
When a viable customer visits your product listing, he/she scans through the images, description, A+ content, and customer reviews.
That’s right!
You need reviews that serve as social proof to convert a visitor into your customer.
The Amazon Vine program can help you with just that!
In this article we’ll deep dive into Amazon Vine program requirements, Amazon Vine program advantages, Amazon Vine program benefits, amongst other important information such as product restrictions for the Amazon Vine Program and much more.
So, let’s get started!
Here’s a quick guide to the article:
Note: If you want to become an Amazon Vine Reviewer, and want to know how it works, skip to this part.
Amazon Vine is a game-changing review program for sellers and vendors. It was designed by the ecommerce giant to help Amazon sellers and vendors quickly build credibility and trust. The Amazon Vine Voices Program offers a unique opportunity for those enrolled to effectively gather unbiased reviews for their newly launched or pre-release products.
The process itself is quite seamless. You essentially send the products you want reviewed to Amazon and the big “A” delivers the products to a select group of reviewers on their roster.
These reviewers or Voices are invited into the program by Amazon and are selected based on stringent criteria such as reviewer rank, helpfulness votes, quality of reviews, consistency of reviewing, and overall reputation. Unfortunately, the specific selection criteria have not been divulged by the ecommerce giant. Meaning no one know how many Amazon Vine invites are sent out in a month.
Ultimately, these critics provide honest and unbiased feedback that can influence the purchasing decision of future customers and in return for their efforts, they get to keep the product. Of course, Amazon also wins as more sales lead to more revenue. Moreover, the Vine program isn’t free and you will have to meet certain criteria to enroll in it. We’ve covered all of it in the upcoming sections.
Important Note: Amazon Vine Voices is not the same as the Amazon Early Reviewer Program. The Early Reviewer Program has been officially terminated due to unethical practices by third-party sellers who sent counterfeit products provoking negative feedback from reviewers. Amazon Vine Voices was created to prevent sellers from “gaming the system” and soliciting biased reviews for money or other favors.
Here’s an example of a review from a Vine Voice:
Amazon vendors or sellers apply to participate in the program by submitting their products to Amazon. Amazon selects products that are eligible for the program based on factors such as the product’s category, customer demand, and availability.
Amazon invites its most trusted reviewers, known as Vine Voices, to participate in the program. Vine Voices are selected based on their reviewer rank, helpfulness votes, and overall reputation.
Amazon sends the selected Vine Voices a list of eligible products to choose from. The Vine Voices can select up to five products at a time.
Amazon vendors or sellers send the selected products to Vine Voices free of charge.
Vine Voices receive the products and are required to write an honest and unbiased review within 30 days of receiving the product.
Amazon posts the Vine Voice reviews on the product detail pages along with a special Vine badge to indicate that the review was written as part of the program.
It’s important to note that Vine Voices are not paid for their reviews and are not required to write a positive review in exchange for receiving the product. However, if Vine Voice consistently writes low-quality or biased reviews, they may be removed from the program.
Amazon Vine program is designed to help sellers gain high-quality reviews for their products on the Amazon marketplace. This program is a serious advantage for new sellers who don’t have any reviews. Here are some of the benefits that come with participating in the program:
High-Quality Reviews
It’s important to understand that Amazon Vine Voices are selected based on their history of providing high-quality and helpful reviews.
This essentially means that products that Vine Members review are likely to help other shoppers make informed purchasing decisions that can improve your sales, overall brand image and, ultimately, drive your business forward.
Other than social proof that can result in more sales, these reviews also elevate your Amazon SEO.
Brand awareness
Other than the reviews of the Amazon Vine Program helping brands with direct sales, it also drastically improves brand awareness of products by getting them in front of potential customers. When Vine members review a product, their reviews are tagged with a “Vine Voice” label.
This tag itself can help increase brand awareness for products by getting them in front of more potential customers as it stands out and people can find your product through the Vine Voice tags themselves.
This can be extremely beneficial for New brands, products, and slow-selling products that need a boost to drive more sales.
Increased review potential – Up to 30 Reviews!
Sellers and vendors participating in the Amazon Vine program can receive more reviews for their products than expected. Specifically, you can expect to get up to 30 reviews through the Vine Program which is more than enough to get the ball rolling and establish a foundation for more reviews in the future.
However, this is not an absolute. There is a high possibility that you may not get all of the 30 reviews. There is also a possibility that you may get zero reviews. Although this too is highly unlikely.
Increased traffic and conversion
Products that receive more reviews and have higher ratings are more likely to be featured in Amazon’s search results and recommended product sections. This can help drive more traffic to a product’s listing and increase conversion rates.
Helpful and practical feedback
A vast majority of your audience worries about review fraud. This is primarily why Amazon shut down the early reviewer program and has been working exceptionally hard to clamp down on fake and incentivized reviews.
By using the Amazon Vine program, you get an official distinctive green stripe that lets the shoppers know that the review is genuine. Amazon Vine Members are typically highly engaged and thoughtful reviewers who take the time to provide practical and helpful feedback. This information is extremely valuable for sellers and vendors who are looking to improve their products or identify areas where they can make the most improvements.
If you have understood what are the benefits, let’s move on to who benefits from Amazon’s Vine program.
Fundamentally, the Amazon Vine Program benefits both sellers and buyers. It helps sellers quickly get those necessary reviews and it also helps inform buyers. After all, these reviews come with a “Vine Voices” badge that essentially informs the reader that it’s a quality and trustworthy review.
It is also a godsend for new sellers looking to quickly get reviews on their new listings. You can take advantage of the Vine Voice program to ensure that they receive early reviews that can drive new sales the moment the product is live.
Products with 4 or 5 star ratings are especially popular with customers and will result in not only more reviews but also more sales as such a high rating improves the conversion rate. Now, it’s important to note that if your product has several terrible Vine Voice reviews. It’s best to reevaluate your product and potentially fix it rather than ruin your overall brand by pushing it to the market where it’s likely to fail.
Most importantly, good reviews are vital to making sales and staying on top of search and overall discoverability.
Back in the day, Amazon charged sellers a fee of $2500 per enrolled ASIN. However, as of October 19, 2023, Amazon has changed the Vine enrollment fee rates.
Now, those that want to enroll in the Amazon Vine Program need to pay a one-time enrollment fee per parent ASIN. Specifically, you will be charges depending on the total number of units you want to enroll. Here’s the Amazon Vine Program fee breakdown:
| Units Enrolled | Vine Enrollment Fee |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | $0 |
| 3-10 | $75 |
| 11-30+ | $200 |
According to the new fee structure, you will only be charged seven days after the first review is published, making it easier on a new seller’s pocket.
It’s also important to understand that Amazon Vine Program allows only up to 30 reviews. Meaning that if you enroll a product with 0 reviews, you can only expect a maximum of 30 reviews.
Additionally, if you enroll a product that already has 20 reviews, you will only need to pay $75 for 10 reviews before you exhaust your reviews. You can enroll of a total of 200 unites at any given time.
Of course, simply enrolling in the Vine program does not automatically guarantee positive reviews. You will, ultimately, have to make sure that your product is actually good. Moreover, your listing will also be under scrutiny and lack of critical information in the product descriptions or in the images or even inaccurate/misleading information in the listing will lead to negative reviews.
Therefore, make sure that all the details are accurate as possible and provide a clear representation of the product.
Although Amazon Vine is incredibly useful, not everyone can enroll in the program. There are certain prerequisites that you’ll need to meet. Initially, only the program was only open to Vendors but since 2019, sellers have also been able to eroll. Here are requirements:
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.
Finally, it’s important to recognize that not all applicants will be accepted into the program, as Amazon reviews each application on a case-by-case basis.
To enroll in the Amazon Vine program, follow these steps:
When you’re brand has taken off and you’re organically generating reviews for your listings, you will want to cancel your Vine enrollment. You can quickly and easily do it by following these steps:
As mentioned earlier, Amazon Sellers and Vendors can enroll up to 200 ASINs simultaneously. This limit was increased from the previous cap of 60 ASINs, providing brands with a greater opportunity to get their products reviewed by Vine Voices and potentially boost their sales and visibility on Amazon.
There are certain product restrictions for the Amazon Vine Program. Products such as digital software, adult items, hazmat goods, dropshipping item, heavy or bulk items and sample goods are some of the items not eligible for the program.
Additionally, products that require bundling for delivery or review is an obvious no as it will require reviewers to purchase additional products to conduct the review.
Gaining verified reviews can be an extremely challenging task.
Gaining verified reviews can be a challenging task, but they play a vital role in building trust among your customers. Although the Amazon Vine program offers numerous benefits, it may not be a suitable option for every seller due to its eligibility criteria. In such cases, there are alternative programs available to consider
Amazon Early Reviewer Program
One such option is the Amazon Early Reviewer Program, which is comparable to the Vine program but comes with a fee and allows up to five product reviews.
Automate your reviews with Emails
Another effective way to generate reviews on Amazon is to automate the process with emails. You can send a series of emails to customers after they make a purchase, with the goal of establishing a connection with them and encouraging them to leave a review.
By using this strategy, you can enhance brand engagement and increase your chances of receiving reviews on Amazon. Remember to keep your emails concise, informative, and friendly, and always provide value to your customers.
SellerApp review request tool
The SellerApp review request Chrome extension is a helpful tool that simplifies the process of requesting reviews from customers. By using this tool, you can save time and effort, as it allows you to send multiple review requests from your seller central account all at once. Moreover, this tool is available for free and can be accessed through the provided link.
If you’re a good match for the Vine Voices program, Amazon will typically reach out to you. They prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to the number of reviews you’ve completed. To determine if you’re a suitable candidate, Amazon looks at factors such as the helpfulness of your reviews, your expertise in a specific product category, and the recency of your reviews.
However, it’s challenging to know which products are enrolled in the Vine program if you haven’t been invited yet. Amazon doesn’t have a set system for selecting reviewers for the program, and the selection process can vary depending on the categories they want to add new Vine reviewers to.
Additionally, Amazon doesn’t disclose how often they invite reviewers, so it’s unclear if they’re actively adding new Vine reviewers. However, some users on forums like Reddit may share when new Vine reviewer slots become available. New slots only become available when old users leave the program.
To become one of Amazon’s trusted reviewers, you’ll need to catch the attention of the company. Although Amazon does not have a specific process for selecting reviewers, it does provide some guidance on what it looks for in a Vine reviewer. Rather than focusing on the number of reviews, Amazon prioritizes the quality of reviews. Amazon’s criteria for selecting Vine Voices include a reviewer’s rank, expertise in a specific product category, and the recency of reviews. Vine reviewers are also expected to have an interest in products similar to those enrolled in the Vine program.
However, it’s not easy to know which products are enrolled in the program since vendors pay to have their products included. To increase your chances of being invited, you can work on getting more helpful votes on your reviews and sticking to one specific product category to become an expert in that field.
Amazon doesn’t disclose its specific selection process or how often it invites new reviewers to the Vine program. Therefore, you’ll need to keep writing helpful reviews and wait for Amazon to reach out to you if they believe you meet their criteria for Vine Voices.
Yes, the Amazon Vine program is a legitimate program offered by Amazon to help sellers generate early reviews for their new products. Vine reviewers are carefully selected by Amazon and are required to leave unbiased and honest reviews.
While there is a cost associated with participating in the program, it can help sellers gain valuable feedback and increase their product’s visibility and sales on Amazon. However, not all products are eligible for the Vine program, and there are limitations and alternatives that sellers should consider before deciding to participate.
Yes, the Amazon Vine program is still available. It is a program designed for sellers to get early reviews for their products from a group of pre-approved Amazon Vine reviewers. While there are some limitations and requirements to be eligible for the program, it can be a useful tool for new or lesser-known products to gain initial reviews and improve their visibility on the Amazon marketplace.
Amazon Vine allows up to 30 reviews for each product ASIN. However, if a product already has 25 reviews, it can only receive a maximum of 5 reviews through the program. On the other hand, if a product has no reviews yet, it can receive a maximum of 30 reviews through Amazon Vine.
Amazon Vine doesn’t pay the reviewers for their reviews and there is no
However, the program does provide free products in exchange for unbiased reviews. Vine Voices are required to leave a review within 30 days of receiving the product.
However, Vine reviewers are not obligated to write a review, and there is no penalty if they do not fulfill their end of the agreement. Some sellers have reported a Vine review rate of only around 50%.
Amazon Vine program can be an excellent opportunity for sellers to get early reviews for their products and increase their visibility on Amazon.
While it may have some limitations and eligibility requirements, there are alternative options available for those who don’t qualify for the program. Sellers should also keep in mind that generating genuine and honest reviews from customers is crucial for the success of their products on Amazon.
Now, to effectively become a Vine Voice, you will need crucial product and category information. Therefore, we recommend you use a tool like SellerApp to understand more about the product your reviewing.
Of course, if you’re a seller and you’re looking to increase your review count and find that Vine is too slow, you can always use SellerApp’s Review Request tool to quickly accumulate customer reviews.
Boost Amazon Sales with SellerApp Insights!
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Very practical tips.
Happy to hear this article is helpful.
This is so useful!
Thanks.